SMAC: Flying Formers
Taki Kogoma
comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.strategic, shu...@aol.com (Shutoro) alllegedly
proclaimed:
>One thing that really sets SMAC apart from Civ is the ability to design your
>own units. I just discovered you can put drop pods on formers and colony pods.
>So you can now send them out 8 squares instantly. Once the space elevator
>is built you can put them anywhere on the planet!
Ooook!!!
I haddn't even *considered* Para-Formers or Drop-Pods. (Although I've been
building Grav-pods and -formers for a couple of games.)
--
Capt. Gym Z. Quirk | "I'll get a life when someone
(Known to some as Taki Kogoma) | demonstrates that it would be
quirk @ swcp.com | superior to what I have now."
Veteran of the '91 sf-lovers re-org. | -- Gym Quirk
Shutoro
own units. I just discovered you can put drop pods on formers and colony pods.
So you can now send them out 8 squares instantly. Once the space elevator
pods on copters and needlejets and fly them way out to an island or another
continent. You can also put formers and colony pods on gravships. Your
formers can now go ANYWHERE. The design workshop is one of the best
parts of SMAC in my opinion.
Rasmus Hansen
joelm...@geocities.com
shu...@aol.com (Shutoro) wrote:
> One thing that really sets SMAC apart from Civ is the ability to design your
> own units. I just discovered you can put drop pods on formers and colony
pods.
> So you can now send them out 8 squares instantly. Once the space elevator
> is built you can put them anywhere on the planet! You can also put colony
> pods on copters and needlejets and fly them way out to an island or another
> continent. You can also put formers and colony pods on gravships. Your
> formers can now go ANYWHERE. The design workshop is one of the best
> parts of SMAC in my opinion.
Yeah, I recall when I stumbled onto that. And it keeps happening too. I'm
always finding a wacky new specialized unit that will come in handy like my
Anti-Worm Fungisidal Formers. If you're letting the computer design your
units you're missing half the game...
Joel Mathis
-----------== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==----------
http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Discuss, or Start Your Own
bruce rennie
>
> What is SMAC ??
>
A new time-compression device with addictive properties very like the
drug whose slang name it uses. :)
/bruce
--
/*======================================================================*/
/* You'd be cranky too if you woke up and found yourself at work.
*/
/*
*/
/* Bruce Rennie Q: Are We Not Men ?
*/
/*======================================================================*/
Brian Reynolds
Firaxis Games.
BR
On Fri, 19 Feb 1999 12:49:25 +0100, "Rasmus Hansen" <ras...@aub.dk>
wrote:
>
> What is SMAC ??
>
>Shutoro skrev i meddelelsen
><19990218231856...@ng-fx1.aol.com>...
dste...@my-dejanews.com
joelm...@geocities.com wrote:
> In article <19990218231856...@ng-fx1.aol.com>,
> shu...@aol.com (Shutoro) wrote:
> > own units. I just discovered you can put drop pods on formers and colony
> pods.
> > So you can now send them out 8 squares instantly. Once the space elevator
> > is built you can put them anywhere on the planet! You can also put colony
> > pods on copters and needlejets and fly them way out to an island or another
> > continent. You can also put formers and colony pods on gravships. Your
> > formers can now go ANYWHERE. The design workshop is one of the best
> > parts of SMAC in my opinion.
>
> always finding a wacky new specialized unit that will come in handy like my
> Anti-Worm Fungisidal Formers. If you're letting the computer design your
> units you're missing half the game...
My favorite customized unit is a Probe team with Drop Pods--I love to drop
them in Xenofungus where they're hidden, then run them into an enemy city
next turn to steal technology or raise chaos. If you have the technology to
use Fungus squares like road squares (Centauri Psi?), they work really slick!
Dar Steckelberg
AKA: dsteckel at stargate dot net
Nicholas C. Weaver
>Ooook!!!
>
>I haddn't even *considered* Para-Formers or Drop-Pods. (Although I've been
>building Grav-pods and -formers for a couple of games.)
