Terraforming questions

[EternalSpark]

Hey guys, I know this has prolly been asked 400 billion times, but the search engine ain't finding anything important.

I think one of my primary problems is with terraforming. Simply put, I often dont know what to do. I either put a farm/solar down or forests. Thats all. that and roads and getting rid of fungus. I'm worried I'm doing something wrong. What do you guys terraform with? I rarely do boreholes cuz I'm worried about worms.

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Eternal Spark - Mod leader and founder of
Deus Fortress - unqiue Team Fortress for Deus Ex

[mark13]

Hi,

A lot of the very best players use forest extensively. They are economic, eco-friendly, offer great production, and limit your population growth.

However, if you don't have a two nut producing squaer anywhere in a given base radius, you would be well advised to put a farm/solar on a rolling/moist square. This is basically to get the base from size one to size two - that way, your producton is doubled and the base cannot be destroyed by a single worm.

After that, it is forests all the way for me until tree farms....that way, your mid-game production is massive....

[big_canuk]

I agree with Mark13

The only thing I would add is that if you get the WP farm/condenser combos are great. 4 nuts really gives a great boost to growth, especially before nut restrictions come off (for some reason condensers are not subject to those restrictions)

Later in the game you can crawl nuts from them, and then add soil enrichers for 6 nuts. Condenser/farm/soilenrichers are a great terraforming addition, but mostly forest, mines on rocky, and a few boreholes is the "mainstream" way to go.

[Dimension]

quote: Originally posted by EternalSpark on 02-24-2001 12:40 PM I rarely do boreholes cuz I'm worried about worms.

It's an easy misconception that boreholes will directly lead to being overrun by worms. You really just have to keep track of your base's eco damage.

After you get tree farms, the inherent damage from a borehole is greatly reduced (and eliminated with a Hybrid Forest). Then all you have to worry about is the eco damage as a result from mineral production.

I made a little post in the Viewing FoPs thread here of what everything can produce. Most people would say that it's good to have a couple boreholes inside a base's radius. With The Weather Paradigm, it's really nice to get a borehole on an energy special, especially an energy special with a river, because that'll make 2 minerals and 9 energy before restrictions are lifted.

Mark/Canuk basically already said this, but most people are going to use forests most of the time, except a couple condensor farms, boreholes, and optimized specials, i.e. farms on nut specials, boreholes on energy specials, and mines/roads on mineral specials.

[Sikander]

Dimension and the others are quite right about not worrying about worm rape from terraforming. You can maximally terraform every square on planet without trouble, as long as you have tree farms and hybrid forests in your bases.

I build forests early, and more or less coat my base areas with them. When restrictions are lifted, I change my tune and replace all of that forest with:

1) Non-rocky squares get farm / condensors (later soil enrichers too)
2) Rocky squares get mine / roads
3) Coastal squares get a borehole if possible
4) Shelf squares eventually get both kelp and tidal harnesses

This yields pretty good production for a given area, and most of the land squares are crawlered to allow an even higher yield through specialists.

[D]

Ok first off I am total SMAC newb. Now my question is does anyone use the fungus squares? I played a game and around late game the mindworms would attack me destroying what I terraformed, and putting fungus squares. I would go to the city and I had researched everything and built all the secret projects except 2 early ones. Anyway I noticed that I was getting (2,3,3) of the fungus which was more productive than some my terraformed squares. So anyone use fungus? Is terraforming the land better? Something also that I noticed if you have a sea base you are better of with fungus, and kelp+tidal, don't do kelp+mine. Thanks.

[Skanderbeg]

quote: Originally posted by D on 02-26-2001 08:20 PM Ok first off I am total SMAC newb. Now my question is does anyone use the fungus squares? I played a game and around late game the mindworms would attack me destroying what I terraformed, and putting fungus squares. I would go to the city and I had researched everything and built all the secret projects except 2 early ones. Anyway I noticed that I was getting (2,3,3) of the fungus which was more productive than some my terraformed squares. So anyone use fungus? Is terraforming the land better? Something also that I noticed if you have a sea base you are better of with fungus, and kelp+tidal, don't do kelp+mine. Thanks.

In early game, it is useful to remove the fungus and terraform the square usefully. But later in the game, the fungus gives more and more resources, especially if You take the "Green" SE choices (green economy, cybernetics).
I generally stop removing fungus when it gives 2 nuts, 1 mineral and 1 energy, and in late game, I often plant fungus!

