The Hive and Pop Booming

[DJ_3TJ]

Because The Hive can't choose democracy, they can't pop-boom the usual way like the other factions. I've read that you can still pop boom by going into GA.
But is it just me, or is it near impossible to pull it off on transcend level? I guess Morgan's has the same problem?

[#endgame]

For the hive, you have more problems since you can't just crank up the psych with as much effect. But you have police - you need never see a drone, I think. Some more experienced hivers could elaborate.

For morgan, FM means you should have plenty of energy and you should be able to crank up the psych - assuming no energy restrictions.

[Maniac]

Building the HGP helps a lot.

Kody also succesfully popboomed The Hive in ACDG2. Can't tell exactly how it was done though.

[Chaos Theory]

Generally speaking, bureaucracy drones spoil golden ages because of the psych limit. The HGP and Lal's talents help out with this. Yang tends to sprawl more than Morgan, and Yang is pretty much stuck at 0 effic, whereas Morgan will have +2 or +3 effic when going for a pop boom, so Morgan suffers less from bureaucracy. Morgan will also have much more raw energy to direct to psych.

[Googlie]

Originally posted by Maniac
Building the HGP helps a lot.

Kody also succesfully popboomed The Hive in ACDG2. Can't tell exactly how it was done though.

Kody's popboom was an innnovative use of the Planetary Transit System, whereby after some core bases were established he then set new bases (startiig at size 3) to rush-producing 2 colony pods per base, which in turn spawned size 3 bases, again producing 2 cp's each

Morgan was employing that same tactic in ACDG3 until, in the interests of having all factions playing on a level playing field Sparta relieved them of the PTS

[Lazerus]

Using a GA popboom for the Hive tends to be less effective then simply mass spawning of colony pods and waiting until you've crawled some condensors. Once you've got high food income they'll get upto the limit quick enough without you realising because you're busy ever expanding the front line

[Maniac]

Originally posted by Googlie
Kody's popboom was an innnovative use of the Planetary Transit System, whereby after some core bases were established he then set new bases (startiig at size 3) to rush-producing 2 colony pods per base, which in turn spawned size 3 bases, again producing 2 cp's each

But besides that he did an actual GA popboom too IIRC. With the HGP, PTS, the Virtual World and network nodes, doctors fed by nutrient crawlers I think he managed to get enough talents for a GA popboom.

Though of course, this needs lots of secret projects to work, so in about all cases I guess a simple ICS (preferably augmented by the PTS) as Lazerus and you suggest works best.

[sentry33]

Perhaps there are people who can popboom hive, but to me it seems just unreal

What i am going for as hive is lot of small bases (ICS), instead of few population-high ones

A way to go up in pop is to have PTS - one colony pod creates 3, that can either create new size 3 bases or join other bases, to help them grow to size 5+ (specialists)

Another is to crawl nutrients in few bases dedicated to colony pod production. (WP helps to build condensers fast). Point is that small bases grow fast - so, its a way to get lot of colony pods going out, by specializing few bases to their production

[Flubber]

Originally posted by Googlie


Kody's popboom was an innnovative use of the Planetary Transit System, whereby after some core bases were established he then set new bases (startiig at size 3) to rush-producing 2 colony pods per base, which in turn spawned size 3 bases, again producing 2 cp's each

While Kody's overall play with the HIve was very impressive, I did not think that this tactic was that innovative. I thought the idea of PTS pod booming has been around for a very long time

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Originally posted by Flubber


While Kody's overall play with the HIve was very impressive, I did not think that this tactic was that innovative. I thought the idea of PTS pod booming has been around for a very long time

Agreed but he did master details that allowed a hybrid pop /pod boom. Masterfully done but conceptually nothing earthshatteringly new to the SMAC community.

[Blake]

I've pop-boomed hive, with the right strategy it can work quite well...

Sprawl to the B-drone limit being generous with space between bases (I mean, still 1 turn apart on road, but in a loose web rather than packing them in tightly), then pump formers.

Tech to Env.Eco, ignoring all other tech.

Drill Boreholes (for the raw energy) and build Condensors (to support the borehole workers)

Build Treefarms (for the +50% pysch and so forests can sustain growth)

Popboom.

If you get the HGP you can build more bases and it's more pratical.

The formers are the key, even with only 10 bases you can afford to field A LOT more formers than say Morgan.

Also it wont work too good with an averagely bad start, you want a monolith or river or energy special or something, with several of these you'll be all set for the tech.

[Maniac]

Was that in multiplayer?

[Blake]

Hell no.

[Lazerus]

*shudder* Hive bases far apart and with high psych, its just not natural

I heard about that game Kody played in and discussed some of the topics about it with him but sadly he didn't have any of the game saves

[Datajack Franit]

*shudder* Hive bases far apart and with high psych, its just not natural

it's The Hive after all