question

[Commy]

Originally posted by d=me

And how do they really rate who is the best at tech, wealth etc...?

Most Tech: Each tech is worth so many points, according to its level...so, biogenics which is a D1 tech (Discover, level 1) is worth one point. Industrial Automation, which is B3 (Build, level 3 because it requires level 2 techs), is worth 3 points...

Whoever has the most points is considered to be the most advanced...so, theoretically, the "most advanced" person might not have the most number of techs, and just because you are the most advanced faction doesn't mean that another opponent doesn't have a tech you don't...

Wealth: This is just whoever at the time has the most energy credits...this pretty much a joke and doesn't really matter. For example, I could be producing 1000 Energy credits per turn, but spend all of them hurrying productions, so never actually accumulate excess energy...on the other hand, I could be producing only 10 energy credits per turn, and store them up the whole game to get a whopping 1000 energy credits (or something like that)...

What you really need to judge wealth on is by how much energy is earned per turn, not who has the most energy credits...

[Commy]

Originally posted by d=me
What about the armour? I think that there is no reason to build garrison infantry with either with plasma steel or the trence armour. Because people like santiago really like to attack with veteran rovers. So like a base with a premieter defence with one of a 3 pulse garrison inside is pretty safe from a rover with a gattling gun.

I prefer to use normal plasma steel, and give all my garrisons the Comm Jammer special ability...

Plasma Steel costs the same as synthmetal (and cheaper than pulse armor and resonance armo, IIRC), and if I add the comm jammer, I get +50% against mobile units (instead of just +25% from pulse armor). Also, hypnotic trance is generally only good for your early, early garrisons like scout patrols...by the time you have plasma steel, you should have cleared some of your nearby fungus with formers, and usually you should attack the mindworm to get bonus energy...

[d=me]

Actually I see mindworms as just bandits in a country and not an enemy that poses that much threat. If you are fighting mariam I think that she is a lot more serious of a problem that the worms are because the native life forms attack randomly and are not co-ordinated against you. So if I have the pulse 3 armour, commjammer, perimeter defence then I think that's the best combo before better armour is out. Like if santiago attacks with elite rovers then your base can stop many of them. And on tech stangation many of my bases are producing probe teams because they have nothing else to do. So I don't see how that little extra cost is so bad.

About the tech and wealth reviews, does it refresh after more than 1 turn? Because I talked to the morgans and they say that they have no techs that I'm interested in and was asking for my techs that means that they have no techs that I don't and I have techs that they don't have. But they are still listed as the most advanced.

And for achievements I REALLY like to be the first to make a discovery and finish a secret project. And it usually is always the case.

[d=me]

Is that ABM system better or the orbital defense system better?

[Flubber]

Originally posted by d=me
Is that ABM system better or the orbital defense system better?

Orbitals are better for absolute Planetbuster defense. A high number of orbitals make it practically impossible to be PBed and they have the additional bonus of allowing you shoot down opposing food and energy satellites

[Kirov]

Originally posted by d=me
Actually I see mindworms as just bandits in a country and not an enemy that poses that much threat. If you are fighting mariam I think that she is a lot more serious of a problem that the worms are because the native life forms attack randomly and are not co-ordinated against you. So if I have the pulse 3 armour, commjammer, perimeter defence then I think that's the best combo before better armour is out. Like if santiago attacks with elite rovers then your base can stop many of them. And on tech stangation many of my bases are producing probe teams because they have nothing else to do. So I don't see how that little extra cost is so bad.

The thing with SMAX is, this game really exemplifies the old saying "attack is the best defense". 3P armour with ECM is really pricey and still lets your enemy ravage your territory, freely choose bases to besiege, destroy formers/crawlers/enhancements, etc...

