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Author Topic:   Tech Strategy Suggestions

Drago Sinio posted 03-23-99 07:02 PM ET
When playing with the Blind Research feature turned off, Is there any special order for the techs you research? I try to go straight for Air Power, but is there a better idea? For example, I try to get flexibility and mobility asap to pick up the pods, and to get Secrets of the Human Brain first, to keep it away from the AI. Comments?
VulturesRow posted 03-23-99 08:52 PM ET
Well I havent been playing this game long but I have tried two different things so far..one is kinda balance things out in the beginning with all beginning techs and pick up some of the first secret projects(some of the best in the game in my opinion)IOn my current game I went straight for techs to get me to centauri empathy so I could getgreen economics(I am playing gaians..now have 75% chance to capture mindworm) So I guess what this overblown post is trying to say is that like a lot of things in AC, it really just depends on your strategy...just experiment til you find something you like..though I will agree with you that being the first to air power can prove a decisive advantage in many cases
Kedryn posted 03-23-99 11:45 PM ET
I tend to go straight towards Environmental Economics, while diverting along the way to snatch up Nonlinear Mathematics and Doc: Mobility just in case. But once I get Enviro-Econ, the game is easy for me. All that energy!
Drago Sinio posted 03-24-99 11:50 AM ET
Thanks for the comments. I have always played Spartans or UOP, and go with a military type stategy, figuring that the more advanced weapons I have, the better off I am. But this can leave me behind a bit in the infrastructure arena as I have built mostly weapons and labs. I tried one game with a peaceful building type strategy, but the Hive became a real pain. Then while I was fighting them off one one side of my empire, The Beleivers started attacking me on the other. Somehow The beleivers had gotten better weapons than me, I still don't know how that happened. I had to resort to nerve gas needle jets to stop them, and that really started a major war, me against everybody else. Luckily no one had planet busters yet or I would have been a goner. I managed to survive, barely, but I was hated for the rest of the game, by everyone. So since then I have gone straight for high tech weapons and air power, killing off the closest factions I could find, one by one. But when you are playing as Spartans or UOP that makes the game almost boring, just one long battle.
VulturesRow posted 03-24-99 08:34 PM ET
Well obviously you have to tailor your strategy somewhat to your faction. The Spartans are going to find it harder to pull off a long term development type strategy. Although I have not tried them as a faction yet, I think I would probably go for the weapons early , try to subjugate a few factions and then just demand tech and energy from them. Just a random thought.
Fiannaidh posted 03-25-99 09:11 AM ET
Mind/Machine Interface is awesome if you get it a long time before everyone else, and if you use your probe teams to keep everyone else in vendetta with each other, there will be no tech trading, this is even more effective if you play with spoils of war off, but I prefer it on. If you play with spoils of war on, use your probe teams to get total thought control of enemy border cities, it works best (cheaper) if there are drone riots, so you might consider inciting those first. Just keep stealing all the tech you can, but be sure to frame enemy factions for all your probe team actions, and if you have a low success rate, save. Trade for tech's only when you can't steal them, and be sure and offer them a tech that they are either currently researching, or that will be as useless as possible to them.
Drago Sinio posted 03-25-99 10:31 AM ET
Thanks for the good ideas. In my current game I am trying the Peacekeepers, with a defensive/build strategy. I plan to go for MMI as soon as I get Airpower, because the copters are great for defense against invasions, and the long range planes can sink em before they get to me. I am playing on huge planet, lotsa water. I am going to try and keep the other factions at war with each other through probe team exploits. I cant do the save/reload thing because I am playing IM for the scoring bonus. Are probe teams on foot, or skimships with probe equip. a better idea? Any Thoughts?
Fiannaidh posted 03-25-99 06:29 PM ET
Elite Cruiser Probe Teams with Maritime Control Project are the best (as long as there are plenty of coastal cities). They get 9 movement per turn. Elite Drop hovertank probeteams with antigrav struts are second best, they get 5 moves per turn, and if you have xenoempathy dome, you can use fungus as roads, so you can move 15 spaces thru fungus!!
