In 3-4 paragraphs, what's your optimal strategy?

[Senethro]

1x1 spacing, not 1x1 placement you silly pedant.

 

[magic9mushroom]

1x1 spacing, not 1x1 placement you silly pedant.

1x1 spacing would be

CxCxC
xCxCx
CxCxC

 

[Senethro]

I'm amazed you're going to this level of effort to clarify something where, as you noted yourself, the alternative is not allowed by the game rules. It should also be common knowledge anyway, unless it's all been forgotten. I've just realised its now been twice as long since I last played this game than the period of time I played it for. (and still no alien crossfire commercial download)

 

[magic9mushroom]

I'm amazed you're going to this level of effort to clarify something where, as you noted yourself, the alternative is not allowed by the game rules. It should also be common knowledge anyway, unless it's all been forgotten. I've just realised its now been twice as long since I last played this game than the period of time I played it for. (and still no alien crossfire commercial download)

It just irks me when people say "1x1" when they don't actually mean "1x1". Full SMAC ICS is 2x2 orthogonal. That's a perfectly clear, unambiguous description, so why don't people use it?!

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

My strategy:

1. Play on a low difficulty level.

2. Save before each random event and reload to get the result I want.

A good strategy? No, but I don't play very many games "seriously".

 

[MilesBeyond]

Ugh, if there's one thing I could remove from SMAC, it's ICS. Brutally tedious, IMHO. I guess maybe I should try using the governer for less important bases?

 

[magic9mushroom]

Ugh, if there's one thing I could remove from SMAC, it's ICS. Brutally tedious, IMHO. I guess maybe I should try using the governer for less important bases?

Yeah, ICS is bad, and there are a lot of SPs that encourage it (Cloudbase Academy, I'm looking at *you*).

And the governor is terrible.

 

[History_Buff]

How do you guys borehole the crap out of everything? Every time I try that Planet goes nuts and starts berserking all my bases with Demon Boils

Like the other guys say, force a fungal pop ASAP, and then lots of bases. Tree Farms and Hybrid Forests eliminate terrain based eco-damage, and then all you need to worry about is the mineral limit, which soars mid game.

I don't quite ICS, I prefer to build bases three squares apart (which allows you to shunt your garrison units [build on rover chassis with probe attachments of course] around easily). The ring around my capital is usually wider, so I can build it into a super base for entirely sentimental reasons.

 

[green1]

I just put up two AARs on another board. One is completed, and I got my behind handed to me! The only AAR or LP except one that I have ever seen anyone actually lose. The second one in progress seems to be going smoother. But, time will tell if I can noob that one up, too.

Thing is from both of those, though, is the game is so dynamic that it is really hard to go in with an attitude of "I am going to do this or that." You are going to have a totally different outlook depending on who you start next to, your terrain, and 50 other variables at least until mid game.

 

[Petek]

green1's AARs may be found here. They are well done and make for good reads.

 

[green1]

green1's AARs may be found here. They are well done and make for good reads.

Kind words, Petek.

Yeah I was really struggling with "style". But after doing stuff like an AAR, it makes you think different because you are actually laboring over each turn. It also made me think about "style" over ALL the 4x games I have played, not just SMAC/X.

I was discussing this one place. Each game is like a different soap opera with a rotating "cast" of characters. They play the same roles, but the situations are always different. Because you have no idea what you are getting into, it is really hard to come up with a "I will do this, I will do that."

For instance, I have had games where I am totally convinced I am going to play the role of a genocidal maniac who nukes everything. However, situations and the random environment the game put me in made that not as desirable. Then again, I have had games where it is a dire struggle to survive.

This is rather you are playing Civ 4 and find Monteuma's green borders over a ridge or you end up in a lasting trade and cerebral builder terraforming game land locked with trade pacts and allies. Or... you are force to lay down nukes.

Maybe in MP, style would be a more effective question... but even that is random.

 

[Agent Miles]

A base (2Nut1Min1En), 3 crawled Farm-Condenser tiles (400) and 2 worked borehole tiles (066) for a total production of 14N13M13E. With a Children's Creche you can boom to pop 7. So with only 2 workers, this gives you 5 specialists to boost Economy/Research. Add a Tree Farm (that you sell back) to keep you out of any Eco-damage. Spam these like this:

066 400 066 400 400 400 400 400 066 400 066
211 400 211 400 066 211 066 400 211 400 211
066 400 066 400 400 400 400 400 066 400 066
400 400 400 400 066 211 066 400 400 400 400
066 400 066 400 400 400 400 400 066 400 066
211 400 211 400 066 211 066 400 211 400 211
066 400 066 400 400 400 400 400 066 400 066
400 400 400 400 066 211 066 400 400 400 400

The 16 underlined tiles should be crawled Farm-Condensers (400) to boost your HQ's pop with 32 specialists. As long as you are in pop boom, you can construct colony pods at the bases and the population will stay at 7. The HQ population will continue to grow past normal limits as these colony pods join the HQ up to the limit of nutrient production.

So with a mere 88 tiles you get 12 Bases with a population of 24 Workers and 92 Specialists (116 total) producing 232 nutrients, 156 minerals and 156 energy.

Switch your HQ to all specialists and assign a dozen offensive units there. Now you can roll over the AI without causing any drone riots.

 

[AdamCrock]

1) Planned Democracy with Eudaimonia (values can be shifted according to need, optimal: power with Cloning Vats) Population boom guaranteed or before Eudaimonia You can choose wealth if You have "morale boosting" secret projects for (econ) resulting +1 energy/square during golden age and +2 growth on a base with golden age, knowledge only if You have efficiency/research problems.

2) Lots of forests -> get to tree farms asap.

3) Weight Your choices according to the situation at hand.

4) In my case : lots of sensor arrays

Also do not forget to aim at golden ages by adjusting Your psych slider