Doctrine Flexibility

[CEO Aaron]

So I finally buckled down and fixed my Vista installation of SMAX, and I got the map displaying at desktop resolution, and all I can say is, it's great to be back. (Special Thanks to Tim_Augustus in the SMAC FAQ thread).

Anyway, I've resumed my usual tinkering and have once again picked up the Spartans to see if I can improve my use of them.

Obviously, if you get neighbors early, crushing with Sparta is pretty simple, just rush to Impact Weapons and commence rampaging. However, life gets more difficult when you're isolated on a island or archipeligo.

The conventional beeline is to rush to IA, but I'm trying to see if Doctrine Flexibility and a couple gun foils built early can pay for themselves by cleaning up on sea pods.

Has anyone else experimented with an early naval opening with success, or am I wasting time that should be devoted toward the usual crawler crash? Thoughts?

[Darsnan]

Has anyone else experimented with an early naval opening with success, or am I wasting time that should be devoted toward the usual crawler crash? Thoughts?

I've done variations of this with the Gaians where I save my auto first NL capture for getting an IoD (which sometimes comes with a free MW to boot!). I then use the IoD to transport worms to other landmasses where they pop pods randomly - can be very effective against other factions early on as they have to fend off pod-popped NL as well as NL I've stirred up in the fungus (not to mention if I follow up on the heels of this with my own MW's and Unity Rovers upgraded to Best Weapon! ).


D

[vyeh]

I've had success (not with Spartans) going to Doctrine: Flexibility early and building gun foils (2 rows).

If you're careful to try if possible to pop pods so that if possible there is a movement point remaining after an IoD (which takes an extra movement point), the odds are about even for the gun foil. If it wins, you get planet pearls. If it loses, it is a cheap unit. If a gun foil survives its first encounter, promotion improves its ability to survive subsequent encounters, and encountering an IoD becomes a postive event.

In addition to sea pods, early contact with other factions often leads to profitable tech trading. Often, you can make up the "detour" to Doctrine: Flexiblity by getting IA b-line techs in trade.

With the Spartans getting Doctrine: Mobility initially, you're only making a one tech detour to Doctrine: Flexibility.

[CEO Aaron]

Yeah, being that Sparta can buy D:F for just one tech out of the beeline was one of the very reasons that I felt it was worth trying. For a faction that had to drive further out of the way to reach it, it seems more dubious.

[Hydro]

It takes a bit longer, but Green is viable for Spartans. IoDs are by far the best all around unit for harvesting pods, getting lots of pearls, and the occasional free Unity rover, artifact, captured MWs and launchers on an IoD, Ogre or foil. This is particularly effective for worlds with large amounts of sea. Of course, you have to get D:F and then Green, so there is a delay. But never fear - you can still harvest pods with your cheap-o foils while you wait for Green.

[CEO Aaron]

You know, I do find that notion somewhat appealing, since I tend to abuse Sparta's police limit rather to the fullest, building a sprawling thicket of bases. I'm just concerned that the growth penalties will hamper my orderly expansion.

[Hydro]

Not to fear! A few episodes of Dem/Planned for periodic pop booms and you're all set. Then revert to comfy Police/Green or Dem/Green depending on your situation. Police/Green is good while using police to quell the unwashed masses, and after infrastructure is in place Dem/Green is great for a sprawling empire.

Hydro

[Senethro]

Don't transport foils work better because a bunch of events that otherwise cause an IoD become favourable to units with transport capacity?

[Hydro]

Not sure what events you may mean. Maybe heightened native life?

IoDs are great transports because they can attack, go through sea fungus without penalty (but may stir up a native IoD), and can carry a good to huge number of units (especially before Fusion comes around). They are great for exploring sea pods, especially if paired with a cheapo empath foil to deal with any hostile IoDs (netting huge Planet Pearls). And they can be captured - free! And if captured far from a possible home base they are independent, and even if they do require support if they end their turn in fungus they are support free. I see no downside!

Hydro

[vyeh]

If you pop a sea pod with a transport, you can get alien artifact (probably other units) that you will not get if you pop the pod with a non transport. I don't know how this impacts the probability of getting an IoD.

[BlackCat]

You can't catch a IoD with transport - there you need a gun foil or like.

[Hydro]

IoDs can be captured by an IoD, but the chance is less. Your best bet is a gun foil, or an empath foil so you can kill it if the IoD is hostile.

Before I go Green I don't like psi combat with IoDs since there is no attack bonus. When combat is near 50-50 it doesn't take much back luck to result in your IoD getting killed. The empath bonus on the foil is key to optimizing this strategy.

And yes, artifacts are they golden resource that IoDs harvest. Rarely you'll get an battle ogre. As I recall a transport or foil can get you the Unity Transport (slow, so it needs to be upgraded).

[CEO Aaron]

I have never been able to upgrade unity foils into any other chassis.

Artifacts are nice, sure, but I've found the extra speed and durability of gun foils to be perfectly functional. Moreover, I'm definitely finding that early foils drive more turn advantage than late AA's.

[Nims]

Before I go Green I don't like psi combat with IoDs since there is no attack bonus. When combat is near 50-50 it doesn't take much back luck to result in your IoD getting killed.

Get the enemy ships to follow your IoD into fungus ? 50% attack bonus, obviously depending on fungus in the vicinity. Works for me pretty often.

[Hydro]

I have never been able to upgrade unity foils into any other chassis.

Artifacts are nice, sure, but I've found the extra speed and durability of gun foils to be perfectly functional. Moreover, I'm definitely finding that early foils drive more turn advantage than late AA's.

I've never had trouble upgrading Unity foils. All I need is the appropriate prototype (armor) and a model that is in my Unity Workshop. Upgrading a 0-1-3 (slow) to a 0-3rt-4 generally runs 70 credits, as I recall.

Early IoDs let you get lots of AAs, some of them pretty early. In my last game as Bree (SMAniaC) my IoD swarms netted me dozens of artifacts, most of which were from sea Unity pods. The early AAs gave me a huge boost completing early critical SPs (when mins are hard to come by), then a very nice number of breakthroughs. On one turn I cashed 5 AAs at my Universal Translator (much earlier in SMAniaC) for an instant research lead. But then, I like Green factions, and for them IoDs are a gimme.

Nims - yes, I like psi in fungus! Great fun! Or you can play SMAniaC as Green/Empath Bree with +90 psi (+2 Planet fo Bree, then +2 for Green and +2 for Empath, +6 Planet that times 15% per point of Planet)! Then sea-based Psi is a piece of cake!