I ALWAYS put drop pods on my formers and colony pods, the
added flexability is definatly worth it, and allows me to colonize all
these little islands in a much easier way, and once that is colonized,
to leapfrog them.
Similarly, I really like drop pod troops and drop pod probe
teams. Drop them both on the same square just outside an enemy base,
then the next turn, run the probe team in.
--
Nicholas C. Weaver nwe...@cs.berkeley.edu
Brian Reynolds
BR
On 19 Feb 1999 17:36:58 GMT, nwe...@hiss.CS.Berkeley.EDU (Nicholas C.
reflash
How do you remain so humble in your reply ?? ;)
You must wear a very large smile.
Brian Reynolds wrote in message <36d37c43...@news.clark.net>...
Sam Green
Another neat trick (well, late in the game)
Build "drop" colony pod, build a drop defensive unit.
Drop the colony unit into enemy territory, drop the defender into the newly
formed city.
Build a PSI Gate immediately. Have another city start cranking out
planetbusters.
Teleport the planetbusters into the new city, and whomp you're foes.
This strategy is great to use when your opponents have a naval advantage. In
multiplayer, my wife has the annoying tendancy to completely obliterate
transport units I send over near her, and my missles just don't have the
range to reach her. When I build a base and pop in a buch of defenders in
her territory, the only option she has to realistically take the base is a
planetbuster, which, of course, would get rid of her cities too.
I loved the look on her face when, after teleporting about 8 planetbusters
right into the heart of her territory she just went *poof*. (Note: orbital
defense pods are great, build a bunch fast if you can be first, that way you
can totally control space)
Sam
Twilight
>her territory, the only option she has to realistically take the base is a
>planetbuster, which, of course, would get rid of her cities too.
>
>I loved the look on her face when, after teleporting about 8 planetbusters
>right into the heart of her territory she just went *poof*. (Note: orbital
>defense pods are great, build a bunch fast if you can be first, that way you
>can totally control space)
>
LOL gosh i wonder if you are sleeping on the couch tonite .. wow a
lady who appreciates a great comp game. Amazing...i havent met one in
my short 25 years of life...
"I can picture in my mind a world without war , a world without hate . And I can picture us attacking that world because they'd never expect it. " -Jack Handey
Chris Byler
>In <19990218231856...@ng-fx1.aol.com> on
>comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.strategic, shu...@aol.com (Shutoro) alllegedly
>proclaimed:
>>One thing that really sets SMAC apart from Civ is the ability to design your
>>own units. I just discovered you can put drop pods on formers and colony pods.
>>So you can now send them out 8 squares instantly. Once the space elevator
>>is built you can put them anywhere on the planet!
>I haddn't even *considered* Para-Formers or Drop-Pods. (Although I've been
>building Grav-pods and -formers for a couple of games.)
I tried to make amphib formers (for sea bases next to land) and
couldn't - the amphib ability didn't show up for units built with the
former package. Argh.
The flying and/or drop colony pods are a great idea, though. Can you
put drop pods on a sea unit? (Orbitally inserting battleships? Well,
with 24th Cen. tech it's possible I guess...)
--
Chris Byler cby...@vt.edu
"I'm not a speed reader. I'm a speed understander."
-- Isaac Asimov
Chris Byler
>In article <7ajom5$h47$1...@nnrp1.dejanews.com>,
> joelm...@geocities.com wrote:
>> In article <19990218231856...@ng-fx1.aol.com>,
>> shu...@aol.com (Shutoro) wrote:
>> > One thing that really sets SMAC apart from Civ is the ability to design your
>> > own units. I just discovered you can put drop pods on formers and colony
>> pods.
>> > So you can now send them out 8 squares instantly. Once the space elevator
>> > is built you can put them anywhere on the planet! You can also put colony
>> > pods on copters and needlejets and fly them way out to an island or another
>> > continent. You can also put formers and colony pods on gravships. Your
>> > formers can now go ANYWHERE. The design workshop is one of the best
>> > parts of SMAC in my opinion.
