Newbie Help and Strategies wanted!

[Hydro]

Congrats on getting Crossfire! It is very hard to find, with ridiculously high prices on EBay. I’d be curious what you think of the new factions and the new features. I have to admit I rarely play a standard AC game anymore.

I looked up Ayn Rand on Wiki to get an overview and perused some of the provided links. She does sound cultish and a bit of an extremist. While appealing from a selfish point of view (get what you can by any means necessary, keep what you can acquire, and everyone else can go to ***), her ideas seem quaint and hysterically ideological. So yes, she does sound a bit like Morgan! I wonder if there are some Randish quotes hidden in the Morganite datalinks?

Hydro

[StealthKab]

My initial impression of the new factions is that I think some of them are kinda cool, but they seem to be slight modifications on the original seven. Like the Drones seem similar to the Hive, and the Data Angels are like University but with better probing. And I have no clue about the Cult or the Progeniters (sp?).

Haven't been able to play much of SMACX right now, but I plan on doing it soon. I'm torn between this and Romance of the Three Kingdoms 11 for the PS2 with some Battlefield: Bad Company thrown in.

I wouldn't be surprised if there was some Rand quotes associated with Morgan, but I haven't noticed any so far. I see how you can get those things from Rand, but it's all how you look at it. The basic thing of her philosophy is that men should deal with the world in a rational manner, not emotional or spiritual. Sorta libertarianism/laissez faire economics with a machine gun.

[QuixotesGhost]

I wouldn't be surprised if there was some Rand quotes associated with Morgan, but I haven't noticed any so far.

Although, IMO, Rand has a flair for iconic imagery, she's not really that quotable due to being pretty long-winded. I will say though that many of Morgan's quotes are very Rand-like.

Sorta libertarianism/laissez faire economics with a machine gun.

Meh, not really. Rand hated the military. She was all about free will and enlightenment over force and ignorance. That's one of the primary reasons she defends capitalism so staunchly, because she believes its the only economic system based on free will.

Bioshock vaguely mimics this sentiment in Andrew Ryan's death speech: "A man chooses! A slave obeys!". The great thing about that scene from Bioshock is that it parallels one in Atlas Shrugged where either Dagny Taggart or John Galt (can't remember which) uses reason and philosophy to talk some guards out of killing them.

[StealthKab]

Well, got around to playing SMACX some, and I think I like it better than the original. Mainly because you get more options and with the two aliens the game plays a little differently.

I say "with a machine gun" because it's fairly militantly capitalist. Not so much using force to enforce, but using force to protect. Lots of ideologies tend to be more subjective and relative about that part.

Managed to get Civ3 from my friend's stash. I can't stand to play it. Mainly because the damn screen doesn't fit in my laptop. HAH! Sucks I can't play in 800x600, otherwise it would probably be good.

[Pandir]

Personally I thought Civ3 was pretty bad, it made some changed from Civ 2 which were a step back.

[StealthKab]

Well, even though I liked playing Sid Meier games, I never really heard much about Alpha Centauri. You, of course, hear more about the Civilization series. What drew me to wanting to play Civ3 was the fact that there were finally actual REAL borders. That's what pissed me off the most about Civ2...that other civs would just wander all in your territory and when you called them on it, they would get pissed and declare war on you or something. Also, the cultural thing sounded cool too.

I didn't know AC had borders. I had heard about it and thought about getting it back in the day, but my PC was quickly getting old and not able to run things. So PC games took a back seat. Now with my newer laptop (former military model with rifle strap, metal body, and touch screen...it's cool) I can play a lot of the games I wanted to 5-10 years ago. The one thing I miss though is being able to form NATO like pacts like you could in Civ2...to a degree.

[vyeh]

I bet you don't worry about dropping the laptop. Was it actually used by the military?

