How many bases in a standard planet?

[D]

I know that the more bases the more powerful you are, but how many bases is enough? Is it like Civ, the more bases you have, you get an increase in drones? I have around 28 bases in 2348 two factions have been eliminated, by the comp(Hive), and I forced the Hive into a pact with me. I want to build more bases but it I don't want to go through the problems of having to build all the infrastructures. I am the dominant faction in everything except military (cause I build infrastructures), and according to the line and bar graphs I am way over everybody. I am only running knowledge, I think that I will go to green because I think that I can afford the population slow down since I am so far ahead. I am playing the gains. Thanks

[Lord Maxwell]

More bases gives more drones, in steps based on efficiency. (You can read all about in the advanced sections of the help files.)

I generally find 40 bases to be enough on a standard planet. (I also find 40 bases to be enough on a huge, even though I should logically shoot for 100-120. I am just too lazy.)

[hellrazor]

I used to expand like mad the entire game but now I limit myself to about 30 or so bases...at a certain point I just stop worrying about expanding unless I have a special reason for a new base...like the get the Manifold Nexis or for strategic purposes. The micromanagement just gets too much...I get tired of spending an hour a turn in the late stages of the game. I usually play huge maps.

[cbn]

It seems to me that SMAC has harsher penalties for a high number of cities than CIV did (Perhaps to make the ICS style less powerful). The number of bases before you run into efficiency problems depend on

1. level
2. Map size
3. Efficiency Rating


AS for your SE choices you really should use them more. Manipulation of these choices can really make a difference. You can go from a economically strong researcher to a war machine in a single turn.

If you want more info take a read of Vels strategy guide -- It is a comprehensive look at most gaming issues. In the meantime try to provide some more background since the answerto so many questions in SMAC is "it depends". SMAC has a lot more complexity than CIV.

For example if your goal is to quickly build up the pop of your cities run demo/planned. If the cities are at population maximums then you might run demo/green for high efficiency (minimizing drones from city numbers and maximizing energy retention).

The fact is that you can win this game with a fairly low number of cities with the use of crawlers. Although massive numbers of cities can still be effective, many players simply choose to build fewer to minimize the PIA factor. A few massive production centres (i.e. a good military unit each turn from each) would be more than enough to roll over the AI.

[Velociryx]

To win against the AI, you don't need any bases at all (see Zso's successful completion of the Nomad Challenge)...mostly though, it depends on your game. I expand exponentially on my starting continent until I either fill it up or run across some other faction.

If I'm alone, and fairly content with the number of bases I've got, I won't even bother with sea-colonies, but if I got stiffed in the land department, I'll expand right on into the sea until I've got "enough" bases (18-24 in this case, or however many it takes to fill up the continent using a "three-apart" spacing scheme). At that point, building additional bases is vastly less efficient than simply taking someone else's bases. Lousy as the AI is, at least they DO build some infrastructure, which is better than starting from scratch and having to ramp it all up yourself.

Of course, depending on the prevailing game conditions, you might find it in your best interest to fully colonize and develop a smallish island near you and give all the bases on it to the AI opponent who's in the worst poisition (assuming he hasn't been catty and declared a desparation vendetta on you). Not only will you gain an ally (and an easily controlled one at that), but you'll muck up the game dynamics for the rest of the AI, which is always amusing....

-=Vel=-