Faction Profile: The Gaians

[Aureustgo]

Faction Profile: The Gaians

Starting Tech: Centauri Ecology (E1)

Advantages: +2 Efficiency, +1 Planet. The Gaians also get +1 nutrient from fungus squares.

Disadvantages: -1 Morale, -1 Police.

Natural ally: Lal of the Peacekeepers. Deirdre will also often ally with Zak(harov) of the University and Santiago of the Spartans.

Target Techs: Secrets of the Human Brain (D2), Centauri Empathy (E3).

Target Special Projects: None, really. Perhaps the Human Genome Project and the Neural Amplifier.

Overview:
Deirdre is probably the easiest faction to play in vanilla SMAC, and probably the most consistently dominant when in human hands (the AI does generally well with her too). She grows exceptionally fast, both in terms of population and number of bases. Of all the factions, she is the least dependent on technology to be effective. More importantly, she’s really fun to play (even if she doesn’t present much of a challenge) because of all the interaction with Planet. The Gaians also get some of the coolest music, so they have that going for them too. A great choice for the beginning player.

[Rocky]

Along with the Peacekeepers the Gaians are my favorite faction to play. Going for alien life forms makes gameplay simpler. (If I'm not in the mood for prototyping/upgrades) Once you get Locusts of Chiron Planet opens up to you. Early captured mind worms can buy precious time against the more aggressive factions.

I tend to stay on the good side with Zakharov (Discover techs) and Morgan (Build techs) while focusing on Explore. (Always blind research) I would only run Planned (pop-boom) or Green (warfare) if needed. (Until I'm independent in my own research) Like you said in your post Zakharov makes for an easy ally. I tend to use Wealth for infrastructure until meeting the University.

[Aureustgo]

Keys to Success

1. Becoming one with Planet.

Simply put, Deirdre’s plus-one planet rating is the key component to successful Gaian play. The bonus is fairly simple, but the implications are vast. Yeah, other factions can get that same bonus or better with Centauri Empathy [E3], but keep in mind:

a. Deirdre’s first mind worm attack automatically captures the first time it is used. So right off the bat she has an impact rover-type unit within the first dozen moves. This sets of a potentially geometric expansion of worms much earlier than someone who accidentally stumbles upon, say, the Nexus Manifold;

b. Less appreciated is her planet rating allows easy movement through fungus squares. Later in the game this is no big deal. But in the early game? Not having any delays in moving units is critical to the land grab, and sealing off the AI. (This is by no means limited to the Ruins, but does come particularly handy here). End result: Deirdre spreads out FAST;

c. Centauri Empathy can be a long way off. Deirdre is usually the only one to go after it, and will unlikely trade it away, so the technology doesn’t find itself in trading circles very often or early.

d. Other factions don’t orient their game (as much) around fauna, and so when Centauri Empathy or the Manifold Nexus is found, it doesn’t impact their combat effectiveness to the same degree. In Deirdre’s hands, her accumulated army of mind worms get an instant and massive upgrade.

Now that Deirdre has her first mind worm, what next?

Maximize exploration and pod popping rather than attacking other factions or other mind worms. (Leave the latter to the scouts). Losing your first mind worm early is the biggest mistake Deirdre can make. Note that mind worms will never attack another mind worm (although isle of the deep will, and also in the case of a stacked unit underneath). Of course, sometimes attacking is sort of forced on you, and so you just have to roll with it.

You’ll find that mind worms explore quickly, as they get 3 moves (through fungus squares) instead of a rover’s 2. As an added bonus, there’s no “bad” unity pod, as even a batch of mind worms won’t kill you (and really, these become useful sources for future mercs). With active fauna, Deirdre can quickly rack up more energy credits than Morgan can ever dream of. In those environments, it’s not uncommon to get over 1000 energy credits (from worms and pods) before Deirdre even finds all the other factions.

