5 Secret projects you can't live without.

I consider the PTS to be a pretty powerful GP. However, it is situational. For factions that can boom easily it is less valuable than for Morgan or Yang, say.
 
1) Human Genome Project - Aside from the obvious ability to let your early bases get 1 bigger it is critical for many factions to Golden Age pop boom.

2) Weather Paradigm - Speeds up forming and allows you to do advanced forming very early. Need land? Build it!

These two stand head and shoulders above the rest and are the only two that I want in almost every game.

3) Cloudbase Academy - The most useful morale building by far because of its tie in with satellites and ability to block airdrops.

4) Cyborg Factory - Gives you the most expensive morale building for free, and it applies to all unit types.

5) Situational: Merchant Exchange, Planetary Transit System, Empath Guild - It really depends on who I'm playing and the game situation. The Merchant Exchange is better for Yang IMO, as he needs energy and can build crawlers and terraform like there's no tomorrow. The Planetary Transit System is great for pod booming for those factions that can't easily pop boom. The Empath Guild is good for Morgan with his commerce, and even for players like me who pretty much ignore diplomacy it can be important to deny it to others who may be able to win a diplo victory if they had it. And who can argue with free infiltration?

The Hunter Seeker is nice, but I rarely have any problems with probes anyway. Infantry probe garrisons are cheap, and a network of sensors usually makes it hard for a probe to even get that far.

Most of the rest are nice, but many of the best SPs come so late that the game is already decided. I love to get The Space Elevator and the Cloning Vats and all the SPs that give you an SE bonus or take away a malus of course, but they tend to not be deal breakers.
 
Cloning vats makes power and though control penalty-free.

Don't know how you guys play, but when I have cloning vats, I immediately take off in a huge surge of power that can't be stopped. The power graph goes practically vertical for my faction, and then again after I built Hab domes everywhere, at which point I have 50 sky hydro farms and every city gets to like 30 or 40 or 50 population, and every unit I build is elite.

Seems pretty damn good to me.

Though the Hab Domes come fairly late in the game, I suppose.
 
Cloning vats makes power and though control penalty-free.

Don't know how you guys play, but when I have cloning vats, I immediately take off in a huge surge of power that can't be stopped. The power graph goes practically vertical for my faction, and then again after I built Hab domes everywhere, at which point I have 50 sky hydro farms and every city gets to like 30 or 40 or 50 population, and every unit I build is elite.

Seems pretty damn good to me.

Though the Hab Domes come fairly late in the game, I suppose.

I usually have already boomed to hab limits by the time it is available. What it does give me is the freedom to run any SE types I want with no regard to growth, which can be a good boost. By then being able to run Green in particular is really handy, as efficiency is typically more rewarding than econ once you have spread out horizontally.
 
The 5 good early secret projects:
1) The Planetary Transit System - build it fast, then expand like crazy
2) The Weather Paradigm - good to have
3) The Merchant Exchange - cheep and good to bost your Capital - very good if you play Morgans to have even more energy
4) The Citizens Defense Force - good to protect your bases if you want to make much of them
5) The Command Nexus - very good to improve troops rating
 
Like alot of things, it depends on your faction and goals. Ones I usually like to have though:

Merchant Exchange - One part of a super science city. Most factions can use this to make up for their inability to gain +1 energy per tile (Gaia, Hive), or because their inherent bonuses have good synergy with it (PKs for their popluation, Sparta running Police State, University getting good research as usual). Morgan is the only faction that can collect +2 energy per square while running a high police rating, though making the most of it requires a suboptimal SE choice - but he also has a leg up in building it, and why would Morgan say no to more energy? The Believers probably have the least reason to build it, of the original seven. The expansion factions have less reason to build it, but Domai at least starts with the tech, has the ability to build it faster, and can always use it for generating energy.

Cloning Vats - Overpowered, great for facilitating a rush to the endgame especially when combined with a program of conquest. The AI who builds this usually ends up being above and beyond the greatest rival, and a human player that knows how to leverage it better will basically have the keys to win the game.

Cloudbase Academy - Air power wins games, offensively and defensively. Even if you're not building many air units (and you probably are), it's a good asset for denial purposes.

Weather Paradigm - Great for builders, though hardly the most necessary thing if your primary terraform action is planting forests as mine is. Depending on where I stand in the tech tree and the surrounding terrain I have, this can be the first choice - if I have high elevation and can make use of solar collectors+farms and some of the higher terraform options, this is by far the most useful. With low territory that is likely to be filled with forests (if dry) or solar collectors (if rainy), the amount of terraforming I have to do is lessened. I don't remember if it allows Drill to Aquifier, but if it does it would be much more useful.

