SMAC's Best Factions

[Bob]

The University and the Cyborgs, of course!
With their fantastic scientific bonuses, you can wipe all other factions out. The less technological factions like the Believers don't have the smallest chance of beating your high-tech devastating units.
History proves that smaller empires have crushed bigger ones because of their more advanced weaponry and tactics.

 

[beest]

What you mean to say is of course:
"All the factions are just as good, but I only now how to play the university."

 

[Sukenis]

Bob said

". The less technological factions like the Believers don't have the smallest chance of beating your high-tech devastating units. "

Bob, I would like to know how you protect your high-tech University information from Believer probe teams? I go Believers most often because why reserch what you can steal. Put out a few Believer probe units and you can level any playing field. Also a level 10 attack power (is that gatling or something else?) in the hands of the Believers beats a level 13 plasma shard in the hands of the University. Even a level 8 weapon with th moral and attack bonus can beat a low moral Univeristy plasma shard.

IMHO the Believers can beat any faction there is. The Hive in the only faction that can really compete in a full out war.

 

[Bob]

To beest:

Hahaha! Good joke! You're wrong: I've played most factions, including the militaristic ones. But I definitely prefer the technology oriented ones. I can't help it!


To Sukenis:
Of course, when played by an experienced and motivated human player, the Believers are often deadly. But in most of my SP games, I manage to contain and later to eradicate them with my high-tech weaponry. Sure, I lose some units when they counter-attack because of their combat bonus.
As you mentioned, probe teams are a real problem for the Univs. That's why I try to build the Hunter-Seeker-Algorithm before the other factions to get rid of this threat.
Of course, I don't contempt the other factions, I simply prefer the tech-oriented. I like beating weak garrison units withe my brand-new needlejets!

 

[Sukenis]

Bob,

OK, I understand what you are saying now. In SP games pretty much any skilled player can beat any AI. I just like to take up for my beloved Believers whom I do NOT play militantly.

I started off playing almost allways with the University though. They be great, but the early game can be difficult if you make an enemy close by. Once you can make clean units they can become a powerhouse though.

 

[Sixchan]

I play the University, and I try to meet the believers as soon as possible, so I can get rid of them. I play the University as Defensive (in that I build up an army but only attack if I am provoked) and Expansionist (those extra drones are an advantage as they are an incentive to expand)

 

[Bob]

Sixchan,
as Sukenis said, I think that it can be very dangerous to start with the Believers nearby. I rather build my faction up on a quiet island or peninsula and then, only when I am quite advanced technologically, I land my troops:
veni, vidi and finally vici, as old Caesar said!

However, it managed once to eradicate the Believers only a few turns after beginning: I found a rover and simply drove into their first and (nearly) undefended base. Sometimes it works, sometimes not.

 

[Sixchan]

When I play, though, on my first turns I research heavily into weapons, and go out and take as much as I can, as soon as I can. If I don't come across the believers, I make a pact with everyone I can find, and then attack the believers when I find them. I won't say the strategy is foolproof, but I'm not the best at the war aspect, so I hope if other factions are quite large that we can keep on good terms.

 

[Bob]

Not bad, but sometimes a faction occupies important terrain, and you need to fight to conquer more land. The militaristic factions aren't nice to me usually, as we don't share te same ideologies. Result: they want war, I give them war! That is, if I can afford it, and early in the game generally I can't. :ak47:
Do you play with the expansion pack? I do most of the time, it's much better.

 

[thealien_83]

Well, as readily apparent is, any Faction handled by a skilled player can in SP utterly destroy any other faction or congregation of other factions. Simple as that. Now myself I admit I would, whenever pursuing an offensive course of play, much rather use the Believers, Hive or any such more militaristically inclined faction. But that is merely because I prefer *loads* of units to a few advanced ones. Not because it's more effective or any such, but merely because I like the look of massive landings of troops. There you have it.

As for MP yet again, any Faction can be deadly if played "properly", that is making good use of it's inherent bonuses and at least working with the flaws.

 

[Sukenis]

I personally try to make the most out of the flaws. The bonuses are not what i use to determine how I will play, I use the disadvantages.

Example- with the Believers say "who cares about tech." I put a punishment sphere in every city and do free market with cyber ethic (the huge negative police rating matters not with the spheres). Sure going with a sphere in every city (along with possible fundi s.e.) can mean very little tech growth, but who cares. If you are getting a new tech every 50 turns or every 500 turns what is the difference.

Example2- with the Hive, to get the best results you need to use a s.e. that will make everyone but the spartans hate you (police state, planned, power). Use this to your advantage. If the whole world is going to fight you why play fair. Commit every atrosity there is. Planet busters are you friend. Raze conquered cities. Do it all. Unless you are getting people to submit to you this will not hurt much.

I try this mindset and tend to do very well.

 

[dreadhead7]

The Believers are fine--when I'm playing them. Otherwise, I can't stand them, and I avoid them like the plague.

I generally use the same strategy when playing any faction, which is to lean heavily into research. When I'm playing the Believers, they are hardly recognizable because through s.e., I change them to Democracy/Knowlege/Wealth, then, trade techs instead of probing. I also build all of the tech enhancing facilities, and terraform for maximum energy production. Basically, I play Miriam as a peaceful expansionist, and I do quite well.

I can play warmonger if I have to, and do quite well at it, as I recently found out in the succession game that I played in. But, I prefer to play peacefully, so sometimes it can be a real challenge to play the Believers, the Spartans, or the Hive as a peaceful and technocentric faction.

 

[SkidiWili]

When playing in transcend difficulty the University is horror. You'll drown drones so quickly...
Of course the factions of Alien crossfire are most powerful (aliens, cyborgs, pirates).

 

[Atros]

morgananites are the best, use your money advantage for hurrying stuff, i usually don't keep much of an army other than defenders in the city, but when i go to war, they get an unpleasant surprise as the cities nearest to them suddenly hurry out tons of units. You can also win a lot of wonder/secret project races by having a lot of satellite cities produce wealth and keep using the money to rush the wonder in the city building the wonder. Basically, once you get the thermal boreholes tech, you'll be gettting money like crazy with the 5 energy and 5 shields.
Your research is quite good too, even without the university's bonus, your high energy = high research.

 

[adamsj]

The best faction in the SMAC for me are the PeaceKeepers!

 

[Bob]

Atros, I also like the Morgans and the money bonus but their support penalties make it harder to conduct long military operations.

I never played the Peacekeepers, so I only know that they often take and hold the Planetary Coucil Chairman post, which is very annoying. I take it as a personal offense to loose the elections!

Regarding the Chairman's advantages, I think the spy in every faction makes it too easy. You can spot enemy troops in cities and plan your invasions carefully to send your best troops where your enemies are the strongest.

 

[Sukenis]

I do not know why, but I can not play as the Peacekeepers. I canuse the other 6 factions and beat trancend, but with the peacekeepers I have a hard time in the middle difficulty levels. Maybe it is becasue I use factions weaknesses for my play style and the Peacekeepers have no strong ones.