It follows that, more than most, Deirdre does not want to be on an island (Santiago and Miriam probably dislike this situation more). She needs to roam. Exploration at sea is far more perilous. Done right, Gaian focus on exploration is a surprisingly reliable path to success.

[Aureustgo]

(Always blind research) I would only run Planned (pop-boom) or Green (warfare) if needed. (Until I'm independent in my own research) Like you said in your post Zakharov makes for an easy ally. I tend to use Wealth for infrastructure until meeting the University.

Yes. All of my posts assume vanilla SMAC and defaults. Blind research has interesting implications for Deirdre, which I'll comment on later.

Oddly enough, I don't pop boom with Deirdre. As I'll discuss later, I believe the opportunity cost is way too high and the benefits minimal. For me, most of my games with Deirdre are effectively over by Doctrine: Air Power [E5].

My choice of Social Engineering: Values depends on my neighbors. It is actually not uncommon for me to run defaults across the board.

[Rocky]

(Always blind research) I would only run Planned (pop-boom) or Green (warfare) if needed. (Until I'm independent in my own research) Like you said in your post Zakharov makes for an easy ally. I tend to use Wealth for infrastructure until meeting the University.

Yes. All of my posts assume vanilla SMAC and defaults. Blind research has interesting implications for Deirdre, which I'll comment on later.

Oddly enough, I don't pop boom with Deirdre. As I'll discuss later, I believe the opportunity cost is way too high and the benefits minimal. For me, most of my games with Deirdre are effectively over by Doctrine: Air Power [E5].

My choice of Social Engineering: Values depends on my neighbors. It is actually not uncommon for me to run defaults across the board.

I used to play with blind research off but I put it on by accident one game and I realized I was enjoying it more. It makes the game more unpredictable.

Pop-boom is indeed situational, and I tend to do it for a few bases at a time. Without Free Market it's more difficult to manage drones but the higher population/specialists do give a few benefits. (The other reason is more of a preference; I like the look of Gaian bases when they're above 7 population)

Same for me regarding values. I tend to run defaults as well depending on neighbors. In my last game as Peacekeepers I had Hive to the west and Believers in the east. There was no way I could have run Democracy until much later in the game.

[Aureustgo]

Same for me regarding values. I tend to run defaults as well depending on neighbors. In my last game as Peacekeepers I had Hive to the west and Believers in the east. There was no way I could have run Democracy until much later in the game.

Yeah good call - this happens more often than I'd like. I also tend to think that democracy is expensive and crippling for base-spamming factions like the Gaians and Morganites (to which I'll comment later) in the early- to mid-game. I think wealth is a great social engineering choice for Deirdre, but I don't think I've ever used it. Placating the Spartans, and maintaining an alliance with the University, is usually far more important.

[Aureustgo]

2. It’s okay to rely on Planet

Now that you have the world explored, bases spread all over, and a growing number of mind worms, it is tempting to fall into regular-faction-SMAC-mode: build new buildings, new units, terraform away, etc.

Once Deirdre gets Centauri Empathy (pushing her to plus-three planet), relying on Planet becomes a viable strategy:

a. At plus-two or better planet rating, gun foils and other sea vessels can safely attack isle of the deep. (Prior to this, Deirdre’s poor morale rating makes attacking them at plus-one not cost-effective). No need for transports. More, you’ll want to find New Sargasso, if you haven’t already. Just roam around and churn out new isles of the deep (and energy). As you get 4-5 new ones, send them out and threaten (by then, the AI will have a fair number of naval bases) and keep 1-2 behind to repeat the process;

b. This technology allows the spawning of mind worms. They’re expensive, but for about 100 credits you can rush purchase (after the first 10 minerals). Centauri Empathy conveniently comes with biology labs, so look to mix these in. At plus-three, psi attack becomes reliably effective. Make sure to put your trance scout defender(s) as the designated defender, so that worms can counterattack (if in a base) or live to attack again (if out in the open against enemy units);

