Morgan Questions and Observations

[Scipio Centaurus]

Originally posted by Blake
MORGAN CAN NOT POP-BOOM UNDER SMAC! GA's ARE BROKEN IN SMAC!

You mean to tell me we're not going to be able to get Morgan's bases up to size 25+ in NCC002?

OT: I've also just noticed that SMAC does not support territorial boundaries from land bases extending into the sea. SMAX does. Wierd!

Morgan can be played on any sized map....

Knock yourself out! I only put that message on to irritate the guy before me - who was boorishly trying to take other posters in the thread to task. Guess it didn't work.

The guy that started this thread asked for opinions. He didn't specify who could and who could not give opinions. If someone wants to shoot off about someone else's 'opinions' that's fine - I am assuming that everyone who elects to post on public forums can take what they dish.

BTW, I think the originator of the thread has left the building...

I'm a dedicated Freemarketeer Morganite player, not only is it fun roleplaying, but I consider FM more powerfull than green.

I agree. And though the designers did not make Green a prohibited SE choice for Morgan, they probably should have. Purist free marketeers don't give a whoot about spotted owls.

- Scipio

[Hydro]

Left the building? Nope - just absorbing all the opinions so I can refine my Morgan play. My take is that all the various options are appropriate under certain circumstances, and for a certain styles. One of the key things I have realized is to use Morgan (or any faction) with a degree of flexibility so that you can shape, and respond to, different circumstances. I think the next time I play Morgan I'll do better because of all of your input, so thanks! I'm still open to other bit if there are other words of wisdom out there...

Hydro

Btw - I am sure you can't pop boom with Morgan in Classic. If you don't believe me try Morgan in Classic to prove me wrong. If I am wrong I certainly want to know about it!

[T-hawk]

Btw - I am sure you can't pop boom with Morgan in Classic. If you don't believe me try Morgan in Classic to prove me wrong. If I am wrong I certainly want to know about it!

Eudaimonic. Cloning Vats.

[Hydro]

T-hawk,

You are, of course, correct. However, by the time you have these the game is wrapped up. Vats and Eud are gravy.

Hydro

[Ned]

Others have said this before, but Morgan is murderous with GA with either planned or green, depending on whether you want to pop boom or pop pods. This setting ALONE puts Morgan into +2 econ. Adding planned (+DEMO, and Children's Crech's) and Morgan pop booms (in SMACX v.2.0).

Morgan is extremely powerful.

Ned

[Hydro]

Ned,

I think you mean add FM, since Morgan can't be planned. To get +2 eco for Morgan I sometimes bump to FM or Wealth, then switch to Green or Knowledge and the GA will be self sustaining with a 10% or 20% psych. This seems only to work in SMAX, and a favorite tactic for the lovely Dee is to go Dem/Green/Wealth with 10% psych and get GA and +2 eco. Morgan seems to be able to do this using Dem/Green/Knowledge (GA) due to his native +1 eco, which GA bumps to +2 eco. +1 energy per square is a wonderful thing!

Hydro

[Ned]

Hydro, My apologies. Yes Morgan cannot do Planned. But Simple + GA gives him both +2 econ and pop boom in GA.

FM has too many negatives so that if one can get +2 econ in any other way, that way is preferred.

Ned

[Scipio Centaurus]

To achieve true enlightenment with Morgan, you must go FM at the earliest possible opportunity and remain FM the entire game, without deviation. Anything else is wimping out!

[Blake]

Originally posted by Scipio Centaurus
To achieve true enlightenment with Morgan, you must go FM at the earliest possible opportunity and remain FM the entire game, without deviation. Anything else is wimping out!

And everyone seems to think that any Econ above +2 is wasted... in the early game +2/+4 energy per base square is nothing to sneeze at, and later in the game the +commerce can be very valuable, assuming you have allies....

[Ned]

Originally posted by Blake




And everyone seems to think that any Econ above +2 is wasted... in the early game +2/+4 energy per base square is nothing to sneeze at, and later in the game the +commerce can be very valuable, assuming you have allies....

Yeah, But one gets +2 efficiency with Green, and no negatives other than a growth negative. Staying in simple permits the use of police which may be critical to suppressing drones to get to GA and a pop boom.

