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[Loud Whispers]

So, I have this + expansion in my GoG library, but have yet to crack it out. Should I go all in with the expansion? or start with a regular game first. Is there any faction that's better to start with?

Pick a faction that matches the way you think - that way, game-play seems more natural.

My first faction I picked because it was polar opposite to how I thouht and played. If you want to learn before you're thrust kicking and screaming into Planet, the Spartans/Gaians/Peacekeepers are the way to go, with the other 4 being ultra-specialists you'll want to play if they appeal to how you want to run the show. Morgan for economy (very build heavy style, play him if you enjoy building up your bases and infrastructure before you think of sending armies out everywhere), University for tech (they can do whatever really, obviously enjoys researching), the Hive for industry (can do everything except have a good economy, they more than make up for this by spamming production. Good for building, good for conquering) and lastly Believers for exploring, expanding and conquering like a glass mountain (thrives on warfare, struggles to otherwise keep up with other factions without armies of formers). Spartans are for fighting but can do whatever they want too, Gaians are good for everything and Peacekeepers are jacks of all trades.
Of the expansion factions the progenitor factions are incredibly overpowered in the player's hands to the point where it is hard to lose without repeating some debilitating mistake. Good starting factions if you want to learn without having to worry too much about diplomacy/commerce/infrastructure/economy and just want to play. They come in twos, the usurpers (uber versions of the Believers with none of their downsides), the caretakers (super turtle faction who enjoy impregnable defences). There's the pirates who are great fun and are the Spartans with boats, very good faction capable of anything. There's the data angels who specialise in probe team operations (making her the hardest faction to use well, the Believers and Morganites use probe teams almost as well whilst being far more powerful without probe teams too). Cult of planet = super Gaians. Free drones = super Hive. Cybernetic consciousness = super University.

I'd recommend starting with the original 7 in the expansion,  unless you want to play as the pirates or progenitors.

[Rakonas]

Note you can mix, so if you want to play as, say, the free drones, you can select 6 of the original factions and then replace the 7th with your pick.

[Jacob/Lee]

The pirates enjoy clogging Planet's oceans with their horrible cities. Their empire is a trainwreck and taking them out is a chore for little gain in most cases. Haven't played the game in a while and I can't remember if you can burn down cities once you capture them.

[Loud Whispers]

The pirates enjoy clogging Planet's oceans with their horrible cities. Their empire is a trainwreck and taking them out is a chore for little gain in most cases. Haven't played the game in a while and I can't remember if you can burn down cities once you capture them.

Press b to burn!

[Delta Foxtrot]

I think I've said it before, but replacing Miriam with one of the aliens and keeping the rest as vanilla factions played out fairly well for me. They say Miriam can be a beast in MP but I never thought she was much of a threat in SP. Either of the alien races works much better as far as antagonists go.

[Astral]

I always liked the concept of the Cybernetic Conciousness, as well as their general bonuses; increases to efficiency and research, with a minor malus to growth, and tech steal on base capture as a racial bonus (assuming it's not outright enabled)?

Yes, please.

Though the growth penalty is the only thing that really irks me, as in most 4X games I tend to attempt forming a massive, expansive empire, often to the detriment of my ability to police all of it at once. This makes the CC a bit of an anomaly in my usual playstyle, as I end up playing them as builders, more than researchers, but it somehow works a little bit.

I never really got too good at SMAC, so I don't know the AI breaking tricks that allow people to play on the Transcend level, nor do I really care about them, as even Specialist level can give a bit of a challenge for me. In more recent Civilization games I can play on the upper levels with some ease, though.

[Loud Whispers]

Winning on transcend is all about abusing faction specialisms to their best extent. As I am to my chagrin discovering, as playing as Morgan against an even more powerful Morgan will always result in the latter winning as the playing field is level, but they brought a freight train up against my car.

[Loud Whispers]

There are some rather amusing little details in Alpha Centauri that you could play forever and always miss, such as being able to assassinate the probe teams of your 'allies' in transport vehicles without sparking war or using a planet buster to blow up a fungal tower and find every faction declare war on you in spite of no humans dying.

