Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri/The University of Planet: Difference between revisions

Zakharov is plagued by drone problems, making the acquisition of either the [[Civ:SMAC Secret Project Index#Human Genome Project|Human Genome Project]] or the [[Civ:SMAC Secret Project Index#Virtual World|Virtual World]] of paramount importance. Fortunately, since you start with the pre-requisite to [[Civ:SMAC Tech Tree#Planetary Networks|Planetary Networks]], it is often quite easy to grab the Virtual World. Probe actions are expensive for you, and it's relatively cheap for your enemies to launch probe actions your way, so guard against that, and make the [[Civ:SMAC Secret Project Index#Hunter-Seeker Algorithm|Hunter-Seeker Algorithm]] a high priority, but in the meantime, bulk up on defensive probes. You'll need them. Your main advantage is your labs, and whichever way you decide to run your game, your inherent research advantages will put you ahead of the pack quickly. Persistence and good planning will keep you there. Remember, you're getting the benefits of a no-maintenance-cost [[Civ:SMAC Facility Index#Network Node|Network Node]] from the first turn you found a base. Everybody else has to build their Network Nodes, and pay maintenance costs for them, so build bases like crazy! Not only does this keep your bases smaller (to a point, offsetting the drone issue), but it also makes your colony pods ''very'' good investments for the minerals spent!

Simply put, while everybody else is spending time and energy to get where you start from (i.e., the building of [[Civ:SMAC Facility Index#Network Node|Network Nodes]]), you can be building fast attackers to take their bases! About the only group that can do this as or more quickly than you are the Spartans, and that's only because of where they begin on the tech tree. Theirs is a short term advantage in the sense that, research-wise, there's no way they can keep up with you. Even a heavy builder focus won't do it. This is a huge advantage, and if you put your mind to researching nothing but combat techs, you can have enough impact rovers for a good early game rush by the early to mid 30's! Except for the previously mentioned exception, nobody can top that, and that kind of raw speed plays well for a momentum game. If you find somebody on the continent with you, this is the kind of speed that will win you the game, and, once you make a couple of early kills to put you in a position of dominance, your faction is better suited than most to rapidly shifting gears.