[StealthKab]

Yeah. I got it from a guy I know that basically sells crap on Ebay. He got a few of these from someone that deals in military surplus and offered me one at a reduced price. I paid $400 for it while he sold the rest for around $800. On the bottom it's got all kinds of barcode stickers. It looks like something pre-2000, but it's a 2004-ish model. That's because of the heavy metal casing. Also, it has an antenna attached to the screen that's used to catch and receive signals from other units like this. Lastly, on the bottom, instead of the typical rubber non-skid things it has a big felt patch to keep it in place on the humvees. I think it was used at training centers, not actual operations over seas.

Damn right I don't have to worry about dropping it. If I didn't know better, I'd bet this thing could take bullets or grenade shrapnel and keep going. If I can find batteries for my camera (I never have enough AAAs) I'll snap some pics and load them if anyone wants to see it.

Oh, and in AC news...I still suck with anyone other than Morgan Industries. I don't know why. I can't seem to play to the strengths of the other factions. It was easy with Morgan...plant some forests (especially in bonus squares) get some crawlers out there and nab up minerals and nutrients. All while buying anything I need. Being poor sucks, and it REALLY sucks on Alpha Centauri.

[vyeh]

Obviously, Morgan fits your playing style.

[StealthKab]

Well, I know that. But I want to play the Spartans or something. Going for the Economic victory all the time gets boring. I COULD do a military victory, but a lot of the time is if Miriam isn't taken out quickly then she basically becomes the USSR circa 1950-1975 to my USA. I'd spend most of my time trying to fight her to a stalemate...which would suit me, because I don't have to win large areas of land to win the war (Korean War style). When that happens another large faction (usually PKs) start acting up and demanding ridiculous stuff and wants to start wars with me. Fighting two wars with factions that have large borders with me isn't fun. Spartans sound cool because they do the builder and fighter thing at the same time.

[Pandir]

I always find conquer victory hard if you don't get good start position. Getting stuck on a small island by yourself in the corner of the world or getting stuck between the two most antagonistic factions etc. can make things difficult.

[StealthKab]

I tend to get stuck between Yang and Miriam. Also, a lot of the time when I have the Peacekeepers next door they tend to be warmongering bastards for some reason. Even though I'm usually running Democracy as Morgan. Being stuck like that when I'm Morgan isn't too bad. Because I may not be able to project power from my borders, but I can usually defeat anything within.

Like I said, I'm thinking about being the Spartans next. I think I might be able to overcome their production shortfall once I get the crawlers. Also, they're easier to pop boom than Morgan and don't get too cranky when you have units out of country.

[BlackCat]

Originally posted by StealthKab
Fighting two wars with factions that have large borders with me isn't fun.

With armored drop speeders and choppers it isn't that problematic. Though, wait until you have a decent army at both fronts before starting it. Use the choppers to clear bases and take them with drops.

It's preferable if you can take out several bases each turn. Be a bit selective about wich bases to take - bases with few defenders and lots of supported units are goodies. When you take such a base, these units support are moved to one of the neighboring bases - done right, several bases units can be moved to a very weak supporter and the excess will be scrapped next turn without you getting a scratch. For the same reason, don't kill formers - you'll just hurt your unit and give the opponent mins.

Drop units that drop into a city doesn't get damaged and can continue this way from one end of your empire to the other.

If you are in danger of being probed, then have some drop probes that can follow your attack, but note that they can't move after the drop, so they must be able to reach the target in one drop.

If you don't have much money, then let the newly conquered city hurry a scout and upgrade it to a armoured defense unit next turn - that's cheaper.

If you want to practise a little drop action, then you have here a game that screams for it. It's Aki on transcend, but is actually a bit of a cheat - the AI is pretty hogtied

[BlackCat]

Dammit, even zipped, two save was too much - here are the start.

[CEO Aaron]

Welcome, StealthKab. I commend you on your choice of factions, Morgan and Sparta are two of my all-time favorites.

I've been playing Morgan for quite some time now and I've got their opening game down to a science. First of all, contrary to some advice you've received here, I would not start out researching centauri ecology. Formers are good, make no mistake, but with the Morganite support penalty, building them early can choke your mineral production.

