Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri/Gameplay: Difference between revisions

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Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri/Gameplay (edit)

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** Tax - The trade goods become money in your civilization treasury. You can use it to rush-build, given the right conditions, use it as part of a trade with another civilization, or even give it as a gift.  Tax revenue is also used to pay required maintenance fees for improvements and wonders, as well as, in the latest versions, support and upgrade your units.
** Tax - The trade goods become money in your civilization treasury. You can use it to rush-build, given the right conditions, use it as part of a trade with another civilization, or even give it as a gift.  Tax revenue is also used to pay required maintenance fees for improvements and wonders, as well as, in the latest versions, support and upgrade your units.
** Science - The trade goods go toward scientific research, allowing you to research new technologies that can unlock new units, improvements, wonders, and unit abilities.  Falling too far behind your competitors in the science race the most reliable way to lose the game. (As mentioned below, the Colonization equivalent is the Liberty Bell, where the "new technologies", such as faster ships or greater production, are called "Founding Fathers".)
** Science - The trade goods go toward scientific research, allowing you to research new technologies that can unlock new units, improvements, wonders, and unit abilities.  Falling too far behind your competitors in the science race the most reliable way to lose the game. (As mentioned below, the Colonization equivalent is the Liberty Bell, where the "new technologies", such as faster ships or greater production, are called "Founding Fathers".)
** Luxury/Culture - The trade goods go toward entertaining the populace, keeping them happy or content, which increasingly becomes a factor the larger your city population becomes.  In addition, in some games, the more cities you have, the sooner you have to deal with unhappy citizens.  In many Civ games, luxury output first transforms content citizens to happy ones, then, if there are still unallocated luxury output and no content citizens, transforms unhappy citizens to content, then happy, citizens.  Angry citizens and resisters are generally unaffected by luxuries. This was replaced in ''Civilsation IV'' by a culture slider, accessible  with ''music''. Commerse is diverted to producing culture, which expands you boarders and, with some buildings, helps to make citizins happy.
** Luxury/Culture - The trade goods go toward entertaining the populace, keeping them happy or content, which increasingly becomes a factor the larger your city population becomes.  In addition, in some games, the more cities you have, the sooner you have to deal with unhappy citizens.  In many Civ games, luxury output first transforms content citizens to happy ones, then, if there are still unallocated luxury output and no content citizens, transforms unhappy citizens to content, then happy, citizens.  Angry citizens and resisters are generally unaffected by luxuries. This was replaced in ''Civilization IV'' by a culture slider, accessible  with ''music''. Commerce is diverted to producing culture, which expands you boarders and, with some buildings, helps to make citizens happy.


