13-04-2004 03:59									#1
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What are the techs (if any) you will detour off the IA Bee-line for, and why?

	13-04-2004 04:10									#2
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Bioengineering for rectanks if playing as Morgan (you can rush them in the first 2 bases with starting cash reserves)

Otherwise MAYBE run to SotHB with Uni to often hit IA quicker (with good diplo)

Or if the start terrain contains no 'liths then I might pick up Centauri Eco for those formers.

Otherwise its ALWAYS race to IA.

-Jam

	13-04-2004 04:23									#3
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So you don't have formers for the first x turns of the game, long enough to get the several techs for IA?

	13-04-2004 04:28									#4
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Forgive my stupidity, but is IA Industrial Automation? If so, why is it so important to get that? Hab complexes to get above 7 pop quickly?

Sorry for being so uneducated, but I just started playing SMAX again, and dont have the tree in front of me.....

	13-04-2004 04:28									#5
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Yes. If I have a couple of 'liths, or a rolling/moist/river tile or two, then its not a problem. If you know what you're doing with the Uni or Morgan you can get IA before you plant the 5th base.

-Jam

	13-04-2004 04:39									#6
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quote: Originally posted by RX2000 Forgive my stupidity, but is IA Industrial Automation? If so, why is it so important to get that? Hab complexes to get above 7 pop quickly? Sorry for being so uneducated, but I just started playing SMAX again, and dont have the tree in front of me.....

Crawlers.

	13-04-2004 04:47									#7
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quote: Originally posted by Jamski Yes. If I have a couple of 'liths, or a rolling/moist/river tile or two, then its not a problem. If you know what you're doing with the Uni or Morgan you can get IA before you plant the 5th base. -Jam

So you ICS without roads then?

	13-04-2004 04:58									#8
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No. I just wait until IA (2118-20) or so before the roads come. At that point I have 5 bases, all with rectanks, and I'm running FM. Then each base pops a crawler (on a river for 2ecs), while I rush through Cent Eco, then each base builds a former, the crawlers go on the forests made, and then the ICS goes wild.

BUT!

Very often the start area doesn't have enough 'liths or specials or rivers, so I'm forced to take formers early.

With a poor-research faction (which I rarely play) I'll take formers FIRST though, as IA is a LONG way to go, and I may as well speed my ICS first.

-Jam

	13-04-2004 04:59									#9
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Arent crawlers pretty defenseless? Seems like crawlers are just begging for some mind worms to come along and tear em up. Do you have to escort every one?

	13-04-2004 05:04									#10
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If you're worried, you can put armour on them, and trance capablities. Then they eat up worms.

Normally you'd place crawlers inside your borders though to boost production, and protect them with 1 or two units that patrol any nearby fungus looking for worms.

-Jam

	13-04-2004 06:21									#11
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quote: With a poor-research faction (which I rarely play) I'll take formers FIRST though, as IA is a LONG way to go, and I may as well speed my ICS first

I normally play with tech stagnation, so get formers very early. First or second (after rectanks).

	13-04-2004 07:08									#12
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I never beeline anything- except maybe the first secrets. I never even look at the tech tree anymore. I just go on a whim- or use blind research.

	13-04-2004 12:24									#13
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quote: Originally posted by Jamski Bioengineering for rectanks if playing as Morgan (you can rush them in the first 2 bases with starting cash reserves)

Biogenetics perhaps? Bioengineering is Clean Reactors, isn't it?

	13-04-2004 16:39									#14
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Indeed it is.

-Jam

	13-04-2004 16:54									#15
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quote: Originally posted by Jamski Indeed it is.

*Trithemius gains +1 Pedantry Point*

I've been looking hard at the tech charts lately, working out what techs people should have for an "accelerated start" scenario I'm fiddling with.

	13-04-2004 22:06									#16
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I will sometimes deviate from the ind auto beeline . .. I don't necessarily think it is "Best" but it can be fun.

