Fast transcend strategy summary

[zsozso]

I was looking for the fast transcend strategy thread to add some minor tipps, but could not find it. So, I try to summarize what I learned from the posts of Vel & Korn and also add my little tips (e.g. economic hurry, tech order). Using this strategy, I was able to transcend in M.Y. 2179 (for more details on this game, I'll post a message in the General section). So, the guide summary:

Game Setup
----------

Customize random map:
size = tiny
ocean coverage = smallest
erosive forces = weak
native life forms = rare
cloud cover = dense
difficulty = transcend

Customize rules:
+ Higher goal (transcend victory)
- all other victory
+ do or die (don't restart factions)
- look first
- tech stagnation
+ spoils of war (steal teach @ conquer)
- blind research
- intense rivalry (low agressivity)
- no unity survey (turn on map!)
- no unity scattering (pods everywhere)
+ bell curve (no random events)
- time warp
+ iron man (just for score, could be off)
- randomize faction leader personalities
- randomize faction leader social agendas

Choose Spartans

In the first phase of the game, concentrate on conquare with recon & impact rovers, try to 'enslave' all the other faction, i.e. force them to surrender and swear pact to you.

A little extra tip:
swap captured bases with slaves => clears out the 'captured' status (drones)

Second phase: build up 5-6 bases with strong, research oriented infrastructure (leave out all the mineral and military related stuff). Make sure to build tree farms and hybrid forests and plant a lot of forests with formers around your bases.

Third phase: concentrate on maximum research using free-market, coordinate the research of other factions (always give all techs to the one which is about to make a break-through, keep collecting their new techs after). Take all their money every turn and make sure they are all in peace with each other and try equalize the bases among them to maximize global trading.

Social Engineering:
-------------------
(goal +2 economy, +4 research +4 effic)
democratic
free market
knowledge
cybernetic

For population boom:
Tree farm + Children's Creche all bases
Planned economy (&democracy gives +4 growth)

Late (2nd phase) pop-boom should use eudaimonic
(no negative efficiency of planned, gives +2 econ too like fm)

When making the Voice of planet (research no issue, max energy & industry):
democratic, green, knowledge, eudaimonic

When making the Ascent to Transcendence (only industry matters now):
switch from green to planned (democratic, planned, knowledge, eudaimonic)

Research goals (preferred tech order):
--------------------------------------

Designation: type and number leads the primary goals, dashes lead techs that are not important themselves, but they are prerequisite for subsequent primary goal techs (that is indicated by the Preq4 tag). If you can, choose a primary goal, otherwise choose the first Preq4 one. The starting techs of all factions are indicated by '*', you should try to avoid researching those and get them from the appropriate faction instead (if you can talk to them early enough).

1. Early conquer phase:
* E1. doctrine mobility = speeder (Spartans have it at start)
C1. applied physics = laser weapon 2
* D1. information nets = network nodes (can get it from Zakharov)
C2. nonlinear mathematics = impact weapon 4

2. Basic infrastructure:
* E1. centauri ecology = formers (can get it from Deidre)
* B1. social psych = recreation commons (can get it from Miriam)
E2. ethical calculus = children's creche, democracy
*- industrial base = merchant exchange, Preq industrial economics, polymorphic software (can get it from Morgan)
B2. industrial economics = free market
*-- biogenetics = Preq4 gene splicing (can get it from Lal)
B3-- gene splicing = research hospital, Preq4 ecological engineering
*-- doctrine: loyalty = Preq4 intellectual integrity (can get it from Yang)
E3. intellectual integrity = police units, Preq4 cyberethics, planetary economics

3. Energy & research boost, get ready for pop-boom:
- planetary networks = Preq4 cyberethics, virtual world
B4. cyberethics = knowledge SE
- ecological engineering = Preq4 environmental economics
B5. environmental economics = tree farm
B3. industrial automation = hab complex
B6. planetary economics = trade pact and hybrid forrests
-- secrets of the human brain = Preq4 centauri empathy
- centauri empathy = Preq4 centauri meditation, biology lab
E5. centauri meditation = empaths

4. Preconditions for more advanced research & energy collection
-- polymorphic software = Preq4 advanced subatomic theory, optical computers
-- optical computers = Preq4 superconductor, advanced military algorithms
-- advanced military algorithms = Preq4 pre-sentient algorithms
- pre-sentient algorithms = Preq4 orbital spaceflight, fusion power

5. Research (may switch with #6 if badly need more energy for rush-build)
- superconductor = Preq4 applied relativity, fusion power
D6. fusion power = fusion labs and engineer
B7. adv. ecological engineering = super former
- neural grafting = Preq4 mind/machine interface
C6. mind/machine interface = Thinker