>> Yeah, I recall when I stumbled onto that. And it keeps happening too. I'm
>> always finding a wacky new specialized unit that will come in handy like my
>> Anti-Worm Fungisidal Formers. If you're letting the computer design your
>> units you're missing half the game...
>My favorite customized unit is a Probe team with Drop Pods--I love to drop
>them in Xenofungus where they're hidden, then run them into an enemy city
>next turn to steal technology or raise chaos. If you have the technology to
>use Fungus squares like road squares (Centauri Psi?), they work really slick!
Actually, it's the Xenoempathy Dome Project.
Can you build probe teams on the speeder chassis? How about on the
needlejet chassis? <evil grin>
Oh, and don't forget cloaked probe teams... they're hidden no matter
WHERE you drop them.
Andrew Humphrey
Byler) wrote:
>>My favorite customized unit is a Probe team with Drop Pods--I love to drop
>>them in Xenofungus where they're hidden, then run them into an enemy city
>>next turn to steal technology or raise chaos. If you have the technology to
>>use Fungus squares like road squares (Centauri Psi?), they work really slick!
>
>Actually, it's the Xenoempathy Dome Project.
>
>Can you build probe teams on the speeder chassis? How about on the
>needlejet chassis? <evil grin>
>
>Oh, and don't forget cloaked probe teams... they're hidden no matter
>WHERE you drop them.
Actually, IIRC, probe teams default to the speeder chassis, even if
you haven't gotten speeders yet. You can't put them on any airframe
(needlejet, 'copter, gravship) -- I remember Brian mentioning that
that was done for play balance. And you can't cloak probe teams
(again, I assume for play balance). I assume that's also the reason
that non-combat units can't move the same turn they airdrop. Hmm, an
interesting idea would be to give your probe teams armor (so that they
are no longer non-combat) -- would that allow them to move the same
turn they dropped? That would make them pretty devastating (esp. with
orbital insertion). I'll have to try that tonight.
Roberto Ullfig
>
> On Fri, 19 Feb 1999 16:05:27 GMT, dste...@my-dejanews.com wrote:
>
> >In article <7ajom5$h47$1...@nnrp1.dejanews.com>,
> > joelm...@geocities.com wrote:
> >> In article <19990218231856...@ng-fx1.aol.com>,
> >> shu...@aol.com (Shutoro) wrote:
> >> > One thing that really sets SMAC apart from Civ is the ability to design your
> >> > own units. I just discovered you can put drop pods on formers and colony
> >> pods.
> >> > So you can now send them out 8 squares instantly. Once the space elevator
> >> > is built you can put them anywhere on the planet! You can also put colony
> >> > pods on copters and needlejets and fly them way out to an island or another
> >> > continent. You can also put formers and colony pods on gravships. Your
> >> > formers can now go ANYWHERE. The design workshop is one of the best
> >> > parts of SMAC in my opinion.
>
> >> Yeah, I recall when I stumbled onto that. And it keeps happening too. I'm
> >> always finding a wacky new specialized unit that will come in handy like my
> >> Anti-Worm Fungisidal Formers. If you're letting the computer design your
> >> units you're missing half the game...
>
> >them in Xenofungus where they're hidden, then run them into an enemy city
> >next turn to steal technology or raise chaos. If you have the technology to
> >use Fungus squares like road squares (Centauri Psi?), they work really slick!
>
> Actually, it's the Xenoempathy Dome Project.
>
> Can you build probe teams on the speeder chassis? How about on the
> needlejet chassis? <evil grin>
Actually probe teams default to the speeder chassis which is why they
move 2. I actually started building probe teams using the infantry
chassis to save in production costs. Once they get to Elite they'll be
able to move 2 anyway.
--
Roberto Ullfig
James E Sexton
: Actually, IIRC, probe teams default to the speeder chassis, even if
: you haven't gotten speeders yet. You can't put them on any airframe
: (needlejet, 'copter, gravship) -- I remember Brian mentioning that
: that was done for play balance. And you can't cloak probe teams
I've been waiting for the chance to try what I think may be a way around that.
