***SMAC/X Facilities Guide***

[Jamski]

I had to type the whole damn text, so I'm sure its no effort to read it Tass...

Having said that, I'm happy to consider some kind of "rating" system but the point of this guide is as much about the proper use and best time to build, as it is about the cost:benefit ratios of the various facs.

-Jam

[Santiago_Claus]

Subsea Trunkline is late-game. So late, in fact, it will be but a short time before fungus mineral production makes them obsolete. I've moved them down the tech tree to "Superconductor" just so they'll have some kind of purpose, and I still don't build them.

Late-game is a tough call. There are "silver bullet" technologies and combinations of technologies which will push you into a "late-game" footing.

CEO Aaron's bright line is as good as any, although the garden weasel isn't the end-all be-all weapon of Classic SMAC fame due to the low-tech 8r armor introduced by SMAC-X. On balance, though, if I had to pick 1 tech, CEO Aaron's choice would be it.

If you wanted to draw the line earlier, it might be when both The Supercollider and Theory of Everything are built (woe to you if you weren't the one to build 'em!)

One could also argue that late game begins when a unit or units exist which can both attack and take bases in and across oceans in a single turn, which requires MMI and either gravships or locusts, but this seems a little late. The late-game is well underway by the time you can fling units across the map at will.

Then there's "Miriam's Argument", a mathematical constant which is the M-coefficient of the linear equation expressing the relationship between proximity to end-game and Miriam's b*tching about it. ("We must dissent!" = late-game ... "Organic superlube makes me itch." = mid-game.)

[CEO Aaron]

Well, my reasoning behind using satellites as the mid/late game threshold, is that if you consider the raising of resource restrictions to denote the transition from early to midgame, then satellites are really the only other comparable watershed resource explosion. Honestly, I don't really think there really is a clear 'end-game' segment to most SMAC/X games, since the outcome is usually decided during the midgame. Also, your endgame can depend strongly on which victory condition you expect to use. For example, for those seeking a Political or Economic win, Hybrid Forests are the watershed tech that vaults you into endgame. If you're going for conquest, Choppers and Drop troops are your endgame tech.

[Jamski]

Choppers and Droppers are the midgame troops for me, with the endgame troops being Hovertanks and Gravships - i.e. the stuff you only build 1 game in 20.

Most games are certainly decided in the midgame, based on how well the early game is played.

I'll stick with Sats as being the bringers of the endgame, if that's ok. I want to draw a line somewhere.

-Jam

[Ouro_827]

Actually, I would judge the start of late game around either late fusion, or Orbital Spaceflight.... although, In my last game, I got Advanced Spaceflight before I got Plasma Steel.....

[Barinthus]

Wow, Jamski - u rock.

Energy Banks, IIRC, help to prevent a faction from losing energy credits from a crash?

[Method]

I usually count the beginning of the mid game at around fusion power, since this is when I pull far far far ahead of the AI. But I won't question your tree farm idea.

Late game....I'd say around Genejack Factories and the Cloning Vats. When you get giant bases and even gianter mineral production.

[Jamski]

Energy Banks, IIRC, help to prevent a faction from losing energy credits from a crash?

I believe so. I'll add it in anyway

-Jam

[ErikM]

Great guide
Re aquafarms: I agree that in general they are not that great, but they may be very useful for guys like Yang or the Pirates, which will often have to grow their bases the hard way. With a couple of foil kelp trawlers, Pirates really can do fine without any pop boom.

[Impaler[WrG]]

NIce job Jamski

I see Method and Ouro are pointing at Fusion as the late game opening Tec. I would have to agree with the Satilites (and possibly Hab Dome too) being the gateways to the late game.

To me Fusion mearly splits the Mid game into "Early Mid Game" and "Late Mid Game" dose this make sense to anyone?

[Jamski]

Re aquafarms: I agree that in general they are not that great, but they may be very useful for guys like Yang or the Pirates, which will often have to grow their bases the hard way. With a couple of foil kelp trawlers, Pirates really can do fine without any pop boom.

My point was that Kelp Crawlers are the better way of feeding people from the sea, than aquafarms. The only justification is with very limited space and needing to get 28 nuts to fill the base out, and then only if you can make the cash back with specialist in a reasonable length of time.

To me Fusion mearly splits the Mid game into "Early Mid Game" and "Late Mid Game" dose this make sense to anyone?

Perfectly. It does the same for me as Impact weapons in the Early Game - get this tech first and attack, get it second and DON'T ATTACK.

-Jam

[GeoModder]

Unless already in a war...

At least I won that one, at the cost of being 5th or something that game.

[Skanky Burns]

So when are the mid-games going up?

[Jamski]

When I finish typing them. Its monday morning, and I just typed a mammoth Mafia story, and I have to do some crap today...

Before the end of the week, I really hope.

-Jam

[Jamski]

Added the first 4 midgamers

-Jam