c. It’s worth reminding that mind worms ignore everything but sensors and base defense. Only morale matters. So Hive’s perimeter defense goes like butter. [A recent thread suggests psi attack is overpowered; I’ll comment later]. Also, in the early- to mid-game it is usually feasible to strike from a distance, either by fungus or road, as the worm doesn’t lose its strength attacking with fractional movement points;

d. With worms you won’t need technology for units, incur upgrade delays, etc. Trance scouts are all you need, and these come on your way to Centauri Empathy. While sometimes it’ll be necessary to supplement worms with laser rovers (and rarely, impact rovers), usually worms and scouts alone get it done. It’s a strange feeling to discover Fusion [D6] and have the computer only offer to upgrade your formers…;

e. It should be obvious but don’t trade the Secrets of the Human Brain [D2]. With that said, the AI is generally slow to put hypnotic trance on their units;

f. Isle of the deep capture is conveniently connected to Gaian exploration and base spreading strategies – they can send mind worms to hard-to-reach unity pods, and shuffle colony pods to new areas more quickly than conventional transports. Deirdre is perfectly suited to hunt pods along the northern (and southern) pole crusts;

g. 2 nutrients in the fungus softens the need for terraforming. Players get another resource bonus (+1 energy, +1 mineral, or +1 nutrient) for each "Centauri" tech. At Centauri Empathy, fungus should be yielding 2/1/0. Not bad;

Not sure whether it’s because she rarely gets Industrial Base [B1], and so blind research cuts off some extraneous paths, but Deirdre is usually the first to get the Secrets to the Human Brain [D2], even before Zak. As a consequence, she’ll have a head start on tech. After recycling tanks, and recreation commons (on transcend), base priorities can be put to special projects and she’ll reliably get a lot of them. Deirdre cranks out the Human Genome Project remarkably quick.

In-line with her green strategy, the typical Deirdre research plan is to click Explore, and just sit back. Occasionally, it is wise to temporarily switch to Discover in case Secrets of the Human Brain [D2] is missed, and then Build at the appropriate time for Gene Splicing [B3], Cyberethics [B4] and Industrial Automation [B3]. 

[Aureustgo]

3. Make sure you don’t die

That's pretty obvious. The point being: as important as keys (1) and (2) are, surviving from one to the other can sometimes be a challenge. This is especially true if Centauri Empathy is elusive (this can happen more often than you think). So Deirdre has to be prepared to deal with some early game problems.

Moral(e) of the story:

The Gaian morale penalty is pretty vicious (unless she’s attacking mind worms) so Deirdre is incredibly vulnerable to attack. Yes, she has mind worms… but maybe not? If the fauna don’t come her way, Deirdre has a paper empire. In this situation, try to avoid annoying your neighbors - give techs, pay them off, and avoid irritating social engineering choices. Besides, it’s not uncommon for Deirdre to be able to run social engineering defaults all the way to victory.

Of course, some neighbors just won’t like you. The Morganites and Spartans come to mind as factions that often go to war at first sight of the Gaians. The former are usually not a huge concern, since the Morgan AI is usually inept, but the latter are a bigger problem. Not only are the Spartans militaristic, their units are tougher against psi attacks. In such case:

a. Pick up Applied Physics (C1), quick. That’s usually all one needs until Silksteel Alloyed [B4] troops come knocking. Combined with a mind worm or two, laser rovers and scouts are enough to hold off impact-bearing AI, using hit and go tactics in the fungus to keep them at bay. Rarely, Non-Linear Mathematics (C2) is necessary;

b. Start pumping out scouts. These serve to increase mind worm opportunities, as well as attack advancing rovers. You won’t kill them, but you can slow them down. In this situation it’s also worth taking some chances, such as against worm-carrying isles of the deep. A capture here and there can provide the added resources necessary to stall an enemy advance.

No red stuff:

Less commonly, Deirdre finds herself either on an island or larger land mass with poor fungus deposits, putting long-term survival at risk. While one can in theory just move back and forth on a single two-square patch, the Gaians will want many units looking for worms and space can run out quick.

