Can you transcend on transcendence difficulty?

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Author Topic:   Can you transcend on transcendence difficulty?

Quikness posted 04-01-99 06:49 PM ET
Has anyone been able to transcend on highest difficulty???
I personally like to play on tiny maps so micromanagement is down, but does research depend on the size of the planet?
Transcend difficulty seems impossible to beat it with tech since 100 years are taken off time allowed, thus making it a HUGE rush for it.
Koshko posted 04-01-99 11:46 PM ET
If you want any shot at all, you'll have to play on a huge map and grow fast. I haven't tried it, but I've made Transendence on Talent Level around 2365. So, I guess its possible. I'll try sometime (using University for Tech or Gaian for Effeciency).
PaganCYC posted 04-03-99 02:48 PM ET
I did in in 2371 on the huge map of Planet, playing as the Hive. It could have been quicker, but winning by transcendence wasn't my goal from the start.
Dutch Boy posted 04-08-99 10:36 AM ET
No problem, I've done it on tech stagnation, huge map, transcend difficulty playing as the believers, just keep U of P around (or Morgan later on) because the AI cheats like hell, they get techs every three or four turns, just make sure that you have plenty of elite probe teams and there should be no problems at all.
Where can I get some multiplayer opponents ??? this is too easy!!!
Bossman posted 04-08-99 10:43 AM ET
It is possible but you have to have Luck all the way through the game. It has to happen perfectly otherewise, BOOM there goes your chance of winning. The easiest way of winning on Transcend is either Economic victory (Which is still extremely difficult).
My advice, Even if you are an amazing player (Like me) doent play on transcend unless you are planning on playing for more than 30 minutes to 40minutes a turn to make sure everything is perfect. (Mid Game) Librarian is the best level of play because everyone is equal. Whats fair must be fair hey.
micje posted 04-09-99 06:24 AM ET
It's not that hard, actually. transcendance is the easiest victory, because the AI will never make a serious attempt to get the AoT.
And you don't need a zillion cities either. As the Spartans, I had a slow start. I was 4th in 2250, allied to the gaians (same continent, just above me) and PK (somewhat smaller), at war with Miriam (about 30 cities) and the Hive(on huge continent in the north, 49 cities). I was behind in tech. Morgan & UoP have been wiped out.
At that point, something begins to go seriously wrong with the AI. Result: PK wiped out by Believers and Hive, Believers wiped out by me, and Hive doesn't do anything except wasting needlejets until I've build transcendancy. Boring. But not difficult.
HolyWarrior posted 04-10-99 01:23 AM ET
How do you get the Ascent to Transcendence project to come up, anyway?
I'm playing the University with a zillion cities and discovering 2 post-transcendent techs/turn. Do I need to have a certain percentage of my population be transcendants before I can start? This info is not in the manual, where is it?
Plato90s posted 04-10-99 01:32 AM ET
I don't know, with Ver 3.0, as soon as the Voice of Planet SP is built, every AI faction started building the Ascent to Transcendence SP. In fact, when you are about to complete the AoT, every faction will come after you with everything they have.
I remember one game as Gaians on Trascend level where I built the AoT. When I neared completion, 3 factions rained down 9 PBs on Gaia's Faction in a single year. Fortunately, I had 11 Orbital Defense Pods up so I only had to sacrifice 2 of them. But it could have been ugly had I been complacent and built only 5 or 6.
dbrodale posted 04-10-99 09:18 AM ET
Transcendence on Transcend difficulty is not *that* hard, but [in agreement with Bossman?] it really is not the easiest way to win the game - I prefer diplomatic vic / supreme leader, as I can usu. pull the victory out with 125+ years left until mandatory retirement.
As Bossman hints, the real "trick" is to be certain you are always maximizing production and checking to see when hurrying costs outweigh waiting for regular production schedules. Turns take forever, and after transcending on transcend a few times, I stopped reaching for it - I have simply lost patience with the end-game crawl in SMAC. <g>
The AI does seem to "cheat" its way into new techs when I turn my back, as well - the infiltrator reports say 29 years to the next advance for each of your competitors [on avg.] and then three years later, they roll out a new tech ... c'mon! Random research breakthroughs, I guess.
The relationship between map size and research rates only exists for the following two cases: (a) present map size severely restricts the placement of additional bases; or (b) you depend on unity pods for alien artifacts and/or data pods - larger map equals more "freebie" research, of course.
Even with tech stagnation, *no* unity pod spread, and no tech steal from conquest [my preferred set-up] transcend on transcend is easily attainable as long as you don't go all-out conquest and forget to keep churning out the new bases and/or building up the ones you already have.
