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Author Topic:   What's your macro strat?

DrPhibes posted 06-06-99 11:34 AM ET
I see a lot of messages about micromanagement but few about macro strats.
I know a lot depends on situation but there are a few general things i usually aim at:
1. Subdue nearest neighbour -- get an ally early and you can keep them teched up and fighting your war for you
2. Focus on economy -- avoid war unless strategically vital
3. Play the factions off against each other -- forget the negative integrity rating, later in the game there won't be any friends around and the game should be won
4. Keep eco-damage to 0 -- it's annoying having to rebuild stuff because i was too lazy to build a centauri preserve
5. Keep drones to zero -- i hate having to divert my attention from more important business. I prefer to set psych to 10-20% and suffer a research hit, rather than having to manipulate the workers every turn
6. Don't play after 2am because my wife gives me a hard time.
How about you?

HolyWarrior posted 06-07-99 03:17 AM ET
Unlike the AI, who seems to pick a fight at the drop of a hat, don't pick a fight with more than one enemy at a time. Learn something from Napoleon and Hitler, people.
Grow as fast as you can while you are isolated. Secure as much territory as possible.
If you are the only one with all the frequencies, don't call the council unless you are sure you can get the governorship.
Crank out X units and get the charter repealed. Or wait for sunspots.
NoMercy posted 06-07-99 05:37 PM ET
My general strategy (Up to Talent, Most factions)
1. WP is a must.
2. Expand, Expand, Expand
3. Build one borehole per city (outside of radius)
4. Then forests everywhere, leveling rocky areas
5. Build an echelon mirror/solar collector park
(15-20 Echelon Mirrors & 15-20 Solar Collectors)
6. Supply crawlers, supply crawlers, supply crawlers
7. Wait for Tree Farm, Hybrid Forest, Cloning Vats
Game over!
General tactics
- You can't have too many formers!
- A few should be automating sensors, a few automating
roads and a few fungus removal (I'm lazy)
- Sometimes it's worth boosting Psych for a mini Golden Age/
pop boom (depends on faction and SE choices
- Nerve Gas. Only started using it recently!
Try it and see
- Handle drones with specialists
K posted 06-07-99 09:24 PM ET
Don't fight to conquer, fight to kill. Destroy enhancements before attacking a base, like mines, then forests, then farms or collecters. Planes are great for this.
Use nerve gas EXCESSIVELY to destroy bases. X-choppers(called Crop Dusters) are best for the total empire sweep.(keep a Locust of Chiron with the pack to take bases for repair spots.) It's a fast and utterly destructive form of warfare. A few thousand years of sanctions can be the difference ebtween wrold conquest and a losing battle.
Haven't tried gene warfare, but it sounds good, too.
Do this because:
1. A 50+ city empire is nice but a real bitch when you need to concentrate forces(this problem is eleminated by orbital drops, however).
2. Effeciency is also a real killer in a big empire.
3. Reputation only counts if you plan to make submissive pact Brothers in the early game.
4. The best enemy is a broken one that still researchs tech to extort, and earns money to steal.
Series II posted 06-08-99 08:38 AM ET
I use the same strategy most games:
1) find a good mineral producing ares
2) make a cith there
3) teraform several squares
4) get Weather paradigm
5) drill 2 boreholes at the mineral city
6) store alien artifacts in the mineral city
7) drill 2 boreholes a second city
8) build 90% of the secret project
Deal with wars when necessary. COncentrate on defensive tech (since I have Citizen Defense Force)
warmachine posted 06-09-99 08:07 AM ET
1. Aim for high productivity but watching for ecodamage. Forests and farms.
2. Keep population contentment with facilities, not psych.
3. Cities should have either a Command Centre, Naval Yard or Aerospace Complex. This produces well equipped, high morale troops when a war starts.
4. Build a good road network.
5. Maintain a combination of units for combined warfare.
6. Use speeders to attrite enemy units in the field then concentrate on taking one city at a time. That gets them squirming.
