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Author Topic:   Artifact hunting and more

Oleg Leschoff posted 05-31-99 05:46 AM ET
In my last games I used interesting trick to get far above all other factions in tech.
It was Transcend game, witch, I think, is only playable level.
Near 2220 year I was, perhaps, second or third in science, and research rates was somewhat slow, especially comparing with UoP's (I played gaians).
I built two armored psy defence enhanced transports, loaded them with two mindworms and probes. Robbed UoP on techs, and moved to the unexplored regions of world map. Revealing every visible Unity pod, I searched mainly for artifacts. And this quest was successful enough. In addition, many pods contained worthful stuff like money or building completion.
So this way I left all rivals far behind in the technology. Thus, I built all remaining secret projects, making my victory unavoidable.
Maybe we should consider this as a cheat, or what? In fact, the case when you investigate pod on your own continent, thus risking to have eight worms on it, is very different from the case when you revealing pod in the region that is very far from your main bases (in addition, for land pods I recommend to use only mind worms, and in the sea pods I haven't ever met swarms of 8 isles), so there's no risk to lose half of your formers.
Also, I'll express my thoughts on the base placing strategies in recent patches, keeping in mind that I am always trying to keep ecodamage low (I don't want extra troubles).
I found that the ideal strategy is to place bases just near the base grid (just near the tiles used by base -- so the typical distantion between bases is two tiles). The reason is that in beginning-mid-game your bases does not grow above the limit thet allows them to use more than this; after that, all improvements becomes obsolette (well, except of boreholes and mines; as about condencers and echelons -- I think that they are not effective enough, since they requires one tile, and has very limited range), and you should plant forests everywhere. But, doing this, the minerals production skyrocketing, and ecodamage occurs (after patch 3), making me to convert workers to specialists. So, for the large bases with anti-ED facilities built, resulting production is perfect nearly everywhere, not causing ED.
MichaeltheGreat posted 05-31-99 01:23 PM ET
It's not really a cheat, since you can set the pod scattering option in the rules preferences. On a smaller map where all the factions are in each other's faces, you don't have the same opportunity. On a huge map, they're out there waiting for the first player to suck them up, but the computer players just don't bother.
Considering all the cheats the computer player uses at transcend, I don't feel bad about doing it, and if you are the one exploring the entire surface of the planet, why shouldn't you get rewarded. The idea of finding energy or a material bonus and having it instantly available is kind of silly, but it is a choice in game management - would the players really want to have to drag everything back to a base.
The alien artifact idea is an improvement from CivII, where the tech was instantly available to whover landed on the goody square. Another use for probe teams in exploring is that you can often find some loner enemy unit escorting an alien artifact - subvert the enemy unit, take the artifcact, and you've got it and they don't.
Tres posted 06-01-99 02:06 PM ET
i usually deactivate the unity pods/monotlith in my games. i think they unbalance the game.
if you are playing on a giant map (around 230*190) there are hundreds of them. i wonder how big the UNITY was, carriying so much capsules...
btw, the computer factions often don�t take the advantage of the unity pods, even if they are laying right in front of their bases...

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Author	Topic: Artifact hunting and more
Oleg Leschoff	posted 05-31-99 05:46 AM ET In my last games I used interesting trick to get far above all other factions in tech. It was Transcend game, witch, I think, is only playable level. Near 2220 year I was, perhaps, second or third in science, and research rates was somewhat slow, especially comparing with UoP's (I played gaians). I built two armored psy defence enhanced transports, loaded them with two mindworms and probes. Robbed UoP on techs, and moved to the unexplored regions of world map. Revealing every visible Unity pod, I searched mainly for artifacts. And this quest was successful enough. In addition, many pods contained worthful stuff like money or building completion. So this way I left all rivals far behind in the technology. Thus, I built all remaining secret projects, making my victory unavoidable. Maybe we should consider this as a cheat, or what? In fact, the case when you investigate pod on your own continent, thus risking to have eight worms on it, is very different from the case when you revealing pod in the region that is very far from your main bases (in addition, for land pods I recommend to use only mind worms, and in the sea pods I haven't ever met swarms of 8 isles), so there's no risk to lose half of your formers. Also, I'll express my thoughts on the base placing strategies in recent patches, keeping in mind that I am always trying to keep ecodamage low (I don't want extra troubles). I found that the ideal strategy is to place bases just near the base grid (just near the tiles used by base -- so the typical distantion between bases is two tiles). The reason is that in beginning-mid-game your bases does not grow above the limit thet allows them to use more than this; after that, all improvements becomes obsolette (well, except of boreholes and mines; as about condencers and echelons -- I think that they are not effective enough, since they requires one tile, and has very limited range), and you should plant forests everywhere. But, doing this, the minerals production skyrocketing, and ecodamage occurs (after patch 3), making me to convert workers to specialists. So, for the large bases with anti-ED facilities built, resulting production is perfect nearly everywhere, not causing ED.
MichaeltheGreat	posted 05-31-99 01:23 PM ET It's not really a cheat, since you can set the pod scattering option in the rules preferences. On a smaller map where all the factions are in each other's faces, you don't have the same opportunity. On a huge map, they're out there waiting for the first player to suck them up, but the computer players just don't bother. Considering all the cheats the computer player uses at transcend, I don't feel bad about doing it, and if you are the one exploring the entire surface of the planet, why shouldn't you get rewarded. The idea of finding energy or a material bonus and having it instantly available is kind of silly, but it is a choice in game management - would the players really want to have to drag everything back to a base. The alien artifact idea is an improvement from CivII, where the tech was instantly available to whover landed on the goody square. Another use for probe teams in exploring is that you can often find some loner enemy unit escorting an alien artifact - subvert the enemy unit, take the artifcact, and you've got it and they don't.
Tres	posted 06-01-99 02:06 PM ET i usually deactivate the unity pods/monotlith in my games. i think they unbalance the game. if you are playing on a giant map (around 230*190) there are hundreds of them. i wonder how big the UNITY was, carriying so much capsules... btw, the computer factions often don�t take the advantage of the unity pods, even if they are laying right in front of their bases...