New Faction - Followers Of Zerax

[Famyn]

The time came when Zerax himself spoke to me, and told me that my father was not my father, and in fact He, Zerax, was my true father, that I finally understood my true purpose in this life; to spread His Word.
^
^ -- High Priest Zeran,
^ "So Spoke The Father"

#DATALINKS1
^LEADER: {High Priest Zeran}
^BACKGROUND: {Christian States Of America, Unity Second Officer}
^AGENDA: {One United Fanatic Nation}
^TECH: {Doctrine: Loyalty}

#DATALINKS2
^+1 GROWTH: {Reproduction Encouraged}
^+1 INDUSTRY: {Single Minded Workers}
^-1 ECONOMY: {Extremely Inefficient State Controlled Economy}
^-2 RESEARCH: {Little Emphasis On True Knowledge}
^+25% Attack Bonus: Fanatic Warriors Charge Into Battle
^The Will Of Zerax: Fanatic Citizens Immune To Mind Control
^Convection Of Citizens: Free {PERIMETER DEFENSE} At Each Base.
^{May not use Democratic politics.}

I'm not really good at the hive/believer type of factions, so somebody tell me what is wrong with the followers ... they are always getting killed in my games, and I have no idea why...

[AlexanderIII]

My first impression tells me that despite the combat and defensive bonuses, they are so behind in tech by the -2 Research that they cannot adequately defend themselves, and the -1 Economy does not allow compensation for the poor tech rating. Never give a faction more than -1 Research, cause that is at the core of the very success of any faction in the game. And get rid of the -1 Economy; because Research is such a crucial SE factor, you have to counterbalance it with lots of positives, like Miriam's +2 Probe and +25 attack rating.
[This message has been edited by AlexanderIII (edited May 04, 2000).]