whats the best group?

[Garth Vader]

I have never pop boomed without the vats and I have never had a problem in SP or MP. With a creche the Hive has +5 growth and +3 without. By the time you would be ready to pop boom anyway your bases are plenty big.

[Misotu]

quote: Originally posted by mark13 on 11-01-2000 05:05 AM I regard the Gaians as being a faction for novices, as many of their advantages are 'there' rather than needing to be made use of. In this way, the +2 efficiency can be a huge boost, however, other factions' efficiency can be gotten over easily enough with planning (and not planned, granted ). However, to say that they are a good builder faction would be erroneous, in my view: no free market. This is a massive disadvantage, especially in the large bases they have to maintain....

I guess that must be why I like them. During my novice period, I find them easy to play. Never mind. I'll move on to more challenging factions as I gain experience

Never underestimate +2 efficiency. And never underestimate the power of penalty-free Planned. I have mashed FM-running factions as the Gaians without lifting a tentacle. You have been warned

[Misotu]

Come to think of it, I guess the PKs must be a faction for novices too - HGP immediately, no hassle. HGP on steroids for the rest of the game, automatically. Double votes - you barely have to lift a finger to get elected. Effortless pop booms. *And* the ability to run FM ...

...

...

yeah I know. Another faction for novices. Guess that's why they're my favourites

[mark13]

Misotu:

OK, so it was a bit of a rash statement - but you know what I mean. The thing about the PKs is that early-mid game, that efficiency hurts. The Gaians, on the other hand, don't have such a disadvantage - one that calls for extra stability, anyway. I suppose that rather than a faction for novices, you could regard them as a 'no-worries' faction - in that they have no inherent factional disadvantages worth mentioning.

The Morganites, OTOH, I would regard as a challenging faction - only one unit suported free per base, and Hab Complexes above size 4. *But* they have some massive economic advantages - they are an awesome faction if played correctly.
[This message has been edited by mark13 (edited November 03, 2000).]

[weird god]

thx again for all your suggestions

i played the gaians and i did well (even though only on 2nd highest level) until midgame. but then all my worms got worthless as the other factions (thx, i didn´t ever thought about bands) started to attack with jets and bombers. i also had big problems with my defence in sea-colonies: whatever unit i built, i got crushed by either jets, rockets or ships (anyone can help?). i got the feeling that the best -and only effective- defence is offence. but all factions were at war with me then, so i had to give up

now i tried the PK. what a faction!! i could destroy, ahem, gaians early and started on a large continent with the monsoon jungle. this rocks i´ve large cities and easily got planet-governer and it seems -again- i´m gonna win this one, yeah! the only problem i have is my neighbour, the aggresive spartans. plus, i´m not first in technology by now. which are your key-techs?

i know these are a lot of questions though i´m a newbie on AC, but i start to love this game after having it for 2 years now. civ2-mp is that addictive, i didn´t had time for this wonderful game by now.

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mankind made alcohol, god made weed.....whom do you trust?

weird god, chief of EUROPA

[mark13]

No disrespect, but if you start in the Monsoon Jungle any faction rocks....

Key techs?

There are a lot of them, but just to outline.....

Early game:

The first tech you should research, ALWAYS - Centauri Ecology. This gives you Formers, which you *need* from early on....

If you are on the offensive, beeline for Nonlinear Maths - Applied Physics and Information Networks required for that.

If you are a builder, go for Industrial Automation - this gives you crawlers which are critical to your mineral and energy production.

Mid-game: D:AP, for obvious reasons, and Fusion Power, for the fusion reactor. MMI also, for choppers....also, it is a good idea to go for the good armor techs - Silksteel Alloys is the first - the others will come.

After that, I pretty much take it as it comes - I don't have too much late-game experience, so there are people better placed to answer this than me...

Always happy to help - once you feel you are experienced enough you might want to try our PBEM tournament - great fun!

Mark13

[VoodooChild]

*slaps Mark13 for missing one of the bigest techs*
Bio. Eng. for the clean special ability (unit requires no support from home base)

Overall it is better to attack than to defend, but reguardless on your playing style or situation you need to know how to defend.

In the early game your biggest threat is going to be worms. Upgrade your garrison units with trace (+50% def vs psi combat) when you get Secrets of the Brain. After Air powers comes available, equip all your garrison units with AAA. These two upgrades will be just about the most important things you can do for -basic- defense.

From mid point on just about anything goes for combat, and you will be faced with all sorts of tactics. Keep playing the game, and test different things and learn from your mistakes.

Some of my rules of thumb are. Use copters to attack not bombers. Use planes (interceptors) to defend. Also don't put armor on aircraft. When two planes meet their armor is their weapon value. The only time armor matters on a plane is if they are the last defender of a base, and you should never allow this to happen, since it almost always ends in the destruction of your vital air assets.

