Winning after escape in colony pod

[Red Archer]

Has anyone out there ever won a game after being forced to "escape in a colony pod"? If so, how many turns into the game were you?

This happens to me every once in a while if I get stuck on a small island with one of the aliens and I am playing one of the human factions.

[Sarxis]

On what level were you playing?

[Master Marcus]

I eradicated once the Usurpers ( when playing as the Caretakers ) very soon ( 2130 ); and no longer after the relocation Marr becomed the strongest AI. So the chance to be strong is there if this happen very soon, but after 2150-60 I'd say the faction relocated generally stays weak.

[joer]

On that note...I once played a pretty silly game (Thinker level, I think) as Marr. Total momentum beatdown only. I just went to conquer everybody asap, didn't even bother to build cities.
I made one fundamental mistake: I left the rebirth option on.

After I had beaten H'minee for about 5 or 10 times, throwing all my armies at her each time, and she came back every time stronger (with a complete supply of battle ogre, two colony pods, former and infrantry), I didn't pursue the game any more.

Ever since then, I decided that restart of eliminated player is silly and always turn it off.

However, I think the option that's mentioned in the ACX gamebook of freeing a captured leader with probes, so he can then start once more sounds pretty nifty. Never seen it ín action, tho.
-joer.

[sunchaser3]

I freed a captured leader for the first time in my last game. Actually I freed two. I have to say that I was somewhat disappointed with the results. The Believers had conguered the largest landmass in the game, eliminating the university, the peacekeepers, and, reducing the cyborgs to a few sea bases. Well since she was the most powerful faction, and predictably hostile, I took it upon myself to conquer her farely impressive empire. As I approached her headquarters I remembered that she had a couple of faction leaders there. She had no techs I needed, and her units were, of course, not vulnerable to mind control, so I decided to try this rescue operation out. I was told it was a risky operation, but my specially made Data angel probes had no fear of their paultry fundamentalist defences. I freed Lal first, and Zhack next. A few turns later they appeared on small islands in a lone colony pod, very sad. The drones reirradicated the peacekeepers later, and the university never built another base. I assumed that they would restart in a similar fasion to the way I did during a game I lost once to the Hive.( what do you mean we're not alone on this continent?!!!) In that situation I restarted with two colony pods, formers, and rovers. I admit that I quit that game without trying to come back from certain defeat, but it was my second transcend game, and I felt a little overwhelmed. Anyway, it was fun to free the leaders just to flex my muscles, but I could never see it as effective unless it was a huge map, and early in the game.

[Kinjiru]

Freeing leaders can be useful, if you take the time to help them out. Instead of letting Lal and Zak flounder on their own, build a couple of bases with a few improvements near those two and turn the bases over to them. If the freed leaders get a little momentum going, I have seen them continue on and become moderately productive.

You can do the same thing to help out a faction that is nearing defeat (by someone other than yourself). I do this all the time when I am playing a military style game. "What, Morgan is being knocked around by Yang? But he is my source of energy and tech! Better establish a couple protected bases for him..."

What i have never tried is freeing a leader in an MP game. If a human faction gets eradicated, can that faction be freed? And if so, would it still be a human controlled faction?

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Hey Kinji,

Glad to see you around again. Good point on the gifting base thing. One can always consider gifting bases that are conquered to your new found friend rather than waste your own resources to try to make something of them. Especially if you are in a war with a faction that your refugee friend is not in. These make a nice safe haven for your forward deployed forces and you have little fear of counterattack unless your friend decides to go to war on your behalf.

[Velociryx]

Brother Kinjy! I add my voice to Og's....tis good to see you here....and yes, I dearly LOVE the benefits of helping factions weaker than I, especially if we're pact mates (and it's even better if they're submissive pacts, cos then you don't have to worry about creating your own dilemma).

I have to admit that I generally play SP games of SMAC like the other factions aren't even there....lol...I do my thing til they tick me off by being stoopid, or start picking on one of my favored factions (Lal, Morgan, Deirdre, or Zak, depending on who I'm not playing), then I get involved and try to ride to the rescue.

Diplomatically, I take a pretty much paternalistic view of the other factions. Even Yang...if they start trouble with me, I'll usually beat them til they surrender, then give back all but a handful of thier bases (keeping a few in strategic places "just in case"). And, I usually give them half the cash I've got on hand to get them back in the running again....which works out well, cos they invariably help out in some way....even if it's just in the form of commerce income....

Anyway, enough rambling from me....
-=Vel=-

[Kinjiru]

Thanks for the warm welcome back guys. Tis good to be back discussing and playing SMAC! Although the forthcoming Shogun:Total War game may cut in on my SMACing...


So any insights on freeing captured leaders in an MP game? I've never had an MP game get far enough along for that option to even be available.