The gambit I use instead is to start the game off with my first base(s) accruing minerals (set to Merchant Exchange), and research biogenics as your first tech. Once you've discovered biogenics, switch production to recycling tanks in every base, and use your 100 EC startup funds to rush build them both.

Using this trick almost immediately puts your 100 EC bonus to work, giving you extra mineral income, population growth and energy. Now you proceed normally with early research toward industrial automation, grabbing centauri ecology as soon as it's available.

On garrisons: Don't make anything but scouts for early garrisons. The object of the garrison is to keep your bases from being clipped by stray mindworms, and to keep the AI from walking into unoccupied bases. You can always upgrade your scouts to Synth garrisons later as you see enemy troops on the horizon. Remember, your primary aim in the early game should be to maximize the number of bases you have built, above all else. Spending turns on fancy garrisons that will likely do nothing but stand around is a huge waste of resources.

I understand if you're finding economic victory somewhat dull, but there's no reason Morgan can't duke it out mid to late game with the best of your rivals. Your energy income should insure a solid technological advantage over your rivals, and if you switch your SE choices to Fundy/Green/Wealth, you can still maintain a respectable income at home while kicking ass abroad. Just make sure you build children's creches in every base to counteract the negative morale hit from wealth, and your troops will be just as tough as everyone else's save Sparta and Miriam, who should be at a severe technological disadvantage to you.

[CEO Aaron]

Now Spartan strategy is a bit more conventional, in some ways, and more interesting in others. The Spartan opening is highly conventional. You'll want to grab centauri ecology asap and crank out formers and colony pods quickly, no suprises here. However,
your poor industry and lackluster economy mean that a Spartan player must pursue very aggressive growth in order to compete with rivals. Fortunately, they're well-equipped to do so in two ways: First, the Spartan morale bonus ensures that during the early and midgame your troops will be a notch tougher than everyone else's. Second, your extra police rating will permit strong early growth when other factions might founder against bureaucracy drones.

This means an aggressive program of territorial expansion is critical for Sparta. Scout lots, grab every unity pod you can, and conquer any neighboring rivals who might be occupying your continent.

Do avoid Police state, however. While the support bonus may seem attractive initially, you'll languish behind your rivals who harness the huge power of democracy to increase in size and wealth. Instead, get non lethal methods and put 2 scout police in every base. Quelling 6 drones per base with only a rec commons is social stability no other faction can rival, and lets you spend your precious minerals on other more lucrative projects.

Probe your rivals liberally, and ruthlessly steal any tech you can. With a successful probe campaign, you can find yourself in the tech lead with little effort, and once you enjoy a significant population advantage, you can engage specialist researchers for corruption-free credits and labs.

Democracy/Planned/Knowledge will let you achieve easy perma-Pop booming while still permitting unrestrained warfare and scouting. With good terraforming and smart use of supply crawlers you can turn tiny bases into huge ones in the space of a few turns, and with proper base facilities, it's easy to crank out an all-elite military for the delicious mobility edge.

[vyeh]

StealthKab,

It has been two weeks since you posted at 'poly.

Did you ever get the chance to play the Spartans?

Morgan is naturally a pacifist (he gets bonus commerce from treaties and pacts and it costs him more to maintain an army), while the Spartans are natural warmongers (they get a 25% advantage attacking and defending, they can use an extra garrison as police and it cost them an extra 10% to build facilities).

Recently, Sid Meier said that Alpha Centauri was "an experiment" that allowed the developers "to stretch Civ in some new and interesting ways."

May you continue to find Alpha Centauri "new and interesting!"

[WyldCard4]

Another Newbie, should I start my own thread or ask stuff here?

[vyeh]

Welcome!

Use this thread.

How long have you been playing SMAC/X?

Do you have SMAC or SMAX?

[WyldCard4]

Originally posted by vyeh
Welcome!

Use this thread.

How long have you been playing SMAC/X?

Do you have SMAC or SMAX?

A while, but just found both disks a month ago after several years of being lost.

