Destroy a base

Mr. Strange · August 24, 2001, 13:09

Can you destroy a base completly? If so, how? I've taken a base I can't hold, and I can't afford to let my opponent re-sieze it.

-Mr. Strange

Lefty Scaevola · August 24, 2001, 13:24

Any garrison ground or sea unit may destroy a base by typing "b" while inside the base, this is an atrocity, and will mean permanent vendetta with faction from whom you acquired the base.
IF you have more time and are playing above the first two levels of difficulty, you can abandon a base by hurry building colony pods.

Adalbertus · August 24, 2001, 13:45

If you have time...sink it

. A few formers would do it.

Maybe you don't need to destroy the base. Give it to a (preferably submissive) pact mate your opponent does not want to go to war with.

Mr. Strange · August 24, 2001, 13:50

Ah... they destroyed my last military unit last turn. I've not had reason to obiterate a base before, so I didn't realize that you needed a unit there to do it.

Good idea on the transfer though... I'll look into that.

--Mr. Strange

Vytae · August 24, 2001, 18:11

If the base isnt critical for you,other then for location,and your worried your counterpart might seize it back,either 1) obliterate it (atrocity,make sure you can survive the sanctions or the un charter is off) 2) Hurry build Colony pods/ sink it with sea formers or 3) strip the base of all its Facilities turn off the govenor and put all the squares on mines,this will kill the nutrients and with gov off wont switch it back automaticly (and by then youve usually lost a few base sizes and have drones rioting)

Ned · August 24, 2001, 21:59

I don't know about destroying a base to keep it out of the hands of the enemy. This only makes the enemy into a "never surrender" faction, that simply is not good strategy.

Ned

Earwicker · August 27, 2001, 17:11

Quote:

Originally posted by Ned
I don't know about destroying a base to keep it out of the hands of the enemy. This only makes the enemy into a "never surrender" faction, that simply is not good strategy.

Amen to that! The saving grace about a vendetta is the hope that the vanquished foe will become submissive ally. Why risk that possible outcome? The only factions worth annoying that much are the aliens (who'd never surrender anyway), and you should gas their bases into oblivion if you don't want to keep them.

Sprayber · August 27, 2001, 17:38

Has anyone ever seen the AI destroy a base? Besides when they capture a size 1 base.

Scipio Centaurus · August 27, 2001, 19:37

Oh yeah...

In a recent SMAX SP game I was playing Morgan w/ the 7 original SMAC factions. Zak captured one of my coastal bases. I attacked it next turn with nerve gas armed troops, leaving the base at size 2 - there were solar flares so no one found out about it (he he hehehe...). Next turn Zak obliterated the base. I got a pop up message indicating that 20,000 citizens had perished. Needless to say, things quickly escalated to planet busters from there. Very satisfying!

I also vaguely recall a SMAX SP game from many months back where I played the Pirates. One of the alien factions kept capturing my outposts and then exterminating them the very next turn. I think that was the same game where massive global warming kicked in and the planet wound up covered with about 98% surface water. Only time that's ever happened to me.

I always select random personality for the AI factions, BTW. Don't know if that might make the difference. You can get some really interesting variations that way... Yang the magnanimous pacifist. Zakarov the bloodthirsty... etc.

- Scipio

mark13 · August 27, 2001, 19:38

Yep - seen that a few times, a long, long time ago

. If the AI captures one of your bases, and knows it has no chance of keeping it, it will quite often do this. Yang and Miriam are the only leaders I've seen do it....I'm sure it's happened countless other times to other factions, though.

Edit - heh, can you say crosspost? Thanks to Scipio for proving my point

Bob Morane · August 28, 2001, 04:15

I think any faction will obliterate your bases if you previously comitted some atrocities against it.
I recall a game i was playing the Spartans. I got in war with nearly everyone, two of them surrendered, then i could get the UN charter repealed (i wanted to test Planet Busters), so i build a lot of them and fired them on my enemies. Finally, even Deirdre start wiping out my bases (tought she did'nt used PBs) and my submissive allies didn't wanted to talk to me. Then everyone goes completely crazy. I got elected supreme leader (thanx to my submissive that stood at my side no matter i got completely mad

) but the enemies revolted and allied against us. I ended the game with transandence and i think we would have exterminated each other otherwise. So now i only commit atrocities against aliens, and i chose the colony pods technique to disband a base (then i usually send those pods to an existing base rather than founding new ones)

Mr. Strange · August 28, 2001, 18:40

Quote:

Originally posted by Earwicker

Amen to that! The saving grace about a vendetta is the hope that the vanquished foe will become submissive ally. Why risk that possible outcome? The only factions worth annoying that much are the aliens (who'd never surrender anyway), and you should gas their bases into oblivion if you don't want to keep them.

It normally doesn't come up in my games either. However, the base in question has the Hunter/Seeker, and my gobs of probe teams are seriously hampered.

--Mr. Strange

Ned · August 28, 2001, 19:50

Mr. Strange. The HSA? Without a doubt the single most important SP in the game. You must have it. My advice is to fight, fight, fight until you are ultimately able to take the base and hold it.

Ned

EtheMind · September 2, 2001, 03:45

You're so humane...I love you