So what [I]exactly[/I] is everyone's problem with FM?

[Lemmy]

It would be significantly harder, and would not benefit us at all, least of all by making the game more 'fun'.

What!?
You like easy games?...wuss

[GeneralTacticus]

We're here to win, are we not? Nobody likes losing, and while I've got no problem with difficult games, I see no reason to be deliberately inept in order to make matters more challenging.

[Pandemoniak]

Not switching to FM doesnt make the game harder. It gives it another style.

[GeneralTacticus]

I'm baffled as to how you can believe that the enormous reduction in energy production that results from not picking FM will not make the game harder.

[Archaic]

And I'm baffled as to how he can believe that not switching to FM w/ 20% Psych and therefore denying us the enormous decrease in drones and the enormous increase in research thanks to the energy production of FM will not make the game harder.

[Main_Brain]

-Exploring with Probe Teams=Worm Fodder
-Less Drones under FM= In a War????
-easy Game= I dont see any Difference, I win my Games under
Planned too?

[Flubber]

Interesting stuff here-- I'm not technically part of the democracy game and if you are choosing Planned forever for the purpose of roleplaying, well so be it

But I can tell you that for the purposes of playing the game of SMAC, you are remiss if you are not in FM as the PK at some points in the game for substantial periods

Personally I am most in favor of FM very early (unless the bulk of my tiles are bumping against energy restrictions) and again upon obtaining the lifting of energy restrictions. The building of a single artillery rover and a couple of empath scouts means that worms are good not bad. The increased labs and credits that flow in are substantial. Horde energy while in FM and then rush a bunch of high cost facilities when you switch to Planned. You can spend as many turns there as your pop boom extends.

In game terms, perpetual planned is a waste. Industry only matters on completion of a unit and you can time your rushes to get the benefit of large ticket items. Perpetual pop boom is nice but a more organized boom can gain the same results.

Just two cents from a "pundit" that is not even currently a citizen

[Kirov]

Well, having persistently supported the cause of non-FM choices, I must say that FM is my favourite in SP games, after lifting energy restrictions. But anyway, I'm here to have a good time, as this game is won from the very beginning. Well, GT isn't right when he says we are here to win - I'm not.

[GeneralTacticus]

-Exploring with Probe Teams=Worm Fodder

1) Not if they're armoured (well, less so, anyway)

2) So what? They're not that hard to replace, and except up north, worms aren't all that common.

-Less Drones under FM= In a War????

We should experience no drone problems in war if we use mainly probes and drop troops, and make sure we take an enemy base on the same turn that we attack.

-easy Game= I dont see any Difference, I win my Games under
Planned too?

You could probably win if you didn't do any terraforming either, but does that mean we shouldn't terraform?

[MrWhereItsAt]

For those who are using mainly RP arguments against FM; wouldn't a short time aunder FM benefit you too? You can become corporate stooges, or be the protestors that stage sit-ins and boycotts for the powerful corporations. And when we leave FM (unless we don't) you can always hark back to it as being a "dark time".

C'mon variety isn't boring - let's try this sh1t out, not stay in one place the whole time. THAT's when things get dull.

[Pandemoniak]

Is playing with Deirdre harder than playing with Morgan ? Certainly not, she's actually the easiest to play, IMHO.

[Drogue]

Originally posted by MrWhereItsAt
For those who are using mainly RP arguments against FM; wouldn't a short time aunder FM benefit you too? You can become corporate stooges, or be the protestors that stage sit-ins and boycotts for the powerful corporations. And when we leave FM (unless we don't) you can always hark back to it as being a "dark time".

C'mon variety isn't boring - let's try this sh1t out, not stay in one place the whole time. THAT's when things get dull.

It is harder to change than to stay the same however, because many people want to keep the staus quo. As such, if we change to FM, we may not change back. We do not want that, therefore voted against FM. Although it could be fun

[Main_Brain]

Im not up to Date with our Research but I dont think we are anyway near Dropdroopers?

Win without Terraforming? mhh interesting
*goes to fire up a game*

[GeneralTacticus]

Is playing with Deirdre harder than playing with Morgan ? Certainly not, she's actually the easiest to play, IMHO.

Quite possibly, butn the point is WE'RE NOT DEIRDRE.

There, did I write it in big enough letters for you?

Im not up to Date with our Research but I dont think we are anyway near Dropdroopers?

No, but it's not as if we're anywhere near needing them either.

[Xian]

Originally posted by Archaic
[To put it simply......do you want to be able to choose what you want to do when you want to do it within the strictures of what you'd consider to be normal society (ie. The FM's pretty much everyone here would've grown up with)?
(Oh, I'm sorry, but you're only allowed to go on holidays when we tell you, to the place we tell you to go to. And you HAVE to go there during your designated vacation period. You can't stay at home.)

BWHAHAHAH... Bull****e! WE live in a planned economy right now! Youve never heard of the pentagon? Every corporation is an *isolated command economy* just look up any economics textbook.

Have you every actually worked for a living? You DO know that holidays are decided by the manager in almost every case (if your lucky enough to get a job that lets you have them at ALL). Democratic planned economy means that the major descisions about production are put into the minds and votes of the PUBLIC, not a tiny group of bosses and investors

There has never been ANY example of economic development from a free market - huge public funding is the ONLY way any devolpent has ever happened in any country. FM has a 100% failure rate in Real Life and in my experienced has sucked brutally in the game (actually, interestingly enough, the game modles this well as you find yourself often "rush-building" facilities- equivalent to public funding

I think though the problem comes from this....
When you're a poor student, communism sounds idealistic and tempting. Once you're actually in the work force however......everything changes.

No its quite the reverse, when your middle class trash, the idea of "freedom of choice" and "property" seem extremley tempting, you go to the mall, you buy stuff, your parents are taking care of you. Once you actually become a wage-slave, every thing changes. You realize just how humiliating it is to be owned by someone from 9-5, how tiered you are and how it strains your human relationships, and how all the truly GOOD things that matter in life come from either Real people or masive public cooperation (like for example technology)