which Secret Project is really useless?

[Earwicker]

Originally posted by Ned
However this strategy is frustrated in part, assuming one submissive, and totally frustrated in the case of two submissives, if, by giving them your tech, you also hand it to the enemy that has the Datalinks. So, you cannot do it. In effect, you have been stripped of one of the major advantages to having submissives in the first place.

Not if you've made the possessor of the Datalinks one of your submmissives

But seriously, good point! I'm waiting to try the Generous Earwicker style of treating submissives and will have to remember this when I do.

[Avenoct]

Funny, I always thought that Special Project, 'The Scent to Transmit' was kinda useless. I mean come on, Miriam with a chocolate factory? What's that about?

[Kassiopeia]

Originally posted by Smack
Funny, I always thought that Special Project, 'The Scent to Transmit' was kinda useless. I mean come on, Miriam with a chocolate factory? What's that about?

Ooooookayyy....

But the Bulk Matter Transmitter I pass always. It is the first stepping stone to being totally worm raped.

[Vlad Antlerkov]

I find that I almost never use the Universal Translator. The techs I can always steal, and the artifact ability comes at a point when there are almost no unlinked artifacts left. (Of course, you can always time its construction for the Secrets of Creation and/or AC advances... that way, you get four advances instead of two. If it came earlier, as it was in SNAC, it would be more useful.)

[Kassiopeia]

If you play your cards right, and have AX, you can get four or even five technologies w/ the Univ. Translator. And it would be best to time it so that when you get it, you have just started researching a tech so that the benefit is maximal.

[Rastapopoulos]

I know of a multiplayer game where one faction is way ahead and the three leftover human players (who are way behind then, as follows) have pacted up against the leader. Now by owning the Planetary Datalinks he can easily prevent them from coordinating their research and exchanging their techs.
I admit it is a very special case, but i believe there is probably an application for each and every SP.

[bondetamp]

I usually always build the datalinks, and I usually get a few techs from it. While I usually have a pretty good lead in tech, the AI tends to follow different bylines, and thereby get some lower level techs before me.

Oh, and I played a occ game a few days ago, and when I finally got the Universal Translator I had elleven artifacts waiting.

[Avenoct]

I must be missing something. In Smac (don't know about Smax), when you gain one of the 'Secrets' techs by any other means than actually researching it, you get the message, but not the actual free tech that would have come with it. Therefore, getting the Uniball Trudgelater set up while researching one of these is a very BAD idea. You loose the free tech from the Secrets. Now, if this is different in Smax, I apologize.

I forgot to mention that I also consider the 'Elven Artifact' not too useful an SP either. While being able to read Tolkein's books on history in the original is nice, and the Artifact DOES make a nice Salad spoon, its just a little outdated for space exploration.

-Smack, who really will stop abusing this thread now.

[Blake]

I'm surprised no-one has put a word in against the PTS.

I avoid the thing, for a number of reasons:
I'm not an ICS'er
I expand to about 10-20 bases then stop, often by the time I've got IndAuto my bases are size 2 or 3 already, and I put a high emphasis on crawling nuts, so one of the first thing every base gets is a nut crawler. If I built the PTS I would maybe gain 5 pop-points (and lose a few of those to starvation).
I do minimal pre-terraforming, other than a blanket of forest. This means if I expand the 3rd pop point will die anyway. I don't like to starve my people even if:
The people came from nowhere , the PTS gets the "Most irrational SP" award IMO, this "people from thin air" is reason enough for me to avoid the thing, it just doesn't work/fit... however you arrange your people, you aren't going to get more of them.

That said, I can see it's immense value for ICS'ers , and anyone which likes to continue expanding, and can be bothered with a little pre-terraforming (and aren't bothered by the people from thin air paradox...). I will build it for the -1 drone, sometimes, but my target city size is 5, and I'm pretty prompt about building rec commons.

So, while the PTS may not be a universally useless SP, it is my personal most useless (though ME comes a close 2nd, seeing I avoid energy crawlers too).

[SerapisIV]

I agree with the PTS. Although I've only SMAC for any length of time, I just got SMAX. Playing a builder style, all my bases are already size 3 by the time I get the SP, by which time I've also stopped expanding.

[Ned]

I also agree with that the Planetary Transit System is largely a waste. It comes too late to be of any use. Most of my bases are at least size three by the time I get it. Drone control is not an issue since I do not ICS.

Another SP that is literally useless is the Space Elevator. It comes just about the same time as one gets Graviton Theory. Both give Orbital Insertion capability. If the latter did not exist, the former would indeed be important.

Ned

[Method]

Originally posted by Smack
I forgot to mention that I also consider the 'Elven Artifact' not too useful an SP either. While being able to read Tolkein's books on history in the original is nice, and the Artifact DOES make a nice Salad spoon, its just a little outdated for space exploration.

what a strange thing to say. must be the lingering effects of the dream twister . besides, everyone knows you eat salad with a fork . maybe the damage of psi gates is so great as they say.

oh what? the topic? oh yeah!

the manifold harmonics is actually usefull late in the game. all you have to do is fungal missle your own sea bases, and since late game fungus will give you 3-4-3 or something, thats better than HF forest! it's not as if those mindworms are going to swim to your base and attack you .

useless SP is the ME, i've only built it like twice, and the self aware colony comes in too late to do any good. it's the equivalent of adam smith's trading company in CIV II (except for the police thing) which you get from the economics tech which comes in at about mid game (i have the tech tree on the wall behind me) whereas self aware is in late game.

[Blake]

I disagree on the Space Elevator, it has 3 effects:
1)Orbital Insertions
2)Double minerals when producing sats
3)+100% economy in base.
It also comes at the same time as Hab Domes, making it a diserable tech.

effect 1) could be usfull if you have bee-lined to hab domes, you could be still quite a distance from Graviton Theory.
effect 2) could be what turns an orbital-war to your favour (getting ODP's up quicker), this is pretty much a non-issue in SP games, because the AI wont shoot down the Orbitals, but seeing as it comes at the same time as Hab domes you will be wanting to launch a load more orbitals anyway... Orbitals are cheap enough to buy though.
3) Could be usfull in a SSC to get a little extra cash, which is always a good thing after all.

The self aware colony could also have merits enough to be built, (even with a smallish empire would probably save you 200 or so upkeep per turn). If your a free marketeer with good trading partners then you would be rolling in cash, but for a poorer faction (Gaian's prehaps?) it could provide a handy cash boost. Basically the SA colony is not one for the marketeers. (it has obvious merit for the Hive)

Another SP which I often pass by is the Longlivity Vaccine, the only time I tend to build it is as the Hive, putting the final nail in the drone control coffin. It can also be usfull to provide extra drone control during pop-booms, either saving a little on pysch, or making GA's a little easier for the Cyborgs, Pirates or Hive. Overall of limited use.

[EtheMind]

the higher your planet rating, the more it messes you up in ED!?

I think minerals produced from Fungus doesn't effect "mindworm pops". At least in my latest game I was producing hundreds of minerals with the help of Fungus and facilities. There was an ecodamage, yes, but no pops since every square had fungus in it. I guess it still affects global warming but otherwise it's cool

Now, if this is different in Smax, I apologize.

I think it is, you're welcome...

[Blake]

Ah, if there is nowhere for fungus to grow then fungus doesn't grow.

I've used this in an OCC once, I drilled 6 boreholes in my city radius, then covered everything in fungus (with help from pops and mindworm cash). Then I just pushed my mineral production through the roof, ED in the hundreds and no pops. Slighty strange OCC strategy, but a lot of fun.