Basic terraforming ?

[Minute Mirage]

I use the standard style of terraforming in the early game:

- first priority: A 2+ nut square for every base, unless the base isn't going to build a colony pod quickly. Even then, every base should get a 2+ nut square sooner or later, especially if I'm planning on building the PTS.

- second priority: Roading to new base sites.

- third priority: Forest, forest, forest. I might plant a forest even before roading, if I'm not planning on using FM right from the start.

I don't usually have time to build sensors under bases in the beginning, but since there's often a pause after the first round of expansion, I might want to build the sensors for the second round of bases. Besides, these bases are likely to need those sensors more, since they might already be close to an enemy.

After foresting, it's usually time to aim for a pop boom, which more often than not requires some condensor/farms.

[swillwater]

[QUOTE] Originally posted by Flubber



>You are kidding right??? Beating the inept AI can be accomplished while still playing this game very very badly.

Which I probably do... Certainly a lot of you guys would kick my arse if I ever got involved with multiplayer.

>PLaying without crawlers or FM are usually either roleplaying choices or handicaps that players choose to place on themselves to make the game more challenging.

Probably a sign of my own ineptness that I consider the game more of a challenge when I use free market...

>I won the game once without building or retaining a base ( the nomad challenge)-- I would hardly call it an example of best play

Who with and what difficulty level?

>Sorry -- I don't mean to sound harsh. . . and I would agree that there are often multiple good ways to play this game-- BUT a player employing crawlers but never in his base radii is making an error ( if not doing it as a handicap)

that is true.

[Blake]

By the way you should always play on Thinker or Transcend difficulty, I always have . The drone problems greatly encourage good expansion techniques and attention to detail that will greatly improve your game.

Also learning to use Free Market is a must, for the Peacekeepers its easy even on transcend, and it's a joy to run FM and Wealth together with Morgan.

[Flubber]

[QUOTE] Originally posted by swillwater

Originally posted by Flubber

>I won the game once without building or retaining a base ( the nomad challenge)-- I would hardly call it an example of best play

Who with and what difficulty level?

>

The cult, transcend difficulty on a tiny random map. Its actually not all that hard a challenge but you need some luck as all the factions have to be accessible by land OR you have to get a boat from a pod pop.

Its really only possible with the cult or deidre.

[swillwater]

Originally posted by Blake
By the way you should always play on Thinker or Transcend difficulty, I always have . The drone problems greatly encourage good expansion techniques and attention to detail that will greatly improve your game.

Also learning to use Free Market is a must, for the Peacekeepers its easy even on transcend, and it's a joy to run FM and Wealth together with Morgan.

Not quite sure who you're responding to here; I do play on those difficulty levels and can win fairly consistently on those difficulty levels with most of the factions, and have won with all the original factions on transcend.
I Did not use free market at any time the PC.

About supply crawlers- I just made a concerted attempt to use them properly, and I have to admit that they were a big help, and they really helped to make a planned economy and the power social choice much more desirable (I was playing Spartans)

[:) Smiley]

When the map is filled, it makes plenty of sense to crawl in the burbs.