Absolute Beginner

[Raaf]

Hallo. I found this game on GoG, and was immediately attracted by its settings.

But I never played games of the Civilization series, coming more from a traditional wargame background (Cobat Mission, Command Ops, AGEod, etc, but also some Europa Universalis) so I have some really elementary questions that some playing and spelling out the manual didn't solve.

1) I put my cities and formers on automation for a while, and I saw a lot of terraforming but only a few workers to take advantage of all this work. Shouldn't you start out with fewer formers, moving them over to other cities until you have more workers?

2) What are the yellow citizens, and what are the white ones? Are they talents and normal citizens? Do talents function differently from normal citizens other than determining the ratio to drones?

1) Cities: do they only use the bonus resources and not the basic geography modifiers
for resources, so is it a waste to put them on a moist square when they are scarce in the region?

Sorry to bother you with these elementary things, but I seem to be missing some basics, while I find numerous posts about advanced min-max strategies.

 

[Recon Rover]

Each city you build should create one or two formers itself to terraform the land around it manually ideally. Although, for sea formers I just automate them. You can automate formers by pressing SHIFT-A if you wish. An older strategy is to build forests and take advantage of them with Tree Farms and the Hybrid Forest.

White citizens are talents. Yellow citizens are workers. Ideally, you want more talents than workers. Red citizens are angry drones, but they don't bother me because I build Punishment Spheres. You don't want drones to riot. Very bright white citizens with their arms stretched out are Transcends.

Don't quote me on this but I believe you get an energy bonus on cities built on moist squares on that tile. But otherwise, build as much cities wherever you can close enough to your other cities so connecting them is that much easier.

Welcome to SMAX. If you have any IRL friends, they won't see you for awhile now.

 

[Raaf]

Another questions (actually a "Quick Questions" threat would be useful, but I'll use this one for it now):

How do I hook up an alien artifact to a network node? Or use it for a special project? I brought one to a base, built a Network node, but can't find an action to make the link.
This also prevented me from finishing one of the tutorial scenario's btw.

 

[Petek]

Another questions (actually a "Quick Questions" threat would be useful, but I'll use this one for it now):

How do I hook up an alien artifact to a network node? Or use it for a special project? I brought one to a base, built a Network node, but can't find an action to make the link.
This also prevented me from finishing one of the tutorial scenario's btw.

When the alien artifact is active, press the spacebar. Doing so should present the applicable options (link to network node or hurry SP).

 

[Raaf]

When the alien artifact is active, press the spacebar. Doing so should present the applicable options (link to network node or hurry SP).

Thanks. I couldn't find that anywhere, have been searching for 'artifact', 'alien', and retrospectively 'space', but no mention anywhere in the manual, nor in the menu's. I wonder about all the other hidden features

- I just lost a citizen in a base, I was building a colony pod. Does building a colony pod cost a citizen? (would make sense, but I didn't see it mentioned anywhere).

- When you grow with just 1 surplus nutrition, and the new citizens requires 2 nutrition, does it mean you immediately start to lose him?
(EDIT: probably a stupid question, because the new citizen could generally start to work a square with at least 1 food)

 

[Buster's Uncle]

You are correct in both cases, sir.

A colony pod costs a citizen - gotta have colonists when it starts the new base.

Happens all the time that a base is at current food production limit already, and you have to either rearrange what squares are being worked to prevent unsustainable growth and a grow/starve cycle with missing a production turn when the extra starves - or put up with it if that extra/temp worker increased production in-between (working a mine, or example) enough to compensate. -It's ultimately a temporary situation as formers improve base squares and tech advances increase food production over the long run.

 

[Recon Rover]

When the alien artifact is active, press the spacebar. Doing so should present the applicable options (link to network node or hurry SP).

Alternatively you can press H to hold the Artifact in the base. It will present the option if available to use the artifact, if you choose to ignore it it will fortify itself within the base until you activate it later.

Early in the game, especially if you are the University which has free network nodes, I highly recommend as a strategy of mine to use the artifact towards a Secret Project.

 

[Raaf]

I found Vel'smax guide and read quite a bit from it.

I wondered if the game rules changed a bit since he wrote it:
- he advised to build forests to increase nutrients and minerals on an already productive square, but the manual says that forests only use their own resources.