If it's a matter of islands, usually going Explore will net Deirdre Doctrine: Flexibility [E2] fairly quick and the rest takes care of itself (if a bit slower than normal). And really, islands mess up AI growth even more, so this is not really a problem on net.

The bigger issue is when Deirdre is surrounded by AI on a fairly large landmass with no places to roam. Here, pop booming may be something to aim for, going vertical and developing in a more conventional manner. Not ideal, but probably the best way to survive long run. The good news is that this is a relatively rare situation.

[Aureustgo]

4. Ignore the Boom

There are lots of articles here and elsewhere on pop booming, where plus-six growth is achieved, usually as a result of democratic government (plus-two), planned economics (plus-two) and children’s crèche (plus-two). If you have enough food, population grows every turn.

A population boom is certainly neat, which is why some argue it is overpowered, but fancy and strong are not the same things. For Deirdre, who at first blush is best suited for it, pop booming is in fact a poor strategy or symptomatic of poor Gaian play. You pop boom because you’re behind, not because you’re ahead. Shouldn’t she focus on what gets her ahead? (See Keys 1, 2, and 3).

Put simply, the costs of pop booming are high and benefits are minimal. Consider:

Costs:

1. Democracy and planned are two social engineering choices Deirdre does not want. The former robs her of free 10 minerals when forming a new base, effectively costing her 50 energy credits (in rush purchases for recycling tanks, etc.) for every base she builds. And she’ll build a lot. So a lot of energy sacrificed. In terms of game play, this greatly slows down her expansion, growth, and ability to score the secret projects. The latter social engineering choice prevents green, a game dominating alternative. Planned also undercuts the paradigm economy that Deirdre wants for maximizing taxes or research (at plus-four efficiency, Deirdre can go 100 percent on either bar without penalty);

2. Switching to these two choices (which again, she does not want) will cost at least 80 credits… but more likely 160 credits because Deirdre will want to switch them back after she booms;

3. To make booming happen (in practice), children’s crèche is the cheapest way to get there. But at 50 minerals they aren’t cheap… and you need one of these at every base. Think 1/6 of a special project for every base you want to boom with. Take the special projects instead;

4. Growing cities requires drone upkeep. If you don’t have the necessary hologram theaters, hospitals, or psych, there’s no point booming because you can’t even enjoy the potential benefit.

So a massive sink in energy credits. What’s the benefit?

Benefits:

1. Forests are usually the optimal play for the early- and mid-game, so getting enough food and terraforming fast enough is usually a problem. And Deirdre can’t even rely on fungus to get her the food she needs: 1) usually the red stuff is terraformed away to protect her bases; and 2) why have big bases if they’re forced to use mineral-less and energy-less fungus squares once they get there? A smaller base will have a greater impact. Deirdre should focus on terraforming forests, which will set her up for Industrial Automation [B3] and (ideally) crawler parks;

2. Population maxes out at 7 without a hab complex. But by the time one builds a hab complex (and later still, tree farms), where perhaps the greatest gain from booming is to be had, Deirdre should already be way out in front, obviating the need for bigger cities. I don’t remember the last game Deirdre played where the game wasn’t effectively over by Doctrine: Air Power [E5];

3. Deirdre doesn’t even need the people for votes. She’ll have the Empath Guild long before anyone else and bases all over the globe.

In sum, if Deirdre wants to pop boom, she should just get the Cloning Vats. But in practice, she'll never need to. A conventional Deirdre strategy, focused on expansion and fauna, will consistently win against AI competition… and surprisingly quick, too. Arresting true Gaian growth to orchestrate a contrived pop boom puts Deirdre behind, not ahead.

[EmpathCrawler]

4. Ignore the Boom

There are lots of articles here and elsewhere on pop booming, where plus-six growth is achieved, usually as a result of democratic government (plus-two), planned economics (plus-two) and children’s crèche (plus-two). If you have enough food, population grows every turn.