7. Become Planatary Governer, stop attempts to drown the world or recover Unity core.

Matthew Greet
Series II posted 06-09-99 08:28 AM ET
I have to add to mine:
1) make a good interstate system
2) never put anything in phych
3) get planatary govenor
Rackam posted 06-09-99 09:37 AM ET
I have some too.
1) Build 30+ bases in the first 100 turns, it doesn't matter where since I use hybrid forest in mid-late game.
2) Build 2-3 formers per base.
3) Put a network node in each base.
4) Build 6-7 sea transports and go pod hunting.
5) Take Governer out the back and shoot him.
~Rackam
ICS bites.
Sector7G posted 06-14-99 05:16 PM ET
Umm, I dont have one yet but I dont want to see this thread die.(some very usefull info here) Thanks.
korn469 posted 06-15-99 01:37 AM ET
1. make as many factions surrender as possible
2.become govenor
3.repeal charter
4.build as many satelites as you can
5.eliminate everyone else
Resource Consumer posted 06-15-99 06:39 AM ET
Elbow Room. I usually play as Morgan and, consequently, like to build. This means that on maps of standard size and below, I usually have to pick a fight early on or end up in the sea.
Keep everyone happy. There are many demands made so don't have much spare cash - invest it in the bases. Unless you want a war for the reason above then there's little reason to get into one - all the others are very corruptible. Points of priciple only emerge in mid to late game where tech advances allow the factions to be more distinct.
Use formers widely. I'm lazy and automate but realise I could often do better by being more hands on.
Wait until you get the chopper tech and then dust off the opposition.
sandworm posted 06-15-99 09:12 AM ET
Your wife lets you stay up till 2???

Supply crawlers, lots of them, hauling energy from boreholes or solar fields built on the fringes of your empire (outside of city radii). Use them to speed projects when necessary or switch them to mineral hauling for the same purpose.
Aerospace complexes and energy satellites - lots of energy satellites
Be aggressive early, don't stop.
I don't recommend concentrating on armor techs - offense rules this game completely The best weapon-1-2 rover/chariot rush hasn't failed me yet against the AI.
Don't let any submissive pact mates outsize you - they WILL turn on you - buy some of their new size 1 bases as soon as they're built to keep them small, supply them with units if they're under heavy attack, let them skirmish with the others all they want as long as neither side has the upper hand.
M_ashwell posted 06-15-99 10:49 AM ET
the city goveners arnt totally useless
what u do is open the govenor settings
turn off EVERYTHING exept base facilitys
wait 100 turns and one big base!!!
if u need an army then take the most productive bases and make big F*** off units with them burn every thing if an enemy is about to take one of their bases back then BURN IT (that'll piss em off)
sod santions
x-choppers
x-artillary
x-troops
x-colony transports
well mabey not the last one!!!
just kill
even on trancent it is easy to butn them all
if the going gets tough use a couple of p.busters so they all declare war on u it happens anyway (will to me at least)
Igor posted 06-15-99 08:23 PM ET
1. Expand, expand, expand, expand. If new base = 4 drones, stop. Go to Green when it possible.
2. Offence. Rovers=>Planes=>Elite Infantry/Choppers.
3. Never give anything if someone demand it. Just kill .
4. Never stop war if it is easy to fight (I mean near your borders) and enemy doesn't want surrender.
5. Don't worry if you is at war with everyone else. You are doing right
6. Trade, steal, demand techs. If they dont want share, fight them. Even your Pact brothers/sisters.
7. Don't worry about fast growth on standart and below maps => drones => base facilities => less troops => later victory.
8. Build Command Nexus or/and Human Genome, nothing more (if play on tiny-standart map).
9. One defender, pod, pod, pod...pod, 1-2 formers (just build roads), Tank, Command Center and Rec Com, rovers, rovers, rovers....rovers. More only on Huge-Large map.