As far as ground combat is concerned, what you really need is:

- an extensive net of sensors, with their ranges ovelapping each other tightly; remember it's a very good idea to build sensors on tiles where you plan your bases on; many times I've learned the profits of a sensor invulnerable to artillery

- some rovers, which don't have to be stronger than 4; I would use 2-1-2 for quite a long time, just to destroy enemy rovers; some of your rovers should stay in bases, others in tactically good places like rocky tiles surrounded by flat lands, and so on

- artillery - to take out enemy's artillery and slow down enemy rovers; you'd rather use infantry chassis and no armour; but remember to protect them well with other units

- scout patrols with the best reactor - to autodestruct just right next to enemy stacks with plenty of units in; reactor is the only thing that matters at autodestruction, hence you can very cheaply damage a lot of good units (does anyone have the specific formula for that? I'm virtually unable to find anything in the archives...)

This way you can fight long wars without ever prototyping a 2 or 3 armour. Remember that SMAX really favours builders over warmongers and to counter that you really have to make your war machine extremely efficient. Some more tips:

- always keep very close attention to the terrain; use rocky/forest/fungus to your advantage, destroy enemy sensors before attacking him, and so on

- do not always build units with the best weapon/armour you have available; your 2-1-2 unit easily takes out enemy's 13-1-2 with Clean Reactor and Nerve Gas pods

- better yet, you don't really have to kill enemy units, but by means of self-destruction and artillery render them completely useless, while still using up enemy's support; works great against AI

- use Probe Teams to your advantage; they can be very useful even if you play against AIs and lead in tech; buy their units, induce riots and genetic warfare, steal money, protect your bases against Mind Control; PT costs the same as 4-1-2, but can prove way more useful

- if you want to defend with good armour units, chokepoints rather than bases is where you want to put them; very often by defending one tile you can stave off an entire invasion (against AI, of course); to some extent you can create/destroy chokepoints with terraforming

- when at war, use SE wisely; check every several turns if your support makes you switch to Police State, if the combat odds make you drop Wealth, and so on; remember also that it requires a lot of experience to fight an offensive war when at FM

Guys, any more tips on warfare?


BTW, I've just recalled that apart from the formula for autrodestruction I'd like to find some extensive thread or formula about upgrading units. Any help?

[Kataphraktoi]

Guys, any more tips on warfare?

sure,i can put my .02 $ out for what its worth

when at war, use SE wisely; check every several turns if your support makes you switch to Police State, if the combat odds make you drop Wealth, and so on; remember also that it requires a lot of experience to fight an offensive war when at FM

Stay in FM\Wealth even in war-you lose a few games? Well,next time,or time after that, you do have the experiance to fight in FM.

- some rovers, which don't have to be stronger than 4; I would use 2-1-2 for quite a long time, just to destroy enemy rovers; some of your rovers should stay in bases, others in tactically good places like rocky tiles surrounded by flat lands, and so on

A centrall located reserve of rovers gives you a 'punch back' ability that i love,when i slow down my building to make them. Also normal probe units in center bases are great. I try to plan on being able to retake any of my bases at any time,as if it was enemy, Unless im ICSing or picked up a ICS turn,in which case its not worth the effort-as you well know about me,kirov

- artillery - to take out enemy's artillery and slow down enemy rovers; you'd rather use infantry chassis and no armour; but remember to protect them well with other units

this is getting a bit out there in cost. artillery units are a luxury, and as a builder\defender, making these in addition to everything else will only slow you down more. your going to be outnumbered if defending-in that casemdirect attack units are much better

- scout patrols with the best reactor - to autodestruct just right next to enemy stacks with plenty of units in; reactor is the only thing that matters at autodestruction, hence you can very cheaply damage a lot of good units (does anyone have the specific formula for that? I'm virtually unable to find anything in the archives...)

a good reactor yes,but have a good weapon. see this thread for some excellent discussion on such

- better yet, you don't really have to kill enemy units, but by means of self-destruction and artillery render them completely useless, while still using up enemy's support; works great against AI

careful though, mass upgrading,if allowed,can reverse damage to your units,when going up in reactors. i used this in BE2 to allow my fission drop hovertanks to attack as quantum lasers+quantum reactors with practicly no damage(and no drop penalty ). even heavily damaged units can become killing machines in a second