A population boom is certainly neat, which is why some argue it is overpowered, but fancy and strong are not the same things. For Deirdre, who at first blush is best suited for it, pop booming is in fact a poor strategy or symptomatic of poor Gaian play. You pop boom because you’re behind, not because you’re ahead. Shouldn’t she focus on what gets her ahead? (See Keys 1, 2, and 3).

Put simply, the costs of pop booming are high and benefits are minimal. Consider:

Costs:

1. Democracy and planned are two social engineering choices Deirdre does not want. The former robs her of free 10 minerals when forming a new base, effectively costing her 50 energy credits (in rush purchases for recycling tanks, etc.) for every base she builds. And she’ll build a lot. So a lot of energy sacrificed. In terms of game play, this greatly slows down her expansion, growth, and ability to score the secret projects. The latter social engineering choice prevents green, a game dominating alternative. Planned also undercuts the paradigm economy that Deirdre wants for maximizing taxes or research (at plus-four efficiency, Deirdre can go 100 percent on either bar without penalty);

2. Switching to these two choices (which again, she does not want) will cost at least 80 credits… but more likely 160 credits because Deirdre will want to switch them back after she booms;

3. To make booming happen (in practice), children’s crèche is the cheapest way to get there. But at 50 minerals they aren’t cheap… and you need one of these at every base. Think 1/6 of a special project for every base you want to boom with. Take the special projects instead;

4. Growing cities requires drone upkeep. If you don’t have the necessary hologram theaters, hospitals, or psych, there’s no point booming because you can’t even enjoy the potential benefit.

So a massive sink in energy credits. What’s the benefit?

Just a few rebuttals here.

1. The idea for booming is to start once you're done planting bases. So after I use the free minerals for the last time, it's a non-issue.

2. I've rarely had energy issues with the Gaians. High efficiency plus a constant influx of planetpearls from your worm hunters should keep you afloat.

3. True, but they also counteract the effect of Planned's efficiency penalty.

4. At Transcend, all you need is your garrison unit plus Rec Commons to keep a size 7 base peaceful.

Once you get your initial wave of expansion done, a well-planned 6 turn pop boom phase is exactly what you need to goose your production and get ready for the mid game. Starting the game with Centauri Ecology means you get a massive head start on terraforming, but that only does you any good if you have the population to work those tiles.

[Hierophant]

Huh. I never knew there was such a thing as "designated defender" until now. Learn something new every day!

[Aureustgo]

Just a few rebuttals here.

1. The idea for booming is to start once you're done planting bases. So after I use the free minerals for the last time, it's a non-issue.

2. I've rarely had energy issues with the Gaians. High efficiency plus a constant influx of planetpearls from your worm hunters should keep you afloat.

3. True, but they also counteract the effect of Planned's efficiency penalty.

4. At Transcend, all you need is your garrison unit plus Rec Commons to keep a size 7 base peaceful.

Once you get your initial wave of expansion done, a well-planned 6 turn pop boom phase is exactly what you need to goose your production and get ready for the mid game. Starting the game with Centauri Ecology means you get a massive head start on terraforming, but that only does you any good if you have the population to work those tiles.

It's probably a style of play difference. I'm attempting to convey the opportunity cost of seemingly standard play. SMAC's dirty little secret is that green is so much more valuable than any other social engineering choice (for each faction, a different reason). And the cool thing is, every faction can use it. This makes planned a very costly alternative. Moreover, frontier is far more important than democracy. Besides not irritating any troublesome neighbor (thinking Hive and Believers), netting those free 10 minerals just lets one dominate the game. Long before the cost-benefit switches, it seems to me, the game is already over. If factions can pop boom without democracy and planned, I say go for it.

[magic9mushroom]

Losing your first mind worm early is the biggest mistake Deirdre can make.

Her unique auto-capture isn't just a sui generis for your first capture attempt. The actual condition is that you have zero of that kind of native. If your first worm dies, you'll get a second very quickly, although it still sets you back a little.