SMAX Newbie Needs Help!

[Nubclear]

I've been playing SMAC/X for quite a while, but I can bairly beat citizen.

Every time I try to, I either end up being a scientific powerhouse (usually 10 advances ahead) but having almost no military to speak of but having huge cash reserves (until the end, where I build everything in all my bases...)

Or I become a military powerhouse, but have no science and no cash for the rest of the game.

With situation 1, theres always another miltary powerhouse thats always seething, and I have to suck up to keep from being annialated.

With situation 2, theres always a scientific powerhouse that comes along, gets a lot of allies to declare war on me, and uses his advanced army to kill me.

In both situations, I usually have only 4-6 bases while everyone else continues to cut into my territory.

Early on, I can usually get elected as Planetary Govoner. However, I usually get ousted because I don't have enough votes (usually by yang, whos conquered everyone on his continent)

I notice that usually if I'm just left alone to build my wonders, the AI begins to really hate me.

Mainly I'm a builder, and a scientists who really doesn't like war (because i dont want to sacrafice science for war.) because I can't win.

Can anyone help?

[Kassiopeia]

In both situations, I usually have only 4-6 bases while everyone else continues to cut into my territory.

This is the only thing that caught my eye (my playstyle is probably just about yours, pacifistic scientist).

4 to 6 bases? In what stage of play? That's way too little. No matter what faction you are, expand, expand, expand. Edit: Or do you mean you are reduced to that amount after series of wars?

[Nubclear]

Originally posted by Kassiopeia


This is the only thing that caught my eye (my playstyle is probably just about yours, pacifistic scientist).

4 to 6 bases? In what stage of play? That's way too little. No matter what faction you are, expand, expand, expand. Edit: Or do you mean you are reduced to that amount after series of wars?

Oh, I hardly ever enter in wars. The only time I enter in a war is when the military superpower (Usually the hive) tells me that a very weak faction (usually the believers) has 'brutally attacked' one of their settlements. And even then, i don't do much since their both too focused on killing each other.

But, every time i try to expand i find that there are factions on both sides of me, more powerful than i am. i never have time to expand (i play on tiny maps)

[Panzer]

Hmmm, what is your early game strategy? You see, if you start close to another faction you should kill them off or enslave them. And you have to keep expanding! 6-10 bases is waaaaaay too little just like Kassiopeia said. On a normal Planet map I tend to have 20-30 bases (10-15 core bases) and I'm not even a very expansionistic person compared to other players. Also, remember to build sea bases. They serve as landing platforms for your airforce as well as a defensive perimeter around your core Empire.

Remember to seek allies and friends among the AI factions. Usually you should be able to find one or two friends. Oh, and Yang is an absolute b*stard. If you can, kill him quickly while he's still small. Saves you a lot of headaches in the long run. The same goes for Miriam.

[Adalbertus]

May I recommend Vel's Strategy Guide? There is just an actual thread about it. Contains lots of tips and game philosophy.

The things which improved mostly my performance in gaming were:
- The first tech to research (IMHO) is Centauri Ecology, Formers are the blood of your empire. First, try to get farms on a rolling terrain (for growth), then plant forest for minerals, you'll need them.
- Try to build those things which have the best immediate impact (e. g. hands away from Pressure Domes, even if they also act as Recycling Centres)
- Rushbuying with every single EC you have (mostly infrastructure, because it is the cheapest).
- As soon as you can, build crawlers. (also in a recent thread, the one on build order).
- The well-loved, well-hated ICS strategy: Build colony pods like crazy and stuff bases as tightly as possible (2 in diagonal seems best). Especially in more difficult levels, you'll not be able to work too many tiles from one city, and so the bases are not in each other's way.
- Read this forum, look up some old threads. Nice bits of strategy.

[Nubclear]

Originally posted by Adalbertus
May I recommend Vel's Strategy Guide? There is just an actual thread about it. Contains lots of tips and game philosophy.

The things which improved mostly my performance in gaming were:
- The first tech to research (IMHO) is Centauri Ecology, Formers are the blood of your empire. First, try to get farms on a rolling terrain (for growth), then plant forest for minerals, you'll need them.
- Try to build those things which have the best immediate impact (e. g. hands away from Pressure Domes, even if they also act as Recycling Centres)
- Rushbuying with every single EC you have (mostly infrastructure, because it is the cheapest).
- As soon as you can, build crawlers. (also in a recent thread, the one on build order).
- The well-loved, well-hated ICS strategy: Build colony pods like crazy and stuff bases as tightly as possible (2 in diagonal seems best). Especially in more difficult levels, you'll not be able to work too many tiles from one city, and so the bases are not in each other's way.
- Read this forum, look up some old threads. Nice bits of strategy.

Ok. Two more questions:

Should I automate my formers?
What is the effect of raising and lowering land?

[Kassiopeia]

Automating formers... if you are a masochist who want's to actually get some good terraforming done, no. If you are a carefree player who doesn't care if the formers start building solar collectors on low lands and farms on nerly barren squares, then yes.

Raising land affects rainfall, i.e. the 'greenness' of land. The winds go from east to west IIRC, and you can trap moisture from them by raising land. Never used that strategy much myself, though.

Of course, you could raise land to put solar collectors on, but I prefer naturally born mountains.

Btw,

Did you get Colonization?

[Googlie]

Originally posted by Tassadar5000
Oh, I play on tiny maps

That's your key. Tiny maps are 24 x 48 (although with the diamond pattern the vertical is really the same size as the horizontal, creating a square map) - but that gives 1152 tiles to work with ) minus alternate ones in the top and bottom rows). With 7 factions, expanding equally, you'll have 164 tiles each. with 21 tiles being a base's ZoC, there's room for seven bases if no overlapping.

Move to at least the standard planet size (40 x 80, giving 3200 tiles to work with) - you'll have expansion room for 21 bases with no overlap (all things being equal - of course you will have overlap, and there'll be some unused ocean squares, etc)

As well, techs won't come so quickly on the larger map, so you'll get more use out of the techs you do research before the units become obsolete.

Better still, play on the huge map (64 x 128 giving 8192 tiles). If every faction expanded equally, and utilized every tile with no overlaps, you'd be able to grow to 55 bases. Of course, many players grow to well in excess of 100 bases on bigger yet maps (biggest map size you can customize is 256 x 256).

So create more real estate, and you'll find that your neighbors won't crowd you quite so much

G.

[johndmuller]

Originally posted by Tassadar5000
Oh, I think that Googlie is putting words into my mouth .

Hey Googlie, where did you get that quote about tiny maps from ; is this thread happening in the twilight zone or something? As I'm looking at this thread Tassadar5000 never said that (and didn't edit any posts either).

How about this one?

Originally posted by Sid Meier
Tassadar5000, I think that your problem is that you didn't buy the "Morgan Commemorative Edition", but instead are playing with a game version loaded from one of those $9.99 CD only packages. With the Commemorative Edition, you will get free Bioenhancement Centers, Fusion Labs and SuperFormers in each of your bases, plus you will get the undocumented SE setting of , which will cause all the AI players to be very fond of you.

Of course, now that I've posted this, the reference to tiny maps appears in the thread after all (at least it wasn't an exact quote). It proves that the twilight zone is hosting the forum tonight (the next time you look that quote from Sid will be there too ).

[Adalbertus]

Just for the records, raising land also changes the energy you get from solar collectors, and you can sink enemy costal bases if you have enough money (>1000 EC/base!) and sea formers. If you are in a time of global warming, you can protect/restore your continent.

[Googlie]

LOL - JDM, just reread your post (after indignantly replying to quote the whole post)

G.