Best settings for each faction?

[PackFan]

Hi folks,

I just recently reinstalled SMAC/Crossfire and wow... This game is still as addicting as crack! Talk about a game standing up well over time...

I was wondering... Is there a good guide available as to the best Economic, etc. settings for each faction? I seem to recall that there used to be such a thing...

Thanks!

 

[Terje]

Check out the attachement to this post.
It's kinda messed up in the formatting and stuff like that, but it's still possible to get the meaning of it...

 

[Albow]

If you play the UN, and you have your own island, then I recommend going for Democracy/Free Market/Wealth. I had 9 cities and three water cities and was getting a tech every 2 turns (and around 700 cash too)!

For recon, use foil hulls with probe team outfit (this means it doesn't cause unhappiness outside of bases and it is upkeep free!!)

And once you get air power, you never need worry about invasions, you blast the boats before they come close

Biggest concern: Native life form, that free market really hurts your ability to fight Psi battles ... but don't worry too much - with tech every other turn, you'll quickly get what you need

And the final nail in the coffin - once you get future govts, you can get a tech a turn!!

 

[Cuivienen]

I disagree slightly with the above -- Free Market is just too unstable, both in ecological terms and in drone-control terms. Some factions, notably the Morganites and Consciousness, can pull it off, but not many. Democratic-Green-Wealth-Eudaimonic is usually the best combination for a peaceful faction.

IMO:

Gaians: Democratic-Green-Wealth-Eudaimonic
Hive: Police State-Planned-Power-Though Control*
University: Democratic-Green-Knowledge-Cybernetic
Morganites: Democratic-Free Market-Wealth-Eudaimonic
Spartans: Police State-Green-Power-Thought Control
Believers: Fundamentalist-Green-Power-Thought Control
Peacekeepers: Democratic-Green-Wealth-Cybernetic

Consciousness: Democratic-Free Market-Knowledge-Cybernetic
Pirates: Democratic-Planned-Power-Cybernetic
Angels: Fundamentalist-Free Market-Wealth-Eudaimonic**
Free Drones: Police State-Planned-Wealth-Eudaimonic
Cult: Fundamentalist-Green-Power-Thought Control
Usurpers and Caretakers: Whatever you like.

*Without The Cloning Vats, Police State-Planned-Knowledge-Cybernetic might be better.
**But without The Telepathic Matrix you'll have HUGE drone problems.

 

[Albow]

Cuivienen,

Well, that's the thing about SMAC, there is no perfect combo. That is why it is such an additive game, you really need to consider the pros and cons ... what you have posted above is my old play style, maximise the benefits of a faction at the cost of their weakness.

By doing this, you expose yourself to the risk of a better player (not aI of course, they won't figure out how to get your weakness).

A better approach is to react to the environment, to long term goals, but also to the fundamentals of the stages of the game. These being, minerals and food to start, then moving to energy and finally to planet rating. If you choose green at the start, you are crippling your pop growth which is one of the fundamentals of the beginning era. Why do you think the Greenies have this as their disadvantage? Cos it really slows them down, otherwise they would be far too powerful. Like Santiago is crippled by her industry - the only real 'early' player is Miriam.

I am of course, only talking about SMAC not X ...