My normal terraforming is:

Farm/solar collector on rainy/hilly or wet/hilly on high level.
Road/mine on rocky squares.
Two or three boreholes for every base.
A lot of forest.

And I am drilling to aquifers like mad, especially when I got the WP.
A river adds one energy to EVERY square it flows through, so this can give You a real long time energy reward! If You have a former with nothing special to do, hit "Q" and let him drill a nice river!

"Steelborn, Starborn"

[lbores]

quote: Originally posted by EternalSpark on 02-24-2001 12:40 PM I rarely do boreholes cuz I'm worried about worms.

Worms are a decent source of revenue. If you're that concerned about worms attacking bases, make a Mobile Guard Unit with a Trance ability. I do this when I get a few armor grades up. Thus: 1-2t(3t)-2. This allows you to service adjacent bases as well as sally forth and blast a worm boil. Also it's a good defense unit against invaders. If you have the cash - add non-lethal.

[xeno7667]

At the beginning of the game I plant forest, because it grows itself and removes fungus and mineral output is the most important at the beginning.

Exception: If I play gaians and I have enough nutrient hilly
squares, I don't plant forest do prevent removing fungus. Fungus is an important defense and fight resource for the gaians.

Cause I am hybrid player, later in the game, mineral output is still most important for me, more important than energy. So I use forest, mines and boreholes.

Exception: With gaians I make only boreholes and plant fungus everywhere...

[D]

Ok something for fellow newbies. I am still playing the gains and I am using fungus, I am getting (3,3,3) per square which is pretty nice, I had the hybrid forest, and the other forest which is supposed to eliminate the eco damage from terraforming. I was however producing like 150 minerals or so and had an eco damage somewhere in the high teens or 20's. Well that drew the attention of some worms and they hit me hard I had only one unit garrisoned, I was able to hold some of them off, but they made their way. I had rush build, a clean copter with 50 to psi attack, police unit, and a tychon(sp?) to help my defense out some. Going all fungus can cause it's problems since it will irratate the comps, meaning you will have to get more D. Planting forests will help balance this out, since that helps out your ecology score and I believe fungus doesn't. This is more for newbies like me than for pro's.

[TigToad]

Okay... a few words on terraforming from someone who has spent way too much time trying out different things.

1. Build your first base
2. Grab a former, if possible even before you build a scout.

Now... look at your terrain for your next few choices.

Basic terrain gets a forest.
Rocky terrain--ignore it for now, later it'll get flattened and forested or have a borehole put on it
Rolling/rainy terrain. Ignore this, you can work it just great, if its above 1000 feet or you want to make sure your forests don't grow over it (pre-tree farms) put a solar collector on it

Specials...

Nutrients--if on a rainy terrain square, farm and solar collector it, or put a farm/condensor in place.
Mineral/rocky--mine/road. This kicks butt early in a game, 7 minerals in a world where rec commons are cutting edge technology really helps you grab a secret project or two, especially in MP.
Mineral/non-rocky. Good old forests or if rainy farm/solar for a nice 2/3/2 or 3/3/3 square depending.
Energy--I often like to throw a borehole on these squares early for a nice energy gain. Otherwise forests or farm/solar for rainy squares.

Everything but the mine/mineral/rocky and boreholes will get replaced eventually with forests. I never try to work fungus squares, its just too much work before they become useful.

Coastal bases don't need to bother with farms because you can just sea farm a few of the bases for all the extra nuts you need. Working a nutrient resource off the coast early will pay long term benefits as your base grows.

Still, don't forget to drill for rivers later in the game.

Tig

[Misotu]

Don't build mineral platforms in the ocean unless you're in a very unusual situation. Coastal bases never need mineral platforms - forest the land, and harness the sea.

[bandit]

Uhh, like a number of others said. Forest the land! It's not Civ.

Personally, I forest everything, not one square is anything else. I constantly raise the land, drill to aquawater, plant forest. I might put in a few boring holes for the supply crawlers. I love supply crawlers.. even though the mind worms don't seem to like them much? When I get fusion power, those supply crawlers are all about armored hyperfreaked out tranced (whatever that is, 50% against psi) supply crawlers.

Sea colonies, like somebody said above.. more solar panels then mines. Seems to pay.. I usually go 2 mines at least, everything else solar panels.

It depends on the size of planet you play on too. Sometimes I go with a tiny planet for a challenge. It's all about mines, the heck with the planet.. kill everybody.

bandit