Here's a strategy, that will work on normal, to get your base and defenses built up to the point that your survival is reasonably assured. This guide was updated on June 25, 2010 to reflect the changes implemented in Mod A 1.1.
Build your first mine on the northeast 2-bar beacon. You're going to build a common storage fairly early so you can take turns the running the smelter and structure factory when the population squeeze get's bad. This technique works particularly well when you build your first mine on the northeast 2-bar beacon. You produce more metal each time you fire-up the smelter, and have more time to run the structure factory while the trucks are in transit. As long as you have a Common Storage, you only really need to run the smelter when there's a truck on the dock.
Because getting your structure factory operational ASAP is a good thing, you might want to try building it on the sand just north of the Agridome. What I've observed is that when I locate a structure factory on sand, the instant construction starts the building is already around 820/2000 complete and the health bar over the structure is green. When I locate a structure factory on normal gray ground, the instant construction starts the building is just around 180/2000 complete and the health bar over the structure is still red. I've noticed similar a "construction speed bonus" seems to be given to all types of structures when they're located on sand. One of the old-timers here might be able to explain this phenomenon.
While the Factory and Lab are under construction, Have the Robodozer you just got doze a building pad for your Nursery. When that's done doze a pad for the Med Center. At first your Structure Factory will be cranking out kits faster than Robodozer can prepare pads. Residences are one of the fastest things to build, so save the dozed building pads for slower building structures, where the time savings will be greater.
The first topic to research once the Lab is completed should be Health Maintenance.
How to stay alive until you get your Guard Posts up.You can handle all the AI's attacks (Micro-lynx and Starflare) with just your four Lynxes, until it starts sending Stickies, and if you play your cards right you'll have 3 or 4 Laser guard posts up by then. Here's the drill.
Select your two Lynx-RailGuns, bookmark them as a group and station them side-by-side out in front of your mine, so the AI's Micro Lynx will go after them when the time comes. Select your two Lynx-Lasers, bookmark them as a group (with a different hot-key of course) and park them back closer to your base. When you see the Micro-lynx coming, set the game speed to 1 or 2, hit the hot-key to select your RailGun group
and save the game. Just before the Microwave gets into RailGun range, have the group start to retreat north or south. Because The AI has the Scout Class drive train upgrade and you don't, the Micro will slowly gain on you and your RailGuns will start firing. As long as they started to backup soon enough, your RailGuns should get in 3 or 4 solid hits before the Micro gets close enough to hit either of them. That will slow it down to to the point that it's no longer gaining on them. Have Rail group continue to retreat, staying just out of the Micro's range until they've destroyed it. If the Micro scores a hit one your Rails, reload the game and try again (that's why you saved the game). The timing gets easy after a few tries. Save the game before every combat and after every
successful combat until you get good at , so you can have a do-over if necessary. Your RailGuns have to deal with every Micro-lynx the AI produces until you have your guard posts up, and damage will slow them down. The AI already has a speed advantage (Scout Class drive train upgrade) so you can't tolerate much damage to your RailGuns.
The Starflares are a lot easier to deal with. Send your Lynx-Laser group to intercept it in no-mans-land. When the group get close to the 'flare, reverse direction and it will follow them. Your two lasers can destroy the 'flare before it gets close enough to detonate.
After the AI starts making Starflares, it will begin forming Attack Groups of two or more lynxes that it will launch simultaneously when it is ready. From this point on, it's better not to wait for the AI to attack you. Mount a "forward defense" and try to breakup or cripple his attack groups while they're still forming. Remember, the AI's base defense is entirely made up of Tigers, so every Lynx you see loitering around behind his lines is part of a forming attack group.
As soon as you see a lone Micro-lynx, inch your RailGun group closer to the enemy's lines, until it comes out to attack them. The Lynx will come out to attack quicker than the tigers will. When it comes out, use your RailGun group to deal with the Micro according to instructions above. After taking several hits, the Micro may retreat. That's OK if it has suffered substantial damage, making it slower and easier to kill when the attack group is finally launched. If it escaped with just scratches, try to draw it out again.
If you see an unaccompanied Starflare-lynx try to draw it out the same way, but using your Laser group instead of the RailGuns.
Build out your base in the following order:
- Residence
- Nursery
- Residence
- Med Center (research will be complete by then)
- Common Storage
- 4 laser Guard Posts, built in a north-south line located four or five tiles east of your mine and connected by tube to the nearest building.
- University
- Second smelter just west of your mine (idle the old one)
- Vehicle Factory, Garage, Etc...
Unlike most colony games, you start with no children in PCW. That's why you leave the University until after the Med Center, Common Storage and Guard Posts. So by the time it's built, you'll have a reasonable number of children to train. The two scientists that would otherwise work at the University will continue to do research until it's built.
I'll edit and add to this as I have time.
