11-02-2003 04:18									#1
	SMAC AI factions summary Got spare money?

A long time ago I've been wondering why I used to won 9 games out of 10 on transcend, rainy, huge maps even giving my techs for free in order to create some damn competition, and my first thought was "I'm so damn good at this game!"

Of course my dreams fell down as soon as I started playing again SMAC after abandoning it for more than one year. It's the damn AI!

Here are some good reasons:

Let's start with SMAC's factions:

Gaians: -1 police, -1 morale; they seem to focus on capturing mindworms and are even good at research, but try to invade them with a good strategy and you'll see that half of their armies are made up of pre-boils mind worms

Hive: my, what a disaster; they could rule the whole world with planned economics + police state, but instead what are they doing? Wasting piles of minerals building obsolete weapons

University: some good in this, network nodes and a free tech at the beginning of the game. Some limitation due to the free drone every 4 citizens and a weird habit in researching discover techs only

Morgans: what were they thinking when they made up this one? -1 support? Paying 1 mineral for every unit you own is enough to prevent you from expanding forever, not mentioning the infamous Free Market: police, planet? who cares! I'll build some 15size metropolis and get huge cash incomes from the economy bonus. Sure. If it wasn't for the 4 size limit

Spartans: great military bonus, morale, support.. what's wrong then? Is it me or cannot they manage to build anything but rovers, plasma garrisons and eventually bunkers?

Believers: a double-faced faction. Give them a large enough continent and some AI factions to trade with and they'll rule the world. Stuck them on a HUGE continent but ALONE and they'll be still researching biogenetics by 2250

Peacekeepers: I hate them only for having the double vote counts. 1 free talent is great stuff and seem to be the first ones in getting the Empath Guild. BUT, for some reason they concentrate 10 cities on a small strip of land on the uranium flats, leaving the fertile garland crater all alone, focusing on building nothing more than improvements, improvements and again, improvements

Things are even worse with Alien Crossfire, so I won't start a point about the fantastic Data DeCentral capital in the middle of a huge continent and NOTHING ELSE or Domai building 3 bases then waiting for me to come

I think I won't give up the game but at least will provide some bonuses to them.. Morgan first of all, I've seen them having a decent game once, just ONCE in my lifetime- any proposals?

Comments are welcome about rules and map settings as well

	11-02-2003 05:14									#2
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gaians: and that can be quite annoying, since worms will defend first if you're running a negative planet rating, rendering you shard choppers useless

university: yes, well i've seen them get to superconductor very quick and launch an early war

morgan: yes, the AI *does* suck with them...

spartans: nah, the just build unarmoured infantry

believers: true, true...

Peacekeepers: right, i've never seen them do very well

i've seen the angels do quite well, and were it not for the rollover bug, they'd be a lot better. the conciousness i've also seen do very well.
as for domai, well yes. the only thing he's annoying for is stealing all the early SPs with his industry bonus
aliens: good factions, but too easy once you can gas them...

	11-02-2003 14:48									#3
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Hmm i have had the same problem, ai that you need to cheat for to have competition.

The only time ive had competition was when i played 70%-90% water and put sven in, my development slowed and by the time i was ready to take him out he had a huuuuge empire

	11-02-2003 23:27									#4
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The Angels are the only faction that seems to do better the less land they have. On smallish islands they do pretty well, terraform and expand out into a few sea bases. Plop them on a huge continent by themselves and they'll usually build a handful of undeveloped cities.

I gave up with the SMAC/X factions a long time ago and started playing custom ones from networknode.org . Some of them have weird plus/minuses/bonuses that actually make them a little more competitive and interesting.

	12-02-2003 13:39									#5
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Thanks for the link

Just started pbem. Cant beat a scheming human opponent ;p

Ellie