So I don't quite know what to make of forests: they give some resources, but with farms, mines and collectors one can usually make more out of many terrain types. Or is the strategy to only use forests temporarily, and then harvest them and build the other facilities?

Or is a planting > harvesting > replanting strategy even feasible?

A colony pod costs a citizen - gotta have colonists when it starts the new base.

I discovered by quick experiments that this only starts at talent difficulty.
So is there a list somewhere of effects of difficulty, for I want to learn the game at a relatively easy level, but I don't want too many differences in game rules.

Is talent a good level for learning?

 

[Darsnan]

I wondered if the game rules changed a bit since he wrote it:
- he advised to build forests to increase nutrients and minerals on an already productive square, but the manual says that forests only use their own resources.

Building a forest on a nutrient or mineral bonus will increase that tile's yield. Example: if you build a forest (which gives 1/2/1) on a mineral square, you then get a tile which yields 1/4/1.

So I don't quite know what to make of forests: they give some resources, but with farms, mines and collectors one can usually make more out of many terrain types. Or is the strategy to only use forests temporarily, and then harvest them and build the other facilities?

Forests! Forests! Forests! Unless its a rocky square with a mineral bonus on it (or a high altitude square with an energy bonus) then I plant forests, as once you get the prerequisite techs you can build forest preserves and Hybrid Forests. And if that pesky Yang stops in to say "Hi" with a dozen or so Impactor Speeders, the forest squares slow down his advances while you prepare an adequate defense (as opposed to the farm/solar collector combo).

Or is a planting > harvesting > replanting strategy even feasible?

The only way it can be feasible is via clean formers, otherwise you end up with a mineral deficit as formers cost one mineral per turn upkeep, and your only harvesting 5 minerals every 8 turns. Its much better to build crawlers and harvest resources that way.

I discovered by quick experiments that this only starts at talent difficulty.
So is there a list somewhere of effects of difficulty, for I want to learn the game at a relatively easy level, but I don't want too many differences in game rules.

Is talent a good level for learning?

How often have you played strategy games like this in the past? If very little then I'd say if your just looking to learn the game, then the easiest setting is best. If your a more experienced player, then a moderate difficulty will be more "entertaining" as well as "educational".

Petek might know where there is a list of the effects versus difficulty.

HTH,

D

 

[Raaf]

Building a forest on a nutrient or mineral bonus will increase that tile's yield. Example: if you build a forest (which gives 1/2/1) on a mineral square, you then get a tile which yields 1/4/1.

Ha, yes, but there are only a few bonus squares unfortunately.

Forests! Forests! Forests! Unless its a rocky square with a mineral bonus on it (or a high altitude square with an energy bonus) then I plant forests, as once you get the prerequisite techs you can build forest preserves and Hybrid Forests. And if that pesky Yang stops in to say "Hi" with a dozen or so Impactor Speeders, the forest squares slow down his advances while you prepare an adequate defense (as opposed to the farm/solar collector combo).

But except for bonus nutrients, you get only one nutrient per worker square this way, so it seems this only works for small bases with a few citizens (until later in the game)?

The only way it can be feasible is via clean formers, otherwise you end up with a mineral deficit as formers cost one mineral per turn upkeep, and your only harvesting 5 minerals every 8 turns. Its much better to build crawlers and harvest resources that way.

Ah, there is the catch (at start the support cost is not obvious when you are still under the free support limit).

How often have you played strategy games like this in the past? If very little then I'd say if your just looking to learn the game, then the easiest setting is best. If your a more experienced player, then a moderate difficulty will be more "entertaining" as well as "educational".

I have played a few hundred hours of Endless Space/Legend recently, and a few Europa Universalis (III & IV) campaigns over the years, so I am not a complete noob.

I like to play a neat balanced build up game, but I am not that good in tricky moves and grand coupes.

Currently I am struggling to get a grip on the huge tech tree and the interaction with the Social Engineering mechanisms. And I have yet to develop a feeling for combat, as the few wars I fought on easy mode were just walk overs.

 

[Darsnan]

Ha, yes, but there are only a few bonus squares unfortunately.

Yes, but there's more bonus squares over there. So what if those squares belong to Morgan - take them anyways! Now you have more bonus squares - problem solved!