The only things I try to get first are centauri ecology or sometimes I will go get doc flex ( usually if playing a green faction where there is hope of acquiring a navy). The doc flex deviation is a pretty large one and I don't recommend it if you are playing builder style but if I am trying to be a momentum player or if I am trying to gain a role as tech broker, it can be a fun deviation. Again, I don't think it is BEST but it can be fun way to change up the game a bit

With Morgan or uni I will usually for ind auto immediately although I have gone centauri ecology first if the terrain totally sucks. Other factions are slower to ind auto so I usually make centauri ecology one of my first techs

	15-04-2004 02:53									#17
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I usually start off with Cent Eco to start forming first thing. I start roads and forest so that my crawlers will have something to crawl. Seems that if you make crawlers before forests you would only have single mineral (undeveloped rocky and rolling) sites to crawl. Where as planting forests pays off not only when you start crawling mins, but also to give you something for your workers to work in the mean time.

Am I missing something here?

	15-04-2004 03:53									#18
	Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

I go CE first, so as to plant forest early, leveraging the early growth of forest. It's kinda like earning interest.

	15-04-2004 04:13									#19
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Actually... I normally find that in the Ind Eco Bee Line I'm forced to chose another tech at some point, so Cent Eco is picked up then.

-Jam

	15-04-2004 04:39									#20
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Hmm. I have been using Uni for a while and I can bee-line straight to IA. I'll have to try a different faction and see if I get the same results

	15-04-2004 07:19									#21
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livid imp: If you'll notice, according to Jamski, before you have forests, use crawlers on rivers + FM for 2 energy each, rather than 1 mineral each.

	15-04-2004 12:38									#22
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quote: Originally posted by livid imp Hmm. I have been using Uni for a while and I can bee-line straight to IA. I'll have to try a different faction and see if I get the same results

This depends on a few factors such as the slot of the faction (1-7), the number of starting techs for the faction, the way the game was set up (MP games can differ from SP games) and whether you get any techs from trading. There was a thread about this a while ago (Beelining to Industrial Automation, IIRC).

	15-04-2004 12:43									#23
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I also choose Centauri Ecology as my first tech...but what Jamski is saying might have some merit....take the other tech first, THEN pick up CE later.

....I still don't like the fact that I'm operating on tiles alone w/no improvements to them though.

	15-04-2004 12:44									#24
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Sorry for not adding this in...

....but I find that forests sometimes take over tiles that are better suited for farms or mines.

I'd rather plant forests in arid squares so you get some use out of them.

	15-04-2004 12:48									#25
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quote: livid imp: If you'll notice, according to Jamski, before you have forests, use crawlers on rivers + FM for 2 energy each, rather than 1 mineral each.

An extra 2 ecs means a LOT in the early game - faster beeline to IA, and more cash to rush stuff. I'd rather take 2 ecs than 1 mineral... although it only seems to take a moment (1-4 turns) before you can shift that crawler onto minerals.

Of course - the first crawlers should go onto any specials you have lying about, which can then be terraformed while they are worked.

-Jam

	16-04-2004 00:01									#26
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Curiously...Jam, what do you do if you land in a all moist with no rivers area?

	16-04-2004 00:35									#27
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Centauri Ecology (which is nearly always my first tech) and Bioengineering. For Formers, Rec Tanks and two SPs. I like SPs, especially if I've got them.

quote: Originally posted by RX2000 Forgive my stupidity, but is IA Industrial Automation? If so, why is it so important to get that? Hab complexes to get above 7 pop quickly?

In fact, there are seven reasons:
- crawlers
- crawlers
- crawlers
- crawlers
and I forgot about the last three.
It is impossible to overstress the importance of crawlers.

	16-04-2004 04:33									#28
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quote: Curiously...Jam, what do you do if you land in a all moist with no rivers area?

Isn't it Ctrl-Shift-N for a new map, same settings?

But you almost ALWAYS find a river near the HQ base or two.

-Jam

	16-04-2004 04:42									#29
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ctrl-shift-n it is then

	17-04-2004 04:06									#30
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Forest growing onto tiles you intend to build something else on can be harvested for 5 minerals to the home base of the terraformer. That's something you WANT to happen.

But you're right about planting on arid tiles -- forest is forest, might as well plant it on a crappy tile instead of a good one.