- use Probe Teams to your advantage; they can be very useful even if you play against AIs and lead in tech; buy their units, induce riots and genetic warfare, steal money, protect your bases against Mind Control; PT costs the same as 4-1-2, but can prove way more useful

i would say probe teams are very underestimated in many of the PBEM im in. im using 3 transports+4 probes each and building more in one game im playing. and if enemy bases just happan to be far enough out,they can mind control easily. works great against a certain university player who isnt making enough defensive probes

kirov,about a thread on unit upgrading,ill check my url listings.
edit; heres a post by tau ceti that looks about right on unit upgrading

[Commy]

If you are running free market or have pacifism...

Coordinate the production of several bases to produce missiles all on the same turn...this way, you won't suffer extra drones, and can maximize your missile attack...

While bombers cause pacifism drones, interceptors won't...since weapons generally are twice as good as armor, even ground strikes with interceptors are pretty effective...

Sometimes doing the most random things can catch players off guard...attacking a random (and relatively weak) city with marine units, while not necessarily a powerful attack, can gain you an advantage...dropping units all over your enemies territory can draw units out of their bases...then, you can use your air force to clean them up...

[Kataphraktoi]

Coordinate the production of several bases to produce missiles all on the same turn...this way, you won't suffer extra drones, and can maximize your missile attack...

unless your talking about planet buster missles,i would have to say that missiles are about the absolute least cost effective way of taking out enemies. setting up a small city with punishment sphere is a far cheaper-and quicker in tech-way than missiles

[Flubber]

Originally posted by Kirov

- scout patrols with the best reactor - to autodestruct just right next to enemy stacks with plenty of units in; reactor is the only thing that matters at autodestruction, hence you can very cheaply damage a lot of good units (does anyone have the specific formula for that? I'm virtually unable to find anything in the archives...)

This quote is incorrect. My recollection is that damage points caused will equal weapon times reactor divided by 2 so a 10-1-1*2 would be good enough to completely destroy every adjacent fission unit.

Note that a chopper run into a crawler field can be devastating. Move anmd shoot until you get in there and then take out 8 units with a destruct

[Flubber]

Originally posted by Kirov
- if you want to defend with good armour units, chokepoints rather than bases is where you want to put them; very often by defending one tile you can stave off an entire invasion (against AI, of course); to some extent you can create/destroy chokepoints with terraforming

The chokepoint can be a base. Some good armor inside a perimeter and with a sensor with a command centre for healing can be tough to beat. Have a road going out 1 tile from your base and you will usually get to take the first shot and can dip your rover back in the base

[Flubber]

Originally posted by Kirov



BTW, I've just recalled that apart from the formula for autrodestruction I'd like to find some extensive thread or formula about upgrading units. Any help?

I seem to recall marione doing an indepth analysis way back and I think maybe chaos theory posted on it more recently. Perhaps search the archive using those names

[Flubber]

Originally posted by Kataphraktoi


Stay in FM\Wealth even in war-you lose a few games? Well,next time,or time after that, you do have the experiance to fight in FM.

Right -- fighting in FM is not all that hard if you have a couple of all specialist bases or a couple with punishment spheres. If you have your military homed to these, there are no drone issues. The cost and research loss related to the punuishment spheres is well worth it if your other bases are raking in the cash

[Flubber]

Originally posted by Kataphraktoi


unless your talking about planet buster missles,i would have to say that missiles are about the absolute least cost effective way of taking out enemies. setting up a small city with punishment sphere is a far cheaper-and quicker in tech-way than missiles

Full agreement . Some players disagree and seem to have a love affair with conventional missiles while I pretty much just never build them

[Kirov]

Originally posted by Flubber


Right -- fighting in FM is not all that hard if you have a couple of all specialist bases or a couple with punishment spheres. If you have your military homed to these, there are no drone issues. The cost and research loss related to the punuishment spheres is well worth it if your other bases are raking in the cash

Actually, this tip was meant for people who may find even plain FM quite a challenge. Most of you can handle doing anything at FM fairly easy, but I've seen people losing bases to AIs...