6. Extra energy for rush builds & base # equalization (buy from biggest)
--- high energy chemistry = Preq4 advanced subatomic theory, synthetic fossil fuels
-- synthetic fossil fuels = Preq4 doctrine: air power
- doctrine: air power = Preq4 orbital spaceflight
D6. orbital spaceflight = unity fusion core: $500 * slave_factions

7. Faster (more advanced) research
--- bio-engineering = Preq4 retroviral engineering
-- retroviral engineering = Preq4 biomachinery
- biomachinery = Preq4 homo superior
-- doctrine: flexibility = Preq4 doctrine: initiative
- doctrine: initiative = Preq4 homo superior
E8. homo superior = nanohospital
- advanced subatomic theory = Preq4 applied relativity
.D5. applied relativity = super collider SP (2x lab) - may postpone!
-- superstring theory = Preq4 monopole magnets
-- silksteel alloys = Preq4 monopole magnets
- monopole magnets = Preq4 unified field theory, nanominiaturization
.C7. unified field theory = theory of everything SP (2x lab), Preq4 secrets, frictionless surfaces
---- synthetic fossil fuels = Preq4 organic superlubricant
--- organic superlubricant = Preq4 nanominiaturization
-- nanominiaturization = Preq4 industrial nanorobotics
- industrial nanorobotics = Preq4 Digital Sentience, frictionless surfaces
D10. Digital Sentience = cybernetic SE, Network backbone SP
& need .C7. unified field theory here latest, can't postpone any further
- frictionless surfaces = Preq4 Quantum power
D11. Quantum power = quantum lab
-- centauri genetics = Preq4 centauri psi
- centauri psi = Preq4 secrets of alpha centauri
- sentient econometrics = Preq4 secrets of alpha centauri
D12. secrets of alpha centauri = transcend citizen + free tech

8. More energy for fast completion
- the will to power = Preq4 secrets of creations
D10. secrets of creations - free tech
---- photon/wave mechanics = Preq4 probability mechanics
--- probability mechanics = Preq4 nanometallurgy
-- nanometallurgy = Preq4 matter compression
- matter compression = Preq4 super tensile solids
- advanced spaceflight = Preq4 super tensile solids
B10. super tensile solids = space elevator SP (2x econ)

9. Threshold of Transcendence

- secrets of creation = Preq4 threshold of transcendence
-- eudaimonia = Preq4 temporal mechanics
---- self-aware machines = Preq4 matter editation
--- matter editation = Preq4 matter transmission
-- matter transmission = Preq4 temporal mechanics
- temporal mechanics = Preq4 threshold of transcendence
E15. Threshold of Transcendence = Voice of Planet SP => Ascent to Transcendence

DO NOT NEED:
D12. singularity mechanics
B12. quantum machinery
??? E13. graviton theory
??? E14. applied gravitonics
C15. controlled singularity

Secret Projects:
----------------
1. merchant exchange
2. wheather Paradigm
3. super collider
4. theory of everything
opt 5. network backbone
opt 6. virtual world
opt 7. cloning vats
opt 8. longevity vaccine
opt 9. space elivator
opt 10. universal translator (optional let a slave build it)
11. voice of planet
12. ascend to transcendence

(I only made Merchant, Supercollider & Universal translator in my 2179 transcend game)

How to hurry economically:
--------------------------
Let's define the energy cost of the minerals in the hurry:

COST = hurry_price / minerals_to_completion

You get the hurry_price by attempting to hurry, you can get the minirals_to_completion from the F4 menu or by shift-right_click on the square of the base (it shows completed/total - you have to substract).

The main point is not to waste ore energy for hurry, then necessary, so:

cheapest_hurry = hurry_price - mineral_output * COST

economic_hurry = cheapest_hurry + 10 * COST

The later one makes sense if your mineral output is more than 10 and you plan to hurry the next item as well.

Guidelines:
1. only hurry, if you can get completion next turn (have enough energy for cheapest_hurry)

2. avoid hurry if you have less than 10 minerals accumulated, because the COST is much HIGHER in that case! The cheapest rates you can get:
COST = 2 for base improvements
COST = 3 for military units
COST = 4 for secret projects

3. if you want to hurry a secret project, build many supply units (speeders, copters etc) and assign them - even hurry those instead of buying the project by cash, because you can get better COST for supplies!

4. use economic_hurry instead of cheapest_hurry if you have enough energy and want to build several things in the same base, because the 10 extra minerals you pay with low cost will allow you to hurry again in the next turn for low cost.