10. If some faction ready to surrender, accept it => faster end.
11. Read Darkstar posts
12. Simple units are cheaper than X
13. Hurry production if you have money.
P.S. Resource Consumer, try Morgan on tiny map wit Police/Green combo, blind research is off. Or Fundy/Green/Power, when you get it.
DrPhibes posted 06-17-99 11:13 AM ET
Interesting strategies.
I have two questions, which maybe have no definite answers:
a) is it better to build base facilities like network node, research hospital, fusion lab, energy bank, etc -- which consume resources, or not build them and save the money to speed your research?
b) is it better to assign a crawler to speed an SP or disband it in the base for the minerals?
Thanks for all the posts
and Sandworm -- very rarley!
Drago Sinio posted 06-17-99 12:11 PM ET
Yes, I think it is worth it to build base facilities, they seem to speed research, not slow it down. And on Military strategy, at whatever level, what I do is build mostly infantry units with no armor + strongest weapon and nerve gas ability. I also build a lot of garrison units with just strong armor and nothing else. This way you can build an invasion force of about a dozen nerve gas infantry units and 6 string defensive units plus a scout rover or two to destroy sensor arrays and locate targets. I first take any citys with an SP, then completely destroy any other cities. The defensive units will absorb any counter attacks leaving your infantry nerve gas units undamaged to take or destroy the base. Of course you get lots of sanctions for doing this, but it does seem to lessen the chance of any of the other factions to pick a fight with you. And you save resources two ways, you dont have to build any expensive units with fancy special abilities, and you dont have to build too many SP's, since you can simply take them from whoever does build them. I do build the Command Nexus, and the Naval thing though, for the free repair centers and morale upgrades. They are the best values in te game, IMO. The only thing I ever build with Armor and special abilities are my transports and naval units, to protect my invasion force. The key thing is to keep all your units stacked in the same square so that the armored defense units protect the unarmored infantry. Its very slow, but totally unstopable. And I forget to mention that when air units are involved I use cheap ones only to cover and scout.
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Author	Topic: What's your macro strat?
DrPhibes	posted 06-06-99 11:34 AM ET I see a lot of messages about micromanagement but few about macro strats. I know a lot depends on situation but there are a few general things i usually aim at: 1. Subdue nearest neighbour -- get an ally early and you can keep them teched up and fighting your war for you 2. Focus on economy -- avoid war unless strategically vital 3. Play the factions off against each other -- forget the negative integrity rating, later in the game there won't be any friends around and the game should be won 4. Keep eco-damage to 0 -- it's annoying having to rebuild stuff because i was too lazy to build a centauri preserve 5. Keep drones to zero -- i hate having to divert my attention from more important business. I prefer to set psych to 10-20% and suffer a research hit, rather than having to manipulate the workers every turn 6. Don't play after 2am because my wife gives me a hard time. How about you?
HolyWarrior	posted 06-07-99 03:17 AM ET Unlike the AI, who seems to pick a fight at the drop of a hat, don't pick a fight with more than one enemy at a time. Learn something from Napoleon and Hitler, people. Grow as fast as you can while you are isolated. Secure as much territory as possible. If you are the only one with all the frequencies, don't call the council unless you are sure you can get the governorship. Crank out X units and get the charter repealed. Or wait for sunspots.
