Why can't I win? - Alpha Centauri Forums

  Alpha Centauri Forums
  The
  Why can't I win?

profile | register | prefs | faq | search

Author Topic:   Why can't I win?

akathisia posted 03-16-99 08:26 AM ET
Everyone seems to be crushing the AI at the higher levels. Me, I can win easy on Talent even with a poor starting location. But move up to Librarian and I get destroyed. So what strategy do you use to win at high levels? I'm usually a pacifist (in Civ2 I would rush for the UN so no one would bother me and eke out a close win on Emperor level)In SMAC I would be content with my UoP or Gaian cities protected with AAA Trance Photon Garrisons and everybody stay within your borders.
Do you need to be a warmonger to win?
paraskous posted 03-16-99 12:42 PM ET
No, you don't - but teaching a lesson (because you always now better) makes fun and is good for planetary discipline. It's YOU who is the master - so spank these nasty kids if they don't obey.
Honest: I found it absolutely necessary to make some preemptive strikes - the AI sometimes seems to "test" your willingness to resist. Anyway if you are leading they get quite upset at you. Just try to hold a mobile force to be prepared when someone dares to challenge your peace-loving citizen. You need them anyway to get some extra $ by eating some worms
agoraphobe posted 03-16-99 02:03 PM ET
Akathisia: Sorry, but SMAC works more like CivI than CivII in this regard. It's pretty much been determined (see the 'Transcend Ironmen' thread) that gearing for constant attack and aiming for mid-game victory (by either Conquer or Diplomatic means) is consistantly the optimal strategy.
Khan Singh posted 03-16-99 02:06 PM ET
>Do you need to be a warmonger to win?
Well, it sure doesn't hurt any. Eliminating or forcing the surrender of the first couple of factions you run across is a real help, because:
1. Those factions can't attack you, which they probably would have otherwise.
2. You gain a lot of space to expand
3. You can capture some of their bases, expanding your empire.
4. You can gain key geographical benefits because you control a larger area of the map. If you are hemmed in by another faction's territory you'll be left with a small plot of land that's hard to develop and defend.
I really don't think that there is any substitute for carefully selected early game aggression. I understand your desire for peace and sympathize. But at the higher levels the AI is trying to beat you and can do a pretty good job of it (until later in the game, anyway). You know you're going to be at war with them eventually. So why not kill them before they grow?
But don't think of it as aggression. No, you are liberating those people, from the mad schemes and social experiments of the lunatic under whose contol they have had the misfortune to fall. They will thank you for it later.
tOFfGI posted 03-16-99 02:14 PM ET
Expand. That's the key word. Once you've built 20 more cities than your Opponents, and in a cluster, winning is relatively easy. I even managed to build All 3 early game good wonders this way...
akathisia posted 03-17-99 01:18 PM ET
Thanx to everyone for the help. On my current game I'm UoP on a small sized star-shaped continent with the Hive, Morgan and PK's surrounding me. I bribed the Hive to leave me alone while I stacked units at the bottleneck between our lands and once I got Plasma Steel and Particle Impactor, I convinced Morgan to join me in the fight. While Morgan got chewed up, I snuck in and took The Hive. Hive Submits-That's One.
By this time I got Needlejets and Chaos Rovers so I just turned those babies around and waited for Morgan to stab me in the back. He steals some tech, Boom-Morgan's carved up and submits-That's Two. I instructed both of them to go attack Lal. Meanwhile, I threaten Lal to give me one of his bases which he does. He sends in a Probe, so goodbye UN HQ. Lal submits-That's Three! Then I tell them all to play nice with each other while I go back to researching.
I'm entering midgame now and tied with Deirdre. Thanx again everyone.
agoraphobe posted 03-17-99 01:43 PM ET
You're welcome, but why rest on your laurels? Why wait to crush them later when you're already quite capable of doing so now? Just keep cranking out those "cost effective" (not necessarily the highest tech) military units. I'd also say, crank out Probes, but you're the UofP. But even they could use a few probes...
Arcane posted 03-17-99 02:00 PM ET
I'm not sure early aggression is the best way to go with UoP. When I try it I usually get whupped. Its better IMHO to try to build up and reasearch as UoP until you have superior tech and then its easy to move in for the kill. People like the Believers and Spartas start out with combat bonuses and its hard to compete with that until you have used your bonus of the ability to research.
To close this thread, click here (moderator or admin only).