====Colonization====
====Colonization====
Colonization, instead, has 16 types of "cargo" produced, some "gathered" directly from the terrain and some produced by conversion of another (or, in the case of horses, just fed with surplus food production as long as there are two or more). They can all be bought or sold for money and moved in ships or wagon trains. Two other elements can be produced but not traded.
Colonization, instead, has 16 types of "cargo" produced, some "gathered" directly from the terrain and some produced by conversion of another (or, in the case of horses, just fed with surplus food production as long as there are two or more). They can all be bought or sold for money and moved in ships or wagon trains. Two other elements can be produced but not traded.
*''Food'', one of the 16 cargoes, is needed to sustain workers (two units each per turn as in the other Civ games), and is exchanged for a new colonist in a colony that has a 200-ton surplus after the end of a turn. Colonists who are not working in a colony (eg travelling (with or without horses or engineering tools) or engaged in defence duties) need no food or other support.
*''Food'', one of the 16 cargoes, is needed to sustain workers (two units each per turn as in the other Civ games), and is exchanged for a new colonist in a colony that has a 200-ton surplus after the end of a turn. Colonists who are not working in a colony (eg traveling (with or without horses or engineering tools) or engaged in defence duties) need no food or other support.
*Forests can be worked for lumber, tradeable as one of the 16 cargos but having prime value when converted by carpenters into ''hammers'' (the equivalent of Civ shields) for producing units, ships, wagon trains, and structures.
*Forests can be worked for lumber, tradeable as one of the 16 cargos but having prime value when converted by carpenters into ''hammers'' (the equivalent of Civ shields) for producing units, ships, wagon trains, and structures.
*The Colonization equivalent of "science" is the ''Liberty Bell'' (produced to a limited degree by every colony but much more where a worker works in the Town Hall and still more if he's an Elder Statesman), which (in addition to an effect on the productivity of the colony that produced it) goes toward having successive "Founding Fathers" joining your Continental Congress and thereafter providing your empire with various benefits, some major and some minor.
*The Colonization equivalent of "science" is the ''Liberty Bell'' (produced to a limited degree by every colony but much more where a worker works in the Town Hall and still more if he's an Elder Statesman), which (in addition to an effect on the productivity of the colony that produced it) goes toward having successive "Founding Fathers" joining your Continental Congress and thereafter providing your empire with various benefits, some major and some minor.
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If the number of unhappy people exceeds the number of happy people in a city, the city will fall into ''civil disorder''. Content citizens and specialists do not enter the equation. When a city is in civil disorder, no goods are produced other than food. In some games, you cannot rush-build during disorder as well.  In many games, there are city improvements that are dangerous to have in a city under civil disorder, such as nuclear power plants and their risks of meltdown.  Prolonged civil disorder in a city, or multiple cities under civil order, may lead the citizens to destroying certain city improvements (but never wonders), or, in the worst case, revolt, sending your government to anarchy.  This is especially true of representative governments such as Democracy in many ''Civ'' games, where having two cities in civil disorder, or one city for more than one turn, will lead to a revolution.
If the number of unhappy people exceeds the number of happy people in a city, the city will fall into ''civil disorder''. Content citizens and specialists do not enter the equation. When a city is in civil disorder, no goods are produced other than food. In some games, you cannot rush-build during disorder as well.  In many games, there are city improvements that are dangerous to have in a city under civil disorder, such as nuclear power plants and their risks of meltdown.  Prolonged civil disorder in a city, or multiple cities under civil order, may lead the citizens to destroying certain city improvements (but never wonders), or, in the worst case, revolt, sending your government to anarchy.  This is especially true of representative governments such as Democracy in many ''Civ'' games, where having two cities in civil disorder, or one city for more than one turn, will lead to a revolution.


This, however, is not true of ''Civilization IV''. Instead, 'happyness' and 'unhappyness' modifiers are listed. For each point the unhappyness modifiers exceed the happyness ones, one citizin will refuse to work. Cities never revolt.
This, however, is not true of ''Civilization IV''. Instead, 'happiness' and 'unhappiness' modifiers are listed. For each point the unhappiness modifiers exceed the happiness ones, one citizen will refuse to work. Cities never revolt.


A city may also turn some or all of its citizens into ''specialists''.  In some games, this ability is restricted to cities above a certain size.  Specialists are always considered content, and do not work a tile in the city radius, but instead produce other effects.  Many ''Civ'' games have at least three kinds of specialists: ''taxmen'', who create additional gold for a player's treasury; ''scientists'', who contribute to research; and ''entertainers'', who create luxuries that can content unhappy citizens or turn content citizens happy.
A city may also turn some or all of its citizens into ''specialists''.  In some games, this ability is restricted to cities above a certain size.  Specialists are always considered content, and do not work a tile in the city radius, but instead produce other effects.  Many ''Civ'' games have at least three kinds of specialists: ''taxmen'', who create additional gold for a player's treasury; ''scientists'', who contribute to research; and ''entertainers'', who create luxuries that can content unhappy citizens or turn content citizens happy.


Civilsation IV uses a whole new system of specialists, with more impressive attributes and greater variety.
Civilization IV uses a whole new system of specialists, with more impressive attributes and greater variety.


Angry citizens usually appear only after capturing an enemy city, being loyal to their mother country. Angry citizens refuse to work for the new regime, and thus do not contribute anything to the city, and cannot be converted to a specialist, and in some games, rush-building is impossible while an angry citizen exists.  Many strategies of dealing with angry citizens include starvation and the garrisoning of strong defensive troops.  ''Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri'' does not have angry citizens, having Drones (unhappy citizens) serve both roles.
Angry citizens usually appear only after capturing an enemy city, being loyal to their mother country. Angry citizens refuse to work for the new regime, and thus do not contribute anything to the city, and cannot be converted to a specialist, and in some games, rush-building is impossible while an angry citizen exists.  Many strategies of dealing with angry citizens include starvation and the garrisoning of strong defensive troops.  ''Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri'' does not have angry citizens, having Drones (unhappy citizens) serve both roles.
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If in contact with other civs or expecting to be, it is a good idea to research the most advanced tech available because it is most likely to be tradeable.
If in contact with other civs or expecting to be, it is a good idea to research the most advanced tech available because it is most likely to be tradeable.