NoMercy	posted 06-07-99 05:37 PM ET My general strategy (Up to Talent, Most factions) 1. WP is a must. 2. Expand, Expand, Expand 3. Build one borehole per city (outside of radius) 4. Then forests everywhere, leveling rocky areas 5. Build an echelon mirror/solar collector park (15-20 Echelon Mirrors & 15-20 Solar Collectors) 6. Supply crawlers, supply crawlers, supply crawlers 7. Wait for Tree Farm, Hybrid Forest, Cloning Vats Game over! General tactics - You can't have too many formers! - A few should be automating sensors, a few automating roads and a few fungus removal (I'm lazy) - Sometimes it's worth boosting Psych for a mini Golden Age/ pop boom (depends on faction and SE choices - Nerve Gas. Only started using it recently! Try it and see - Handle drones with specialists
K	posted 06-07-99 09:24 PM ET Don't fight to conquer, fight to kill. Destroy enhancements before attacking a base, like mines, then forests, then farms or collecters. Planes are great for this. Use nerve gas EXCESSIVELY to destroy bases. X-choppers(called Crop Dusters) are best for the total empire sweep.(keep a Locust of Chiron with the pack to take bases for repair spots.) It's a fast and utterly destructive form of warfare. A few thousand years of sanctions can be the difference ebtween wrold conquest and a losing battle. Haven't tried gene warfare, but it sounds good, too. Do this because: 1. A 50+ city empire is nice but a real bitch when you need to concentrate forces(this problem is eleminated by orbital drops, however). 2. Effeciency is also a real killer in a big empire. 3. Reputation only counts if you plan to make submissive pact Brothers in the early game. 4. The best enemy is a broken one that still researchs tech to extort, and earns money to steal.
Series II	posted 06-08-99 08:38 AM ET I use the same strategy most games: 1) find a good mineral producing ares 2) make a cith there 3) teraform several squares 4) get Weather paradigm 5) drill 2 boreholes at the mineral city 6) store alien artifacts in the mineral city 7) drill 2 boreholes a second city 8) build 90% of the secret project Deal with wars when necessary. COncentrate on defensive tech (since I have Citizen Defense Force)
warmachine	posted 06-09-99 08:07 AM ET 1. Aim for high productivity but watching for ecodamage. Forests and farms. 2. Keep population contentment with facilities, not psych. 3. Cities should have either a Command Centre, Naval Yard or Aerospace Complex. This produces well equipped, high morale troops when a war starts. 4. Build a good road network. 5. Maintain a combination of units for combined warfare. 6. Use speeders to attrite enemy units in the field then concentrate on taking one city at a time. That gets them squirming. 7. Become Planatary Governer, stop attempts to drown the world or recover Unity core. Matthew Greet
Series II	posted 06-09-99 08:28 AM ET I have to add to mine: 1) make a good interstate system 2) never put anything in phych 3) get planatary govenor
Rackam	posted 06-09-99 09:37 AM ET I have some too. 1) Build 30+ bases in the first 100 turns, it doesn't matter where since I use hybrid forest in mid-late game. 2) Build 2-3 formers per base. 3) Put a network node in each base. 4) Build 6-7 sea transports and go pod hunting. 5) Take Governer out the back and shoot him. ~Rackam ICS bites.
Sector7G	posted 06-14-99 05:16 PM ET Umm, I dont have one yet but I dont want to see this thread die.(some very usefull info here) Thanks.
korn469	posted 06-15-99 01:37 AM ET 1. make as many factions surrender as possible 2.become govenor 3.repeal charter 4.build as many satelites as you can 5.eliminate everyone else
Resource Consumer	posted 06-15-99 06:39 AM ET Elbow Room. I usually play as Morgan and, consequently, like to build. This means that on maps of standard size and below, I usually have to pick a fight early on or end up in the sea. Keep everyone happy. There are many demands made so don't have much spare cash - invest it in the bases. Unless you want a war for the reason above then there's little reason to get into one - all the others are very corruptible. Points of priciple only emerge in mid to late game where tech advances allow the factions to be more distinct. Use formers widely. I'm lazy and automate but realise I could often do better by being more hands on. Wait until you get the chopper tech and then dust off the opposition.
sandworm	posted 06-15-99 09:12 AM ET Your wife lets you stay up till 2??? Supply crawlers, lots of them, hauling energy from boreholes or solar fields built on the fringes of your empire (outside of city radii). Use them to speed projects when necessary or switch them to mineral hauling for the same purpose. Aerospace complexes and energy satellites - lots of energy satellites Be aggressive early, don't stop. I don't recommend concentrating on armor techs - offense rules this game completely The best weapon-1-2 rover/chariot rush hasn't failed me yet against the AI. Don't let any submissive pact mates outsize you - they WILL turn on you - buy some of their new size 1 bases as soon as they're built to keep them small, supply them with units if they're under heavy attack, let them skirmish with the others all they want as long as neither side has the upper hand.
