Most important Social Engineering area

[Ned]

Drago, I agree with you about Morale, especially if those neighbors have equal or better troups because they are ahead of you in tech.

[Clear Skies]

I contend that Morale is one of the overblown qualities of units in SMAC. Yes, experience counts for a lot in combat, but should an Elite unit really have its combat ability made 50% stronger than a Green unit?
Anyway, I think the Soporific Gas Pods help quite a lot to combat this overemphasis. I can remember when Domai was running...Power, I think, so I equipped all my Needlejets with Wave and Sopo, giving them quite a big advantage despite being one level behind in weaponry.
He died. Eventually.
I think Morale is rightly very important in Psi combat though. I once tried to go to war against Dee whilst running Eudaimonia and got tromped on by her MindWorm defenders...I switched Knowledge for Power and outwormed her.

[Morganstern]

Ned, I've had limited success building the psychology enhancing bases, and normally run at 20% Psych after I've conquered a significant number of other faction's bases. Still, the drone riots, and delay inherent in building these facilities universally (as opposed to building units) just hasn't been worth it in my view. I might try the GA emphasis for effect. I don't really ICS in the classic sense, since I always try to space my bases 3-4 spaces away, to allow for building and growth. Sometimes, however, you're stuck with the "near ICS" of the faction whose bases you've conquered.

I come down on the SMAC Fanatic side of the Morale debate. This just hasn't been much of a factor for me; number of units and the technology of my "guns" (as someone so elegantly calls them in this thread) seems to matter more. The only time it has been a serious factor for me was playing against the Alien factions.

[Ned]

SMAC, I don't think SP Gas works. I have attacked Elite units with my SP-equiped forces and they stay Elite. Have you actually seen it work?

Morganstern, The problem with ICS and with capturing a lot of bases is that it creates bureaucracy drones. These drones may prevent GA in your home bases unless you apply a lot of PSYCH, which somewhat defeats the whole purpose of GA in the first place.

However, you can counter the effect of b-drones by increasing efficiency. Green does just that. So does Demo or Cyber.

So - just build a few Research Hospitals and Tree Farms, and GA should be breeze with DEMO + Green. Wealth would then give you the plus 2 econ, in addition to +1 industry.

The downside is, of course, morale.

Ned

[Clear Skies]

Soporific gas pods most certainly do work. The units on which you are using them will still be designated with their current Morale level (e.g. Elite) but will have the actual bonus given to them because of this morale taken down by two levels.

If the opponent on which you used them was running Power, the + modifiers would have been kicked up to +2. The Sopo pods, because they take Morale down 2 points, negate this value, so the units fight with 'normal' Morale, as if their faction were not running Power.

But yes, Sopo definitely does work. I used it against Domai when he had no Morale bonuses and it took his Elite troops down to a 25% combat bonus, with his Commandos going down to 12.5%. So yes, they work, and they are very useful.

[WhiteElephants]

The problem with Morale is that as the game drags on every other player has the ability to raise the base morale of their troops through monoliths, Secret Projects, a myriad of facilities, and social engineering choices. Each erode away the advantage of a faction with elevated morale.

[Sikander]

I also think that morale is overblown to an extent, especially the farther into the game you are. I think that the clean reactor really pushes quantity over quality, and of the two types of quality, tech beats morale, especially the reactor techs. The most important bonus for morale IMO is the extra movement point that elite troops get, especially infantry whose movement rate is doubled.

[Ned]

Sik, Morale is also important in Worm Warfare. Try attacking Diedre's demon boils, in a base with a sensor, with a Tachyon perimeter and with a Children's Creche, when she also has the Nural Amplifier with only a very green unit. Ned

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Morale is a nice way to go for a momemtum run, but I'll take the quantity and tech quality approach any day. Higher techs give so many different options that otherwise aren't available. Including just lobbing a very green conventional missile at Dee's Demon Boil, w/ sensor, tachyon perimeter, broodpits, Neural Amp.

Whoops there goes another Dee base.