how much better is SMAX over SMAC ?

[Method]

the drones are always the worst faction in my games. their -2 research really hurts the AI because it's too stupid to probe. its worse for the drones than it is for the believers because the drones don't conquer. they just stay out of the way till digital sentience then they get mad at my cybernetic society. i then have to divert resources to eliminate a 5 base faction defended by fission silksteel garrisons.

i rarely play against the pirates, but the AI does seem to play war-like factions better, especially the hive and the cult. the AI does seem to do well with the gaians. it plays the angels well too.

[Pandemoniak]

Well, AI got its favourite factions as well

[waab]

Yepp the AI loves some factions, Gaia, Angels, and Hive. But actuly Drones is never bad in my games, the sites on a huge production, free market and knowledge. They are not far behind the really good scientists...

[Lefty Scaevola]

Being next to the drones is ok. I cheerfully let them build some of the secrete projects with their high production, then later when the defense technology is so primative its a case of "Oh, pardon me were those YOUR bases??"

[Adalbertus]

Following different threads here, I got the impression that the relative strength of the AI factions heavily depends on the map size. On smaller maps (I think) it is mostly the Hive which comes out well. I play almost excluively on big maps (large only when I'm really tired of micromanaging a big empire) and it is almost always the Gaians which come out as the most powerful AI faction. But the Pirates are certainly the most annoying AI faction. Easy to get to war with, they'll snipe all your costal improvements and as soon as you really build two sea units (so that you can enter their base if they have lost the last defender) they are doomed.

[Method]

Originally posted by Lefty Scaevola
Being next to the drones is ok. I cheerfully let them build some of the secrete projects with their high production, then later when the defense technology is so primative its a case of "Oh, pardon me were those YOUR bases??"

that's exactly what i just did. my elite spartan chaos rovers overran the drone's synthmetal defenders and laser squads to capture the VW. Free drone central's scout patrols just couldn't cut it in 2214

[MattyBoy]

...actually, I should qualify my criticisms:
Fungboy is fun to play and Aliens are fun to play against.

[Pandemoniak]

AI is just reallt bad with the Free Drones. With all its bonus, it wont do anything to be technologically advanced...

Not the same when I play them myself

[MattyBoy]

Drones are (too) simple to play,
just build hard and ignore technology, except to find a way to make probes as early as possible.

Use SE choices that enhance this low-tech approach and you'll destroy all before long.

[Pandemoniak]

I prefer not ignore technology, but to use my industrial capacity to build useful things to get more science. The better thing to do is always to find a couple of peaceful allies (Morgan, Gaians, Cyborgs, Data Angels, etc...) and to exchange technologies. Then with the nexw technologies you got, you trade them for something new, etc..., etc...

[Nubclear]

Originally posted by MattyBoy
Drones are (too) simple to play,
just build hard and ignore technology, except to find a way to make probes as early as possible.

Use SE choices that enhance this low-tech approach and you'll destroy all before long.

Really? My play as free drones is that everyone elses technologically superior armies invade my cities.

IMO, they suck.

[Pandemoniak]

NO, they dont suck.

They are just hard to manage, technologically.


The simplest way to get techs is to find friendly factions such as morgans, gaians, cyborgs, university, etc... who are usually technologically advanced. Then get one of their advanced tech (buy it, probe it, trade it for a base, do whatever u want), and then you trade this advanced tech with another faction to get another advanced tech, then this new advanced tech will be trade with another faction for a new advanced thech, then... ok you know what I mean

[MattyBoy]

To me, reducing the cost of producing to the extent that Drones do removes some of the interest from the game and adds to micromanagement. If it encourages you to play a builder game, that seems not to have much point, when you know that it won't have much impact on your tech anyway. i.e: You know that you'll get more tech from others than from your own research so what's the point researching hard?

So then you don't care about research and can afford not to think hard about production and you have a 1 dimensional game.

[Pandemoniak]

Originally posted by MattyBoy
To me, reducing the cost of producing to the extent that Drones do removes some of the interest from the game and adds to micromanagement. If it encourages you to play a builder game, that seems not to have much point, when you know that it won't have much impact on your tech anyway. i.e: You know that you'll get more tech from others than from your own research so what's the point researching hard?

So then you don't care about research and can afford not to think hard about production and you have a 1 dimensional game.

No offense, but I think you're totally wrong. You can definetely produce more tech points a turn than Cyborgs or UoP, with more/better cities, more/better infrastructure, more/better terraforming, etc... Dont underestimated the weight of Secret Projects builded for only 40% of the minerals
As well the crawler method works perfectly : one crawler every two turns for an average city : meaning +2 energy if you have just weak terraforming. In 10 turns, you get 2+4+6+8 =20 energy more, 10 turns after u'll have 20+10+12+14+16+18 = 90. I usually stop this strategy when I have no more place to crawl, and then its time for the War.

[MattyBoy]

Thanks, Pandemoniak, for putting up with my slanderous accusations. They correspond to my experience, but I was also trying to provoke more info from you on fun ways to play Drones.

It sounds like it is worthwhile to pursue Research under Domai. I look forward to trying to win with him without taking techs from anybody else. Yet to be seen whether I get the opportunity to build any of those projects first, though.