But except for bonus nutrients, you get only one nutrient per worker square this way, so it seems this only works for small bases with a few citizens (until later in the game)?

Crawlers: as soon as you research Industrial Automation start building them at every base, and pump up the nutrients/ minerals/ energy. And note most cities don't need to be size 10: just crawl the piss out of minerals and you've got an extremely productive base, even if its only got 3 citizens.

I have played a few hundred hours of Endless Space/Legend recently, and a few Europa Universalis (III & IV) campaigns over the years, so I am not a complete noob.

I like to play a neat balanced build up game, but I am not that good in tricky moves and grand coupes.

I'd say playing on larger maps is more desirable for you at this point, then. Gives you more time to accommodate any unforeseen events.

D

 

[Buster's Uncle]

It should be noted, BTW, that SMACX is not a simple game - the initial learning curve is rather steep if you come to it (like I did, too, back in the day) without experience of the Civilization games. It's an enormous amount of information to assimilate all at once, and asking questions and reading getting-started guides (another one that's a work in progress here http://alphacentauri2.info/SMACX Be...d Meier's Alpha Centauri-Alien Crossfire.html) is definitely helpful, BUT ---

---There's no substitute for much time spent playing to get the big picture and how it all fits together. All becomes clear in time.


-I'm jealous, actually, because there's no fun like the period while you're still plumbing the mysteries of SMACX. I'd forget what I know and start over playing from scratch, if only I could...

 

[Raaf]

It should be noted, BTW, that SMACX is not a simple game - the initial learning curve is rather steep if you come to it (like I did, too, back in the day) without experience of the Civilization games. It's an enormous amount of information to assimilate all at once, and asking questions and reading getting-started guides (another one that's a work in progress here http://alphacentauri2.info/SMACX Be...d Meier's Alpha Centauri-Alien Crossfire.html) is definitely helpful, BUT ---

---There's no substitute for much time spent playing to get the big picture and how it all fits together. All becomes clear in time.


-I'm jealous, actually, because there's no fun like the period while you're still plumbing the mysteries of SMACX. I'd forget what I know and start over playing from scratch, if only I could...

Yes, it is nice discovering all these interconnected mechanisms.

I have been building my first Gaia game on easy rather randomly, trying different things just to see how they work, and now it is a big mess: a few very large bases with eco-damage, inefficient terraforming, units far away from their support base, unbalanced support, very few combat units, no probe power. Still about the largest empire, equal to Miriam on another continent.

But now nasty Spartans have positioned themselves with a couple of units on choke points in my empire, so repositioning is blocked and they don't answer calls, after making a truce after a little destruction of infrastructure. A very cunning move.

I am quickly upgrading my garrisons, built even a few planes with no idea how to use them, but consolidating my forces is difficult with his blocking forces. But I will have to start fighting.

In the mean time I started a new game (also Gaia) on medium difficulty (talent), this time working neater, fast creating many small bases to start up, also using hurry more often. Wildlife is a bit more vicious now, but on the other hand I catch some of them.

Some more little questions:

- What is jungle?
- What is the effect of the crater of the volcano?
- What is the Uranium field? (that is owned by Morgan in my 2nd game)

 

[Volcanon]

- Jungle gives +1 food. It's basically the best bonus tiles in the game as all your cities will grow quickly.
- The crater gives you resources. The area around the crater gives you +1 minerals and +1 energy, I believe. More if you work it. Also the higher ground gives you more energy.
- The uranium field gives +1 energy.

Build your cities close together (either so their workable tiles just slightly overlap or are right beside each other). If you are Gaia you can likely get the weather paradigm and terraform like a boss from the beginning.

Put farms on nutrient tiles, boreholes or mines on mineral tiles.

Later in the game, you can make energy farms using crawlers and very high ground (later you can raise ground). Lets you shoot ahead in tech.

Also, don't forget to set your social policies. An AI will hate you no matter what you pick. For example Zakharaov hates Fundamentalism. Police state is good for Gaians in the early game until your empire gets too big.

Spartans are almost always agressive, that's normal. Ditto for Miriam and Yang, though if you war with them (usually against everybody else) they tend to be loyal.

