Terraforming SMAC
SMAC Terraforming is the engineered modification of Chiron's topography, weather and ecology in Firaxis' TBS Game of 1999, Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri (SMAC).
Terraforming is conducted via Formers, Super Formers and SMAC Units prototyped with Terraforming Equipment.
The effects of terraforming are manifold, multi-layered and far-reaching. In addition to SMAC Ecology, terraforming impacts the mobility of SMAC Units as well as the yield of Nutrients, Minerals and Energy, thereby impacting Base population growth, facility-building, military build-up and Base economy. Terraforming also impacts Base warfare capability through bunkers, sensors and landing pads.
Terraforming Constructions & Cultivations
- Build Mag Tube (mobility)
- Build Road (mobility)
- Construct Air Base (military strategy)
- Construct Bunker (military strategy)
- Construct Condenser (nutrients, rainfall)
- Construct Echelon Mirror (energy)
- Construct Mine (minerals)
- Construct Mining Platform (oceanic minerals)
- Construct Sensor Array (military strategy)
- Construct Soil Enricher (nutrients)
- Construct Solar Collector (energy)
- Construct Thermal Borehole (minerals and energy)
- Construct Tidal Harness (oceanic energy)
- Cultivate Farm (nutrients)
- Cultivate Kelp Farm (oceanic nutrients)
- Drill to Aquifer (river: +1 energy, increase moisture of surrounding squares)
- Plant Forest (nutrients, minerals and energy)
- Plant Fungus (mobility hindrance on land)
- Plant Sea Fungus (oceanic mobility hindrance)
- Remove Fungus (to build mines, solar collectors and roads on land squares)
- Remove Sea Fungus (to build mine platforms and tidal harnesses on ocean squares)
- Terraform Down (can form sea shelves)
- Terraform Level (convert rocky squares to rolling)
- Terraform Up (can form mountains, raise ocean depth to shelf level and create landbridges)
- Xenoagriculture (nutrients from xenofungus)
Topography can be terraformed up to raise mountains or down to form seas. As well, rivers can be formed by drilling to aquifers and rainfall can be manipulated via condensers (and by raising terrain). Note that rivers increase unit mobility, increase the moisture of catchment squares and grant +1 to energy production.
Through Terraform Level, rocky squares can be converted to rolling squares.
What to Build on Squares
The short answer is that Forests should be prioritized followed up by Tree Farm, Hybrid Forest and Aquifers.
- At the least, Colony Pods should found colonies on rainy or moist rolling squares. If the square is also a river, all the better. But the best non-resource square on which to found colonies is a flat rainy jungle river square or a rolling rainy jungle river square (both of which yield 3 Nutrient, 1 Mineral and 3 Energy). However, you should appraise the catchment as a whole, not just its center square.
- Mines should be built on rocky squares
- Farms should be built on rainy or moist rolling squares
- Solar collectors should be built on high-altitude or farm squares
- (Self-replicating) forests should be built on arid flat and moist flat squares
Here is an example of a very strong colony catchment aka production radius. On the left, the colony is at level 1. On the right, the colony is at level 6. The level 6 colony has not built any base facilities at all (yet).
What makes this catchment king-tier:
- Each square of the catchment snares Monsoon Jungle (which is also rivered and largely xenofungus-free).
- 3x Energy special resources, 2x Nutrient special resources and 1x Mineral special resource.
Here is another example of a fledgling colony with king-tier potential:
Forestation Terraforming:
Roads should always be built on mined squares due to the mineral bonus conferred. Roads should link Bases and should be built with forethought of their future application.
To get the most bang for buck out of boreholes, work them with Specialists.
Resource squares external to Base catchment radii should not be ignored since condensers and boreholes can be crawled by Supply Crawlers.
Terrain SMAC
The surface of Chiron is made up of squares or "tiles". Each square is a terrain-type that is assigned resource and movement variables. To learn the nature of a selected square, Shift + Right-click the square or right-click the square and choose "Info" from the dropdown menu.
Xenofungus SMAC
Xenofungus or Fungus is a form of plant life native to Alpha Centauri. It has a number of unusual properties which you may discover in the course of play. Some of the more obvious properties include:
- Fungus impedes movement. Units may have difficulty entering Fungus squares. Increasing your Planet social engineering rating will alleviate this problem. Building the Xenoempathy Dome improves Fungus movement considerably.
- Fungus has some defensive value when defending against other human factions. Against alien Mind Worms, however, Fungus has negative value.
- Fungus squares can be tapped for resources; the resource level provided by a fungus square is determined by the number of Centauri technologies you have discovered.
Ocean Squares
Ocean squares are squares that constitute seas, oceans and lakes.
- Ocean squares produce minerals only if you build a mining platform, in which case they produce 2.
- Ocean squares produce 1 nutrient unless you cultivate a kelp farm, in which case they produce 3.
- Ocean squares do not produce energy unless you build a tidal harness, in which case they produce 3.
Rockiness SMAC
The Rockiness of an area determines that region's Mineral production potential. Regions can be flat, rolling, or rocky.
- Flat regions produce no minerals unless a mine is built there, in which case they can produce one.
- Rolling regions produce a single mineral, which can be increased to two with a mine.
- Unimproved Rocky regions also produce 1 mineral, but can produce 4 with a mine and road.
Rocky areas inhibit movement, costing twice the normal number of moves to enter. They also provide a modest defensive benefit in combat.
Rainfall SMAC
The Rainfall level of a region determines the amount of Nutrients which can be produced. A region can be arid, moderate or rainy, producing 0, 1, or 2 nutrients respectively. A farm increases the nutrient production by 1.
In addition to coastal and tropical regions, the western (upwind) slopes of mountain ranges tend to be quite rainy, since warm moisture-laden air cools as it rises, and sheds its moisture as rainfall. You can take advantage of this phenomenon by raising hills to the east of your important bases. Conversely, areas east, or downwind of mountain ranges tend to be quite arid.
Altitude SMAC
The Altitude of a region affects the amount of Energy which can be collected there. To collect this energy, you must build a Solar Collector.
- Areas below 1000m above sea level produce 1 unit of energy
- From 1000m to 2000m, areas produce 2 energy
- 2000m-3000m areas produce 3 energy
- Areas more than 3000m above sea level produce 4 energy
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