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Author Topic:   Best Social Engineering mix

zeegersa posted 06-23-99 04:28 AM ET
What is the best SE-mix to play with. I'm a straight-forward building, mostly as Lal.
Any tips on the mix or is there a better mix playing another faction or startegy.
Proposal for the answers:
Mix Fraction Startegy Why
Green/.../... Gaians Building No eco-damage
Remind it is just a proposal and I'm not asking it without a good rason as I do not understand SE properly.
Zoetrope posted 06-23-99 05:16 AM ET
Social engineering should be adjusted as situations change. For builder factions (PKs, UoP, Morgan, Gaians) ideally you want peace and quiet to do your research, expansion and building.
Building, social order, and research always contend for resources, because you have to set the energy slider between economy, psych and research.
In the Early to Mid game, I find that the best social engineering for Research is:
Democracy/Free Market/Wealth
Later, as you develop environmental techs, this shifts toward:
Democracy/Green/Wealth
Sometimes Knowledge is better than Wealth, but usually Wealth means more energy for research, and more buildings sooner that boost energy, research and psych.
When you want more population, you can induce Golden Ages (population and energy booms) by building Creches, boosting Psych on the slider, and choosing:
Democracy/Planned
instead of Democracy/Free Market.
Wartime is a nusiance as armies are expensive to support, cause social unrest when they're fighting abroad, and take attention away from expansion and research. I have fought wars in this setting:
Police State/Green/Wealth
This keeps the economy on an even keel, and research steady but not spectacular, while maintaining social order in times of stress, and providing support for a wartime economy in which you want to field and army while still building at a reasonable rate.
Alternatively,
Police State/Green/Power
gives highly trained troops, but industriual production is nominally lower with Power than with Wealth. On the other hand, you pay minerals for Support too, which makes Wealth ineffective for an empire of small cities supporting a vast army: Miriam with her hordes would probably choose Power.
The main message is this:
** You should experiment with the social engineering choices, because the balance changes during the development of your faction. **
Keep a healthy energy balance, so that you can afford to try out each combination as need arises. As long as you restore your SE before ending your turn, you will be fully refunded.
zeegersa posted 06-23-99 06:05 AM ET
Thanks Zoetrope, but what about the econ./psych/labs sliders.
I start any game with 100%labs to have quickly advances in technology (IMHO the only key-factor to eventually end as planet ruler), or is this the wrong way as you don't get energy (other than from killed mindworms and monoliths). so what about the best slider-mix?
In reply on your last remark: "... As long as you restore your SE before ending your turn, you will be fully refunded...", what does this really mean?
Stefu posted 06-23-99 09:50 AM ET
Depends on a faction. Normally I go for Democracy-Green-Knowledge-Cybernetic, but if I play Hive it is Police State-Planned, and with Morgan it is Democracy-Free Market-Wealth.
HolyWarrior posted 07-10-99 02:06 AM ET
Bringing this one back.
Early game: Demo/Power, for the growth, while you're still small.
Midgame--peace: Demo/FM, for the money.
Midgame--war: Fundy/Green, for the morale and probe bonus.
Late game: With the #@%^*! mindworms on the rampage, Green is almost a must.
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Author	Topic: Best Social Engineering mix
zeegersa	posted 06-23-99 04:28 AM ET What is the best SE-mix to play with. I'm a straight-forward building, mostly as Lal. Any tips on the mix or is there a better mix playing another faction or startegy. Proposal for the answers: Mix Fraction Startegy Why Green/.../... Gaians Building No eco-damage Remind it is just a proposal and I'm not asking it without a good rason as I do not understand SE properly.
Zoetrope	posted 06-23-99 05:16 AM ET Social engineering should be adjusted as situations change. For builder factions (PKs, UoP, Morgan, Gaians) ideally you want peace and quiet to do your research, expansion and building. Building, social order, and research always contend for resources, because you have to set the energy slider between economy, psych and research. In the Early to Mid game, I find that the best social engineering for Research is: Democracy/Free Market/Wealth Later, as you develop environmental techs, this shifts toward: Democracy/Green/Wealth Sometimes Knowledge is better than Wealth, but usually Wealth means more energy for research, and more buildings sooner that boost energy, research and psych. When you want more population, you can induce Golden Ages (population and energy booms) by building Creches, boosting Psych on the slider, and choosing: Democracy/Planned instead of Democracy/Free Market. Wartime is a nusiance as armies are expensive to support, cause social unrest when they're fighting abroad, and take attention away from expansion and research. I have fought wars in this setting: Police State/Green/Wealth This keeps the economy on an even keel, and research steady but not spectacular, while maintaining social order in times of stress, and providing support for a wartime economy in which you want to field and army while still building at a reasonable rate. Alternatively, Police State/Green/Power gives highly trained troops, but industriual production is nominally lower with Power than with Wealth. On the other hand, you pay minerals for Support too, which makes Wealth ineffective for an empire of small cities supporting a vast army: Miriam with her hordes would probably choose Power. The main message is this: You should experiment with the social engineering choices, because the balance changes during the development of your faction. Keep a healthy energy balance, so that you can afford to try out each combination as need arises. As long as you restore your SE before ending your turn, you will be fully refunded.
zeegersa	posted 06-23-99 06:05 AM ET Thanks Zoetrope, but what about the econ./psych/labs sliders. I start any game with 100%labs to have quickly advances in technology (IMHO the only key-factor to eventually end as planet ruler), or is this the wrong way as you don't get energy (other than from killed mindworms and monoliths). so what about the best slider-mix? In reply on your last remark: "... As long as you restore your SE before ending your turn, you will be fully refunded...", what does this really mean?
Stefu	posted 06-23-99 09:50 AM ET Depends on a faction. Normally I go for Democracy-Green-Knowledge-Cybernetic, but if I play Hive it is Police State-Planned, and with Morgan it is Democracy-Free Market-Wealth.
HolyWarrior	posted 07-10-99 02:06 AM ET Bringing this one back. Early game: Demo/Power, for the growth, while you're still small. Midgame--peace: Demo/FM, for the money. Midgame--war: Fundy/Green, for the morale and probe bonus. Late game: With the #@%^*! mindworms on the rampage, Green is almost a must.