What Is Your Favorite Faction, And Why?

[GooglyBoogly]

I have a copy of the list in my datalinks (see sig)
There was also a thread created on CFC that I used when gathering the information for the datalinks.

While Aaron mentions a direct hit to his capital, other sources say that a meteor cannot strike a capital - since the event is so rare, I am assuming that an adjacent base was hit in Aarons case

[CEO Aaron]

Yeah, I was doing fairly dense ICS, and the meteor wiped out a few bases. The others I was less irritated about losing.

[Wobbo]

Drones. Under the majority of starting conditions the single most powerful statistic for doing well (at least in single player) is industry. Thus, the overall most powerful faction under most conditions will be the Drones.

But more importantly than how good they are, they're just more fun to play with if your a peaceful builder. And like Lazarus, They're the faction I agree with the most by a long shot.

[DOOMocrat]

Being creative with the workshop and turning entire armies back against their rulers make the Data Angels is the most fun for me. If you have a build strategy to make sure your Probe Teams don't bug out and roll back over, I've had great fun intercepting carrier ships, foils, and especially late game hovertanks back into destroying their own bases.

[Schmoog]

Until recently, I've leaned strongly towards University but now I've started playing high difficulties I've started broadening my horizons to other, less dronealicious: I'm quite happy with any original faction except Believers and Spartans now. The expansion factions all seem somewhat unbalanced to me, overpowered or underpowered.

Being creative with the workshop and turning entire armies back against their rulers make the Data Angels is the most fun for me. If you have a build strategy to make sure your Probe Teams don't bug out and roll back over, I've had great fun intercepting carrier ships, foils, and especially late game hovertanks back into destroying their own bases.

Until, of course, you run into believers circa turn 30+ with their immunity to subversion

[dgh64]

I like the University, because it works well with my play style. My play style being "tech up as fast as possible until you get planet busters, then nuke everyone".

[CEO Aaron]

I'm quite happy with any original faction except Believers and Spartans now.

Yeah, Miriam and Santiago both don't fare well in single player, mainly because some AI is likely to run away with all the early SPs and build a commanding lead that's irritating and difficult to dismantle. They're MUCH more robust in multiplayer, however, when a single player is far less likely to dash out and do a project grab (pretty much suicide against competent opponents).

[DOOMocrat]

Until, of course, you run into believers circa turn 30+ with their immunity to subversion

Miriam dies first. Even if I have the opportunity to take out Yang before his empire really builds... Miriam dies first.

[Illuminatus]

And now for a friendly message from your Trance Police Nervestapler Probability Garrison.

Please, use appropriate language for a family friendly site as stated in our TOS.

[robsmac]

Dedre, Lal, Miriam

Dedre definitely. Wow Lal and Miriam very under appreciated.

Lal: If you can get human genome project your set, its like all your base are belong to golden age. nuff said.

Miriam: The bonus on attack is killer. Off the bat you can annihilate a faction with just a few 1/1/1 scouts. Fundamentalism ASAP. As the game progresses don't waist time building units with any armor, just attack power. Use rovers, stay at a distance, strike and kill their units before they get an opportunity to attack you. And don't forget to be probing for techs constantly. Of course I'm all about small maps (I just think the early game is funner, late game bog can bore me. I'd rather just start a new game) and this strategy is defiantly all about small maps.

I always thought Morgan was the big trash. When I first played smac I was all excited to play Morgan cause he sounded so good, and promptly got my clock cleaned. Course that was years ago when I had no idea how to play. And I never knew about econ 3 and 4. I'll have to check that out.

Now I all that's left to do is to hope for someone to post an amazing strategy for the university like the one for Morgan.

[vyeh]

robsmac,

hi!

Welcome to Apolyton!

Could you tell me where the amazing strategy for Morgan is? And the title of the thread?

As for strategy for University, take a look at the material under "UOP Tips" at the beginning of the SMAC Academy article A Builder’s Primer (the early game). If you have any questions after reading that section of the article, there is a long comment thread.

regards,
vyeh

[robsmac]

Morgan strategy:

See posts #3:

switching to Fundy/Green/Wealth provides excellent income...and lets you make excellent use of probe teams...Being able to steal inconveniently placed units, not say nothing of capture entire bases without a single shot fired is a huge advantage, and the probe bonus from Fundy makes that much more economical.

and #4 :

Econ 3 gives +2 energy/base as well, econ 4 gives another +2/base So Econ3,4 actually = econ 4/5

Of this thread.

