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Author Topic:   Newbie Questions

MrSerious posted 04-27-99 10:15 AM ET
Two questions.
I've played a few games so far, content to let formers run automated and governors handle production in the cities. Now that I'm starting a game where I'll be handling everything myself, how many formers should I be building? The computer had about one per city, but after a while (towards midgame), such numbers seemed excessive as there were no cities left that needed roads or improvements built.
Police: how do I set the number of them in a city, and how do I set military units to function as police?
sandworm posted 04-27-99 10:22 AM ET
I believe police units are handled automatically, if a unit in a city can act as police, it just does.
I usually build one or two formers per city early in the game. Later they move in and terraform around captured cities. When I run out of things for them to do I start putting sensors everywhere, they're great defense. Raising terrain to maximum height and building lots of solar cells is a good idea too. Pollution will tend to balance all the terrain raising later in the game anyhow.
Frank Moore posted 04-27-99 11:30 AM ET
I usually in the beginning build one former per city. Then after each city has a few improved squares, I team up formers into groups of two, which build roads to cities that I will found in the future and such. I also have them raise terrain to get more energy, build sensors, and create new land to expand into by raising squares that are adjacent to the ocean.
As far as police units go, having a military unit in a city does count as police, but it is much more efficient to make units with the non-lethal method attribute, as the police "strength" of these units is double. That is, one unit will count as 2 police units. I especially like police units on a speeder chassis, because they can zip around to a city that is having drone problems very quickly. But bear in mind that the social engineering choices of your faction dictate how effective police units can be.
ApcJK posted 04-27-99 01:20 PM ET
But does this non-lethal methods -thing mean that if you can have two units as police and you have two non-lethal polices, it still counts as four? Or is it only when you can have four polices?
Plato90s posted 04-27-99 01:30 PM ET
Non-lethal method can't increase your police powers. If your social model only allows 2 units to act as police, having 2 units with non-lethal method won't help you. It just means you only need 1 unit instead of 2.
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Author	Topic: Newbie Questions
MrSerious	posted 04-27-99 10:15 AM ET Two questions. I've played a few games so far, content to let formers run automated and governors handle production in the cities. Now that I'm starting a game where I'll be handling everything myself, how many formers should I be building? The computer had about one per city, but after a while (towards midgame), such numbers seemed excessive as there were no cities left that needed roads or improvements built. Police: how do I set the number of them in a city, and how do I set military units to function as police?
sandworm	posted 04-27-99 10:22 AM ET I believe police units are handled automatically, if a unit in a city can act as police, it just does. I usually build one or two formers per city early in the game. Later they move in and terraform around captured cities. When I run out of things for them to do I start putting sensors everywhere, they're great defense. Raising terrain to maximum height and building lots of solar cells is a good idea too. Pollution will tend to balance all the terrain raising later in the game anyhow.
Frank Moore	posted 04-27-99 11:30 AM ET I usually in the beginning build one former per city. Then after each city has a few improved squares, I team up formers into groups of two, which build roads to cities that I will found in the future and such. I also have them raise terrain to get more energy, build sensors, and create new land to expand into by raising squares that are adjacent to the ocean. As far as police units go, having a military unit in a city does count as police, but it is much more efficient to make units with the non-lethal method attribute, as the police "strength" of these units is double. That is, one unit will count as 2 police units. I especially like police units on a speeder chassis, because they can zip around to a city that is having drone problems very quickly. But bear in mind that the social engineering choices of your faction dictate how effective police units can be.
ApcJK	posted 04-27-99 01:20 PM ET But does this non-lethal methods -thing mean that if you can have two units as police and you have two non-lethal polices, it still counts as four? Or is it only when you can have four polices?
Plato90s	posted 04-27-99 01:30 PM ET Non-lethal method can't increase your police powers. If your social model only allows 2 units to act as police, having 2 units with non-lethal method won't help you. It just means you only need 1 unit instead of 2.