In some games the Great Library gives you any tech discovered by two or more other civs. If you have it, you can often profitably sell libraries and set science to a minimum and concentrate on tax and luxuries, until the Library ceases to be effecive.
In some games the Great Library gives you any tech discovered by two or more other civs. If you have it, you can often profitably sell libraries and set science to a minimum and concentrate on tax and luxuries, until the Library ceases to be effective.


==Expansion phase==
==Expansion phase==
The first phase of any Civ game is the expansion phase. Each civilization tries to stake its claim to as much territory as it can, possibly even knocking out a rival with a "rush". The details of this will differ from game to game and from player to player. For instance, in Civilization I and II, a player might place cities as far apart as necessary to avoid overlap, four squares between cities, not including the cities themselves, being roughly optimal. In Civilization III, the same player might place cities extremely close together, with two squares between cities, or even one square in extreme situations. All games share a need to produce colonizing units as fast as practicable in the expansion phase.
The first phase of any Civ game is the expansion phase. Each civilization tries to stake its claim to as much territory as it can, possibly even knocking out a rival with a "rush". The details of this will differ from game to game and from player to player. For instance, in Civilization I and II, a player might place cities as far apart as necessary to avoid overlap, four squares between cities, not including the cities themselves, being roughly optimal. In Civilization III, the same player might place cities extremely close together, with two squares between cities, or even one square in extreme situations. All games share a need to produce colonizing units as fast as practicable in the expansion phase.


However, following this strategy in ''Civilisation IV'' will lead to rampant costs, and potentially damage your economy permamently. As such, player have come up with a '60% rule': expand until you are forced to lower your science to 60% to stay in the black.
However, following this strategy in ''Civilization IV'' will lead to rampant costs, and potentially damage your economy permanently. As such, player have come up with a '60% rule': expand until you are forced to lower your science to 60% to stay in the black.


===Infinite City Sprawl===
===Infinite City Sprawl===
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==Combat mechanics==
==Combat mechanics==
In every game there is a way of fighting against either barbarians or other players.  What determines the outcome of the battle is largely the same in every game.  Each unit in any ''Civ''(except ''Civilisation IV'', where it is represented by 'stength' and 'movement', accompanied by a large selection of modifiers and promotions) game has an ''attack/defense/movement rating'' (or ''ADM rating''), which determines its power when attacking other units, its power in resisting attacks, and how many spaces it can move (or, if attacking, how many attacks it can make in one turn).  The ADM rating can be modified by various factors, such as "veteran status", the terrain it is in, and whether the unit is in a fortified position.
In every game there is a way of fighting against either barbarians or other players.  What determines the outcome of the battle is largely the same in every game.  Each unit in any ''Civ''(except ''Civilization IV'', where it is represented by 'strength' and 'movement', accompanied by a large selection of modifiers and promotions) game has an ''attack/defense/movement rating'' (or ''ADM rating''), which determines its power when attacking other units, its power in resisting attacks, and how many spaces it can move (or, if attacking, how many attacks it can make in one turn).  The ADM rating can be modified by various factors, such as "veteran status", the terrain it is in, and whether the unit is in a fortified position.


In each turn of ''Civ'', every unit has a chance to move to an adjacent square.  Each type of terrain has its own ''movement cost'', and the movement cost is taken out of a unit's movement rating whenever it moves.  The movement ends for a unit whenever a unit's movement rating falls below zero for the turn.  Movement points are replenished every turn.  Most games also have a form of terrain enhancement that would reduce or eliminate movement costs for units.  In some games, some forms of terrain are impassible.  Also, some games may also have air units that use a fuel system, and thus must return to a form of refueling station (such as a city or airbase) after a certain number of turns.  In addition to ADM ratings, many ''Civ'' games also have a hit point system, where a unit is destroyed when out of hit points (instead of instantly, as in the early games).
In each turn of ''Civ'', every unit has a chance to move to an adjacent square.  Each type of terrain has its own ''movement cost'', and the movement cost is taken out of a unit's movement rating whenever it moves.  The movement ends for a unit whenever a unit's movement rating falls below zero for the turn.  Movement points are replenished every turn.  Most games also have a form of terrain enhancement that would reduce or eliminate movement costs for units.  In some games, some forms of terrain are impassible.  Also, some games may also have air units that use a fuel system, and thus must return to a form of refueling station (such as a city or airbase) after a certain number of turns.  In addition to ADM ratings, many ''Civ'' games also have a hit point system, where a unit is destroyed when out of hit points (instead of instantly, as in the early games).

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