Datajack Angels weakest faction?

[ReconRoverRush]

There are some factions that just seem uphill both for the AI and for players. Whenever I play Alien Crossfire there seems to be a 90% chance the Caretakers will take over the Datajack Angels within the first 50 turns. There seems to be three scenarios, all of which seem to start the two factions real near each other.

A. AI vs AI, Caretakers win
B. Player as Caretaker vs AI Datajack nuff said
C. Player as Datajack vs Caretakers tough uphill battle that is very frustrating
D. Datajack starts out near Marr instead with same results (rare).

Seriously, what does this faction have going for it? The ability to annoy every other faction? The only other faction that seems just that bad is the U.N. Peacekeepers. In contrast the University seems really powerful when played by a human and weaksauce when played by AI. As Lady Deidre I am able to consistently force the University to surrender very early almost every game. Also in contrast both Progenitor factions feel like cheating, both against and playing as. Marr can't get democracy and is definitely the weaker of the two, if he gets stranded on an island. Finally, the Pirates seem mediocre.

Final note, nothing like sending a bunch of probe teams across the fungus.

[ReconRoverRush]

To reinforce my point I'm playing as Planet Cult and on turn 96, mission year 2196 the Datajack Angels have been forced to respawn twice now. First from caretakers and then from me. Oh noez, a probe team stole E2 Flexibility from me, while I stole two artifacts from them with my elite missile rover.

[rod87]

I'm not by far an expert on this game, but I would say the Cult has it even worse, unless they go bat**** insane with mindworms. They have no industry or research so they have nothing else going for them. Trying a pacificist approach with them must be soul crushing. As for the Pirates, try starting up in a water heavy map, and expand rapidly and surely. You won't have much competition until someone gets to build ships, and by then you already dominate the seas, and can probably project power anywhere on the globe, blockading, landing and using nearly inaccessible sea colonies as air bases. They are probably one of the most overpowered factions in Alien Crossfire, together with the Cyborgs, and of course the aliens.

[ReconRoverRush]

The Planet Cult might be the best faction. Reason being is simple, isles of the deep and mind worms. You only need 1-2 but once you have them you can crack so many pods open that no faction can match you. Just link every artifact to a network node, and you'll soon be so ahead on tech that there's nothing the enemy can do. Pirates struggle against early air, and that's exactly what I did. Same goes with the Aliens. Just amass like 35 penetrators and 5 interceptors and there's nothing the opposition can do. In short, Planet Cult researches faster than any other faction.

Last game went like this Talent Planet Cult:

1. Early expansion/exploration
2. Find pod containing locations of other factions.
3. Make beeline for Cyborgs, trade techs with Cyborgs 4 times +4 tech
4. Open pod with industrial (b2) +5 tech
5. Trade some more techs with other factions about +7 techs
6. Cash in 3 alien artifacts +10 techs
7. Take over conqueror Marr with my Missile rovers, when he doesn't even have lasers yet.
8. Cash Marr's two artifacts +12 techs
9. Find more random alien artifacts +14 techs
10. Take over Datajack Roze for two more artifacts +16 techs.
11. Make a bunch of missile/chaos gun air units and naval units and win game.

[Kahryl]

I've never been tempted to get SMACX. The factions just look like silly one-trick ponies. They're just "extreme!" versions of the others.

Take probes for example. Miriam and Morgan both have great probes, but for different reasons and in different ways. And the "great probes" is only one aspect of a rather diverse tapestry of their faction dynamics. Meanwhile in SMACX we get "THE PROBE FACTION", "THE ECO FACTION - EVEN MORE XTREME THAN DEIRDRE!" "SEA BASES EVERYWHERE! EVERYONE LOVES SEA BASES!" No thanks

[ReconRoverRush]

You have one some good points, they do seem more focused than the original factions. I disagree when comparing Deidre and Planet Cult though. From what I've seen is Dedire's main advantage is +2 efficiency, she is the efficient faction. I've tried playing with +9 efficency with all the social engineering traits and its good. The cyborgs are the SMACX equivalent of the Gaians in my opinion. One more point I disagree with is the Hive and Drones. The Hive seems more focused then the Drones, and just more powerful in general. Both alien factions are well balanced.