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Author Topic:   Base Specialization

Arete posted 03-25-99 03:51 PM ET
I'm fairly new to SMAC (1 week) and I was wondering about how much some of you more experienced players use base specialization. e.g. Do you build all your SP's in one base? Energy bases, production bases? What about a population base? I've dedicated a base (forests work best i think, cheap and good nutrient/mineral output)to producing colony pods. Early in the game it will help you build up a super base which can be the difference in the race for SP's. Late in the game you can push a base over the 20 population limit and load up on transcendi. Anyway, let me know wether a few excellent bases are better than many mediocre bases. Thanks!
Plato90s posted 03-25-99 04:37 PM ET
On one hand, you have a natural tendency to concentrate SPs in cities that have high production in minerals.
However, the danger of Planet Busters usually leads me to try to spread out Projects a bit more.
In some cases, it makes sense to concentrate despite the risks. Putting Merchant Exchange, Supercollider, and Theory of Everything into one city makes too much sense to not do it.
eNo posted 03-25-99 05:12 PM ET
I just grow. Big cities in the center of my empire build SPs. The one a little further out build infrastructure and armies. The ones on the rim build colony pods and garrison.
VulturesRow posted 03-25-99 09:34 PM ET
Plato,
Try adding the space elevator and network backbone to your little SP combo you mentioned. Also longevity vaccine if you are free market. This creates quite a base. This came from the strategy guide..I tried, quite impressive actually.
Radegast2 posted 03-26-99 06:49 AM ET
I have a tendancy not to specialise bases, for these major reasons. Firstly, I don't like all eggs in one basket, loss to an enemy,(or PB) of just one of these will cripple you for years to come. Secondly, the only base that you have much of chance to specialise with are your early bases, and in most cases these will develop evenly with each other by default, the tech just isn't there most of the time to build anything, let alone specialise.
However, there will be bases with tendancies. Naturally, a research base will develop if I manage to get the SP's that apply to a single city, it seems right and proper to concentrate them on labs whenever possible by maximising energy and minimising minerals/nutients.
Some bases will tend to be naval or air bases, simply because these come later in the game when there are many calls on a base's production demand. By default though, later in the game, bases get Aerospace Complex before Command Center (Especially if I have Nano factory(?) SP)
I've never had 'super minerals' bases, although I've just discovered the borehole cluster in my latest game, so this might be an exception.
Technocrat posted 03-28-99 11:27 AM ET
I usually play as the UoP, and for my capital, I usually will have two Boreholes (I refrain from placing them anywhere else to avoid rising sea levels) for extra energy and minerals. I also surround the capital's production radius with Echelon Mirrors for even more energy. I then ALWAYS have the Merchant Exchange, the Supercollider, the Theory of Everything, and the Space Elevator at that base. With this, my capital alone will usually be generating more money and research than any other FACTION in the game (even when they're a huge and advanced faction), although I also have tremendously high eco-damage. However, this strategy is especially good as it is my capital, and thus very deep within my territory and never attacked by rival factions. Also, as I'm the UoP, I usually am advanced enough to have several orbital defense pods up before other factions have planet busters, so I really don't have to worry about that, either.
John Baxter posted 03-28-99 04:09 PM ET
I too build all those science projects in one city, so that in the end of a game (2350 or later)I can lower my science rate to 0% and still get new techs every two turns (possibly even more often, I play with tech stagnation). And with 60% psych and 40% energy you can get a huge population without having to worry about drone-riots.
About those PB. I've noticed that the AI always goes for my PB with his own so I build about five PB and place them in expendable bases. That way I will never get any of my SP shot to pieces.
I acctually never build any boreholes, mirrors or condensers. I always forget about them. Am I missing out on something here?
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Author	Topic: Base Specialization
Arete	posted 03-25-99 03:51 PM ET I'm fairly new to SMAC (1 week) and I was wondering about how much some of you more experienced players use base specialization. e.g. Do you build all your SP's in one base? Energy bases, production bases? What about a population base? I've dedicated a base (forests work best i think, cheap and good nutrient/mineral output)to producing colony pods. Early in the game it will help you build up a super base which can be the difference in the race for SP's. Late in the game you can push a base over the 20 population limit and load up on transcendi. Anyway, let me know wether a few excellent bases are better than many mediocre bases. Thanks!
Plato90s	posted 03-25-99 04:37 PM ET On one hand, you have a natural tendency to concentrate SPs in cities that have high production in minerals. However, the danger of Planet Busters usually leads me to try to spread out Projects a bit more. In some cases, it makes sense to concentrate despite the risks. Putting Merchant Exchange, Supercollider, and Theory of Everything into one city makes too much sense to not do it.
eNo	posted 03-25-99 05:12 PM ET I just grow. Big cities in the center of my empire build SPs. The one a little further out build infrastructure and armies. The ones on the rim build colony pods and garrison.
VulturesRow	posted 03-25-99 09:34 PM ET Plato, Try adding the space elevator and network backbone to your little SP combo you mentioned. Also longevity vaccine if you are free market. This creates quite a base. This came from the strategy guide..I tried, quite impressive actually.
Radegast2	posted 03-26-99 06:49 AM ET I have a tendancy not to specialise bases, for these major reasons. Firstly, I don't like all eggs in one basket, loss to an enemy,(or PB) of just one of these will cripple you for years to come. Secondly, the only base that you have much of chance to specialise with are your early bases, and in most cases these will develop evenly with each other by default, the tech just isn't there most of the time to build anything, let alone specialise. However, there will be bases with tendancies. Naturally, a research base will develop if I manage to get the SP's that apply to a single city, it seems right and proper to concentrate them on labs whenever possible by maximising energy and minimising minerals/nutients. Some bases will tend to be naval or air bases, simply because these come later in the game when there are many calls on a base's production demand. By default though, later in the game, bases get Aerospace Complex before Command Center (Especially if I have Nano factory(?) SP) I've never had 'super minerals' bases, although I've just discovered the borehole cluster in my latest game, so this might be an exception.
Technocrat	posted 03-28-99 11:27 AM ET I usually play as the UoP, and for my capital, I usually will have two Boreholes (I refrain from placing them anywhere else to avoid rising sea levels) for extra energy and minerals. I also surround the capital's production radius with Echelon Mirrors for even more energy. I then ALWAYS have the Merchant Exchange, the Supercollider, the Theory of Everything, and the Space Elevator at that base. With this, my capital alone will usually be generating more money and research than any other FACTION in the game (even when they're a huge and advanced faction), although I also have tremendously high eco-damage. However, this strategy is especially good as it is my capital, and thus very deep within my territory and never attacked by rival factions. Also, as I'm the UoP, I usually am advanced enough to have several orbital defense pods up before other factions have planet busters, so I really don't have to worry about that, either.
John Baxter	posted 03-28-99 04:09 PM ET I too build all those science projects in one city, so that in the end of a game (2350 or later)I can lower my science rate to 0% and still get new techs every two turns (possibly even more often, I play with tech stagnation). And with 60% psych and 40% energy you can get a huge population without having to worry about drone-riots. About those PB. I've noticed that the AI always goes for my PB with his own so I build about five PB and place them in expendable bases. That way I will never get any of my SP shot to pieces. I acctually never build any boreholes, mirrors or condensers. I always forget about them. Am I missing out on something here?