Best strategy ever

[the_rest]

My strategy is to build bases as close together as possible. And i build as many bases as i can. I attach a zip file with 2 saved games so you can have a look on how it will be.

Tips about this: you need +3 economy, and the network nodes from the university will make a huge difference. First projects to build are Human Genome and Virtual World, to manage extra drones from too many bases. (You may want to build Weather Paradigm before Virtual World, to keep other players from getting it.) After that, you need free market and wealth for +3 economy, and your bases get a huge energy bonus! And of course the planetary energy grid. After that you can focus on getting to the sky hidroponics and Clone Vats, which will have another huge impact on your bases.

About the wars with other factions: your huge amount of credits will allow you tu rush the build of your units. But since you will use free market, units will be more defensive. It is best to conquer bases with probes.

With this setting, you will build all secret projects (maybe except Merchant exchange and Planetary Transit) and end game very quick (year 2150-2170 with univ). You will totally rock. Unfortunately there is a base limit to the number of total bases, only 512 bases.

[CEO Aaron]

Kudos for coming up with this strategy yourself, but the idea of tightly packed bases and high economy is not new, so much so that there's a commonly used acronym to describe it 'ICS' or 'Infinite City Sprawl'. At this point I'd venture to say it's commonly accepted as the most dominant strategy, at least versus the AI. Against humans, a rival can crush a lot of your bases with PBs if you don't keep your tech lead.

[zylog]

Yeah, I used to keep my cities spaced out until I realized how effective ICSing can be. A few more advantages:

- small population = less unhappy people related to city size
- any free buildings you get (e.g. university and network nodes) X number of cities for greater effect
- the planetary transit system is really well suited to this strategy. try to have as many cities under size 3 (due to constant expansion, not insufficient food), then when it gets built, all those cities suddenly shoot up to 3. You can increase your population by ~30-100% in one turn with this strategy
- if you get the weather paradigm, you can build condensers early on for more food. With high population and low amounts of space to work, you can use specialists for tons of corruption free research, money or luxuries

[vyeh]

Welcome back (two years between posts)!

Once you get to popbooming, it might be better to let cities spread out.

[Maniac]

Nope. Once you get Fusion Power, size 7 Engineer specialist bases supported by a mere three condenser farms are the most efficient. Sky Hydroponics Labs create even more synergy.

[dacole]

Ah good old ICS

It is interesting that the game design in Civ IV and its various expansions was based on pretty much making this strategy useless. Which they did to various effect. I still use it at times but you have to be much more carefull about doing it.

It is so unbalancing that I actually try not to play with it even when I play AC now...

Don't let any of us take away you feeling good about finding this. It is a great find, good work! You have just been bitten by the strategy game bug, finding a new way to win and sharing it with others is what makes these games so great. Now just get Civ IV and join the rest of us in asking for an update to AC probably the best game firaxis every made. ((see my most recent post))

[vyeh]

I am still partial to Civ 2.

[dacole]

I haven't played civ 2 in ages. The feel of AC is just better for me. Much more partial to philosophy and science fiction than history *shrug* also many of the changes in civ IV I like...

[vyeh]

Which civ IV changes do you like?

[dacole]

? Lets see being able to look at the tech tree full out in the civlopedia having it mark which I can research which I have researched. Borders (though that came from AC) the end of ICS as a viable strategy. Better AI. And that is just off the top of my head...three was a joke but IV is quite good.

I hope it doesn't become a rule that the odd ones are bad and the even ones are good.

[vyeh]

I loved civ (the original 1)

[Kataphraktoi]

Nope. Once you get Fusion Power, size 7 Engineer specialist bases supported by a mere three condenser farms are the most efficient. Sky Hydroponics Labs create even more synergy.

Of course best strategy, most efficient, etc would be dependent on goals, opponents, etc...clever use of the word efficient instead of best cause i was getting some artillery out for this post!

Heh this statement makes me feel like firing up the game again ...not sure if i have a smax install anywhere though

[Maniac]

Err most efficient use of... the available plots? Though of course, an energy park probably is even better.

Anyway, my post was mostly a comment stating that spreading out your bases after you can popboom isn't necessarily the best strategy.

[Kataphraktoi]

Yeah, there isnt much point in letting cities work their own tiles(besides boreholes) when you can crawl for nutrients and get research-type citizens

Although i have seen some arguments several years ago for perfectionist city placement using hybrid forests for super-teching which i was unable to debunk. Or even exceed I should find some of those old super-fast-transcendence threads again.

[Maniac]

Here's something (non-mathematical) I wrote about it (last post):

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=119326