Which Faction is the Absolute Best? - Alpha Centauri Forums

  Alpha Centauri Forums
  Strategies and Tactics
  Which Faction is the Absolute Best?

profile | register | prefs | faq | search

Author Topic:   Which Faction is the Absolute Best?

The New Guy posted 04-30-99 04:05 PM ET
As you can tell from my name, I'm new to this Forum, and new to SMAC. I have purchased the game, but I hven't played it yet 'cause my new computer hasn't arrived yet. Anyways, I've done a lot of research, and I'm still not sure, so, by your opinion, which Faction is the absolute best to play as, and why?
Smeagol posted 04-30-99 04:38 PM ET
If you are new to the game, and plan to play on the lower difficulty levels at first, then the university is an excellent choice. The additional drones you get with them isn't a problem until you get to the higher difficulty levels, and their bonus to research will help quite a bit when you are just learning the game.
I also think the hive are a good beginner's choice, because it is usually pretty obvious to use police/planned with them and power during wartime which allows you to support a large army early on and will give you enhanced population growth. But there are many other ways to grow and if you read all of the discussions we've had on strategies in these forums you will learn how to play pretty much every faction well.
So I suggest the university, but whatever faction you choose remember to focus on growth early on-- expand and keep expanding throughout the game. Like I said, there are just so many different strategies to consider and if you sift through these forums you will find most of them.
Enjoy!
Smeagol posted 04-30-99 04:42 PM ET
Oh, and if you look over in the "factions" forum, you should find several threads on "Best Factions"-- there should be a number of them and you should probably look at the older ones first. The newer ones in general contain more advanced strategies but you should be able to understand most of it if you get the basics of the game. So look at threads back to 30 days ago or so and you should get to the much older threads-- I'm not sure exactly how far back you have to go to get to the initial ones.
Wolf Dreamer posted 05-01-99 07:42 PM ET
In my opinion, the gaians are the best. You can capture mind worms and use them to crush the opposition, which doesn't have defense against mind attacks early in the game. Mind worms also move quickly through the fungus. I always try to get a colony pod to the monolith area as soon as possible, and place a base in its center. Plenty of mind worms around, and the monoliths automatically heal any injured units. If you can't capture the mind worms, you can kill them for some quick energy. I find a police state, with green economics, works really well for me. I beat the hardest level of the game with a score of 103% while playing the Gaians. Always remember to kill off your neighbors early on, since as soon as they run out of building space, they will try to expand into your territory and attack.
Natguy posted 05-01-99 10:05 PM ET
Hi. I think most people will agree with me when I say that perhaps there is no "best" faction. For me it's the UoP or the Hive...for Joe over there (Joe says hi) It's the Spartans. it's based on your own personal preferences, midset and tactics. I could dominate the game with the UoP and play as the Morganites using the same tactics and die a horrible death. I think we're going into these debates thinking along the lines of the strategy that works with our personal favorite, argueing that the others are worse because that tactic doesn't work with the other tactics. I think that the factions are ALL winnable (else why would FIRAXIS put them there?), just some are easier with different strategies. For example, if you're really good at economic victories and decide for a change and play as the Spartans using the same strategy, you'll fail. this does not mean the Spartans are bad. Just different.
To close this thread, click here (moderator or admin only).


Hop to:

Contact Us | Alpha Centauri Home

Powered by: Ultimate Bulletin Board, Version 5.18
© Madrona Park, Inc., 1998.

Author	Topic: Which Faction is the Absolute Best?
The New Guy	posted 04-30-99 04:05 PM ET As you can tell from my name, I'm new to this Forum, and new to SMAC. I have purchased the game, but I hven't played it yet 'cause my new computer hasn't arrived yet. Anyways, I've done a lot of research, and I'm still not sure, so, by your opinion, which Faction is the absolute best to play as, and why?
Smeagol	posted 04-30-99 04:38 PM ET If you are new to the game, and plan to play on the lower difficulty levels at first, then the university is an excellent choice. The additional drones you get with them isn't a problem until you get to the higher difficulty levels, and their bonus to research will help quite a bit when you are just learning the game. I also think the hive are a good beginner's choice, because it is usually pretty obvious to use police/planned with them and power during wartime which allows you to support a large army early on and will give you enhanced population growth. But there are many other ways to grow and if you read all of the discussions we've had on strategies in these forums you will learn how to play pretty much every faction well. So I suggest the university, but whatever faction you choose remember to focus on growth early on-- expand and keep expanding throughout the game. Like I said, there are just so many different strategies to consider and if you sift through these forums you will find most of them. Enjoy!
Smeagol	posted 04-30-99 04:42 PM ET Oh, and if you look over in the "factions" forum, you should find several threads on "Best Factions"-- there should be a number of them and you should probably look at the older ones first. The newer ones in general contain more advanced strategies but you should be able to understand most of it if you get the basics of the game. So look at threads back to 30 days ago or so and you should get to the much older threads-- I'm not sure exactly how far back you have to go to get to the initial ones.
Wolf Dreamer	posted 05-01-99 07:42 PM ET In my opinion, the gaians are the best. You can capture mind worms and use them to crush the opposition, which doesn't have defense against mind attacks early in the game. Mind worms also move quickly through the fungus. I always try to get a colony pod to the monolith area as soon as possible, and place a base in its center. Plenty of mind worms around, and the monoliths automatically heal any injured units. If you can't capture the mind worms, you can kill them for some quick energy. I find a police state, with green economics, works really well for me. I beat the hardest level of the game with a score of 103% while playing the Gaians. Always remember to kill off your neighbors early on, since as soon as they run out of building space, they will try to expand into your territory and attack.
Natguy	posted 05-01-99 10:05 PM ET Hi. I think most people will agree with me when I say that perhaps there is no "best" faction. For me it's the UoP or the Hive...for Joe over there (Joe says hi) It's the Spartans. it's based on your own personal preferences, midset and tactics. I could dominate the game with the UoP and play as the Morganites using the same tactics and die a horrible death. I think we're going into these debates thinking along the lines of the strategy that works with our personal favorite, argueing that the others are worse because that tactic doesn't work with the other tactics. I think that the factions are ALL winnable (else why would FIRAXIS put them there?), just some are easier with different strategies. For example, if you're really good at economic victories and decide for a change and play as the Spartans using the same strategy, you'll fail. this does not mean the Spartans are bad. Just different.