S.o.s.

dojoboy · November 29, 2001, 14:03

Help! I'm in a situation where I usually begin a new game, call me weak. I'm playing the University on the Librarian level. I rarely play Zak.

The situtation is that Santiago is kicking but (many SPs), and Yang has eradicated Domai. I'm puttering around between them (forced Morgan into a submissive pact). I have the Virtual SP and Weather SP.

Santiago is saying stuff like, "I'll have that tech now, please!" (I share a landmass w/ Santiago). Her cities outnumber mine 2 to 1 (I've got six). I've not yet made certain SE choices to remain neutral, inorder to build a few armies. I can't seem to get a handle on Zak.

Any Zaksters outh there?

yavoon · November 29, 2001, 14:23

u's need more cities mate. try the other extreme, see how u like it.

get the virtual world, keep all cities size 2. go free market. make uber amts of colony pods(as long asyour cities are size 2 they will never riot under the holo theatre.). basically make former/garrison/colony pods/crawlers, +nething u really really need

crawl forests for minerals, then replace that by crawling mines for minerals. This is about as strong of a builder opening as i know of in smac. free market has its own quirks that u have to get use to, so if free market is hard just don't use it.

Method · November 29, 2001, 14:59

in my current game im lal right next to santiago. my situation isnt so bad, but i feel your pain. she isnt so good in my game but she has a large army. i pacted with her early and she cancelled it about 50 years later cuz i was running wealth. i'm running demo/fm now but when she delcares war (and it is when not if) im prepared. having about 10 impact/gatling rovers im going to switch to green/knowledge maybe wealth, and maybe even use worms. the key is to be prepared for war and send a few units into her territory to scare her every so often. for some reason it makes her hate you less

Basilisk · November 30, 2001, 04:42

Worms are a godsend, especially if the enemy has a large army. sing city improvements such as the biology lad you can quickly breed high-lifecycle worms, which can often take on high-tech troops as the high-tech isn't taken into account.

dojoboy · November 30, 2001, 14:04

Thanks for your replies. I've got a few more cities now, but not yet able to breed mindworms. At the moment I'm at war w/ Santiago and holding my own because of needlejets (keeping her from reaching my bases). Why she doesn't yet have the tech is beyond me.

Basilisk · November 30, 2001, 19:13

Do you hagve MMI yet? Focus towards it, and get 'Copters. They are, in my opinion, the most valuable units in the game.
I usually team them with Drop Chaos Speeders, and Drop Prob. Sentinels. BUt even without the drop units they are formidable enemies jsut from the ability to attack multiple units.
Also, do you have the Hunter-Seeker Alg.? That is one of the most important SPs when playing Zak because of his -2 probe...
Speaking of Probe Teams... it wouldn't be a bad idea to send a couple of Probe Teams into Santiago's Bases, i fyou have enough energy convert them, or jsut good old sabotage!

Method · November 30, 2001, 23:08

Quote:

Originally posted by dojoboy
Thanks for your replies. I've got a few more cities now, but not yet able to breed mindworms. At the moment I'm at war w/ Santiago and holding my own because of needlejets.

what? you have needlejets but not mindworms? the tech for worms is centauri empathy IIRC.

Basilisk · December 1, 2001, 02:07

Quote:

Originally posted by TKG

what? you have needlejets but not mindworms? the tech for worms is centauri empathy IIRC.

Perhaps Blind Research is on.. (is it?). That can lead to lopsided research results....