Thread Tools
Old October 9, 2001, 14:49   #1
civcop
Chieftain
 
civcop's Avatar
 
Local Time: 09:23
Local Date: October 31, 2010
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: Ohio
Posts: 83
Group mentoring?
I decided yesterday to wait a while to buy Civ 3 and instead bought SMAC for the now reduced price of $10. The game manual is in Acrobat format and, I'll be honest here, I really don't want to spend the time sitting at my PC and reading it through. If it came as a seperate book I would read it (probably at work ) but I can't sit there reading it at my PC when with one click I can bring up the game and play. Call me undisciplined.

What I'm wondering is if the group collective wishes to mentor me toward SMAC greatness. So far I've tinkered around with a couple of games (not taken very far) just to get a feel for it. I am totally lost as to the tech tree and what I should be researching and in what order. In my limited games I built 2 defense units for each base, then usually another pod (or a former) and then something geared toward the base itself (energy storage or something similar). I've also been automating the formers as I've no idea how best to use them. And would someone please tell me how to plant forests with the formers? The only instruction I've found is the 4 cheats that are listed in the disk sleeve (farm, road, mine and something else). Maybe I can become the project of this group, sort of a scientific experiment. Can you take me from SMAC-tard to greatness?
__________________
Your ad here!
civcop is offline  
Old October 9, 2001, 16:54   #2
Purple
Prince
 
Purple's Avatar
 
Local Time: 09:23
Local Date: October 31, 2010
Join Date: Apr 1999
Location: Austin, TX, US
Posts: 723
Quote:
The game manual is in Acrobat format format and, I'll be honest here, I really don't want to spend the time sitting at my PC and reading it through. If it came as a seperate book I would read it
Print it.

Quote:
I am totally lost as to the tech tree
Download the Teeny Tech Tree (do a forum Search to find the link). And buy Vel's SMAC/X guide.

If you have any specific questions, post 'em here. It's easier to give advice on specific points.
Purple is offline  
Old October 9, 2001, 16:56   #3
Fitz
King
 
Fitz's Avatar
 
Local Time: 06:23
Local Date: October 31, 2010
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: & Anarchist
Posts: 1,689
I'll sumarize some answers to your specific questions/statements:

1) Print out a copy of the Tech tree if one is included in PDF format. The best beelines depend if you want to play fast conquerer or build up resources. Personally, I'm a builder (with little military until later) to the core, so I research like this: Centauri Ecology, Industrial Automation, Envioronmental Economics, Doctrine: Air Power, Fusion Power. Note I left out a lot of techs there, you'll have to figure out the required intervening techs.

2) I usually build as follows: Former, Colony pod, defender, Colony pod (lots). Once I have 6 bases in place (and Industrial Automation tech) I put three bases on secret projects and put the other three to making crawlers (unit name=supply I think). Move crawlers to the cities making Secret Projects, and you get a pop-up asking if you want to disband the Crawler and add the full minerals from it to the secret project. This speeds things up. Then I go back to more colony pods, one from each base (and each new base builds one, etc, to keep expanding in waves of 6). One defender is enough for me. After that I built a recycling tanks, then maybe a network node, energy bank, whatever I feel is needed. Any time I run out facilities to build (and I don't build ALL of them, just the ones I think I need) I build a military unit.

Make lots of crawlers and put them on forests that the base isn't working for extra minerals, until each base has 12-15 minerals. Crawlers are CRITICAL in this game.

3) Don't automate formers. Everyone has a different terraforming stratagy. For some tips, look at threads from the last 30 days and look for the thread called "Help, I'm a terraforming retard" or something like that. My rule of thumb is simple. If it's rocky, mine&road or Borehole (Shift-B key) if possible. Rainy/Moist & rolling, Farm & solar collector. Arid OR Flat, forest (shift-F key). Once I get the ability to build the Tree Farm facility (tech=Environmental Economics) I turn the Moist & rolling into Forests too. Remember to build at least one sensor (o key) near every base. Simple terraforming.

Maybe someone who has the rulebook next to them can type up the whole terraforming hotkey list for you. You can also right click on the former and selsct "terraform" to see the whole list of terraforming options available to you, based on your current tech and the formers location.

4) two important hot keys are "e" for the social engineering screen and "u" for the design workshop. Play with these at length and become familiar with them.

5) Send me a PM with your email address if you want me to send you a zipped word document containing a stratagy guide by Velociryx, a forum resident and extremely good player. Believe me, it's worth printing out and reading (at work ).
__________________
Fitz. (n.) Old English
1. Child born out of wedlock.
2. Bastard.
Fitz is offline  
Old October 9, 2001, 17:06   #4
Avenoct
Prince
 
Avenoct's Avatar
 
Local Time: 09:23
Local Date: October 31, 2010
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: NC, USA
Posts: 777
Learning and refining strategy is at least half the fun in Smac, and I must say when the steep part of the curve was over, so were the best experiences. Additionally, once I read Vel's Strategy Guide, I had a very hard time coming up with NEW strategies to try. If your goal is to become the best player in the shortest amount of time (I can't understand that though), I suggest reading at least the parts of Vel's guide on FOP's, essential techs, and crawlers.

