magic9mushroom's strategy questions...

[magic9mushroom]

(This is copypasted from Apolyton and WePlayCiv, on which it has gotten next to no responses. Apologies for anyone seeing it multiple times, but it seems that there aren't many active AC boards around.)

Well, I've finally gotten "into" AC enough that my questions are outstripping the circles I frequent and my Google-fu. Apropos, I've registered here. Here's hoping I don't accidentally start any flamewars.

So, without further ado:

1) Playing as the Pirates under Svensgaard, it seems to me that restriction lifting would be more of a priority than IndAuto, since Frontier/Planned/Wealth will kill his research dead and he hits nut and energy restrictions the moment he starts terraforming at all. Can someone either confirm this, or explain to me why it's not so?

2) Which faction has the fastest ICS start? To me Marr looks like it - he has +1 Growth, free recycling tanks, energy grid from turn 1, and starts with CentEco and Biogenetics, not to mention the free colony pod - but I don't see much about him in guides, and the "fastest transcendence" records (which are seriously mind-boggling) seem to all use ICS Zakharov. What am I missing here?

3) Again with Svensgaard (I like!), what ratio of mining platforms to tidal harnesses do you people find works best? Or do you rely on boreholes for minerals?

(And yes, I know I'm a lazy bastard and should hammer these out for myself, but I'm a slow player. If I have to, I will, but I figured I should "probe" as many answers as I could before I hit the research. )

Thanks,
m9m

 

[Petek]

Howdy magic9mushroom,

Welcome to CFC and the Alpha Centauri forum!

You're correct that there's not a lot of activity these days in the Alpha Centauri community. I'll give my opinions about your questions:

1. When I play Sven, I usually bee-line for IndAuto. Trawlers (=sea crawlers) are expensive, but the Planetary Transit System SP is nice for the Pirates. IndAuto also is a prerequisite for Bioengineering (for clean reactors), another key tech in my play style. You also can work around the initial restrictions by placing bases near specials.

2. I hardly ever play either of the alien factions. They are not much of a challenge, for the reasons you point out. Also, the AI won't use nerve gas against them, whereas human players can easily wipe out alien factions controlled by the AI with nerve gas. The "fast transcend" games use Zak because the free Network Node in each base provides fast research.

3. When playing Sven, I usually automate my sea formers. They do a decent job. One exception: If a base has one or more mineral specials, I'll manually build mining platforms on those tiles to ensure maximum mineral production. Left on their own, automated sea formers seem to build about half mining platforms and half sea harnesses. Land tiles in a base radius will eventually get forests or boreholes.

HTH

Petek

 

[magic9mushroom]

Howdy magic9mushroom,

Welcome to CFC and the Alpha Centauri forum!

Thank you.

1. When I play Sven, I usually bee-line for IndAuto. Trawlers (=sea crawlers) are expensive, but the Planetary Transit System SP is nice for the Pirates. IndAuto also is a prerequisite for Bioengineering (for clean reactors), another key tech in my play style. You also can work around the initial restrictions by placing bases near specials.

You can't have both a nutrient and energy bonus on the same square.

Incidentally, is Bioengineering there for the Free Market war strategy?

2. I hardly ever play either of the alien factions. They are not much of a challenge, for the reasons you point out. Also, the AI won't use nerve gas against them, whereas human players can easily wipe out alien factions controlled by the AI with nerve gas. The "fast transcend" games use Zak because the free Network Node in each base provides fast research.

But aren't Marr and H'minee faster than Zak? I mean, right from the start, H'minee or Marr has 3 bases producing at least 10 energy (3/2/2 base square + 1 Energy Grid), while Zak only has 2 bases producing 3 (2/1/1 base square). 50% ain't enough to make that up, and H'minee and Marr have a faster curve on top of that (free Recycling Tanks make expansion SO much faster...) and start with a tech lead of 3.

Oh well, I suppose I'll have to test it anyway, since I'm trying to hammer out whether H'minee is better in full (2 condensers/1 borehole) or half (5 forests/2 boreholes) ICS.

3. When playing Sven, I usually automate my sea formers. They do a decent job. One exception: If a base has one or more mineral specials, I'll manually build mining platforms on those tiles to ensure maximum mineral production. Left on their own, automated sea formers seem to build about half mining platforms and half sea harnesses. Land tiles in a base radius will eventually get forests or boreholes.

I never automate anything.

Still, thanks for your advice.

 

[Petek]

Thank you.



You can't have both a nutrient and energy bonus on the same square.

I just meant that if you have a nut special you can build a kelp farm and bypass the 2-nut restriction. Similar remarks apply to energy and min specials.

Incidentally, is Bioengineering there for the Free Market war strategy?

No, military units with clean reactors cause the same amount of drones as other units. Clean reactors allow you to build unlimited formers and garrison units, however.

But aren't Marr and H'minee faster than Zak? I mean, right from the start, H'minee or Marr has 3 bases producing at least 10 energy (3/2/2 base square + 1 Energy Grid), while Zak only has 2 bases producing 3 (2/1/1 base square). 50% ain't enough to make that up, and H'minee and Marr have a faster curve on top of that (free Recycling Tanks make expansion SO much faster...) and start with a tech lead of 3.

Oh well, I suppose I'll have to test it anyway, since I'm trying to hammer out whether H'minee is better in full (2 condensers/1 borehole) or half (5 forests/2 boreholes) ICS.

Yes, additional testing would be interesting.

I never automate anything.

Automated sea formers help reduce micro-management. They aren't "smarter" than land formers. They just have fewer options and so fewer ways to foul up. A nice bonus is that automated sea formers can raise the ocean floor at no cost.

Still, thanks for your advice.

You're welcome.

 

[magic9mushroom]

I just meant that if you have a nut special you can build a kelp farm and bypass the 2-nut restriction. Similar remarks apply to energy and min specials.

Yeah, the issue is that kelp/harness will always bang into one restriction or the other, since they're worth 3/1/3 even before Aquafarms and Thermocline Transducers.

No, military units with clean reactors cause the same amount of drones as other units. Clean reactors allow you to build unlimited formers and garrison units, however.

Ah. I was referring to the strategy of "build units, rehome them to one base, and build a Punishment Sphere there" which destroys all pacifism but fundamentally requires Clean to work.

Yes, additional testing would be interesting.

I'm workin' on it!

While I'm on the topic of ICS and condensers, I've heard it mentioned that since Condensers break the nutrient restrictions, the WP allows you to skip restriction lifting. But don't you need Gene Splicing for most of the beelines anyway?

Automated sea formers help reduce micro-management. They aren't "smarter" than land formers. They just have fewer options and so fewer ways to foul up. A nice bonus is that automated sea formers can raise the ocean floor at no cost.

I was just mentioning that I never automate anything - I don't mind micro.