Apart from checking for maximal production all the time, I'd also suggest using supply rovers/crawlers/foils as often as permissible to "suck" in all the resource tiles unworked by your populations ... in mid/late game, production bases churn these babies out once each turn [when you can't think of anything else to produce] - representing an incredible opportunity to enhance production without having to wait for population growth [hab domes come *way too late* for my taste].
Just my thoughts,
d.brodale
trippin daily posted 04-10-99 10:17 AM ET
I hate working on saturdays.. and i am now... well not exactly but of course the ai will more than likely have to cheat on the highest difficulty levels.. it is the only real way for firaxis to challenge us at those levels.. it would be incredibly time consuming a.k.a. expensive to make an ai with doesn't cheat at all and still provide the player with sufficient challenge. I don't know if the AI cheats r not, it probably does, and that doesn't bother me, because that is the only way that they could make the game challenging at that level. If you don't want the ai to cheat, lower the dif. level. And if it doesn't cheat... maybe sid and brian have learned more about AI than we thought was possible after the predicctablility of that previous ai. And yes u can transcend on transcend level.. just like the above post said.. have PLENTY of defense platforms ready... and try to have two cities building the transcend whatchmacallit
DreamWave posted 04-10-99 06:28 PM ET
Currently I'm playing with transcendence difficulty and it really goes well... my idea is to get as much technology from the others as you can... I made a pact with the University and always kept asking for tech... and then they gave me the freqs for other factions. I traded the tech I got from University with the Spartans, and after that I was the #1 in tech. Actually, because I moved quickly in the start (standard rules) I was #1 in everything expect for wealth.
And it's just 2210.
Right in the start I captured one mindworm boil (I play with Gaians) and started exploring. I got believers on the same continent, so I wanted to remove the threat and killed most of them until they surrendered. Then I wanted to get the tech from the University I promised that I would help wiping out the Peacekeepers. And here I am. I've already captured 3 Peacekeeper bases... REMEMBER to build a probe team first...
K posted 04-13-99 06:36 AM ET
I don't know about the time limits on transcend, but if you want easy tech on Transecend difficulty, then here is the trick.
NEVER TRADE YOUR TECH.
Buy tech from Factions you don't border.
The Factions you do border, in the early agem you must beat them into submission until they surrender , and then they will hand you ALL their tech, and any future tech they get. Don't screw with surrendered Factions, or they may make a play at you.
Use this tactic until you get Hunter Seeker and have broken the power of all the other Factions, then go All research.
Oh, and definately do a few production bases when you get supply stuff. And do it on a small continent FAR way from a possible air strike, or your'll get wiped out.
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Author	Topic: Can you transcend on transcendence difficulty?
Quikness	posted 04-01-99 06:49 PM ET Has anyone been able to transcend on highest difficulty??? I personally like to play on tiny maps so micromanagement is down, but does research depend on the size of the planet? Transcend difficulty seems impossible to beat it with tech since 100 years are taken off time allowed, thus making it a HUGE rush for it.
Koshko	posted 04-01-99 11:46 PM ET If you want any shot at all, you'll have to play on a huge map and grow fast. I haven't tried it, but I've made Transendence on Talent Level around 2365. So, I guess its possible. I'll try sometime (using University for Tech or Gaian for Effeciency).
PaganCYC	posted 04-03-99 02:48 PM ET I did in in 2371 on the huge map of Planet, playing as the Hive. It could have been quicker, but winning by transcendence wasn't my goal from the start.
Dutch Boy	posted 04-08-99 10:36 AM ET No problem, I've done it on tech stagnation, huge map, transcend difficulty playing as the believers, just keep U of P around (or Morgan later on) because the AI cheats like hell, they get techs every three or four turns, just make sure that you have plenty of elite probe teams and there should be no problems at all. Where can I get some multiplayer opponents ??? this is too easy!!!
Bossman	posted 04-08-99 10:43 AM ET It is possible but you have to have Luck all the way through the game. It has to happen perfectly otherewise, BOOM there goes your chance of winning. The easiest way of winning on Transcend is either Economic victory (Which is still extremely difficult). My advice, Even if you are an amazing player (Like me) doent play on transcend unless you are planning on playing for more than 30 minutes to 40minutes a turn to make sure everything is perfect. (Mid Game) Librarian is the best level of play because everyone is equal. Whats fair must be fair hey.
micje	posted 04-09-99 06:24 AM ET It's not that hard, actually. transcendance is the easiest victory, because the AI will never make a serious attempt to get the AoT. And you don't need a zillion cities either. As the Spartans, I had a slow start. I was 4th in 2250, allied to the gaians (same continent, just above me) and PK (somewhat smaller), at war with Miriam (about 30 cities) and the Hive(on huge continent in the north, 49 cities). I was behind in tech. Morgan & UoP have been wiped out. At that point, something begins to go seriously wrong with the AI. Result: PK wiped out by Believers and Hive, Believers wiped out by me, and Hive doesn't do anything except wasting needlejets until I've build transcendancy. Boring. But not difficult.
