Tectonic payload and Morganite advice

[rod87]

Hi to all, I'm new here.

Maybe this isn't the best place to be asking this, or it has been asked before, if so I'm sorry, I used the search option and couldn't find anything about it.

I have a doubt regarding the tectonic payload ability in missile units. What are its real applications? I've read in the manual that it can raise terrain, but what are its military applications? Can you isolate a sea base raising its surrounding area so it no longer has access to the sea with it?

Also, while I have already beat the game twice but in the lowest difficulty setting and automating everything (even military units), I still consider myself a noob in this game. Can you give me any advice on how to play as the Morganites? I'm basically interested in them because of how they can invest more energy than other factions in lab output and probe team missions.

Thanks

[kittenOFchaos]

The best guide IMHO is: http://www.weplayciv.com/forums/show...l-s-SMAX-Guide

In terms of Morgan - get used to hurrying production with energy. A simple formula is to do a partial payment and deduct x2 your mineral production.

[Lord Avalon]

he best guide IMHO is: http://www.weplayciv.com/forums/show...l-s-SMAX-Guide

In terms of Morgan - get used to hurrying production with energy. A simple formula is to do a partial payment and deduct x2 your mineral production.

If you can afford it, and your base produces n mins (where n is 10 or less), you might as well pay the full cost of rushing, so the next build starts with n mins, rather than 0.

rod, since Morgan has small bases (max 4 pop without Hab Complex), you can squeeze bases closer together, 2 or 3 squares apart. Base squares have better production than undeveloped squares, so having many bases is good. Get to Free Market then Wealth (and possibly Democracy) and you're flush with energy. But don't hoard it - you can spend it to rush things and gain turn advantage. Also, if you wind up next to a belligerent AI, you might need to bribe them to avoid vendetta.

You don't want vendetta early, because Morgan can't support a lot of units. Also units have lower morale under Wealth. One neat custom unit is what I call a "probe agent" - a probe on an infantry chassis (cheaper to armor) with synthmetal and trance - no support cost! Of course you'll want to get to Bioengineering and clean reactors.

If you want an early tech-by-tech research guide, I can provide that.

[rod87]

Thanks for the guide, up to now I've been taking a look at GameFAQ's guide, I'll try this one as well.

If you want an early tech-by-tech research guide, I can provide that.

That would be nice, thank you!

My problem with this game (and most other strategy games anyway) is that I don't really know how and when to switch to 'war mode'. I always concentrate on infrastructure and research, trying to build up my technology until I'm confident enough that I'll be able to crush another faction, until then I'm basically hoping no one will attack me. I think I'm what you call a 'builder' type. I'd be very thankful if I could get advice on how to lean more towards a 'hybrid' style with the Morganites, so that I can keep building up, but also being able to defend myself and annihilate threatening factions if neccesary.

[ben sisko]

my advice: if you're a builder at hart, then you don't switch to war mode unless you can't avoid it. any turn of peace is very important for the growth of your economy. use probes to defend your bases and when it comes to war steal enemy units for reverseengineering.
with your cash reserves you should be able to make offensive use of you probes. stay in wealth but switch your FM economy to Green.
once your economy is on war mode, stay there as long as it's necessary to defeat your enemy then go back to your builder approach.
the war effort will cost you (especially in multiplayer), so try to stay in war mode as little as possible,

[Lord Avalon]

I've forgotten where I found this, so unfortunately can't provide proper credit.

Biogenetics
(Start Merchant Exchange - same at 2nd base - and switch to Recycling Tanks when Biogen is in - then both bases can more easily crank out colony pods)
Industrial Economics (Switch to Free Market)
Information Networks
Centauri Ecology
Planetary Networks
Industrial Automation (Wealth)
Social Psychology
Secrets of Human Brain
Ethical Calculus
(Possible switch to Democracy - but if you're still expanding, you might want to hold off, so to keep the free minerals with a new base)
Gene Splicing
Ecological Engineering
Doctrine: Loyalty
Intellectual Integrity
Planetary Economics
Neural Grafting
Bioengineering (Clean reactors)

Important Special Projects: Human Genome Project, Planetary Transit System - although, really, at easier difficulties, you can build every one (disband scouts, then probe teams, before you have supply crawlers). This is the builder temptation, and it can distract you from expanding.

