Best Bang for the Buck

BustaMike · May 1, 2002, 17:49

I was playing the other day and I noticed that a 2-3-4 foil costs the same as a 1-1-4 foil (both 20 minerals base). That 2-3-4 foil makes a much better defender early on for costal bases than the usual plasma infantry and it's cheaper to build. Here are some units that I consider to be the best bang for the buck. Please add on your own.

Trance scout 1-1t-1 (same cost as 1-1-1 but with trance) 10 minerals

Plasma foil 2-3-4 (super cheap for the stats on it) 20 minerals

I don't remember any more off the top of my head (that's why you should respond and add more).

Tau Ceti · May 1, 2002, 18:38

Long time no see, Mike.

I would not recommend that plasma foil as a defender because of the 100% "in port" bonus an attacker would get. Besides, an ordinary plasma sentinel is also just 20 minerals.

Some other nice units:

Riot Police 1-1-1 Clean Police @ 20; THE cheapest drone control for non-FM factions.
Impact Chopper 4-1-10 @ 20; An excellent suicide craft for taking out enemy crawlers, formers and transports. Can also be used to attack lightly defended bases.

mark13 · May 1, 2002, 20:24

Wow, there's a name from a while back - welcome back!

Just to add to Tau's 2-3-4 summary - the foil would not act as a police unit, either - 2-3t-4 units can be useful as defenders against IoDs in bases. Not recommended without an infantry garrison though.

Simple 1-1-1 trained units are nice as well, especially mid-game, when running knowledge - with command and bio centres, units come out of the box elite, and are upgradeable to anything you like.

Sikander · May 2, 2002, 02:50

One nice thing about the ship is it doubles as artillery. Sometimes I'll build a ship when I need artillery support and can't yet build infantry based arty.

BustaMike · May 3, 2002, 16:07

Just remembered a few more. I'm sure most of the experienced players know all this already but maybe this might help someone.

As soon as you get fusion, prototype a fusion rover crawler. Same price and an extra movement point.

Another good one. A probe team on an infantry chasis only costs 20 minerals. Much better price if you are using them for defense.

As for that boat, I forgot about that port bonus. Still you gotta admit it has pretty good stats for 20 minerals.

One more thing (that I'm sure everyone already knows). Don't forget that planetary networks gives you rovers even w/o mobility. Look at a probe team and change the weapon in the design workshop.

BustaMike · May 3, 2002, 16:30

TC, now there's a name I haven't seen in a while. It seems a lot of the old SMAC players are stopping by this forum again. I was gone for a long time, but this forum is so nice (and I'm bored at work) that I still like to visit it. I played Diablo2 for a while and the forums for a game like that just seem so uncivilized, to put it nicely, compared to this one. Anyway it's cool that old players are still hanging around. I'll probably continue to stick around. I wanna get my post count up slowly so I can get my custom avatar finally. Those things are cool.

So this post isn't totally off topic...

Unit not to build - Clean Blink String Copter with Stasis Armor

Chowlett · May 3, 2002, 18:49

Quote:

Originally posted by BustaMike
TC, now there's a name I haven't seen in a while. It seems a lot of the old SMAC players are stopping by this forum again. I was gone for a long time, but this forum is so nice (and I'm bored at work) that I still like to visit it. I played Diablo2 for a while and the forums for a game like that just seem so uncivilized, to put it nicely, compared to this one. Anyway it's cool that old players are still hanging around. I'll probably continue to stick around. I wanna get my post count up slowly so I can get my custom avatar finally. Those things are cool.

So this post isn't totally off topic...

Unit not to build - Clean Blink String Copter with Stasis Armor

Do I count as an old SMAC player? I've been here a while, I just never started to pick things apart the way you guys do.

And no - the string would get cought in the rotors!

MariOne · May 4, 2002, 07:24

Quote:

Originally posted by BustaMike
One more thing (that I'm sure everyone already knows). Don't forget that planetary networks gives you rovers even w/o mobility. Look at a probe team and change the weapon in the design workshop.

With wide (albeit not unanimous) consensus this is considered a loophole leftover in the code or an overlooked collateral effect of a flaw in the design, and thus agreed upon to not use it.
In short words, a cheat.

___

Once you get Fusion, there are plenty of designs which suddenly become to cost the same of weaker combinations.

All off the top, I'd cite plasma armored formers cost the same as unarmoured, and... (if I'm not mistaken) 6-<3>-1*2 cost the same as 1-<3>-1*2.
Many players go for a design with a purpose in mind, so for instance when they are mindset for a good defensive AAA unit they don't imagine that they can add missile weapon for free!!!
Of course, there is a downside: such units cost the same when you *produce* them... but cost a bit (or a LOT) more if you wanna *upgrade* to them from obsolete shells!

___

In the early game, a classic example is a 1-2t-2 costing the same as a 1-2t-1: added mobility to your defense for free, and no ohter disadvantage (you won't sure use your 1-2-1 to attack a base), other than upgradability considerations for a rather distant future.

Also, I still see someone designing 1-1-2 when a 2-1-2 costs the same.
Same thing for 2e-1-2 over 1e-1-2.

In summary: always check when you design a unit whether adding one level armor/weapon, or an unexpected abilty, actually alters your cost more than you consider convenient... you'd be surprised sometimes

Tau Ceti · May 4, 2002, 17:06

Quote:

Originally posted by BustaMike
TC, now there's a name I haven't seen in a while. It seems a lot of the old SMAC players are stopping by this forum again.

Oh, I never left at all. Been here the whole time... 2.5 years now.

But as you say, it looks like some old vets are coming back these days. Happy birthday, btw.

For the (slightly) on-topic line; if you have minerals to burn, why not try a fission powered Clean Singularity/Stasis Hovertank Artillery?

BustaMike · May 4, 2002, 17:57

Hehe... my blink clean chopper thingy... 1700 minerals

TC's hovertank... 4600

Change the weapon to a string disruptor and the cost is 7600!!!

I can't seem to find anything higher than that.