M_ashwell	posted 06-15-99 10:49 AM ET the city goveners arnt totally useless what u do is open the govenor settings turn off EVERYTHING exept base facilitys wait 100 turns and one big base!!! if u need an army then take the most productive bases and make big F*** off units with them burn every thing if an enemy is about to take one of their bases back then BURN IT (that'll piss em off) sod santions x-choppers x-artillary x-troops x-colony transports well mabey not the last one!!! just kill even on trancent it is easy to butn them all if the going gets tough use a couple of p.busters so they all declare war on u it happens anyway (will to me at least)
Igor	posted 06-15-99 08:23 PM ET 1. Expand, expand, expand, expand. If new base = 4 drones, stop. Go to Green when it possible. 2. Offence. Rovers=>Planes=>Elite Infantry/Choppers. 3. Never give anything if someone demand it. Just kill . 4. Never stop war if it is easy to fight (I mean near your borders) and enemy doesn't want surrender. 5. Don't worry if you is at war with everyone else. You are doing right 6. Trade, steal, demand techs. If they dont want share, fight them. Even your Pact brothers/sisters. 7. Don't worry about fast growth on standart and below maps => drones => base facilities => less troops => later victory. 8. Build Command Nexus or/and Human Genome, nothing more (if play on tiny-standart map). 9. One defender, pod, pod, pod...pod, 1-2 formers (just build roads), Tank, Command Center and Rec Com, rovers, rovers, rovers....rovers. More only on Huge-Large map. 10. If some faction ready to surrender, accept it => faster end. 11. Read Darkstar posts 12. Simple units are cheaper than X 13. Hurry production if you have money. P.S. Resource Consumer, try Morgan on tiny map wit Police/Green combo, blind research is off. Or Fundy/Green/Power, when you get it.
DrPhibes	posted 06-17-99 11:13 AM ET Interesting strategies. I have two questions, which maybe have no definite answers: a) is it better to build base facilities like network node, research hospital, fusion lab, energy bank, etc -- which consume resources, or not build them and save the money to speed your research? b) is it better to assign a crawler to speed an SP or disband it in the base for the minerals? Thanks for all the posts and Sandworm -- very rarley!
Drago Sinio	posted 06-17-99 12:11 PM ET Yes, I think it is worth it to build base facilities, they seem to speed research, not slow it down. And on Military strategy, at whatever level, what I do is build mostly infantry units with no armor + strongest weapon and nerve gas ability. I also build a lot of garrison units with just strong armor and nothing else. This way you can build an invasion force of about a dozen nerve gas infantry units and 6 string defensive units plus a scout rover or two to destroy sensor arrays and locate targets. I first take any citys with an SP, then completely destroy any other cities. The defensive units will absorb any counter attacks leaving your infantry nerve gas units undamaged to take or destroy the base. Of course you get lots of sanctions for doing this, but it does seem to lessen the chance of any of the other factions to pick a fight with you. And you save resources two ways, you dont have to build any expensive units with fancy special abilities, and you dont have to build too many SP's, since you can simply take them from whoever does build them. I do build the Command Nexus, and the Naval thing though, for the free repair centers and morale upgrades. They are the best values in te game, IMO. The only thing I ever build with Armor and special abilities are my transports and naval units, to protect my invasion force. The key thing is to keep all your units stacked in the same square so that the armored defense units protect the unarmored infantry. Its very slow, but totally unstopable. And I forget to mention that when air units are involved I use cheap ones only to cover and scout.