Note you _can_ put a troop transport on an airframe... So theoretically, you can
send the plane transport in with a probe unit on it. (the cargo is just one tho')
I've been itching to play with air transports all thru civ 1 & 2.... finally! :)
-jim
Shutoro
enemy city and move in the next turn. If
they survive the mission they are automatically
returned to your nearest city. Then repair
them and repeat the cycle.
James Gassaway
: Andrew Humphrey (ahum...@lanl.gov) wrote:
: : Actually, IIRC, probe teams default to the speeder chassis, even if
: : you haven't gotten speeders yet. You can't put them on any airframe
: : (needlejet, 'copter, gravship) -- I remember Brian mentioning that
: : that was done for play balance. And you can't cloak probe teams
: I've been waiting for the chance to try what I think may be a way around that.
: Note you _can_ put a troop transport on an airframe... So
: theoretically, you can send the plane transport in with a probe unit on
: it. (the cargo is just one tho')
:
: I've been itching to play with air transports all thru civ 1 & 2....
: finally! :)
You can also put transport modules on land units, which gave me the
interesting mental picture of a battleship being carried across the land
by a crawler. Don't know if it would work, haven't tried it yet. But it
does at least give you the ability to build "trucks" or "APC's" to haul
your infantry around in.
--
Dimensional Traveler
Commander - WarForce Omega (The Star Killers), Multiversal Mercenaries
'You name it, we kill it, any time, any reality.'
Pope Jubal
I think my favorite units are my super sea formers with level 8 armor (name?)
and level 4 reactor (singularity?). I love watching the Spartans throw their
missile armed needlejets against my sea formers and seeing those jets die in
droves. It's amazing that I can destroy their costal cities for less than
100 credits and there is nothing that they can do to stop it. Who needs a
military when you can just sink the costal cities and buy their land locked
cities. having a large tech lead and lots of cash is a beautiful thing.
After all, who needs a perfect unit when what you have is just so much better
than what everyone else has!
Pope Jubal
-Posting with DejaNews because I can't get anything else to post with
my work's firewall. Don't you just love corporate internet access?
Roberto Ullfig
>
> James E Sexton (jse...@emily.oit.umass.edu) wrote:
> : Andrew Humphrey (ahum...@lanl.gov) wrote:
> : : Actually, IIRC, probe teams default to the speeder chassis, even if
> : : you haven't gotten speeders yet. You can't put them on any airframe
> : : (needlejet, 'copter, gravship) -- I remember Brian mentioning that
> : : that was done for play balance. And you can't cloak probe teams
> :
> : I've been waiting for the chance to try what I think may be a way around that.
> : Note you _can_ put a troop transport on an airframe... So
> : theoretically, you can send the plane transport in with a probe unit on
> : it. (the cargo is just one tho')
> :
> : I've been itching to play with air transports all thru civ 1 & 2....
> : finally! :)
> :
> You can also put transport modules on land units, which gave me the
> interesting mental picture of a battleship being carried across the land
> by a crawler. Don't know if it would work, haven't tried it yet. But it
> does at least give you the ability to build "trucks" or "APC's" to haul
> your infantry around in.
When I tried this with a speeder it had a movment of only 1; so it
wasn't much use. Maybe with better reactors the speed increases. The Air
transports are O.K. but have limited range. It appears though that
reactors don't increase the transport capacity of air and land transport
units (as they do with sea units); they always seem to be 1. Is this a
bug or a feature?
--
Roberto Ullfig
Chris Byler
>James E Sexton (jse...@emily.oit.umass.edu) wrote:
>: Andrew Humphrey (ahum...@lanl.gov) wrote:
>: : Actually, IIRC, probe teams default to the speeder chassis, even if
>: : you haven't gotten speeders yet. You can't put them on any airframe
>: : (needlejet, 'copter, gravship) -- I remember Brian mentioning that
>: : that was done for play balance. And you can't cloak probe teams
>: I've been waiting for the chance to try what I think may be a way around that.
