What base facilities to you never or rarely build?

[FlameFlash]

*brains....*

But yeah, skunkworks would be mine too.

And I consider it an exploit if it's not something widely known or specifically mentioned in the game. The intention was to build more advanced buildings after your tree farms and whatnot to take care of ecodamage rather than sell them and rebuild them.

[Mensonge]

Skunkworks and Punishment Sphere are examples I can think of.

[gwillybj]

Skunkworks rarely, and then only one.
Punishment Sphere and Genejack Factory, never.
Headquarters: If I need to move/replace my HQ, I've royally screwed up somewhere.

[livid imp]

Hey, Livid. I think if you want to discuss SMAC at all, you're likely to run into necro threads, the game is that old.

Oh yea, don't get me wrong. I still evangelize the greatness which is SMAC, so I am happy to see new players. I know they will be prone to bringing up old forgotten posts, and that's no big deal. I was just shocked by the age of the post. This is kind of new territory since most of the web is just not that old, and the stuff that is that old usually gets shut down eventually. As someone brought up in another thread, you have to start looking in usenet to find stuff much older. lol

[CEO Aaron]

WOW! Talk about a necro post, nearly 10 years! That's got to be some kind of record. And you're still here Aaron?! Good to see you again. I was looking up something about the Freeciv browser game and there was a link to Poly so I thought I'd have a look in the old haunt, but this is the last thing I expected to see. XD

Hey, Livid. I think if you want to discuss SMAC at all, you're likely to run into necro threads, the game is that old.

[livid imp]

WOW! Talk about a necro post, nearly 10 years! That's got to be some kind of record. And you're still here Aaron?! Good to see you again. I was looking up something about the Freeciv browser game and there was a link to Poly so I thought I'd have a look in the old haunt, but this is the last thing I expected to see. XD

[CEO Aaron]

OH and some of the psi facilities to pacify planet are not needed. The ecodamage formula shows how repeatedly building and scrapping the cheapest one of these types of facilities is the way to go.

that's an exploit.

That's a matter of opinion. It takes advantage of the game mechanics, true, but so does about about 95% of the strategy in the game. In my own opinion, an exploit is some mechanic which takes gives the player something for nothing, and this doesn't qualify. If you're going to build and scrap eco facilities to crank down your permanent pollution threshold, you're forgoing other construction in that base for as long as you want to pump time and rocks into it.

Also, the gain is, for all but the most vertical of empires, so miniscule as to be a complete waste of time, especially in light of the alternative: Building a super-mineral base and stationing a small cadre of SAM Empath rovers in it. Instead of spending minerals to gain planet rating, you'll get paid planet pearls for getting it.

As to the original topic, I have never bothered with the Punishment Sphere, Covert Ops Centre, Geosyncrhonous Survey Pod, Skunkworks, or Tachyon Field in ANY of my games. Mainly by virtue of the fact that they're all BAD. Each one 1) has benefits which are marginal to non-existent, and 2) comes late enough in the game that what little benefit they offer have no chance of changing the outcome of the game, and 3) is inferior to spending the same resources on troops or growth.

[The Odor]

Rare facilities

I rarely move Headquarters, as i try to have the initial base the most efficient.
Skunkworks, do not remember ever having more than two in a game.
Punishment Sphere, as I try to lower the # of drones id different ways.
Command Center, Perimeter Defense, Naval Yard, Bioenhancement Center, as I try to have the SPs built instead.
I guess this would be valid also for Energy Bank and Aerospace Complex, but i did not played SMAX so much.
Also i rarely use Stockpile Energy, as it seems to me a waste of turns...

[Dis]

Originally posted by livid imp
emphasis added

Are you saying you don't build the Cloning Vats until after you have the TeleMatrix?

actually I should clarify.

I do build it as soon as I can (the ai gets this fairly early as well and will build it). Often I will let my bases sit at the hab dome limit until I get the telepathic matrix up and running.

[binTravkin]

I never or almost never build many facilities either because they're too late in the research tree or too uselsess at the moment.
I admit Im using ICS all the time.

So:

Quantum Labs, Robotic Plants, Psi Gates, Temples of planet are too far and cost too much.

Any other facilities are being built only on need.

Hive ICS (the least build scheme):
Rectanks, Creches, Genejack, might be Skunkworks in some bases also to rush PBs..

Everything else - why do I need it?
A network node with specialist approach?
hmm..

I rather build 1 new base not 2 NNs in old bases and get the same for a cheaper cost..


Morgan ICS (the most facilities built):
take those above and add:
Rec comms (if I have PTS I rush it at each new base), Energy Banks, Tree farms..

Hybrid forests - too expensive and I can deal with Ecodamage by using only TFs.

And a Punishment sphere in a mineral-rich coastal base(s) ..

[livid imp]

Originally posted by Senethro
Each Flechette works once per turn.

But I understand you can overlap several Flechettes in a 1x1 ICS scheme so that there is up to 8 chances to destroy an incoming missile.

Can you imagine the look on your opponents face when his 8 PBs get shot down.

[livid imp]

Originally posted by Dissident
telepathic matrix rules. I never build cloning vats without it.

emphasis added

Are you saying you don't build the Cloning Vats until after you have the TeleMatrix?

[Dis]

Originally posted by RedFred
Like most players I have tried everything out to see how it works. But a lot of the improvements I rarely build are late game stuff that isn't a priority when you are trying to shave off as many turns as possible to transcend.

The Space Elevator SP is way worse than any p-sphere. Can you imagine making your citizens listen to Kenny G. for several hours at a time? The 'no drones' SP is another bad one. Comes right at the very end of the game.

telepathic matrix rules. I never build cloning vats without it. I usually try to beeline towards it getting cloning vats.

though sometimes wars such as in my last game dictate I get orbital defense pods first.

[Harfang]

I'm definitely no expert. I play mostly as a builder or hybrid on Thinker and I find that once I get Advanced Spaceflight (usually the first or second level 8 tech obtained through blind research), it's game over. The rest is just icing on the cake.

(Nearly) never: Punishment Sphere, Paradise Garden, Temple of Planet, Brood Pit, Covert Ops Center, Tachyon Field, Quantum Converter, Nanoreplicator, Psi Gate, Genejack Factory, Flechette Defense System.

Rarely: Biology Lab, Centauri Preserve, Skunkwork, Robotic Assembly Plant.

Enough lead to get the secret project instead: Naval Yard, Aerospace Complex, Bioenhancement Center.

[RedFred]

Like most players I have tried everything out to see how it works. But a lot of the improvements I rarely build are late game stuff that isn't a priority when you are trying to shave off as many turns as possible to transcend.

The Space Elevator SP is way worse than any p-sphere. Can you imagine making your citizens listen to Kenny G. for several hours at a time? The 'no drones' SP is another bad one. Comes right at the very end of the game.