Difficulty

[d=me]

I like Alpha Centauri a lot but it's a bit too overwhelming for me especially on a large map. In the end there is just too much clicking that a turn properly done will take 1 hour. How does everyone else deal with this problem?

[Barinthus]

Sounds like norm to me.

Of course I'm sure some players would take hours to play a turn ha.

[Jamski]

You either don't do it properly in the later turns because your situation is so strong from concentrating earlier, or you do indeed take hours on the turns.

My PBEM turns take about 20-30 minutes once the game gets going, and longer as the game gets heavy with wars and loads of bases.

But I'm capable of blasting though 3 games a day on auto pilot too, just enough to beat the AI, but nothing spectacular.

-Jam

[Commy]

One thing that works is to que everything you build. Why it doesn't do much, at least you don't have to tell all the bases what to build every turn. Also, you can use the governor. While it may not your style of playing, it can really shorten turn lengths. And probably the biggest time-saving thing you can do is to automate formers. Ctrl+Shift+A automates the former to improve just its home base. You can also do Ctrl+Shift+S to automatically have the former build a farm, solar collector, and road in the same square. And you can also have formers automated for specific tasks, like building just roads or remove fungus.

Ultimately, though, automating everything doesn't give you control of the game, and it really doesn't let you do what you want. Sometimes, you just got to deal with long turns.

[d=me]

Wow, this game is serious. I expect a turn to take 1/2 minute. Like when I play galciv. To tell the truce I never beat alpha centauri once. Starts off good then start to lose the places in a lot of things and then I quit.

[Mart]

You may have already checked this site on firaxis.com.
It is quite short and basic set of strategies, quick to get read.
This site contains more advanced strategies.
There are many more sites with clues, these two are just examples.
I play SMAC since it was released and loose from time to time in single player. Sometimes just some nasty faction gets a bit too strong near you, and you just play more relaxed and then it suddenly happens...

[GeoModder]

Something else you can do is play on smaller maps. You need to be fast expanding at first for having enough territory, but once you got 15-20 bases, and able to keep the peace for say 50 turns you're off on momentum (against AI, off course).

[d=me]

I usually have about 10 bases and what should I do with conquered bases? I also feel weird when the wrong factins gets different projects, what can I do?
Is there a way for auto free upgrades like in rts to units?

[Illuminatus]

Originally posted by d=me
I usually have about 10 bases and what should I do with conquered bases? I also feel weird when the wrong factins gets different projects, what can I do?
Is there a way for auto free upgrades like in rts to units?

On what map are you playing?

Defend and develop conquered bases. Do not worry if you lose a SP or two, you can take them by force. There is no auto free upgrade (nor there is free upgrade anyway). Just stick to the game and you will love it!

[d=me]

There just seemed to be too much leakage when your country gets big. And I just lost the believers and university scenario. I'm playing on the map of planet. The enemies are just too tricky.

[Mart]

One of the important strategy is using crawler units to harvest resources. Good places are tiles where you have one resource abundant and other are not at all there or largely limitted. For example a mine on a rocky terrain usually gives 4 minerals (or 2 before mineral restrictions are lifted) and often no nutrients or energy. Rocky tile with mineral bonus gives whole 7 minerals. It's excellent place for crawler. Workes better work on tiles like monument giving 2/2/2 or forest 1/2/1 (initially, or more with better technologies).

Having Centauri Ecology early is also good, just having formers improving terrain as quickly as possible. About order of formers action, it's good to choose the most efficient improvement, giving the best increase for the number of turns to build. Forests are very powerful here, some people say too powerful.

Hurrying production is often speeding up things a lot. As soon as cost of hurrying lowers to 2 EC per 1 Mineral, consider rushing it. Sometimes I hurry for larger costs for various reasons, like recently i bought 1 Mineral for 6 EC. This 1 mineral was crucial for me, because allowed me not to loose many more minerals later. Remember that only up to 10 minerals are extended to next build queue item when deciding on hurrying techniques here. Important in later game when your base production is much over 10 minerals - this may waste many minerals because of that 10 limit.