>: Note you _can_ put a troop transport on an airframe... So
>: theoretically, you can send the plane transport in with a probe unit on
>: it. (the cargo is just one tho')
>: I've been itching to play with air transports all thru civ 1 & 2....
>: finally! :)
>You can also put transport modules on land units, which gave me the
>interesting mental picture of a battleship being carried across the land
>by a crawler. Don't know if it would work, haven't tried it yet. But it
>does at least give you the ability to build "trucks" or "APC's" to haul
>your infantry around in.
Can you put repair bay on APCs? How about carrier deck?
Ditto these questions for gravship transports...
Dennis Francis Heffernan
wrote:
|Can you put repair bay on APCs? How about carrier deck?
|Ditto these questions for gravship transports...
I was able to put a repair bay on a gravship transport in my last game.
Of course, the game ended shortly thereafter, seeing as how everyone was
licking my boots.
<digression>
Actually this particular game was bugged -- I went for a Conquest win (I
have no intention of transcending to fungus) and it refused to acknowledge the
win after I enslaved the last faction. So I tried to get to Transcendence (it
has never given me the Diplomatic option) but couldn't; it would let me build
Voice but wouldn't let me build Ascend. So I pulled the plug and called it a
win anyway.
</digression>
Unfortunately all the really interesting and fun to use tech is so high up
on the tree that the game should be over before you get to it.
Dennis F. Heffernan UO: Venture (Catskills) dfra...@email.com
Montclair State U #include <disclaim.h> ICQ:9154048 CompSci/Philosophy
"And I say now these kittens, they do not get trained/As we did in the days
when Victoria reigned." -- T. S. Eliot, "Gus, the Theatre Cat"
Dennis Francis Heffernan
wrote:
|When I tried this with a speeder it had a movment of only 1; so it
|wasn't much use. Maybe with better reactors the speed increases. The Air
|transports are O.K. but have limited range. It appears though that
|reactors don't increase the transport capacity of air and land transport
|units (as they do with sea units); they always seem to be 1. Is this a
|bug or a feature?
Non-sea transports always have capacity one. Because of fuel limits, air
transports are essentially useless, except perhaps for copters if you're
willing to burn them. Gravships don't have fuel limits, of course, but by the
time you get them, who cares?
Doubly infuriating is that air transports can't embark/disembark except at
airbases or cities; I'm sure there are a number of US Army and Marine
helicopter pilots who would like to know that.
Ralph Trickey
Heffernan) wrote:
>On Fri, 26 Feb 1999 18:16:43 GMT, Roberto Ullfig <rul...@midway.uchicago.edu>
>wrote:
>
>
>|When I tried this with a speeder it had a movment of only 1; so it
>|wasn't much use. Maybe with better reactors the speed increases. The Air
>|transports are O.K. but have limited range. It appears though that
>|reactors don't increase the transport capacity of air and land transport
>|units (as they do with sea units); they always seem to be 1. Is this a
>|bug or a feature?
>
> Non-sea transports always have capacity one. Because of fuel limits, air
>transports are essentially useless, except perhaps for copters if you're
>willing to burn them. Gravships don't have fuel limits, of course, but by the
>time you get them, who cares?
>
Actually, I've found copters to be useful against the AI at least. It
gives me a range of 4 that I can drop units AFTER WHICH THEY STILL GET
THEIR FULL MOVEMENT!!!. That means that I can do an air strike to
weaken or eliminate a city and follow that up with dropping units next
to the city and move the units into the city, pulling the helo in
after themselves.<g> You can actually go out 5 spaces, then the next
turn go out another 5, then go out another 4, drop, capture and pull
the helo in. That gives you a range of 14 hexes that you can strike. 9
hexes with fair safety, and stretch it 5 more if you're feeling lucky.
Unlike Drop units, you can unload and strike in the same turn with no
penalty!!!! I think the range varies by the reactor. That's a heck of
a long front to try to defend!!!!