Avoid eco damage if you can. If it gets too high the game will start spawning mind worms at the offending base. If it gets too too high the game will spawn dozens of them and ruin your empire. Also it causes the ice caps to melt, but the AI usually goes ahead and pollutes like a boss so you might have ice cap melting no matter what. Unfortunately ice cap melting screws up things like the jungle or uranium and your infrastructure even if it stays above ground, which makes no sense.

 

[Hightower]

- Jungle gives +1 food. It's basically the best bonus tiles in the game as all your cities will grow quickly.
- The crater gives you resources. The area around the crater gives you +1 minerals and +1 energy, I believe. More if you work it. Also the higher ground gives you more energy.
- The uranium field gives +1 energy.

Build your cities close together (either so their workable tiles just slightly overlap or are right beside each other). If you are Gaia you can likely get the weather paradigm and terraform like a boss from the beginning.

Put farms on nutrient tiles, boreholes or mines on mineral tiles.

Later in the game, you can make energy farms using crawlers and very high ground (later you can raise ground). Lets you shoot ahead in tech.

Also, don't forget to set your social policies. An AI will hate you no matter what you pick. For example Zakharaov hates Fundamentalism. Police state is good for Gaians in the early game until your empire gets too big.

Spartans are almost always agressive, that's normal. Ditto for Miriam and Yang, though if you war with them (usually against everybody else) they tend to be loyal.

Avoid eco damage if you can. If it gets too high the game will start spawning mind worms at the offending base. If it gets too too high the game will spawn dozens of them and ruin your empire. Also it causes the ice caps to melt, but the AI usually goes ahead and pollutes like a boss so you might have ice cap melting no matter what. Unfortunately ice cap melting screws up things like the jungle or uranium and your infrastructure even if it stays above ground, which makes no sense.

Garland Crater only gives +1 mineral. It's Mount Planet (the volcano) that gives +1 mineral and +1 nutrient (but you can't forest or farm its tiles).

The Believers and the Hive are the most aggressive. The Spartans, University and Peacekeepers are moderately aggressive. The Gaians and Morganites are usually not aggressive. All rival factions will be aggressive if you're either significantly weaker than they are or a lot stronger than the second-strongest faction, though (exactly what the threshold is for the latter depends on difficulty level--believe it's as high as 5x score at low difficulty levels but drops all the way down to 1.5x score at the highest difficulty levels).

 

[Raaf]

What about eco-damage?

- Is it based purely on the mineral production of a base, as I see postings about certain threshold mineral values?
- What is the effect of forest? I read that forests reduce eco-damage, but how does it work?
- Removing fungus, does it increase damage?
- I have been running a base on +5 eco-damage for a while now, to produce special projects, and I saw one fungus pop on its fields, but no worm attack. Did this trigger something like a higher eco-damage threshold.

I (Zakharov), broke a treaty with Deirdre by building a base on her territory, as the access to a large peninsula on our common continent depended on it, and I would have been severely limited without it. We have been at war for some time now, I have beaten several of her attacks, but her defence is strong so I am not yet counterattacking her bases. But this war hurts my economy and I would rather make peace again. I tried going Green to soften her attitude, but "this planet is too small for both of us" according to her (and I guess she is right). But is there any hope for peace, or do I have to beat her?

 

[Volcanon]

I think he said the volcano crater, which is what I was responding to, but yes. The crater is the best or second-best bonus tiles, after or tied with the jungle.

What about eco-damage?

- Is it based purely on the mineral production of a base, as I see postings about certain threshold mineral values?
- What is the effect of forest? I read that forests reduce eco-damage, but how does it work?
- Removing fungus, does it increase damage?
- I have been running a base on +5 eco-damage for a while now, to produce special projects, and I saw one fungus pop on its fields, but no worm attack. Did this trigger something like a higher eco-damage threshold.

I (Zakharov), broke a treaty with Deirdre by building a base on her territory, as the access to a large peninsula on our common continent depended on it, and I would have been severely limited without it. We have been at war for some time now, I have beaten several of her attacks, but her defence is strong so I am not yet counterattacking her bases. But this war hurts my economy and I would rather make peace again. I tried going Green to soften her attitude, but "this planet is too small for both of us" according to her (and I guess she is right). But is there any hope for peace, or do I have to beat her?

