Please Help a Newbie

[Sim_One]

I just bought this game and I must say it is way better than Civ 3. Civ 3 has so many frustrating and senseless aspects that just don't exist in SMAC. I just have several questions:

1. Is there a way to upgrade all units with an "upgrade all" function?

2. How do I know what social engineering the other factions are using?

3. How do I declare war without getting a bad reputation?

4. Why is Free Market so awful? Do you use it?

5. How does the territory thing work? Some cities seem to give me more territory and some less. Also it seems that the trend in SMAC is build cities farther apart?

6. What is the order of facilities you build in new cities. So far for me it has been: Recycling, then Creche, then Tree Farm... so on but I want to know what you experts do.

7. Which is better? Blind research or the other?

Also is SMACX a good game? Worth the money? It costs more than twice the amount I paid for SMAC and I can only find it on Amazon and eBay.

 

[Lefty Scaevola]

1. Is there a way to upgrade all units with an "upgrade all" function?
A . enter the units workshop, find the unit type to be upgraded in the list at the BOTTOM (it scrolls left and right, in the early game most of the slots in it will be unused) select the unit into the workshop, click the upgrade button.

2. How do I know what social engineering the other factions are using?
A. in smac-x (and maybe patched smac) go to the comlink, RIGHT click on faction profle, infor will be included in the profle.

3. How do I declare war without getting a bad reputation?
A. war is not declared, you begin it with an attack. Yhe is not reputation cost if you have neither a current truce or treaty with the target. If you have a pact you must first break the pact by direct comlink communication (this also has a cost) this drops you to treaty status and you can attack with reputation cost. If another fation request you to attack a target pacted/treaties/truced/ and you do so in that communication, your cost is reduced. Otherwise keep trying to irritate and insult the target so that he will attack you.

4. Why is Free Market so awful? Do you use it?
A. Game balnace mostly. free market has such negative because it positives ar SO powerful. most players use it in the early part of the game, A net of +2 economy give a huge boost to research and money. One of morgan's great advatages is that with his basic +1 economy, he can get to a net of +2 using the wealth choice and thus avoid the negatives of free market

 

[Lefty Scaevola]

5. Land bases have territory of 7 squares distance by land and one by sea. The seven by land will be shortened if a rival faction base is less thean 14 square away. This is often you first notice that a rival is nearby, when you find your border is less than 7 squares away.

6. Highly variable acording to what faction you are, what level difficulty, and what strategy (builder vs attacker) and waht victory condition you are seeking. Mulitple page strategy stuff.

7, Individual choice, good palyers often choose blind to hadicap them a little against the AI.

smac-x is worth it.

 

[MajorGeneral2]

Free Market: all options can be useful. The key to successful engineering is this: BALANCE! When used with options that partially offset negatives of FM, its actually among my favorite options.
Blind research stinks, IMHO. But it adds challenge. Choose what you prefer.
Facilities? Children's Creche first, after that it varies widely. Recycling is good for "terrain-challenged" cities, but remember that it only affects the tile the city is built on.

 

[Sim_One]

OK thanks for the help so far. I just need some help on distinguishing the difference between a Network Node, a Research Hospital and a Bio Lab...which give more research bonus?

 

[Achinz]

Originally posted by S1m0ne
I just need some help on distinguishing the difference between a Network Node, a Research Hospital and a Bio Lab...which give more research bonus?

One way is to regard these research facilities as hierarchical ie Network Node is level 1 (D1), Biology Lab E3 and Research Hospital B3. Therefore NN is usually built first (the University of Planet gets it free to start with) and cost-wise the BL and then the RH. They would act commulatively I should think. Depending on your circumstances at the time, you may prefer the ecological benefits of the BL or the psych benefits of the RH.

 

[Sid]

I love to build lots of BLs to get the life-cycle bonuses for my Mind Worms and Spore Launchers.

 

[Sukenis]

Just remember, with FM S.E., a punishment shere ends all the drone problems you get. Once you get the clean reactor tech, make all attack units clean and set them to one city. build a punishment shpere in that city and presto, a war machine with no drones...

 

[Sim_One]

Can somebody tell me exactly what specialists (emapth, librarian, etc.) do? I don't notice any difference with them.

 

[Sim_One]

Also where can I find the best free strategy guide for this game?

 

[kundor]

Originally posted by S1m0ne
Also where can I find the best free strategy guide for this game?

The best free strat guide is vel's strat guide...the last free version was 2.0, I believe you have to pay for later versions or something crazy like that. Anyway, here's 2.0.

 

[MajorGeneral2]

I think the function of the specialists is discussed in the "Info" screen. I don't know the exact function of specialists, but they have the greatest effect in large cities. Librarians help science, empaths help psyche, etc.

 

[Sim_One]

Thanks a lot Kundor. Now I won't keep bothering you guys for newb answers.

 

[kundor]

no problem. I know vel's guide helped me a lot when I read it...though I've forgotten most of it by now. Maybe I should read it again.

I believe that when you switch a citizen into a specialist, the menu tells you what each one does, in terms of bonus science or psyche or whatnot.

 

[Sim_One]

Originally posted by kundor
no problem. I know vel's guide helped me a lot when I read it...though I've forgotten most of it by now. Maybe I should read it again.

I believe that when you switch a citizen into a specialist, the menu tells you what each one does, in terms of bonus science or psyche or whatnot.

I already know that an empath gives bonus psych and economy and librarin gives bonus lab, etc. What I'm asking is that I don't see any difference. In fact for example when I switch to an empath I actually see a DECREASE in the econ and psych output of the base. I don't know why this happens. Also sometimes commerce with other factions get reduced when I switch to a specialist.

 

[Terje]

Sim_One, you asked what structures to build, and then said you used to build rescource tank early.
My advice: Build Pressure Dome instead, it gives you the same benefit, plus it allows yor bases to survive submersion (When sea levels rise later in game this is really important: sumersed bases without PD are LOST FOREVER!!