Space elevator

[D4everman]

I was just considering my favorite strategy of using the Space elevator to rain death on my enemies and I realized...I've NEVER let the AI build it. Has anyone ever had the AI build it and if so do they actually use it?

(Personally, i'd be horrified to see Yang build it and have the ability to drop in on me that easily.)Then again, the AI sometimes gets sloppy with air defenses where a human player may not.

D4

[Wiglaf]

The AI's never gotten the SE for me, good question though. I doubt it would use it to full potential.

[JAMiAM]

Well, I found out the hard way that Aerospace Complexes do absolutlely NOTHING to protect you against Orbital Insertions. Sort of stunned me when so many bases that I had assumed were safe because they were "protected" by AC's were suddenly stomped on by a bunch of drop troops.

Fist, are you reading this?

[MariOne]

Hmmm... I wonder then HOW I could win BCGBS by transcendence.... maybe Hendy just *assumed* that he couldn't drop inside my basezones, and didn't even attempt?
We should ask Beagle & Mongoose, who dropped off Planet's face...

[Tau Ceti]

In one of my earliest games of SMAC, I played the Morganites and isolated myself on a moderate land mass, letting the other factions become fairly strong. I did not have a clue about effective terraforming at the time, and had a city with probably 7-8 mines and all four factories, with eco-damage into the 100s. Of course I got quite a lot of native trouble, and at one time I emptied a city in order to take out a stack of 30+ Mind Worms. I was rather shocked when the University made an orbital insertion and captured my city! So the AI will use it in the right circumstances, but probably only if it is fairly mighty compared to you...

[Helium Pond]

Are you sure Aerospace Complexes offer *NO* defense? Because they sure defend the AIs cities well enough. Are you sure the AI didn't just drop outside the city radius and then move into the city (easy enough if you've got roads everywhere)?

[mark13]

I think that what everyone is saying is that the Space Complexes will provide defense against normal airdrops, but not orbital insertions.

[JAMiAM]

HP,

What mark13 assumes is true, and is true. It can be quite a nasty surprise, when you assume otherwise. As well, it makes the late game, especially in MP, extremely fluid.

[DilithiumDad]

Aerospace complexes DO defend against orbital insertions in both single and multiplayer, in my experience (Roleplay1 on ACOL).

[mark13]

Oh dear. It seems we have a difference of opinion....

For my three ha'porth, I have previously been able to insert my troops into enemy territory with the SE. I am not, however, sure about the presence of Space Complexes in the bases nearby....the tech level was certainly there....

[JAMiAM]

Dilithium Dad,

You are dead wrong, here. It took all of 10 minutes using the scenario editor to verify that the Space Elevator does grant the ability to drop within an Aerospace Complex's "protective" radius. If you'd like I can email you the file. That is, if you don't believe me.

What I did not yet check and verify, is whether the tech that grants drop pod equipped units the ability to make orbital insertions also acts the same way. I don't recall offhand which one it is, and I'm getting ready to leave work (so don't want to spend the time with that).

[JAMiAM]

Just to follow up on this...

Graviton Theory is the tech which allows orbital insertions, if you haven't built the Space Elevator. If you have this tech, drop pod equipped troops CAN drop within the "protected" radius of an aerospace complex.

I have saved files that are available for your review, if you don't have the ten minutes it takes to fire up the scenario editor and confirm it yourself. Then again, it would probably take longer to get the file from me.

[Chowlett]

I suppose this makes sense - w/o Orbital Insertion, drops have to be made from aeroplanes, which presumably can be radar tracked and disposed of by the Complexes.

With orbitals, the people on the ground can't pick up the individual signals of the troops early enough to shoot them down.