HolyWarrior	posted 04-10-99 01:23 AM ET How do you get the Ascent to Transcendence project to come up, anyway? I'm playing the University with a zillion cities and discovering 2 post-transcendent techs/turn. Do I need to have a certain percentage of my population be transcendants before I can start? This info is not in the manual, where is it?
Plato90s	posted 04-10-99 01:32 AM ET I don't know, with Ver 3.0, as soon as the Voice of Planet SP is built, every AI faction started building the Ascent to Transcendence SP. In fact, when you are about to complete the AoT, every faction will come after you with everything they have. I remember one game as Gaians on Trascend level where I built the AoT. When I neared completion, 3 factions rained down 9 PBs on Gaia's Faction in a single year. Fortunately, I had 11 Orbital Defense Pods up so I only had to sacrifice 2 of them. But it could have been ugly had I been complacent and built only 5 or 6.
dbrodale	posted 04-10-99 09:18 AM ET Transcendence on Transcend difficulty is not that hard, but [in agreement with Bossman?] it really is not the easiest way to win the game - I prefer diplomatic vic / supreme leader, as I can usu. pull the victory out with 125+ years left until mandatory retirement. As Bossman hints, the real "trick" is to be certain you are always maximizing production and checking to see when hurrying costs outweigh waiting for regular production schedules. Turns take forever, and after transcending on transcend a few times, I stopped reaching for it - I have simply lost patience with the end-game crawl in SMAC. <g> The AI does seem to "cheat" its way into new techs when I turn my back, as well - the infiltrator reports say 29 years to the next advance for each of your competitors [on avg.] and then three years later, they roll out a new tech ... c'mon! Random research breakthroughs, I guess. The relationship between map size and research rates only exists for the following two cases: (a) present map size severely restricts the placement of additional bases; or (b) you depend on unity pods for alien artifacts and/or data pods - larger map equals more "freebie" research, of course. Even with tech stagnation, no unity pod spread, and no tech steal from conquest [my preferred set-up] transcend on transcend is easily attainable as long as you don't go all-out conquest and forget to keep churning out the new bases and/or building up the ones you already have. Apart from checking for maximal production all the time, I'd also suggest using supply rovers/crawlers/foils as often as permissible to "suck" in all the resource tiles unworked by your populations ... in mid/late game, production bases churn these babies out once each turn [when you can't think of anything else to produce] - representing an incredible opportunity to enhance production without having to wait for population growth [hab domes come way too late for my taste]. Just my thoughts, d.brodale
trippin daily	posted 04-10-99 10:17 AM ET I hate working on saturdays.. and i am now... well not exactly but of course the ai will more than likely have to cheat on the highest difficulty levels.. it is the only real way for firaxis to challenge us at those levels.. it would be incredibly time consuming a.k.a. expensive to make an ai with doesn't cheat at all and still provide the player with sufficient challenge. I don't know if the AI cheats r not, it probably does, and that doesn't bother me, because that is the only way that they could make the game challenging at that level. If you don't want the ai to cheat, lower the dif. level. And if it doesn't cheat... maybe sid and brian have learned more about AI than we thought was possible after the predicctablility of that previous ai. And yes u can transcend on transcend level.. just like the above post said.. have PLENTY of defense platforms ready... and try to have two cities building the transcend whatchmacallit
DreamWave	posted 04-10-99 06:28 PM ET Currently I'm playing with transcendence difficulty and it really goes well... my idea is to get as much technology from the others as you can... I made a pact with the University and always kept asking for tech... and then they gave me the freqs for other factions. I traded the tech I got from University with the Spartans, and after that I was the #1 in tech. Actually, because I moved quickly in the start (standard rules) I was #1 in everything expect for wealth. And it's just 2210. Right in the start I captured one mindworm boil (I play with Gaians) and started exploring. I got believers on the same continent, so I wanted to remove the threat and killed most of them until they surrendered. Then I wanted to get the tech from the University I promised that I would help wiping out the Peacekeepers. And here I am. I've already captured 3 Peacekeeper bases... REMEMBER to build a probe team first...
K	posted 04-13-99 06:36 AM ET I don't know about the time limits on transcend, but if you want easy tech on Transecend difficulty, then here is the trick. NEVER TRADE YOUR TECH. Buy tech from Factions you don't border. The Factions you do border, in the early agem you must beat them into submission until they surrender , and then they will hand you ALL their tech, and any future tech they get. Don't screw with surrendered Factions, or they may make a play at you. Use this tactic until you get Hunter Seeker and have broken the power of all the other Factions, then go All research. Oh, and definately do a few production bases when you get supply stuff. And do it on a small continent FAR way from a possible air strike, or your'll get wiped out.