Any tricks up your sleeve?

[Kirov]

I still have a feeling that I forgot a lot of SMAC gameplay since the last time I was really really into it, so figured maybe what I miss is some brainstorming/strategy discussion about specific approaches to gameplay. I also noticed we don’t really do that a lot around here. For starters, I’d like to ask you about any unconventional tricks and gimmicks you developed or came across in SMAC. Something non-obvious, that would take certain time for a newb to come up with – a non-standard combination of vehicle body and chassis, an exploit (not abuse) of a specific game rule, an unusual tech beeline to grab something off – virtually anything you wouldn’t find in the game manual or average guide. It may be faction-specific, situation-specific or general. It may be also crazy and rarely used, just to throw your opponents off balance.  I’ll give you a few examples I know, most of them well-known, so that you see what I mean:


- for Morgan, garrison your bases with support-free probe team on infantry chassis with Armor 2, to protect both against regular attacks and probes (it doesn’t work as the police, but you probably run FM anyway)

- for Sparta, run early FM and keep scouting for mind worms, as you have the upper hand in attacking native life anyway

- when under FM, set aside one base and keep it at population 1 (change the worker into a doctor); transfer some crawlers and army there and suddenly you can wage extensive wars without a single pacifism drone (if you don’t use the kyrub’s patch, build also the Children’s Creche there); later in the game you can use Punishment Spheres for the same purpose)

- build infantry transports and use chains of them to quickly deliver infantry units to the battlefield

- do anything you can to rack up the eco-damage; use empathy rovers to rake in hundreds of EC in planet pearls every turn while your opponents curse you for flooding their precious terraforming

- when you know you’ve been infiltrated but your opponent doesn’t have the habit of checking the F4 screen too often (e.g. you play via IP), rename your assault army to something innocuous to prepare a surprise attack (once during a hot seat game I dispatched a host of 4-1-2 “Tree Farms” delivered by transport cruiser “Research Hospitals”; the attack failed anyway but the surprise was total and we had a few laughs about it)

- train a mind worm and deliver it to your opponent’s terrain; choose the “release it into the wild” option and hit it with a planet buster for no diplomacy repercussions (this tactics is actually cheese and I would never do it in my games; still, it’s completely legal so it’s up to you to use it!)


As a bonus, I’m also interested in any multi-player hints and tips you may have. Two from me:


- do your best not to sell commlinks and only start the council for the first time when you really know what you’re doing and are going for the Gov’nor. I noticed that the longer you can postpone contacts between other players, the better (if only because they cannot trade behind your back or ally against you)

- never, under any circumstances make a pact of brotherhood with anyone during an MP game. And especially with the AI. The reason is that it’s extremely easy to probe them for your map and disclosing your map makes you very vulnerable, even/especially when you have been already infiltrated (I actually broke this rule in two of my games recently so I’m angry with myself for it; but many a time I was able to grab somebody’s map almost for free just because they couldn’t resist pacting with some meagre AI; and your pacted AI is capable of selling your map for as little as Doctrine:Loyalty)


Do you have any such practical tips of your own, guys?

[JarlWolf]

In singleplayer ( I haven't play any substantial MP, could work in MP), I typically find that if you invest in making armoured rovers, even if they have no upgraded weapons, are far superior over just standard footmen. While researching them the resource value may be pricy, the actual mineral cost for a armoured rover and armoured footmen are nearly the same. So not only do you have a fast moving assault force, you also have a quick way to reinforce your empire and reinforce captured cities. Armoured rovers are an indispensable tool for any aggressive commander who wants to quickly fortify lines, hold them, and possibly carry on the attack.

Also note, the stats of both are relatively the same: Plus rovers have bonuses in the open, something infantry do not. Which is far more useful as there is usually more open spaces then rocky hills and such.

Edit: And you may have noticed in my gameplay, I love using my rovers and mobile forces: I am an attrition fighter that likes hit and run attacks. Having my mobile forces able to hold the line to boot is even better.

[uss1701jb]

Colony gravships. Or whatever they are called. After chopper. Not plane. ARGGHH CURSE MY LAZINESS TO GET UP AND CHECK!!!

[uss1701jb]

Also, I'm all for banning the mind worm planet buster exploit in our upcoming game.

[Kirov]

In singleplayer ( I haven't play any substantial MP, could work in MP), I typically find that if you invest in making armoured rovers, even if they have no upgraded weapons, are far superior over just standard footmen.

I noticed such units in several MP games, but I was never convinced about that. Usually I try to keep the best bang for buck ratio, which in SMAC means masses of expendable units with either weapon or armour maxed, the other at 1. To provide defence, I think I used scout patrols upgraded to 1-3-1 or such as the situation required. But it's been some time. You sure you can't achieve the same effects with more 4-1-2s?