Ned

[Hydro]

I quite agree. +4 or so energy at your base square for ecos +3 and above is great, especially in the early game where that increase can be a 50% bump of a base's total energy output. That has to be balanced with the negatives, and I think that is the point - so I will shift my Morgan's focus based on where want and need to be. As to the preferred SE for Morgan, I see him as a manager that will do whatever gives him the greatest return on his investment. If he has lots of allies (as I did not), then the commerce bump and energy from FM is great. If the world is out to get you, and you are forced to bring the war(s) to your enemy(ies) then some simple or green combo seems appropriate. The key is to maintain a good positive energy income within the constraints of your circumstances.

Other tricks of fielding an army in FM are interesting, but I find myself shying away from punishment spheres on a philosophical basis (the same reason I've never used a PB). The all specialist base idea is interesting, but that would seem to be useful late in the game after clean units when the game is largely decided. I think that would be much more interesting in MP to psych out your opponents, who may disbelieve that there is a Morgan army out there. Play with their mind like silly puddy…

Hydro

[Flubber]

Originally posted by Scipio Centaurus

Instead of [hopefully in addition to] sensors in new base sites, I plant forest in any tile where I want a new base. This is a stop-gap substitute for recyc tanks until you can get time later to put the real thing in. If you have a good clean dedicated nut bonus within the production radius of a new base, forget about foresting the base tile - just put the sensors in.
- Scipio

I must be missing something because my experience is that improving the base tile makes NO DIFFERENCE. Unlike Civ2 I get the same base of 2-1-1 whether the square is arid or rainy, flat or rolling or forested. Things that seem to make a difference are
1. specials
2. rivers add 1+ energy
3 landmarks (ie) jungle

But my exerience is that the only terraforming that would make a difference to your base tile is adding a sensor or making a river. Am I wrong?? I would think that foresting a base square would be a complete waste of former time. lety me know if you have seen otherwise as it would change a lot of my practices.

[DilithiumDad]

Flubber --you are correct about base square placement.

As to the question of Morganite SE setting there is ONLY ONE CORRECT ANSWER!! And that is:

All of the above!

Many posters here seem to think that social engineering is a "set it and forget it" option. Not so! Every move you should comparing different SE model and see which one gives you the best advantages. The only faction this does not apply to is The Hive, which is locked into Police/Planned/(Wealth or Power). The other 13 factions have options.

For Morgan in SMAC 4.0, the key is not to waste nutrients in the tanks before Cloning Vats. I rarely use specialists as Morgan, preferring to use them as workers to bring in more nutrients. Remember that the nutrients you are taking in under Green economics are not wasted. As soon as you go back to Demo/Free Market, all those nutrients stored in the tanks will be converted into an extra citizen.

So I keep Morgan mostly as Police/Green/Wealth, but I keep an eye on the nutrient tanks. When a bunch of bases have tanks that are more than half full, I go Demo/Green/Wealth for 2-3 turns then Demo/FM/Wealth. Adding a golden age to this will reduce your nutrient tanks to 5 squares and you can squeeze out a few new citizens before going back to the default (Demo or Police)/Green/Wealth for another decade or so until your tanks start to fill.

[big_canuk]

Originally posted by Scipio Centaurus
My impression of the micromanaging skills of the best human players, is it doesn't really make much difference what faction you play. Assuming no serious conflict, you'll easily get to the Ascent SP and you'll easily transcend on the very first game turn after the Ascent SP is built. So it's purely the luck of the turn ordering at the end of the game

I'm not positive what you mean here, but I think it might be that if you build the voice, then the next player in turn order could build the ascent. This is a common misconception. If you build the Voice, then *you* are the first to have the chance to build the ascent, the following turn. After that, it is up for grabs to all.

Therefore in MP, you must be prepared to "instabuild" the ascent the turn after you build the Voice, otherwise someone else will, and you will loose.

bc

[big_canuk]

Originally posted by Scipio Centaurus

Instead of [hopefully in addition to] sensors in new base sites, I plant forest in any tile where I want a new base. This is a stop-gap substitute for recyc tanks until you can get time later to put the real thing in. If you have a good clean dedicated nut bonus within the production radius of a new base, forget about foresting the base tile - just put the sensors in.

- Scipio

This is another common misconception. The base tile is unaffected by its terrain, other than river, or special. Forests, whether they are pre-built, or expand into the base tile after building do not increase FOP output. (They also do not help defensive capability). Unbombable sensors however are a great asset.

bc

Edit: I see I was beaten to the draw on this one. sorry for the extra post.