I will use this thread.

SMAX, though I play mostly the first seven factions I like the greater content.

I play Lal 90 percent of the time, currently on Talent level.

I use Forests mostly, just figured out the joys of Crawlers and Energy Parks or mines.

Mostly do a Hybrid style of play.

I was just looking through the Vel’s SMAC Guide (Version 2.0), is there a version 3.0 still around or did it fall from the net?

I mostly ask because it was stated it had information for SMAX, which I would find useful.

Any other good guide, strategies, or advice not already covered?

Also any good fan fiction would be nice if you know of it, always been a fan fic junkie.

[Mart]

Originally posted by WyldCard4
Also any good fan fiction would be nice if you know of it, always been a fan fic junkie.

try stories section:
http://apolyton.net/forums/showthrea...hreadid=133871
this thread lists most/all smac fiction on Apolyton.
Good stuff!

[vyeh]

Originally posted by WyldCard4
I was just looking through the Vel’s SMAC Guide (Version 2.0), is there a version 3.0 still around or did it fall from the net?

I mostly ask because it was stated it had information for SMAX, which I would find useful.

Any other good guide, strategies, or advice not already covered?

Also any good fan fiction would be nice if you know of it, always been a fan fic junkie.

You can download version 3.0 here.

Version 4.0 is available on Amazon.

There is an on-line guide at Gamespot.

The SMAC Academy has great articles.

There are a few columns at Apolyon on SMAC. If you look at the titles, you'll see which ones are SMAC.

You might be interested in The Spartan Chronicles.

[WyldCard4]

Thanks both of you.

Where could I find information on the differences between level difficulties?
Edit: The files for downloading the Spartan Chronicals and the Guide doesn't work, I have done the free trial of it before and it has run out, any ideas for what to do?

[vyeh]

pp. 15-26 of Prima's Strategy Guide talks about various game aspects that are affected by difficulty level.

I checked the link for The Spartan Chronicles. It works.

I meant the on-line, not downloadable, guide at Gamespot. Click on "Next-Part 1: Leadership Academy" or on one of part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, appendices at the top.

[WyldCard4]

Originally posted by vyeh
pp. 15-26 of Prima's Strategy Guide talks about various game aspects that are affected by difficulty level.

I checked the link for The Spartan Chronicles. It works.

I meant the on-line, not downloadable, guide at Gamespot. Click on "Next-Part 1: Leadership Academy" or on one of part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, appendices at the top.

Thanks, and the problem is I lack the software they use to download it.

[vyeh]

Originally posted by WyldCard4
Thanks, and the problem is I lack the software they use to download it.

What is "it" in your sentence? The Spartan Chronicles or the Gamespot Online Guide?

[WyldCard4]

Originally posted by vyeh


What is "it" in your sentence? The Spartan Chronicles or the Gamespot Online Guide?

Spartan, sorry.

[vyeh]

Try this link:

http://apolyton.net/upload/view/7561...Chronicles.zip

I just uploaded the Spartan Chronicles and I tested it by downloading it.

[Alinestra Covelia]

Welcome! I really should get my SMAX CD back from my cousin and play it myself...!

[CEO Aaron]

I can give you the short summary of difficulty levels:

Each progressive hike in difficulty levels reduces the number of 'free' citizens you get in your home bases, before new citizens are made into drones by default. At Transcend, that number is one, Thinker, two, etc. Also, each increase in difficulty gives the AI one more point in their Growth and Industry SE ratings, with Librarian being 0.

My general advice to any player wishing to become skilled is to push their difficulty up rapidly. Every game you win, play the next at a higher difficulty. The reason is that playing at lower difficulty ingrains bad habits which you will have to unlearn at higher levels, and moreover, the actual difference in challenge level between difficulty levels isn't as great as it first seems. Yes, the AIs are much more productive and therefore aggressive, but they're really no smarter than they are at Talent.

You'll learn a lot more about the game struggling with Transcend difficulty than you're likely to sleepwalking at Talent.