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Defence through forestation
I have recently started a new game of SMAC, after a couple-of-months break.
I picked a new Random map, with 50-70% Ocean and Dense Cloud Coverage and PKs. Of course I have forgotten that last time I was playing with the fractal variables of the world generator, which resulted in me landing on a huge contiment, sprawling across the entire planet (water is about 15%!).
Anyway, after some early ICsing I found myself in between two waring factions - UoP and Spartans. Both were hostile towards, and I got weary with them constantly asking me for tributes. So here I am, gearing up for war:
(Sorry for the large size)
My problem main problem resides in both my eastern and western outlets, and it has the same background - move two units. I know Spartans will be attacking with rovers, and the UoP with probe teams (it's good being the Planetary Governor
). The threat is that they will overflood me with hordes of their minions. I needed to find a cheap, efficent way to provide at least semi-parment protection. And last morning I have found the anwer:
(strategy summary)
Idea: Using forests to damp an enemy army's momentum.
Place of use: Perimeter Land Bases
Time of use: Pre D:AP, Pre Hovertanks
How it's executed:
a) Basic plan - forests use 2 movement points, so you'll need to surround your base/defensive node with them. Let's say your enemy can attack only from the west. The basic defensive layout will look like this:
Base Garrison:
Defensive Infantry unit
Probe Team
Attack Rovers
This plan also takes into advantage that rovers are seldomly armored. Even if they reach the forest line, the advantage of a 50% defensive bonus will be meaningless. They can be easily destroyed by your attack rover sitting in the base.
Enemy Infantry is another story. Usually armored, it is much harder to pick off in forests than defenseless rovers. The solution to the problem is placing a road here:
000
0BR
000
By doing this, you enable a rover to come out, eliminate an infantry unit that has not yet reached the forest line, and reutrn safely to the base.
There is a real weekness to the simple layout however - vulnerability to Elite Probe Teams. Those little buggers have the possibility to enter a forest square and still make a move. There are three basic ways to deal with a problem - one is to place enough defensive probes, the seconed is to send a sucide rover to killthe probe when it has not achieved attacking distance, and third is to stack two units in the way of an oncoming probe(s). Of course the threat is not that big - the probe team does have to START its turn next to the forest barrier to do any harm, but it is a possibility.
Going into theory, I have devised a more expensive, but safer variant of the forest barrier:
b) Deluxe plan
0 - irrelevant square
B - Base
F - forest
f - farm
R - Road
This one is intended mostly to impede Elite Probe Teams. The extra forest barrier provides extra protection. The farms are here to control the forest growth - there must remain a "blast chamber" where the oncoming unit's defence ability is minimal (you can use solar collectors instead).
Sincerely I doubt that anyone will use the deluxe plan simply because the cost/effectiveness ratio is not much more lower than with the basic plan. Plus, it's much more suseptible to hostile desintegration.
Terraforming cost:
Basic Plan - Variable, min. 13-14 TPs
Deluxe Plan - Variable, min. 77-79 TPs (farms) 83-85 TPs (solars)
(I'm assuming that you will build the roads *before* the forests)
Est. minimal time of preparation (using 3 Formers - no WP, no SuperForming):
Basic Plan - 5-6 turns
Deluxe Plan - 30-33 turns
Assesment of Effectiveness:
SP - very high. Computer players will never attempt to destroy the defence system intentionally.
MP - considerably high. Human players will eventually try to destroy it, but the only thing suiceptible to that type of action are the farms/collectors in the deluxe plans. Unless overpowered, the system is very durable.
Notes to strategy execution:
-Placing Sensors in a safe place is always a good idea.
-------------
Comments welcome.
------------------
---LoD
He, who comprehends the past, shall conquer the present and rule the future.
[This message has been edited by LoD (edited November 02, 2000).]
I picked a new Random map, with 50-70% Ocean and Dense Cloud Coverage and PKs. Of course I have forgotten that last time I was playing with the fractal variables of the world generator, which resulted in me landing on a huge contiment, sprawling across the entire planet (water is about 15%!).
Anyway, after some early ICsing I found myself in between two waring factions - UoP and Spartans. Both were hostile towards, and I got weary with them constantly asking me for tributes. So here I am, gearing up for war:
(Sorry for the large size)
My problem main problem resides in both my eastern and western outlets, and it has the same background - move two units. I know Spartans will be attacking with rovers, and the UoP with probe teams (it's good being the Planetary Governor
). The threat is that they will overflood me with hordes of their minions. I needed to find a cheap, efficent way to provide at least semi-parment protection. And last morning I have found the anwer:Forestation Defense
(strategy summary)
Idea: Using forests to damp an enemy army's momentum.
Place of use: Perimeter Land Bases
Time of use: Pre D:AP, Pre Hovertanks
How it's executed:
a) Basic plan - forests use 2 movement points, so you'll need to surround your base/defensive node with them. Let's say your enemy can attack only from the west. The basic defensive layout will look like this:
| 0 | 0 | F |
| 0 | B | F |
| 0 | 0 | F |
Base Garrison:
Defensive Infantry unit
Probe Team
Attack Rovers
This plan also takes into advantage that rovers are seldomly armored. Even if they reach the forest line, the advantage of a 50% defensive bonus will be meaningless. They can be easily destroyed by your attack rover sitting in the base.
Enemy Infantry is another story. Usually armored, it is much harder to pick off in forests than defenseless rovers. The solution to the problem is placing a road here:
000
0BR
000
By doing this, you enable a rover to come out, eliminate an infantry unit that has not yet reached the forest line, and reutrn safely to the base.
There is a real weekness to the simple layout however - vulnerability to Elite Probe Teams. Those little buggers have the possibility to enter a forest square and still make a move. There are three basic ways to deal with a problem - one is to place enough defensive probes, the seconed is to send a sucide rover to killthe probe when it has not achieved attacking distance, and third is to stack two units in the way of an oncoming probe(s). Of course the threat is not that big - the probe team does have to START its turn next to the forest barrier to do any harm, but it is a possibility.
Going into theory, I have devised a more expensive, but safer variant of the forest barrier:
b) Deluxe plan
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | F | F | F |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | FR | f | F |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | B | F | f | F |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | FR | f | F |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | F | F | F |
0 - irrelevant square
B - Base
F - forest
f - farm
R - Road
This one is intended mostly to impede Elite Probe Teams. The extra forest barrier provides extra protection. The farms are here to control the forest growth - there must remain a "blast chamber" where the oncoming unit's defence ability is minimal (you can use solar collectors instead).
Sincerely I doubt that anyone will use the deluxe plan simply because the cost/effectiveness ratio is not much more lower than with the basic plan. Plus, it's much more suseptible to hostile desintegration.
Terraforming cost:
Basic Plan - Variable, min. 13-14 TPs
Deluxe Plan - Variable, min. 77-79 TPs (farms) 83-85 TPs (solars)
(I'm assuming that you will build the roads *before* the forests
)Est. minimal time of preparation (using 3 Formers - no WP, no SuperForming):
Basic Plan - 5-6 turns
Deluxe Plan - 30-33 turns
Assesment of Effectiveness:
SP - very high. Computer players will never attempt to destroy the defence system intentionally.
MP - considerably high. Human players will eventually try to destroy it, but the only thing suiceptible to that type of action are the farms/collectors in the deluxe plans. Unless overpowered, the system is very durable.
Notes to strategy execution:
-Placing Sensors in a safe place is always a good idea.
-------------
Comments welcome.
------------------
---LoD
He, who comprehends the past, shall conquer the present and rule the future.
[This message has been edited by LoD (edited November 02, 2000).]
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