Supercollider/ToE - both of these do the same thing, and are the crown to the SSC that I'd be planning as a builder. Obviously, getting both is the ideal, and against the AI it's something I pull off nearly every time. About the only reason not to build them is if you're gungho on winning the game before anyone is close to the middle game.
 
If I'm playing as the University (and I like playing as the University, oh my, yes), and I'm playing SMAC (because it took me years to finally buy the add-on, which I still haven't played very much), then I have to recommend the following projects:

1) Hunter-Seeker Algorithm - negates one of your key weaknesses, and lets you do more research, lovely lovely research!

2) Virtual World - I always love free stuff, and this helps you with your drone problem. It's almost as if it was... designed for them...

3) Human Genome Project - Again, the drone problem is lessened to a degree, and early on, too. I tend to take later projects as they come.

4) Citizen's Defense Force - I'm a bit of a pacifist, and I don't like sending out huge invading forces, so I need something to defend myself, and plays to my love of free stuff. I like the idea of mad scientists defending themselves in ridiculously-well-protected bases, too. Probably with lasers.

5) The Living Refinery - The fifth one is a tricky choice, but I usually kick myself if a computer gets this before I do, perhaps moreso than (4). By the point this comes available, one or other of the 'nasty' powers (Believers, Hive, Spartans) has usually risen to prominence and is knocking on my door asking for a cup of retrovirus. I usually say 'nyet', but need to support my military somehow, despite my focus on (occasionally evil) science. Hence this.

Others of note might be The Network Backbone and The Weather Paradigm. Pure SCIENCE ones are nice, too, but I can let one or two of these go without wanting to kick the computer in the network node.
 
1. Weather Paradigm- A MUST HAVE for expansive empires that want to have lots of terrain improvements

2. Command Nexus- I like to try and put a command center in every city if I can, this helps get that out of the way.

3. Cloudbase Academy- As soon as I have Doctrine: Air Power, I like to spam air units like crazy. This just helps them do their job better.

4. Space Elevator- Air drops anywhere on the map is just so much fun, and compliments my massive air force quite nicely.

5. Empath Guild- Just so I can get to be governor easier
 
For me, the number one, gotta have it, secret project is the Cloudbase Academy. It is just obscenely powerful. One of these days I need to edit that item so it only gives +2 movement and maybe an air morale bonus. Having aerospace complexes in every city is just too powerful.

Every other SP is situational; the CA is only “must have” one for me. Everything else is just icing.

A lot of people have called the Maritime Control Center the redheaded stepchild of the morale upgrades, and for many maps that’s true. However, I happen to like island maps w/ lots of ocean. On those maps, the Maritime Control Center is really great.

I also happen to be partial to the Xenoempathy Dome as well because it opens so many interesting sneak attack routes into enemy areas as well as providing a secondary means of rapid transit. It is also quite nice in the ocean as well.

Well, I already named three so I might as well list two more.

The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm is pretty sweet. Probe teams are cheap though, so it’s not a big deal to defend the old-fashioned way.

Nano Factory is awesome for upgrading shell units. I usually don’t play that way though.
 
Besides the ascent, my top choices are...

1. The Cloning Vats. Every time I build this project, my rise in power abruptly increases. This is even before switching to three social engineering choices that aren't mutually exclusive and no longer suffer penalties. So overpowered and creating such an imbalance in the social engineering that I'm disabling it from any future mod of Alpha Centauri that I make.

2. The Weather Paradigm. I generally have a LOT of terraforming going on. If I can receive a 50% bonus faction-wide, it makes all this much faster, thus greatly improving the productivity of the land. Even higher upon gaining techs for 3+ of a certain resource per square. This WILL be available in most mods of my creation, but will be moved much further along the tech tree and be made a lot more expensive.

3. The Telepathic Matrix. This would be higher if it was earlier. No more drone problems. Even if you have no psych-enhancing facilities, Empath/Transcendi, -5 Police, and vast armies outside your territory. It grants the ability to ignore a rather large part of the game. Due to balance issues, this project will not be available in future mod of Alpha Centauri that I make.

4. Cloudbase Academy. Aerospace Complexes I already want in every base. Helps defend against missiles and needlejets (which a lot of enemy factions love to use against me). Helps strengthen my own air force if I build one. Also means I can build orbital facilities in any base I so choose. So overpowered that It won't be available in future mods of Alpha Centauri that I make.

5a. Citizens' Defense Force. Unless I'm playing as Yang, this provides a good level of security to any base in my possession. Against conventional weapons, anyway.

5b. If I'm playing as Yang, then the Cyborg Factory will win here, providing a massive combat bonus to all new units, which Yang would surely gain in huge quantity.
 
1. Hunter-seeker algorithm
It's very nice to not be probed, but I mostly love this to deny the AI it so I can probe them to death without fear. Especially Zak. And avoiding that situation where you move half your army into a size 4 base to heal and they mind control it. Not good.