[Parsely]

Are there many AC LPs? I do a lot of recording for my youtube channel and I've nearly finished one of my playthroughs. I've always wanted to get gud at this game.

[beorn080]

I always liked the concept of the Cybernetic Conciousness, as well as their general bonuses; increases to efficiency and research, with a minor malus to growth, and tech steal on base capture as a racial bonus (assuming it's not outright enabled)?

Yes, please.

Though the growth penalty is the only thing that really irks me, as in most 4X games I tend to attempt forming a massive, expansive empire, often to the detriment of my ability to police all of it at once. This makes the CC a bit of an anomaly in my usual playstyle, as I end up playing them as builders, more than researchers, but it somehow works a little bit.

I never really got too good at SMAC, so I don't know the AI breaking tricks that allow people to play on the Transcend level, nor do I really care about them, as even Specialist level can give a bit of a challenge for me. In more recent Civilization games I can play on the upper levels with some ease, though.

Do note that the AI blatantly cheats at Transcend level. I forget at which point it starts cheating, but at Transcend it is simply blatant. I recall someone winning with the Spartans pretty quick, but that abused the morale bonus they get to get 4 high powered rovers ASAP.

[Akura]

or using a planet buster to blow up a fungal tower and find every faction declare war on you in spite of no humans dying.

Presumably because a Planetbuster causes some pretty dramatic climatological change due to half a continent sinking below the ocean, if nothing else. Or the fact you just: A) displayed a willingness to use a Planetbuster, B) used such a weapon on native life(try dropping a nuke on uninhabited jungle in real life and see what stems from that), or C) used such a weapon on a sentient being that several of the factions believe has at least as much, if not more, right to exist as humanity does.

Also note that Planetbusters are fully banned by the UN Charter for the Unity mission, meaning that factions that are supposed to be following it(especially the Peacekeepers) are legally required to declare war to the death on perpetrators who use them.

[Mr. Strange]

Also note that Planetbusters are fully banned by the UN Charter for the Unity mission, meaning that factions that are supposed to be following it(especially the Peacekeepers) are legally required to declare war to the death on perpetrators who use them.

Does reapealing UN Charter lift the ban on them also? Or is it only for the "lesser" atrocities?

One way to avoid getting hit by UN sanctions is to Planetbuster every continent/base but your own in one turn, so that there is no one left to judge you. I once did that as Believers, was hella fun...

[Rakonas]

A planetbuster is really only practical to use in a game-ending war like that. Those things are like 1000 H-bombs, they destroy cities and everything around them, and remember that Planet is supposed to be... at least twice (can't find it online for some reason) the size of Earth, so if you think about it that's a fuckhuge area obliterated by a single weapon. Being annoyed at people freaking out about you using a planetbuster is like if USA casually nuked the USSR and was surprised Europe freaked out.

[Mr. Strange]

A planetbuster is really only practical to use in a game-ending war like that. Those things are like 1000 H-bombs, they destroy cities and everything around them, and remember that Planet is supposed to be... at least twice (can't find it online for some reason) the size of Earth, so if you think about it that's a fuckhuge area obliterated by a single weapon. Being annoyed at people freaking out about you using a planetbuster is like if USA casually nuked the USSR and was surprised Europe freaked out.

So, if I'm getting their scale right, one Planetbuster could wipe out the whole of Brittish Isles?
[Desire for landscaping intensifies]

[Loud Whispers]

One way to avoid getting hit by UN sanctions is to Planetbuster every continent/base but your own in one turn, so that there is no one left to judge you. I once did that as Believers, was hella fun...

Step 1: Absorb all factions unto your fold, making them surrender.
Step 2: Release them from your fold and get them to declare war on you with failed probe team missions one by one.
Step 3: Destroy them until none are left.
Step 4: Unleash planet busters on rival faction, nothing can stop you now.

Nothing is quite so fun as charting that lone subcarrier carrying all them missiles as it embarks on an all or nothing journey that could see the total elimination of the enemy in one rapid maneuver. Whether by fungal tower, missile strike or planet buster - an entire salvo from a quantum subcarrier will leave little else standing.