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Author	Topic: Tech Strategy Suggestions
Drago Sinio	posted 03-23-99 07:02 PM ET When playing with the Blind Research feature turned off, Is there any special order for the techs you research? I try to go straight for Air Power, but is there a better idea? For example, I try to get flexibility and mobility asap to pick up the pods, and to get Secrets of the Human Brain first, to keep it away from the AI. Comments?
VulturesRow	posted 03-23-99 08:52 PM ET Well I havent been playing this game long but I have tried two different things so far..one is kinda balance things out in the beginning with all beginning techs and pick up some of the first secret projects(some of the best in the game in my opinion)IOn my current game I went straight for techs to get me to centauri empathy so I could getgreen economics(I am playing gaians..now have 75% chance to capture mindworm) So I guess what this overblown post is trying to say is that like a lot of things in AC, it really just depends on your strategy...just experiment til you find something you like..though I will agree with you that being the first to air power can prove a decisive advantage in many cases
Kedryn	posted 03-23-99 11:45 PM ET I tend to go straight towards Environmental Economics, while diverting along the way to snatch up Nonlinear Mathematics and Doc: Mobility just in case. But once I get Enviro-Econ, the game is easy for me. All that energy!
Drago Sinio	posted 03-24-99 11:50 AM ET Thanks for the comments. I have always played Spartans or UOP, and go with a military type stategy, figuring that the more advanced weapons I have, the better off I am. But this can leave me behind a bit in the infrastructure arena as I have built mostly weapons and labs. I tried one game with a peaceful building type strategy, but the Hive became a real pain. Then while I was fighting them off one one side of my empire, The Beleivers started attacking me on the other. Somehow The beleivers had gotten better weapons than me, I still don't know how that happened. I had to resort to nerve gas needle jets to stop them, and that really started a major war, me against everybody else. Luckily no one had planet busters yet or I would have been a goner. I managed to survive, barely, but I was hated for the rest of the game, by everyone. So since then I have gone straight for high tech weapons and air power, killing off the closest factions I could find, one by one. But when you are playing as Spartans or UOP that makes the game almost boring, just one long battle.
VulturesRow	posted 03-24-99 08:34 PM ET Well obviously you have to tailor your strategy somewhat to your faction. The Spartans are going to find it harder to pull off a long term development type strategy. Although I have not tried them as a faction yet, I think I would probably go for the weapons early , try to subjugate a few factions and then just demand tech and energy from them. Just a random thought.
Fiannaidh	posted 03-25-99 09:11 AM ET Mind/Machine Interface is awesome if you get it a long time before everyone else, and if you use your probe teams to keep everyone else in vendetta with each other, there will be no tech trading, this is even more effective if you play with spoils of war off, but I prefer it on. If you play with spoils of war on, use your probe teams to get total thought control of enemy border cities, it works best (cheaper) if there are drone riots, so you might consider inciting those first. Just keep stealing all the tech you can, but be sure to frame enemy factions for all your probe team actions, and if you have a low success rate, save. Trade for tech's only when you can't steal them, and be sure and offer them a tech that they are either currently researching, or that will be as useless as possible to them.
Drago Sinio	posted 03-25-99 10:31 AM ET Thanks for the good ideas. In my current game I am trying the Peacekeepers, with a defensive/build strategy. I plan to go for MMI as soon as I get Airpower, because the copters are great for defense against invasions, and the long range planes can sink em before they get to me. I am playing on huge planet, lotsa water. I am going to try and keep the other factions at war with each other through probe team exploits. I cant do the save/reload thing because I am playing IM for the scoring bonus. Are probe teams on foot, or skimships with probe equip. a better idea? Any Thoughts?
Fiannaidh	posted 03-25-99 06:29 PM ET Elite Cruiser Probe Teams with Maritime Control Project are the best (as long as there are plenty of coastal cities). They get 9 movement per turn. Elite Drop hovertank probeteams with antigrav struts are second best, they get 5 moves per turn, and if you have xenoempathy dome, you can use fungus as roads, so you can move 15 spaces thru fungus!!