SMAX Question: How does Morgan pop-boom?

[wheathin]

I don't have SMAX, so in my SMAC games Morgan can't pop-boom early bc he can't get Planned. I've read a number of threads about how Morgan can't pop boom, and that brings up three questions:

Is he still prevented from doing it if he goes CC/Dem/Eudamonia (or whichever Future Soc gives +2 gth)

How does SMAX solve this?

Would "Penalty Planned" be a fair solution, replacing his inability to use Planned? What about +1 Growth?

[Lefty Scaevola]

Originally posted by wheathin
Is he still prevented from doing it if he goes CC/Dem/Eudamonia (or whichever Future Soc gives +2 gth)

this will do it. However Eudamonia usually comes too late for the pop bomming to be most useful. In a single player game the Human will likely have the cloning vats by then; in multiplayer , you would be plaing catch up by that time.

How does SMAX solve this?

In smax the growth bonus from golden age works properly, and morgan can pop boom with CC/DEMO/Golden age.

[wheathin]

I guess the part I was missing was that there is *supposed* to be a Growth bonus in Golden Ages (as per the Datalinks) but that it does not exist in SMAC. (is this correct?) Thus, most factions need CC/Dem/Plan to get to +6, although technically that should be +7.

As for my solution, I find that "PENALTY, PLANNED" added to Morgan's faction is a fair solution. It gives him a -4 Efficiency penalty if he uses Planned economics, or a -2 when combined with Democracy. The result is that he can pop-boom, but he takes a big hit to do it, and the efficiency penalties can make it more difficult ot sustain the Golden Ages.

[Method]

Originally posted by wheathin
Thus, most factions need CC/Dem/Plan to get to +6, although technically that should be +7.

technically +7? explain.

[Fitz]

Didn't the SMAC Golden Age thing get fixed in Patch 4.0?

[RedFred]

Fitz, I am pretty sure that it never got fixed on the PC platform. Adding to the confusion, it appears that those who own a Mac do have the fix in vanilla SMAC.

[knowhow2]

Originally posted by wheathin Thus, most factions need CC/Dem/Plan to get to +6, although technically that should be +7.

Too clearify:

CC gives +2 in growth
Demo +2
Plan +2
GA +2
Eudo +2

to pop-boom you need +6 (or CV)

the easiest way to pop boom is CC/Demo/Plan

so only three out of the five is needed. Morgan can't go plan (therefor can't pop-boom the easy way) the same goes for Hive (can't go Demo). In SMACX both Pirates and Cyborgs have -1 in growth meaning that they need 4 of the growth bonus thnigs to pop-boom or CV.

-knowhow2

[johndmuller]

* being only a little flip *

Don't forget the good old fashioned method of massive quantities of crawled nuts.

[buster]

Pop boom with Golden Age got fixed in SMACX v2 patch.
It never got fixed in SMAC Classic.

Thus in SMACX you can pop boom Morgan with a golden age, in SMAC you can't.