On a related note - do you use any artillery units? I don't mean naval bombardment or building batteries just to overwhelm that specific entrenched base - I mean preparing an army composition with slots for artillery in mind. Somehow I never used it too much, for several reasons (they are only cheap on infantry, they are quite vulnerable in the open, etc.), but maybe I miss something.

[Kirov]

Colony gravships. Or whatever they are called. After chopper. Not plane. ARGGHH CURSE MY LAZINESS TO GET UP AND CHECK!!!

I'm sure you can put colony pods on choppers as well.

No worry, I'm not going to use that mind worm exploit. Besides, it actually takes some skill to execute. But it's cheese still.

[JarlWolf]

In singleplayer ( I haven't play any substantial MP, could work in MP), I typically find that if you invest in making armoured rovers, even if they have no upgraded weapons, are far superior over just standard footmen.

I noticed such units in several MP games, but I was never convinced about that. Usually I try to keep the best bang for buck ratio, which in SMAC means masses of expendable units with either weapon or armour maxed, the other at 1. To provide defence, I think I used scout patrols upgraded to 1-3-1 or such as the situation required. But it's been some time. You sure you can't achieve the same effects with more 4-1-2s?

On a related note - do you use any artillery units? I don't mean naval bombardment or building batteries just to overwhelm that specific entrenched base - I mean preparing an army composition with slots for artillery in mind. Somehow I never used it too much, for several reasons (they are only cheap on infantry, they are quite vulnerable in the open, etc.), but maybe I miss something.

I use artillery extensively actually, I typically pack them on rovers. Rovers with armour, artillery can sit back, bombard a base and if attacked are fairly defendable, but can still withdraw if need be. And they can damage whole stacks of units so much they provide easy pickings for my other forces.

I also want to experiment with Artillery choppers.. I think they can be effective means of defencive artillery. I'll have to test them out, I think if they are still able to engage units directly as well as bombard, they'd be incredible.

[gwillybj]

Terrorforming, aka Water Rights: Raising or lowering land to divert a river into your territory. Likely good only in SP. Takes practice. Makes more of a mess than anything sometimes.

[Kirov]

Terrorforming, aka Water Rights: Raising or lowering land to divert a river into your territory. Likely good only in SP. Takes practice. Makes more of a mess than anything sometimes.

Could you elaborate on that? Any reason to do that instead of drilling to aquifier? Even if drilling is sometimes impossible (due to how rivers work), is it worthwhile to change your coastline just to get a river change its course? Raising/lowering usually has more important strategic implications, either you want to get to your enemy or simply get more land to settle in.

[Kirov]

I use artillery extensively actually, I typically pack them on rovers. Rovers with armour, artillery can sit back, bombard a base and if attacked are fairly defendable, but can still withdraw if need be. And they can damage whole stacks of units so much they provide easy pickings for my other forces.

I also want to experiment with Artillery choppers.. I think they can be effective means of defencive artillery. I'll have to test them out, I think if they are still able to engage units directly as well as bombard, they'd be incredible.

You can't put artillery on choppers, I'm afraid. As for rover artillery, I'll need to give it a try myself. The fact that it's not on the standard way to D:AP is probably the reason I can't recall the last time I saw it in MP. With air units in place, many land-related tactics become irrelevant.

[JarlWolf]

Even with Air, I still use artillery if the enemy has large stacks of units, especially if some have AA. Air and rovers are the cleanup process.

And damn, was hoping to have Siege Chopper's, Airbourne artillery. That'd be cool.

[gwillybj]

Terrorforming, aka Water Rights: Raising or lowering land to divert a river into your territory. Likely good only in SP. Takes practice. Makes more of a mess than anything sometimes.

Could you elaborate on that? Any reason to do that instead of drilling to aquifier? Even if drilling is sometimes impossible (due to how rivers work), is it worthwhile to change your coastline just to get a river change its course? Raising/lowering usually has more important strategic implications, either you want to get to your enemy or simply get more land to settle in.

The purpose is to deny them the energy from the river, especially if it starts in your territory and crosses the border and runs away from your bases. It's done in the interior, most often by raising a hill in the path of the river so it is diverted away from their territory. Surely a SP thing, since in MP there's not enough time before one of their units comes and wrecks your Former.

[Buster's Uncle]

Also?  It's fun to do that to the AI.

[JarlWolf]

I often use terraforming against aquatic factions and just put them in a tiny pond, starve them out, and then I'd eventually raise the base itself and take it out/over.

Also, another tip to preserve your integrity while starting wars: Just piss off the target so much they come after you. Like asking for technology or otherwise.

[Buster's Uncle]

I use the one-square pond thing sometimes to gift a completely undeveloped pop-one base to someone I'm blood truced with, in anticipation of renewed hostilities when I take out everything else they have - then I wipe everyone else out as they are dumb enough to declare vendetta on me, and play out the clock like it's sim city, building my beautiful full Planetary empire...