Hop to:

Contact Us | Alpha Centauri Home

Powered by: Ultimate Bulletin Board, Version 5.18
© Madrona Park, Inc., 1998.

Author	Topic: Why can't I win?
akathisia	posted 03-16-99 08:26 AM ET Everyone seems to be crushing the AI at the higher levels. Me, I can win easy on Talent even with a poor starting location. But move up to Librarian and I get destroyed. So what strategy do you use to win at high levels? I'm usually a pacifist (in Civ2 I would rush for the UN so no one would bother me and eke out a close win on Emperor level)In SMAC I would be content with my UoP or Gaian cities protected with AAA Trance Photon Garrisons and everybody stay within your borders. Do you need to be a warmonger to win?
paraskous	posted 03-16-99 12:42 PM ET No, you don't - but teaching a lesson (because you always now better) makes fun and is good for planetary discipline. It's YOU who is the master - so spank these nasty kids if they don't obey. Honest: I found it absolutely necessary to make some preemptive strikes - the AI sometimes seems to "test" your willingness to resist. Anyway if you are leading they get quite upset at you. Just try to hold a mobile force to be prepared when someone dares to challenge your peace-loving citizen. You need them anyway to get some extra $ by eating some worms
agoraphobe	posted 03-16-99 02:03 PM ET Akathisia: Sorry, but SMAC works more like CivI than CivII in this regard. It's pretty much been determined (see the 'Transcend Ironmen' thread) that gearing for constant attack and aiming for mid-game victory (by either Conquer or Diplomatic means) is consistantly the optimal strategy.
Khan Singh	posted 03-16-99 02:06 PM ET >Do you need to be a warmonger to win? Well, it sure doesn't hurt any. Eliminating or forcing the surrender of the first couple of factions you run across is a real help, because: 1. Those factions can't attack you, which they probably would have otherwise. 2. You gain a lot of space to expand 3. You can capture some of their bases, expanding your empire. 4. You can gain key geographical benefits because you control a larger area of the map. If you are hemmed in by another faction's territory you'll be left with a small plot of land that's hard to develop and defend. I really don't think that there is any substitute for carefully selected early game aggression. I understand your desire for peace and sympathize. But at the higher levels the AI is trying to beat you and can do a pretty good job of it (until later in the game, anyway). You know you're going to be at war with them eventually. So why not kill them before they grow? But don't think of it as aggression. No, you are liberating those people, from the mad schemes and social experiments of the lunatic under whose contol they have had the misfortune to fall. They will thank you for it later.
tOFfGI	posted 03-16-99 02:14 PM ET Expand. That's the key word. Once you've built 20 more cities than your Opponents, and in a cluster, winning is relatively easy. I even managed to build All 3 early game good wonders this way...
akathisia	posted 03-17-99 01:18 PM ET Thanx to everyone for the help. On my current game I'm UoP on a small sized star-shaped continent with the Hive, Morgan and PK's surrounding me. I bribed the Hive to leave me alone while I stacked units at the bottleneck between our lands and once I got Plasma Steel and Particle Impactor, I convinced Morgan to join me in the fight. While Morgan got chewed up, I snuck in and took The Hive. Hive Submits-That's One. By this time I got Needlejets and Chaos Rovers so I just turned those babies around and waited for Morgan to stab me in the back. He steals some tech, Boom-Morgan's carved up and submits-That's Two. I instructed both of them to go attack Lal. Meanwhile, I threaten Lal to give me one of his bases which he does. He sends in a Probe, so goodbye UN HQ. Lal submits-That's Three! Then I tell them all to play nice with each other while I go back to researching. I'm entering midgame now and tied with Deirdre. Thanx again everyone.
agoraphobe	posted 03-17-99 01:43 PM ET You're welcome, but why rest on your laurels? Why wait to crush them later when you're already quite capable of doing so now? Just keep cranking out those "cost effective" (not necessarily the highest tech) military units. I'd also say, crank out Probes, but you're the UofP. But even they could use a few probes...
Arcane	posted 03-17-99 02:00 PM ET I'm not sure early aggression is the best way to go with UoP. When I try it I usually get whupped. Its better IMHO to try to build up and reasearch as UoP until you have superior tech and then its easy to move in for the kill. People like the Believers and Spartas start out with combat bonuses and its hard to compete with that until you have used your bonus of the ability to research.