A civ vet explores Alpha Centauri (SMAC)

[Dark Savant]

If you can spare the former turns and micro, you can also build a sensor under a base site before you plant the base.  You can't build a sensor on a base tile after the base is planted.

This is like pre-mining a hill tile in Civ 2 before planting.  And this also assumes you don't think this is a rules exploit.

[haphazard1]

Thanks for the info on sensors. Figuring out just what improvements can co-exist on a tile is something I am still working on.

Also, note to self: build more formers. I obviously need a lot more former turns to get everything improved.

[Dark Savant]

Thanks for the info on sensors. Figuring out just what improvements can co-exist on a tile is something I am still working on.

Also, note to self: build more formers. I obviously need a lot more former turns to get everything improved.

SMAC is like Civ 3, in that you should build a ton of formers/workers.

Except in Civ 3, there's a point where you should stop.  Pre-industrial, the Civ 3 stopping point is "once I feel like I have enough workers, I build about two more per city".

In SMAC, there is no such thing as too many formers.  If you are milking a large map, you can have 2048 formers (the maximum) and there will still be something constructive for all 2048 to do.

It's another similarity between SMAC and Civ 3.  It does not pay to build giant armies of workers in any other Civ game.

[Fluffball]

If you are milking a large map, you can have 2048 formers (the maximum) and there will still be something constructive for all 2048 to do.

Even placing this game in my top 5, that sounds like my nightmare.  

[T-hawk]

What are you talking about, that sounds like heaven to me.  

Civ 3's workers are so pervasive because they can be merged back into population when they're done.  SMAC formers can't do that - but then again SMAC formers are never done.  If your bases improved all their tiles, make more bases.  If you run out of land, make more land.  Yes, there's always more to do.

More formers are always good, but eventually so are other things.  At some point after a base is working all the boreholes it can fit, you'll get more payback from building multiplier facilities than from yet more formers and colony pods.  Opportunity cost is always a constraint.  But yeah, you can't go wrong with "when in doubt, build a former" for a very long time.

[Fluffball]

On the topic of sea colonies, here's a Yang AI base I found in the game I started because of this thread. Somehow contributing absolutely nothing to anything, despite being a size 3 base with a "free recycling tanks" (pressure domes on sea bases are recyling tanks.)

You can't improve ocean tiles, Yang, we just explained this to haphazard!

[T-hawk]

Two burning questions there... how did you get to year 2465 in the time since this thread started, and what are you doing that you haven't somehow won in 365 turns?

[haphazard1]

That is pretty sad. Also, I suddenly feel better about my bases. I am still figuring out what I am doing, but I am doing a lot better than that at least.

[Fluffball]

Two burning questions there... how did you get to year 2465 in the time since this thread started, and what are you doing that you haven't somehow won in 365 turns?

I have "won" a long time ago, just going through the tech tree to remember all the projects and building options. It only took me a few hours to get to that turn count. If it seems unusually far in it may be that there are different year markers or something for larger maps? I just play a turn or so every now and then between taking care of the kids.

[haphazard1]

Time for another update on the Peacekeepers and this strange new world.

I have expanded a bit more, up to seven bases now. My core territory:

I have also been exploring, mostly using a couple simple naval units. What I currently know of Planet:

I am in the center-north. The University is to my west/southwest on the same land mass; the Hive to my southeast across some water, with the Gaians sharing that same land mass but a bit further away. Relations are good with these three, and I have a treaty and have traded tech with them all.

I have not yet made contact with the Morganites or the Believers. I just last turn found the Spartans in the center-south, and Santiago immediately declared vendetta. I am strongly reminded of Monty or Shaka in Civ IV, with the whole "Hello, we hate you, die!" attitude.

I am not immediately concerned, as the Spartans are well to my south across an ocean. I do not expect an invasion force next turn, at least. I probably should think about prototyping a stronger naval unit and putting a few out as a sentry net. There are some islands with some decent land that I could claim as outposts in between us, which would also help.

Some more questions for the SMAC vets:

- Apparently mind worms can eat forests? I was not aware of this, but that was the message I got and sure enough one of my forests was gone.
- Restrictions on tile yields: how does this work? It looks like certain techs lift caps on yields? I am still getting familiar with just what yields to expect from different terrain combinations, so I am not sure just what to expect.
- A lot of the base facilities' descriptions are rather vague, such as "boost labs" or "fewer drones" and similar. Is there a good source of info on exactly what they do? Knowing just how big (or little) an effect they have is pretty important to making decent decisions, so I find the lack a bit frustrating. The quotations for the various facilities are well done, if frequently disturbing.