If you are behind in tech or are even but can't produce at the same rate as your opponent, go with PSI units (mindworms etc.) PSI combat uses its own set of rules, and most of that fancy weapons and armor wont mean a thing when going up against a mindworm, so the scales are more even than if you attacked or defended with a regular unit. If you have better weapons and armor, use the advantage to crush your opposition.

[mark13]

To be honest, I don't put that much emphasis on Bio Engineering, although, yes, I should have put it down. One of the reasons may be that I don't play Morgan too often, so I don't get hampered by continuous support problems....

Copters should be used to attack in most cases, although their chronic lack of range is a severe problem - if you have a base within 6 spaces, great - otherwise use needlejets. Unless, of course, you can get a couple of formers closer and get an airbase constructed. But don't put too many resources into this - it is a last resort only! (IMO)

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

M13,

No ofense intended but, I have to point out that choppers have much greater utility then a base attacks at ranges of 6 or less. I believe you've fallen into the trap that I used to think of. The thinking is that a choppers must return to base in order to heal any damage every turn.

On the contrary tho', Choppers are best used when they are be considered an expendable asset. Send them out a full turns movement and take the 30% damage then attack the next turn to the far flung enemy bases. If you are inclined to use nerve gas, X-choppers are by far and away the most devestating unit in the game. Much has been written here re: use of X-choppers. I've even coined the phrase chaloopers (reference Taco Bell's Chalupas which yield twice the gas) to define a Nerve/Soporific best weapon chopper.

As a final insult to the enemy faction one should always self destruct a far reaching chopper to further eliminate/destroy remaining enemies.

So keeping that in mind I think conquerers need to consider MMI the end all be all of chassis and that High Energy Chemistry is probably the most important early game conquering tech (allows plasma but more importantly Nerve gas for which there is no real defense)


[This message has been edited by Ogie Oglethorpe (edited November 03, 2000).]

[Lefty Scaevola]

. best faction is mostly determined by your preffered style of play and and type victory.

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Gauis Mucius Scaevola
older richer & wiser than you

[mark13]

Og,

Interesting, actually, as I have never send suicide choppers really, maybe I should in MP circles. Although they are easily defended against - less so x-Choppers, but an AAA garrison and an Aerospace Complex and you are pretty much safe - in my experience, anyway. Maybe I am just being naive - I tend to think of myself more of a builder than a conqueror....

Mark13

[Natan]

quote: Originally posted by mark13 on 11-02-2000 07:21 AM Natan, I believe there is one very significant factor you have overlooked (or not known about) when playing the Hive - it is virtually impossible to pop boom. Although the +1 growth certainly helps early game - it becomes increasingly ineffective later on due to your inability to go democracy. This means you will have to run Planned, have a Creche and a GA (very diff. with the Hive, due to the -2 econ) to effectively pop boom. This is one of the reasons I can't get on with the Hive, I like to think myself more of a builder than a fighter. [This message has been edited by mark13 (edited November 02, 2000).] [This message has been edited by mark13 (edited November 02, 2000).]

I've never had a problem with this, although admittedly, I only play SP. But the Hive was the only faction I could win with on transcend. The growth and industry really help early on, they allow you to build many colony pods, and develop a military to grab the best city sites. The ability to run police state and planned without penalty basically doubles your original bonuses, and then adds some. Every other faction I tried on Transcend would get mashed by the Hive, or destroyed very early on.

[mark13]

Natan,
I can understand what you mean, faction preferences depend fully on your playing style. The Hive is a truly devastating momentum faction, although they do suffer from some chronic builder penalties, which makes them a very aggressive faction. The growth and industry does indeed help a lot early on, although the inability to run demo hinders mid-game development, as does the -2 economy. This will mean a technological disadvantage, which can easily be overcome in one of two ways (in SP):

- Use probes to fish out the technology you need
- Overcome the penalty with sheer numbers.

However, against any half-decent human player, you will have difficulties.

Mark13

[Natan]

quote: Originally posted by mark13 on 11-05-2000 09:28 AM Natan, I can understand what you mean, faction preferences depend fully on your playing style. The Hive is a truly devastating momentum faction, although they do suffer from some chronic builder penalties, which makes them a very aggressive faction. The growth and industry does indeed help a lot early on, although the inability to run demo hinders mid-game development, as does the -2 economy. This will mean a technological disadvantage, which can easily be overcome in one of two ways (in SP): - Use probes to fish out the technology you need - Overcome the penalty with sheer numbers. However, against any half-decent human player, you will have difficulties. Mark13

I've found that with enough bases, the Hive can out-research even the University in SP, even on transcend level. If I ever did MP, I would pick a different faction for sure.

[Helium Pond]

So, mark13, what would your advice be to some poor human player who just happened to get stuck with the Hive, in case there was some theoretical tournament game in which someone might possibly have gotten that faction?