2. Xenoempathy Dome
Surprised by how few people went for this. It's not the strongest, but I find fungus delay in exploration/attacking amazingly annoying, turning that into a free massive network of roads (with mindworms to capture/kill for money!) is huge. Also letting you heal up fully in fungus squares and giving sea units a much easier time getting around.

3. The Weather Paradigm.
Faster forming is very nice, but you can always build more formers to make up for missing that. I love being able to use all the advanced options right away though, especially up/down. So much easier if you start on a smallish landmass, just grow it 'till it's big enough, or make a land bridge to attack someone!

The rest depend greatly on the game/faction.. Planetary Transit System is always nice if I can get it early enough, great for fast expansion. Zak obviously loves the virtual world, the morale boosters are a big help if you're involved in any early warring. The big ones mentioned for late game (Space Elevator, Cloning Vats, Telepathic Matrix) do seal a game, but by that stage you've probably won or lost already. Citizen's defense force is good, but even better than building it is letting a foe build it then landing a large force to take the base which has it, all of their bases have no perim defenses. and are ripe for the taking :).
 
I don't get why the "Cloning Vats are so popular, by the time I can build it efficiently-the game is just about won. If you build it too early--you will run into food shortage issues--without "sky farms"--making it nearly worthless.

I always go for the Weather Pardigm in the early game. But I like the wonders that come in pairs. I like the maritime control center--I always build large navies--with this wonder you can "outrun" the AI, add the Xenopathy Dome and a few Isles of Deep--and a few turns later after popping some pods-- you rule the seas and if you went green the number of IoDs will multiply. IoDs are the best unit in the game IMO. Combine the Command Nexus with the Cyborg Factory--and it's easy to produce elite units if you have a monolith in your territory.

Now that's power!

The hunter seeker is ridiculously overpowered--the game would be better without it.

The CDF is a low priority wonder for me--cause I don't let enemy units near my bases until late in the game. It's a priority to get by conquest though--as is the PTS.
 
1) Weather Paradigm - Quick and easy terraforming means good early growth and production for a strong headstart

2) Hunter-Seeker Algorithm - Need I say anymore?

3) The Merchant Exchange - Money money money.

4) Neural Amplifier - Great for me since I love battling with Psi. Amazing for Deidre I guess.

5) Any Labs booster.
 
I usually play as Zak, so my priorities are:

1. Virtual World. This solves all of your extra drone problems up to size 11 by giving you a free facility on top of a free facility.

2. Weather Paradigm. Many have stated why already, it is just a fantastic early game project that lasts all game long.

3. Human Genome Project. Again, helps defeat Zak's drone issues. With both this and the virtual world, I can almost ignore the drones.

4. Hunter-seeker Algorithm. Although not as good in SMAX, it is still excellent for combating Zak's other main weakness.

5. Empath Guild. This lets me compete with Lal for Governor, and helps me keep abreast of the tech pace so I know what to trade to whom.

Lots of other are nice to have, like the morale ones, and CDF, and a lot of the best come later in the game, but those are the ones I aim for every game.
 
weather paradigm - very useful for entire game
virtual world - saves a lot of time and money from drones
network backbone - removes cybernetic penalty which improves efficiency and research (two of my holy trio for making of money), and it decreases ecological damage which lets you squeeze even more money!!
planetary energy grid - because i'm a capitalist pig
space elevator - aside from orbital insertion, it doubles economy output in the base, so i prefer this over merchant exchange (although merchant exchange comes in six)

there's nothing in the game that makes me more happy then looking at my 2k income per turn.
 
For vanilla:

1) Planetary Transit System - the only SP that can guarantee a win. Roll up a Huge map with Yang, make a size 5 base using Nutrient Resources for Librarians, beeline IA and slap PTS up, rush any near neighbors for space and spam Colony Pods. Beeline M/MI (a detour to Intellectual Integrity can be helpful for Non-Lethal Methods), win. Geometric progression is evil.
2) Weather Paradigm - the best SP for most settings. Fast Formers are exceptionally good, especially when combined with Crawlers.
3) Hunter-Seeker Algorithm - Not having to worry about that problem further is very strong. Significantly worse in SMAX, of course.
4) Cloning Vats - Best raw power in the game, but it just shows up too late to matter most of the time.
5) The Merchant Exchange - makes a very big difference in your early game.

I like The Human Genome Project but rarely prioritize it enough to get it; ditto The Command Center. The Virtual World is absurd with Zak and fairly bad with everyone else. The Space Elevator is great fun but arrives way too late to matter. If we were talking SMAX, Cloudbase certainly takes HSA's spot.
 
1 Weather Paradigm
2. Hunter Seeker
3. Cloudbase Academy
4. Cyborg Factory
5. Space Elevator
 
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