The bigger production the better - more units, more research. The same with nutrients and energy. But this everyone knows.

[d=me]

what about old obslete units? I can't afford to upgrade them. Spent everything on secret projects. And what about the overwhelming in late games?

[GeoModder]

Obselete units can be upgraded any time later when you have ec's again. Keep them around for when founding a new base or scouting.

And what do you mean with overwhelming?
Actually, what difficulty level are you playing?

[Mart]

Secrets project are better hurried with crawlers than energy. The lowest cost for Sec. Proj. is 4 EC not 2. But it's kinda bug there, coz you can hurry a crawler with 2 EC still.
Treaties and Pacts can significantly boost energy income. Proposal of Global Trade Pact too. Build Energy Banks or Energy Power Grid project as early as you can. units can be upgraded from the most important to those which can stay obsolete some longer. Units can be upgraded one at a time. It's all about balance between energy reserves, income and building and other elements. When base completes all possible facilities, and you do not wish to make more units then stockpile energy in that base.
There is also "clean reactor" special ability of the unit - reduces maintenance costs, worth of considering.
Sometimes I'm overwhelmed too in late game, Then I play longer turns and exercise patience

[Zeiter]

You probably won't have enough money to upgrade ALL of your obsolete units. What you can do is choose a certain portion of your army to upgrade.

As for the others, it depends on if they are killing you on support costs. If they are, you can:

1. Upgrade them to clean units
2. Disband them
3. Send them off to wreak havoc on your opponents and/or get horribly slaughtered, depending on how obsolete they are. (If you send obsolete laser infantry up against chaos infantry, they will probably die. However, if you send obsolete missle infantry against those chaos infantry, you could definitely wreak some havoc, especially if you can manage to position and manuever your units better than the AI.)
4. You can transfer those units to a Pactmate (probably more worthwhile than disbanding them because you earn some brownie points in the process. Just make sure your AI "friend" won't stab you in the back later on with those units.

If they aren't costing you too much on support, then you can keep them around however long you want. Maybe use them to go worm-hunting, or exploring, or whatever.

remember this too: Obsolete defenders can make great siege units. If you have a horde of obsolete 1-3-1 plasma sentinels, send them along with a few artillery and a few offensive rovers, and just starve your opponent out by destroying enhancements, blocking roadways, and generally clogging up their terrian with your pesky little 1-3-1 sentinels. Try to position them on forest or rocky squares for added defensive power. Just always watch out for probes subverting your units.

Don't worry about spending too much on secret projects. They are the best long-term investment you can make. Of course, if you have a psycopathic Miriam knocking on your door, you need to divert your attention to building combat units until your are defensively secure.

As for overwhelming in late games, if you are waaaaaaay ahead of everyone else, you can automate everything and just sit back and cruise along. Most people, including myself, hate automating things, but if you don't care, then you can do that. If you wanted to, you could automate just about everything (formers, governors, even your military units!)

If you have almost everyone conquered, see if you have enough votes for a diplomatic victory or enough $$$ for an economic victory. Sometimes I'll opt for one of these victories if I don't feel like going through the motions of conquering every pesky little enemy base.

If you are neck and neck in late games: Here is the true joy of SMAC!!!!!! Yes, it can get overwhelming, but part of the fun of SMAC is using every last ounce of your wit and resources to outplay your opponent.

Yeah, the enemies can be tricky at times. The AI knows no remorse in repeatedly stabbing you in the back...and humans are even worse! But the AI has several handicaps in its gameplay that will allow you to defeat it: The AI fails to effectively employ supply crawlers, the AI doesn't use its military as well as it could as far as manuevering and strategy goes, and the AI doesn't concentrate on pop-booming. Master these aspects of the game, and you will absolutely destroy the AI, even on transcend level.