Not complicated. Just exploiting something I had never noticed before (high probe rating with lots of $$ giving Morgan an effective strategy to fight) and something I didn't know about (econ 3 and 4).

Far as university, I'll have to try it. "A Builders Prime" mentions playing on hardest mode and having some issues with drones. From my memory its just constant drowning in drones even with rec commons, holographic proj. etc. I don't know how your pop booming at all especially when free marketing (negative police rating!).

[CEO Aaron]

Dedre definitely. Wow Lal and Miriam very under appreciated.

Agreed!

Lal: If you can get human genome project your set, its like all your base are belong to golden age. nuff said.

I've mentioned before (in this thread and others) that I think Lal is actually the single strongest faction in the game. But to be fair, the thread is 'Favorite Faction', not 'Strongest Faction', and the U.N. just lack style. Lal is a grade A milquetoast, and his faction boasts the most bland of ideologies. The actual mechanical factional advantages are quite strong and flexible, and his alleged weaknesses are the most innocuous of any faction.

Miriam: The bonus on attack is killer. Off the bat you can annihilate a faction with just a few 1/1/1 scouts. Fundamentalism ASAP. As the game progresses don't waist time building units with any armor, just attack power. Use rovers, stay at a distance, strike and kill their units before they get an opportunity to attack you. And don't forget to be probing for techs constantly. Of course I'm all about small maps (I just think the early game is funner, late game bog can bore me. I'd rather just start a new game) and this strategy is defiantly all about small maps.

Miriam is a juggernaut if she can achieve tech parity, and once she boasts a bigger empire than her rivals, her tech rate penalties recede into irrelevance. But the initial tech hamstring is hard to overcome. Again, I think part of the reason she's so unpopular has nothing to do with her strategy, it's her odious ideology and sanctimonious personality that turn people off her. Plus, the AI plays her as a belligerent ineffectual lardbottom, gumming up the world with her crummy bases.

I always thought Morgan was the big trash. When I first played smac I was all excited to play Morgan cause he sounded so good, and promptly got my clock cleaned. Course that was years ago when I had no idea how to play. And I never knew about econ 3 and 4. I'll have to check that out.

Morgan's a monster played right and a kitten played wrong, it's that simple. That's why you're never worried about an AI Morgan player, they can be relied upon to have a handful of tiny, hab-locked bases with no military to speak of. Leverage his initial seed money and energy advantage, and you can get a runaway start which no one will ever catch up to.

Now I all that's left to do is to hope for someone to post an amazing strategy for the university like the one for Morgan.

Here's a very old but terrifyingly informative thread by the legendary Sikander: http://m.apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?t=70902. It's got numerous saves and is a play-by-play of a fiendishly effective ICS strategy which, once digested, will revolutionize your play.

[Kataphraktoi]

Thats a classic thread for sure, CEO Aaron. It also inspired this later thread containing an incredible sav by erikm and minute mirage, for the curious. Archaic also has a sub-2200 transcend on that map which i dont seem to have a link to

It seems to me that in a multiplayer environment, Sik's build could backfire rather egregiously in a more competitive multiplayer environment. Losing the rush to Virtual World and HGP could have dire consequences to the speed and efficiency of your build. Are there any ways you'd modify this build when playing in PBEM?

I once had to replace in for archaic in a PBEM using this build where he was under attack by the free drones-i sent more and larger PMs to the drone player than ive sent to anyone before or since, and managed to talk him out of finishing me by upplaying the cycon threat Definitely need to build more defenses for PBEM

[Kataphraktoi]

My favorite faction, assuming a 4(or more) player multiplayer game, or heavily enhanced AIs, would be the Free Drones. Simply put, their ability to pop boom while sporting +3 econ\+industry easily outdoes the -2 research penalty and translates into a huge midgame economy. Demo\FM\Wealth would be the settings to use here although its possible to go planned and keep +2 econ via golden ages.

The big weakness is early tech, thats why its necessary to play with several humans or enhanced AI(to steal\trade tech) Once you get your hands on IA\resource cap techs you can start leveraging your bonuses to catch up\surpass others, but until then your in the hole.