Does anybody use Alien Crossfire factions?

I dont know guys... I never got pass the easiest level on civ 3.

Keep at it - you'll see.

The Pirates AI dominates in my games on Transcend.

I find the Pirates usually last longer than other Transcend foes, but actually die pretty fast once you focus on them, even if they have air power. The trick is to build a few high tech marine detachment cruisers and use the ability to take over pirate ships which already have the ability. With superior human tactics (and faster movement if you get the Maritime Control Center, which should be a priority in any game with the pirates) and a few copters to take out defenders/threats, you can take over the pirates extremely quickly and gain control of a large portion of their navy. They're also very vulnerable to foil probes usually.

I use the Captain (the water/naval based character) almost all the time. I occasionally will switch to something else, but I find the big advantage of having a sea/land base too appealing.

I find it an error to play a game on the easiest setting first. It teaches you too many lax standards that are hard to shrug when you try higher levels.
If you start on medium, yes you might find it too hard, but fighting, getting better and better, gives for a much more enjoyable game rather than romping through on your first go.

Smac is fairly easy, and I can beat this game a higher level than any civ game. There are just so many powerful strategies to help you get ahead.

I'm currently playing the gog version, so I can't play the expansion factions. I have the original cd from 1999, and the expansion from the laptop collection, but the gog version is so much more convenient. To be honest, the base gameis near perfection and the expansion adds little more. The original 7 factions are distinct and make the plot work the best.

The factions are decent, but they are just a more extreme version of the original smac factions.
Domai is Like hive: high production, lower science
Cult is basicaly Gaia on steroids.
Cyborgs are zakharov science + gaia efficiency and none of their weakness
Usurper is Miriam on steroids
Data angels is miriam + morgan in terms of probes usage.
Sven is a naval version of morgan, but without hub restriction.

Autoclave said:

The factions are decent, but they are just a more extreme version of the original smac factions.
Domai is Like hive: high production, lower science
Cult is basicaly Gaia on steroids.
Cyborgs are zakharov science + gaia efficiency and none of their weakness
Usurper is Miriam on steroids
Data angels is miriam + morgan in terms of probes usage.
Sven is a naval version of morgan, but without hub restriction.

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Drones is a very good faction. One of the top 3 human factions imo.
Cyborgs cant pop boom, which makes them worse than both gaians and university.
Planet cult is easily the weakest faction, unless you can worm-rush your nearest enemy.
Aliens are of course very powerful, which is why they are locked in war with eachother. They can be very hard to deal with if you start next to them.
Data angels are decent, but not a top faction imo. Probe teams are nice, but the +probe does not have that big impact.
Svensgaard is just unfair, which is why I never used him (single player and multiplayer). Starting on water gives you ~100 turns with free expansion and no war, which is just unfair.

My top 3 factions (not counting the Pirates) for large/huge maps:
University
Peacekeepers
Drones

On smaller maps Hive and Miriam really shines, however, Drones are likewise a force to be reckoned due to the nice production and starting tech (synthmetal).

-1 Growth means that you cannot pop boom without golden ages, but i think it's manageable, all we have to do is put some energy into psych for a few turns. Not every city will generate enough energy to push your psych towards golden age talents, but your main, most important cities should have enough energy for that. By the time you get habs and nutrition, drone infrastructure/police to push your pop from 7 -> 14 you will probably have enough psych boosters to maintain golden age talents for a few turns.

The Cybernetic Consciousness is awesome if you build your bases directly on nutrient resources.

I do not like Hive, Believers and Spartans as I have come to find them too aggressive. Yes, that is there purpose based on there virtues but I like my confrontation with all other factions at the end of game since I imagine an all out war, hence I tend to subtitute those factions with Data Angels, Cybernetic Consciousness and the Drones. I would never play as one of the new factions as I do not like their city symbols! AI is not taken care of and it is all a bit about imagination, but hey I like to play Smacx as Science Fantasy.

I like Data Analysist Rose and the pirate faction with its ability to capture enemy ships.