Tipps to hurry final secret projects:

1. make supplies & use flip-flop trick of social engeneering when assigning

2. maximize the USE of mineral production of other bases by building special supply
units with increased cost (e.g. copter with some special ability)
goal is to use up all minerals by timing production for the AT turn
(e.g. base can produce 19 minerals => build 36 cost 2 truns before or
57 cost starting 3 truns before Ascent SP) Flying supplies also good
for being able to get there quickly from larger distance!

3. start scrapping non-essential base facilities few turns before end:
-first hab complexes (do not need them if do not want to grow anymore,
existing 14 population DOES NOT GET REDUCED to 7). [before Voice turn!]
-when research done Nanohospital [in voice of planet turn, energy production]
-when Voice done, Quantum Labs [last turn during Ascent build]

4. when slaves can no longer finish their research within useful time-frame, you
can start over-extorting the money: first take all by "otherwise cancel pact"
then sell them all your techs $25 each (they go into negative energy, loosing
some of their facilities in power overload, but you do not care about that
anymore in this phase of the game)

5. Last turn [building Ascent], you can extort further energy from slaves by
taking their bases and scrapping the most expansive facility of them.
(you can only scrap 1 from each base/turn, so your bases have already
given something but other factions did not!)

6. switch to Eudaimonic SE from cybernetic when research done, better production
rate for the SPs


<font size=1 face=Arial color=444444>[This message has been edited by zsozso (edited October 21, 1999).]</font>

[ProvostB]

you just killed korn469's record....take that kornie!! i applaud you!!

*clap,clap,clap*

[korn469]

congratulations! great score! i guess i need to study this before i try again

korn469

[Googlie]

^

[stuntman19]

What is the point of a victory of any kind when you set the parameters of the game so skewed in your favor? Small map, rare life forms, Choice of Spartans-huge advantage on small map with moral and mobility against AI in early game because of intimidation factor. Maybe if you did it with Morgan I would be more impressed because of lack of ability to extort everything. As it is it is like a four move chess victory over a four year old.

[Misotu]

I understand your point of view, but it's still tough to do. Give it a try - I've had a couple of goes and failed miserably. The good thing about fast transcend games is that they're ... well, er ... fast. No boring end game to slog through or give up on. Matching zsozso's result is the only challenge I've come across so far that defeats me ...

[stuntman19]

Misotu I agree with the fact that it is hard to do in the 79 turns time frame. I have started a game such as this and enslaved everyone by 2130 using the Spartans, and then ended up quiting because I became utterly bored with the fact that the outcome was in hand and it was merely a race against time with all the factions as my slaves. To me a 1 or 2 base max challenge to transcend as fast as possible with harder game parameters more rewarding to achieve. Even to the point of using a random faction so you must adapt to what faction you receive and course of action throughout the game. But I guess to each their own, and probably most would agree that multiplayer is the only best test of player level.

[Misotu]

Agreed, multiplayer has it every time. I play a lot of those, but I don't care for IP and PBEM is a little unreliable, unfortunately.

The One City Challenge type games you're describing have their possibilities, but I really prefer compare games when it comes to that. OK, it's not multiplayer, but at least there's an element of human competition. What has always put me off the OCC stuff is the endless rules, which I can't remember, and all the stuff that's open to interpretation. Everyone seems to have their own ideas about what is, and what is not acceptable, and some of those ideas are just not intuitive to me.

Anyone got a good strategy challenge they want to throw open?

[Grigger]

I've always found economic victory to be the most troublesome. Anyone want to try for the fastest economic victory w/o any enslaving or taking over bases? I think it would take even more strategy than this fast transcend, balancing research to get to plan. econ and energy credit output. Plan. econ is a lower tech level in SMACX than SMAC, so classic would probably be more difficult. Morgan is the obvious choice, I would like to see someone do this with Yang.

[zsozso]

You are right guys. It is very easy to win with the fast transcend settings. But think about it this way: is there any setting where it is hard to win against the AI ? I don't think so...

And yet, the fast transcend game gave me some sort of adrenaline rush when racing against time. It is fun - although to achieve the best score you need a lot of luck too.

On the other hand it is also fun to pick very hard conditions, e.g. the One City or Zero facility challenges or look at the Ultimate Builder Challenge scenario I put together long time ago.

As for what is the hardest challenge: I also had one which I could never crack, just like Misotu. For me, it was the suicide version of the ZFOCC (zero facility one city challenge). In this one, you can only have 1 base, never build any facility in it, you cannot use any weapon higher than 1, no armor, you are not allowed to enslave any other faction, in fact you have to stay in vendetta with all other factions you encounter and the goal is to win by transcendence on huge map. This is a tough game, however it is not much fun...

just my 2 cents - zsozso