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Author Topic:   Need help on Univ.

RRS posted 05-02-99 09:06 PM ET
How do you explore much of the map when using A Free Market University ? Drone riots everywhere. Also, how can you survive in an abundant life-form environment with free market ?
Smeagol posted 05-02-99 10:12 PM ET
A few ways to do this, and they've all been mentioned but in various threads.
Are you having a problem with mind worm attacks? If so, hypnotic trance is an excellent choice for your defenders, and of course empath song for units to attack the worms. Get your morale up as high as possible with command and bioenhancement centers. Oh, and why would you make yourself suffer with abundant native life?
As far as exploring without having drones, you can do a few things. Early in the game, you can slap a probe in the offensive slot and the unit becomes support free and won't cause drones when away. Of course you lose the weapons but you can still add armor and everything else.
Later, when you have clean reactors and punishment spheres, build the sphere in one of your bases and make your entire army there. No drones and an infinitely large army. Use boreholes if you need the minerals badly.
There are probably a few other ideas for this as well-- I seem to hear of new revelations from people daily.
HolyWarrior posted 05-02-99 10:13 PM ET
Free Market is the most f-ed up thing in SMAC. -5 police effectively means that a free market society can't wage war.
Unless Clinton has somehow disbanded Congress, the U.S.A. is still free market and still wages war very well--ask Slobodan or Saddam.
I have never seen Morgan do well in a game, and this is why. Even more than the -3 population limit, -5 police is a gamebreaker. What the hell were they thinking?
Smeagol posted 05-02-99 10:20 PM ET
Holy-- I hope I've changed your mind on that one.
StargazerBC posted 05-03-99 02:48 AM ET
Actually, US of A is a Mixed Market. There is a bunch of Government regulation for many sectors of the market--It would've been nice if SE let us chose the remaining Economic Markets, such as a Command Economy.
sandworm posted 05-03-99 09:32 AM ET
If you need to fight a war outside your borders, its best to just scrap free market for something else, -anything- else. Government/social choices are flexible for a reason, don't handicap yourself by refusing to change when you need to. Do what you must to survive and win.
The punishment sphere idea sounds great too, but I've never tried it. That could mean what I just wrote here a bunch of crap
Wouldn't be the first time.
iak posted 05-03-99 10:42 AM ET
I don't want to depress you sandworm but the Punishment Sphere especially with clean units getting support from a base with Sphere is a great idea. I'd rather use that than change SE, since you can have bombers and/or copters made during peace and there's no need to rush to change production when the vendetta is declared. Just finish what you were building and then make replacement units if necessary (you can make them elsewhere, just change the supporting base). This doesn't work so well if you don't have clean reactor, though (or you must have very good production, or build the Sphere in several bases).
Definitively try the Sphere out.
iak posted 05-03-99 10:57 AM ET
I mean, build it and see what it does to drones, don't try it personally.
sandworm posted 05-03-99 02:15 PM ET
iak - I'll definitely try it... and I'm not -too- depressed, a few hours of SMAC will be all of the therapy I need
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Author	Topic: Need help on Univ.
RRS	posted 05-02-99 09:06 PM ET How do you explore much of the map when using A Free Market University ? Drone riots everywhere. Also, how can you survive in an abundant life-form environment with free market ?
Smeagol	posted 05-02-99 10:12 PM ET A few ways to do this, and they've all been mentioned but in various threads. Are you having a problem with mind worm attacks? If so, hypnotic trance is an excellent choice for your defenders, and of course empath song for units to attack the worms. Get your morale up as high as possible with command and bioenhancement centers. Oh, and why would you make yourself suffer with abundant native life? As far as exploring without having drones, you can do a few things. Early in the game, you can slap a probe in the offensive slot and the unit becomes support free and won't cause drones when away. Of course you lose the weapons but you can still add armor and everything else. Later, when you have clean reactors and punishment spheres, build the sphere in one of your bases and make your entire army there. No drones and an infinitely large army. Use boreholes if you need the minerals badly. There are probably a few other ideas for this as well-- I seem to hear of new revelations from people daily.
HolyWarrior	posted 05-02-99 10:13 PM ET Free Market is the most f-ed up thing in SMAC. -5 police effectively means that a free market society can't wage war. Unless Clinton has somehow disbanded Congress, the U.S.A. is still free market and still wages war very well--ask Slobodan or Saddam. I have never seen Morgan do well in a game, and this is why. Even more than the -3 population limit, -5 police is a gamebreaker. What the hell were they thinking?
Smeagol	posted 05-02-99 10:20 PM ET Holy-- I hope I've changed your mind on that one.
StargazerBC	posted 05-03-99 02:48 AM ET Actually, US of A is a Mixed Market. There is a bunch of Government regulation for many sectors of the market--It would've been nice if SE let us chose the remaining Economic Markets, such as a Command Economy.
sandworm	posted 05-03-99 09:32 AM ET If you need to fight a war outside your borders, its best to just scrap free market for something else, -anything- else. Government/social choices are flexible for a reason, don't handicap yourself by refusing to change when you need to. Do what you must to survive and win. The punishment sphere idea sounds great too, but I've never tried it. That could mean what I just wrote here a bunch of crap Wouldn't be the first time.
iak	posted 05-03-99 10:42 AM ET I don't want to depress you sandworm but the Punishment Sphere especially with clean units getting support from a base with Sphere is a great idea. I'd rather use that than change SE, since you can have bombers and/or copters made during peace and there's no need to rush to change production when the vendetta is declared. Just finish what you were building and then make replacement units if necessary (you can make them elsewhere, just change the supporting base). This doesn't work so well if you don't have clean reactor, though (or you must have very good production, or build the Sphere in several bases). Definitively try the Sphere out.
iak	posted 05-03-99 10:57 AM ET I mean, build it and see what it does to drones, don't try it personally.
sandworm	posted 05-03-99 02:15 PM ET iak - I'll definitely try it... and I'm not -too- depressed, a few hours of SMAC will be all of the therapy I need