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  • #76
    Now Spartan strategy is a bit more conventional, in some ways, and more interesting in others. The Spartan opening is highly conventional. You'll want to grab centauri ecology asap and crank out formers and colony pods quickly, no suprises here. However,
    your poor industry and lackluster economy mean that a Spartan player must pursue very aggressive growth in order to compete with rivals. Fortunately, they're well-equipped to do so in two ways: First, the Spartan morale bonus ensures that during the early and midgame your troops will be a notch tougher than everyone else's. Second, your extra police rating will permit strong early growth when other factions might founder against bureaucracy drones.

    This means an aggressive program of territorial expansion is critical for Sparta. Scout lots, grab every unity pod you can, and conquer any neighboring rivals who might be occupying your continent.

    Do avoid Police state, however. While the support bonus may seem attractive initially, you'll languish behind your rivals who harness the huge power of democracy to increase in size and wealth. Instead, get non lethal methods and put 2 scout police in every base. Quelling 6 drones per base with only a rec commons is social stability no other faction can rival, and lets you spend your precious minerals on other more lucrative projects.

    Probe your rivals liberally, and ruthlessly steal any tech you can. With a successful probe campaign, you can find yourself in the tech lead with little effort, and once you enjoy a significant population advantage, you can engage specialist researchers for corruption-free credits and labs.

    Democracy/Planned/Knowledge will let you achieve easy perma-Pop booming while still permitting unrestrained warfare and scouting. With good terraforming and smart use of supply crawlers you can turn tiny bases into huge ones in the space of a few turns, and with proper base facilities, it's easy to crank out an all-elite military for the delicious mobility edge.

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    • #77
      StealthKab,

      It has been two weeks since you posted at 'poly.

      Did you ever get the chance to play the Spartans?

      Morgan is naturally a pacifist (he gets bonus commerce from treaties and pacts and it costs him more to maintain an army), while the Spartans are natural warmongers (they get a 25% advantage attacking and defending, they can use an extra garrison as police and it cost them an extra 10% to build facilities).

      Recently, Sid Meier said that Alpha Centauri was "an experiment" that allowed the developers "to stretch Civ in some new and interesting ways."

      May you continue to find Alpha Centauri "new and interesting!"
      Unofficial SMAC/X Patches Version 1.0 @ Civilization Gaming Network

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      • #78
        Another Newbie, should I start my own thread or ask stuff here?

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        • #79
          Welcome!

          Use this thread.

          How long have you been playing SMAC/X?

          Do you have SMAC or SMAX?
          Unofficial SMAC/X Patches Version 1.0 @ Civilization Gaming Network

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          • #80
            Originally posted by vyeh
            Welcome!

            Use this thread.

            How long have you been playing SMAC/X?

            Do you have SMAC or SMAX?
            A while, but just found both disks a month ago after several years of being lost.

            I will use this thread.

            SMAX, though I play mostly the first seven factions I like the greater content.

            I play Lal 90 percent of the time, currently on Talent level.

            I use Forests mostly, just figured out the joys of Crawlers and Energy Parks or mines.

            Mostly do a Hybrid style of play.

            I was just looking through the Vel’s SMAC Guide (Version 2.0), is there a version 3.0 still around or did it fall from the net?

            I mostly ask because it was stated it had information for SMAX, which I would find useful.

            Any other good guide, strategies, or advice not already covered?

            Also any good fan fiction would be nice if you know of it, always been a fan fic junkie.

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            • #81
              Originally posted by WyldCard4
              Also any good fan fiction would be nice if you know of it, always been a fan fic junkie.
              try stories section:

              this thread lists most/all smac fiction on Apolyton.
              Good stuff!
              Mart
              Map creation contest
              WPC SMAC(X) Democracy Game - Morganities aspire to dominate Planet

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              • #82
                Originally posted by WyldCard4
                I was just looking through the Vel’s SMAC Guide (Version 2.0), is there a version 3.0 still around or did it fall from the net?

                I mostly ask because it was stated it had information for SMAX, which I would find useful.

                Any other good guide, strategies, or advice not already covered?

                Also any good fan fiction would be nice if you know of it, always been a fan fic junkie.
                You can download version 3.0 here.

                Version 4.0 is available on Amazon.

                There is an on-line guide at Gamespot.

                The SMAC Academy has great articles.

                There are a few columns at Apolyon on SMAC. If you look at the titles, you'll see which ones are SMAC.

                You might be interested in The Spartan Chronicles.
                Unofficial SMAC/X Patches Version 1.0 @ Civilization Gaming Network

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                • #83
                  Thanks both of you.

                  Where could I find information on the differences between level difficulties?
                  Edit: The files for downloading the Spartan Chronicals and the Guide doesn't work, I have done the free trial of it before and it has run out, any ideas for what to do?

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                  • #84
                    pp. 15-26 of Prima's Strategy Guide talks about various game aspects that are affected by difficulty level.

                    I checked the link for The Spartan Chronicles. It works.

                    I meant the on-line, not downloadable, guide at Gamespot. Click on "Next-Part 1: Leadership Academy" or on one of part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, appendices at the top.
                    Unofficial SMAC/X Patches Version 1.0 @ Civilization Gaming Network

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                    • #85
                      Originally posted by vyeh
                      pp. 15-26 of Prima's Strategy Guide talks about various game aspects that are affected by difficulty level.

                      I checked the link for The Spartan Chronicles. It works.

                      I meant the on-line, not downloadable, guide at Gamespot. Click on "Next-Part 1: Leadership Academy" or on one of part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, appendices at the top.
                      Thanks, and the problem is I lack the software they use to download it.

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                      • #86
                        Originally posted by WyldCard4
                        Thanks, and the problem is I lack the software they use to download it.
                        What is "it" in your sentence? The Spartan Chronicles or the Gamespot Online Guide?
                        Unofficial SMAC/X Patches Version 1.0 @ Civilization Gaming Network

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                        • #87
                          Originally posted by vyeh


                          What is "it" in your sentence? The Spartan Chronicles or the Gamespot Online Guide?
                          Spartan, sorry.

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                          • #88
                            Try this link:



                            I just uploaded the Spartan Chronicles and I tested it by downloading it.
                            Unofficial SMAC/X Patches Version 1.0 @ Civilization Gaming Network

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                            • #89
                              Welcome! I really should get my SMAX CD back from my cousin and play it myself...!
                              "lol internet" ~ AAHZ

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                              • #90
                                I can give you the short summary of difficulty levels:

                                Each progressive hike in difficulty levels reduces the number of 'free' citizens you get in your home bases, before new citizens are made into drones by default. At Transcend, that number is one, Thinker, two, etc. Also, each increase in difficulty gives the AI one more point in their Growth and Industry SE ratings, with Librarian being 0.

                                My general advice to any player wishing to become skilled is to push their difficulty up rapidly. Every game you win, play the next at a higher difficulty. The reason is that playing at lower difficulty ingrains bad habits which you will have to unlearn at higher levels, and moreover, the actual difference in challenge level between difficulty levels isn't as great as it first seems. Yes, the AIs are much more productive and therefore aggressive, but they're really no smarter than they are at Talent.

                                You'll learn a lot more about the game struggling with Transcend difficulty than you're likely to sleepwalking at Talent.

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