BTW, are you playing SMAC or SMAX?

As ben sisko said, you can defend yourself by buying enemy units, but you have to watch support costs - a base near the front might become overburdened and not be able to produce anything.

Clean units are huge for Morgan, because, hey, no support costs.

For war Nonlinear Math is important for impact weapons. Then Synthetic Fossil Fuels for missile weapons (via Gene Splicing, mentioned above, and you'll also need to grab High Energy Chemistry along the way). You can go on the offensive with clean missile rovers. Get to Superstring Theory (via Cyberethics) and send in the clean chaos rovers. You'll want to switch into Police State and out of Free Market.

You can build a normal missile rover to get it out the door more quickly then upgrade it to clean later.

[rod87]

Reverse engineering... Can you actually apply 'captured' abilities in your own prototypes? I don't like war that much by the way, it's bad for business :P (although not always)

Regarding the tech tree I thought (and read in some places) that Centauri Ecology should be one of the very first, because it lets you build formers, which improve bases dramatically. By the way, do formers cost support? If they do I might consider switching to Lal or Deirdre.

I'm playing SMAX. Does it unbalance SMAC in any way? I've heard of the Cloudbase Academy before, but I don't know if they made any other change that unbalanced the original factions.

[Lord Avalon]

Regarding the tech tree I thought (and read in some places) that Centauri Ecology should be one of the very first, because it lets you build formers, which improve bases dramatically.

Generally speaking, Centauri Ecology is a very important tech, but with Morgan being limited to a base size of 4 pop pre-Hab Complex, you can delay it (barring a custom world with sparse cloud cover). Recycling Tanks should enable you to grow a base to 2 so you can build a colony pod without disbanding the base.

By the way, do formers cost support? If they do I might consider switching to Lal or Deirdre.

Depends on your Support rating. If it's very low, every unit will require support. Morgan has -1 Support, and a rating of -1 means one unit free, which allows, say, a scout and a former for one min cost, which isn't so bad. But if you build another (non-probe, non-crawler, non-clean) unit, the support costs can really start to hamper a base. Other factions start with a rating of 0, which means two units free.

Morgan is kind of a tough faction for a beginner to play, and this is one of the reasons why.

I'm playing SMAX. Does it unbalance SMAC in any way? I've heard of the Cloudbase Academy before, but I don't know if they made any other change that unbalanced the original factions.

If you're playing original factions in SMAX, I can't think of any issues.

[ben sisko]

returning to the OP, it seems that no one answered your question about the Tectonic payload.
here's a link to an old discussion about the use of it:

apolyton.net/showthread.php/6732-Fungal-Tectonic-any-real-use?s=&highlight=monsoon%20jungle

also i just noticed the "Similar Threads" at the bottom of this page. you have another 2 interesting links in there:
Tectonic Missiles?:

apolyton.net/showthread.php/7184-Tectonic-Missiles

Morganite Insight:

apolyton.net/showthread.php/134840-Morganite-Insight

[off-topic mode]
i'm sorry i had to use the code BBC but i'm still not allowed to post links here at Apolyton. i know it's for stopping spam bots, but i think there are some other options for vBulletin
[/off-topic mode]

[rod87]

I think that solves most of my problems, thanks!

By the way, is there any kind of SMAC/SMAX Wiki?

[ben sisko]

you mean something like the in-game datalinks?

[rod87]

you mean something like the in-game datalinks?

I don't know if you've ever visited the UESP wiki for the Elder Scrolls games or even know about it, but something in the same vein (even though that's for a series of RPGs). Just a wiki in which I can consult the technologies, secret projects and especially specific advice on the tactics for the different factions. I found one some time ago but it only had the faction profiles.

[ben sisko]

i'm building something like that here

alphacentauri2.info/articles/?cat=1

and some sort of abreviation dictionary here

alphacentauri2.info/index.php?action=autoindex;sa=show

but doing it all by myself will take like...for ever

[Lord Avalon]

There's one at the Civ Gaming Network, but the only content is the articles of The SMAC Academy.

[Petek]

I think that solves most of my problems, thanks!

By the way, is there any kind of SMAC/SMAX Wiki?

Here's one. Not sure if it's being updated, though.