Eco-damage is mostly based on production, though stuff like boreholes causes it to go up, I believe. Tree farms and the buildings that are colored green in the base window reduce eco damage (a lot in the city, by 1 for empire). Removing fungus does not affect eco-damage. Unless it is very late game, you have some specific wonders or you have a very high green rating you're better off getting rid of fungus as it spawns mind worms (very late game fungus is the best resource tile, and green rating increases resources from fungus).

The first few pops are "free". After that you get increasingly huge hordes of worms from pops. If you use units to kill an individual worm in the stack of worms very often they all die, though. Some people use this as an easy but risky way to get money. Too much global eco damage and the ice caps melt, by the way. This borks your terraforming and sea tiles deeper than 1000m only ever make 1 food.

The CPU will eventually offer peace, but if you betrayed them it could be a while and they could attack you the turn after they make peace with you. If you're Zakharov you should be farther ahead in tech than Diedre (though maybe she has better army because she can capture mind worms early on). If this is early-mid game you should have missles and planes, which should detory diedre pretty easily. Just make sure you have some rovers to capture the bases.

 

[Raaf]

Eco-damage is mostly based on production, though stuff like boreholes causes it to go up, I believe. Tree farms and the buildings that are colored green in the base window reduce eco damage (a lot in the city, by 1 for empire). Removing fungus does not affect eco-damage. Unless it is very late game, you have some specific wonders or you have a very high green rating you're better off getting rid of fungus as it spawns mind worms (very late game fungus is the best resource tile, and green rating increases resources from fungus).

I found the 'advanced' topics in the F1 network, and that explained a lot.

The first few pops are "free". After that you get increasingly huge hordes of worms from pops. If you use units to kill an individual worm in the stack of worms very often they all die, though. Some people use this as an easy but risky way to get money. Too much global eco damage and the ice caps melt, by the way. This borks your terraforming and sea tiles deeper than 1000m only ever make 1 food.

Yes, the first pop worked and soon with several forest trees my industry could rise much higher without any eco damage.

The CPU will eventually offer peace, but if you betrayed them it could be a while and they could attack you the turn after they make peace with you. If you're Zakharov you should be farther ahead in tech than Diedre (though maybe she has better army because she can capture mind worms early on). If this is early-mid game you should have missles and planes, which should detory diedre pretty easily. Just make sure you have some rovers to capture the bases.

After a while Dierdre indeed offered peace, for the price of an advanced research topic. I give in and next turn she broke the truce, the .

So now I just acquired jets and gathered strong missile rovers and I am starting to conquer her bases.

So pretty much like you predicted.

But unfortunately the AI is not a good tactician, so the fighting is not too exciting when you are not severely out-teched or out-numbered.

 

[Volcanon]

It's almost always a waste to trade techs or bases for peace. The AI breaks treaties like nothing else, even mostly peaceful AI like Diedre. Though, once you have the upper hand they should start offering you bases for peace. Even better you can get her into a pact of service, where she is permanently allied with you, will often give you all of her money on demand and will share techs and maps. Its abusive but you can demand all of her money, use that money to buy her bases, then demand the money once again.

Early on jets are super strong and as long as she doesn't get anti-air (it will say AAA Garrison or something on her units if they are anti air) then you should be able to conquor her.

The AI isnt on the level of a smart human but it has some tricks. Once it gets far enough along it gets quite good at raiding by air, which can be a huge nuisance. It also likes to spam missiles. It doesn't often design its own units, so you never have to worry about submarine cruiser probe teams. The AI also knows how to buff itself against flying units once it has enough production and techs. Anti-air garrison + the plane building = bad times.

Copters are pretty abusive early on too, by the way. You can attack for every point of movement left, so a high power copter could in theory destroy eight or more units a turn.

By the way, you can put a colony pod in a jet and make colonies faster! Maybe wait until you get a better reactor, though, otherwise it will cost a lot.

 

[Raaf]

I am running Police State for the Support of my war, plus Green and Research which gives me only a negative on probe, but until now I could see all probe attacks coming and easily defeat them in the field.

That made the Peace Keepers also declare war on me and then solar flares disrupted all communications - hey, I am still infiltrating their networks but I can't talk to them ??

So while I guess Deirdre is about ripe for surrender I cannot negotiate for now.