>
> Doubly infuriating is that air transports can't embark/disembark except at
>airbases or cities; I'm sure there are a number of US Army and Marine
>helicopter pilots who would like to know that.
>
Don't believe everything you read.<g> I wonder what text file that's
in and if it'll be patched to read right?? You need to embark at an
airbase, but you can debark anywhere.
--
Ralph Trickey <Ralph....@BigFoot.Com.RemoveToEmail>
John Dilick
Francis Heffernan) proclaimed:
> Actually this particular game was bugged -- I went for a Conquest win (I
>have no intention of transcending to fungus) and it refused to acknowledge the
>win after I enslaved the last faction. So I tried to get to Transcendence (it
>has never given me the Diplomatic option) but couldn't; it would let me build
>Voice but wouldn't let me build Ascend. So I pulled the plug and called it a
>win anyway.
Sounds like you either didn't have Cooperative Victory turned on, or you
had 3 or more fawning toadies. Also, if you don't have Transcendence
Victory turned on, you'll never be allowed to do *that*.
--
John Dilick dili...@home.com
If at first you don't succeed, cheat. Cheat until caught, then lie.
Dennis Francis Heffernan
|Yea, verily, on Sat, 27 Feb 1999 19:16:10 GMT, dfra...@email.com (Dennis
|Francis Heffernan) proclaimed:
|
|> Actually this particular game was bugged -- I went for a Conquest win (I
|>have no intention of transcending to fungus) and it refused to acknowledge the
|>win after I enslaved the last faction. So I tried to get to Transcendence (it
|>has never given me the Diplomatic option) but couldn't; it would let me build
|>Voice but wouldn't let me build Ascend. So I pulled the plug and called it a
|>win anyway.
|
|Sounds like you either didn't have Cooperative Victory turned on, or you
|had 3 or more fawning toadies. Also, if you don't have Transcendence
|Victory turned on, you'll never be allowed to do *that*.
All turned on, and there were only three factions left in the game by that
point....
Dennis Francis Heffernan
(Ralph Trickey) wrote:
|Actually, I've found copters to be useful against the AI at least. It
|gives me a range of 4 that I can drop units AFTER WHICH THEY STILL GET
|THEIR FULL MOVEMENT!!!.
Drop pods worked just as well for me.
|Don't believe everything you read.<g> I wonder what text file that's
|in and if it'll be patched to read right?? You need to embark at an
|airbase, but you can debark anywhere.
Is the text wrong, or is this a bug?
Winte...@tictac.org
>Yea, verily, on Sat, 27 Feb 1999 19:16:10 GMT, dfra...@email.com (Dennis
>Francis Heffernan) proclaimed:
>
>> Actually this particular game was bugged -- I went for a Conquest win (I
>>have no intention of transcending to fungus) and it refused to acknowledge the
>>win after I enslaved the last faction. So I tried to get to Transcendence (it
>>has never given me the Diplomatic option) but couldn't; it would let me build
>>Voice but wouldn't let me build Ascend. So I pulled the plug and called it a
>>win anyway.
>
>Sounds like you either didn't have Cooperative Victory turned on, or you
>had 3 or more fawning toadies. Also, if you don't have Transcendence
>Victory turned on, you'll never be allowed to do *that*.
I believe I've got the same problem, actually. I've got two allies, and
all the options ARE turned on. And I have the mind-machine interface
technology, and still can't get the option for the Supreme Leader council
vote.
Weasel
(Twilight) wrote:
>LOL gosh i wonder if you are sleeping on the couch tonite ..
Heheheheh.........
>wow a
>lady who appreciates a great comp game. Amazing...i havent met one in
>my short 25 years of life...
My wife actually kicks pretty fair butt at Quake II, among some other
games she plays when she gets a chance...... It's uncanny to see her
cackle as she runs down pedestrians in Carmageddon.
I had to look for quite a long time to find her too. She's not
allergic to sex, and likes my computer buddies..........Can it get any
better than that?
(She even goes to Hooters with us on occasion...)