Best SMAX Game Settings?

[MegaTurtleRex]

I know 'best game settings' probably has no definitive answer, but there's a lot of selections (planet size, erosion, cloud cover, difficulty etc.) I'd like to hear from people who have played the game a bit what settings are good.

I don't mind losing to hard AI, so unless it behaves oddly at max I would probably try that. Does a larger planet size or messing with erosion\cloud\oceans unbalance the game?

[Main_Brain]

Interesting Question. Here is what I think:

I feel the larger Planetsizes (Large/Huge/Custom) favor the Player due to better ICS management. Even Yang with his Tolerance to efficiency usually can't keep up. So Standard Size.

Landmass: No idea, although a Game with one Landmass and several Pirate Factions... Personally I usually go Pangea.

Clouds: Dense The AI really profits from the extra Nutrients. Furthermore in an extreme case I did some testgames on an almost-everytile-Desert-Map and the AI was never able to expand much beyond the lush Starting Valley. Surely not relevant for a normal game, but more Pop with less Drones than a Player is quite useful for the AI.

Lifeforms: Ah, a Conundrum. The Green Factions usually profit from higher settings, yet it utterly stomps early Expansion for all and sometimes even kills/breaks some AI's who have trouble protecting their Formers and Pods. I usually put it on abundant because due to my Playing style it really hampers me more than them
Chose rare for a more relaxed Game.

Erosion: What exactly did this do again? more Mountains?

Blind Resarch: helps ai, horrible horrible setting

Random Events: On, if you hadn't had your Best three Bases wiped out by a Asteroid Strike once yet you didnÄt see nothing yet.

Pod Scattering: Off, usually helps Player more.

Tech Stagnation: No Idea. The Ai usually deals fairly well with it in the Early game due to Trading Techs, but falls of in Midgame.

Steal Tech: Depends on AI: Spartans, Believers, Yang, Drones in the Game: Yes. University, Cyber, Aliens: No

Ironman: Sure why not? The Game is stable and Autosaves every Turn. Really forces you to stick to your Decisions

Player Restart: Only useful if someone dies very early, due to less Free Space availabe and stronger Factions later.

Randomize Personalities: Can lead to some very strange Social Choices/ Combinations: Peaceful Spartans and such. Not recommended if not for Fun factor.

Aggressive AI: Ai is usually aggressive enough for me, so choose at your own Peril.

Unity Survey (See Continents): Ai knows the Layout anyways, so yes.

Forgot Something?

[MegaTurtleRex]

Thanks, that's the sort of information I was after, especially how the cloud setting affects the AI.

I can set up a game today now

[Main_Brain]

Lasagna

[LoriTX]

I have been playing this game since the beginning of Time - well AC/SMAX time!!
90% of the time I play Gaian and 10% of the time a Random faction!
Librarian level - once in a while will go up one more level! I do NOT win every Game, I would say less than 50% of the time!
I refuse to play with the Usurpers or Caretakers!!
I do play against a mix of the other factions - then change the Usurpers and Caretakers to other factions.

Landmass - Huge
Cloud cover - Dense
Life forms - Average
Transcendence OFF - too easy to win!
no Blind Research
Random Events on
Pod Scattering on
Tech Stagnation off
Steal Tech on
Ironman off - have you ever popped a volcano in the monsoon jungle? Playing as a Gaian I just cant turn this one on!!! I try not to reload the game otherwise!
Player Restart - don't want anyone coming back to life!
Random personalities - no
Aggressive AI - no- most are aggressive enough!!
Unity Survey - off, but you can still see the 'landmass' outline with the grid on.

[CEO Aaron]

I play on a Large Map, because the maproot math is pretty simple: At zero efficiency, 6 is your base-limit. For the rest, go for average erosion, abundant natives, rainy precipitation. I prefer look first, and orbital scan, so I can get a look at the continent shape from the beginning (just makes sense to me: take a look out the window before I crash on the planet, and pick a base location to start my first one). Transcend difficulty, Ironman, and no Blind research. Everything else is set to defaults.

The rainy and abundant life settings tend to help the unit-heavy momentum play that the AI tends to rely on, and holds back builders, and it's smart builder play that really tend to own the AI ridiculously hard.