To further spoil the fun, since you asked, here's a smattering of things that a human player might not discover on their own for a long time:

1. Crawlers...crawlers...crawlers. You get them with the tech Indutrial Automation. You use them to increase the productivity and growth of your bases. The AI can't do very well with them, but a human can multiply their benefit incredibly.

2. The restriction-lifiting techs are incredibly important. Genetic Engineering, Ecological Engineering, and Environmental Economics. You can only get more than 2 FOP's (Factors of Production: Nutrients, Minerals, Energy) from a square when its a bonus-square otherwise.

3. Terraforming wins games far more often than Slugfests. Terraform Road (r) and Forest (F) at first unless you don't have a 2-nutrient square in the base radius, then you should (f) farm.

4. You can 'enslave' factions by having them surrender to you. These 'Vassal' states are handy in a number of ways.

5. The early secret projects are the most useful, especially the Human Genome Project, The Weather Paradigm, and the Virtual World.

Good luck,

-Smack
__________________
Visit Aldebaran:Aldebaranweb
Avenoct is offline  
Old October 9, 2001, 17:10   #5
knowhow2
King
 
knowhow2's Avatar
 
Local Time: 15:23
Local Date: October 31, 2010
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: of the World
Posts: 2,651
One word four letters, repeat it over and over and over.

PLAY! PLAY!PLAY! PLAY!PLAY! PLAY!PLAY! PLAY!

the classical way to play - trial and error.
knowhow2 is offline  
Old October 9, 2001, 18:33   #6
civcop
Chieftain
 
civcop's Avatar
 
Local Time: 09:23
Local Date: October 31, 2010
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: Ohio
Posts: 83
Ummm...
I forgot to mention that I do not have a printer on my home PC so I cannot print out the manual.
Also, since posting my original message I found and printed Vel's guide (at work, where I do have a printer). Eighty pages!! I'm so bad. My boss asked what it was and I jokingly said it was a guide on how to aggravate your boss. It worked.

Thanks so much for the advice everyone. I think I'll start a game after work tonight and try some of what I'm learning out. I'm inclined toward a hybrid style of play and I think I'll try my hand as the Hives. As I come up with specific questions I will post them. Thank you all for your help.
__________________
Your ad here!
civcop is offline  
Old October 9, 2001, 21:14   #7
Blake
lifer
PolyCast TeamCivilization IV: MultiplayerC4DG Gathering StormCivilization IV CreatorsApolyton UniversityApolytoners Hall of Fame
Beyond the Sword AI Programmer
 
Blake's Avatar
 
Local Time: 03:23
Local Date: November 1, 2010
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: I am a Buddhist
Posts: 5,680
Re: Ummm...
Quote:
Originally posted by civcop
My boss asked what it was and I jokingly said it was a guide on how to aggravate your boss. It worked.
Blake is offline  
Old October 9, 2001, 23:38   #8
Sarxis
Rise of Nations MultiplayerAlpha Centauri PBEMCivilization III MultiplayerCivilization III PBEMCTP2 Source Code ProjectCall to Power II MultiplayerCall to Power MultiplayerCivilization IV: MultiplayerCivilization IV CreatorsGalCiv Apolyton Empire
Emperor
 
Sarxis's Avatar
 
Local Time: 10:23
Local Date: October 31, 2010
Join Date: Sep 1999
Posts: 3,361
well, if you end up having any unsolvable questions, just email me and I will help you out.

koba@home.com
Sarxis is offline  
Old October 10, 2001, 07:29   #9
Chowlett
Alpha Centauri PBEM
King
 
Chowlett's Avatar
 
Local Time: 14:23
Local Date: October 31, 2010
Join Date: May 1999
Location: of Candle'Bre
Posts: 1,804
We should probably point out that Vel now has a published updated version of that guide for sale, and to give him his due, it should probably be bought. The link is in the thread "At long last..."
Chowlett is offline  
Old October 10, 2001, 13:12   #10
Fitz
King
 
Fitz's Avatar
 
Local Time: 06:23
Local Date: October 31, 2010
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: & Anarchist
Posts: 1,689
Actually, it's probably worth the cash to get it in a nice bound format. Since I haven't read it in a year ....

*Fitz clicks the link*
Fitz is offline  
 

Bookmarks

Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 10:23.


Design by Vjacheslav Trushkin, color scheme by ColorizeIt!.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.2
Copyright ©2000 - 2010, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Apolyton Civilization Site | Copyright © The Apolyton Team