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[Imperial Guardsman]

Sure, they start with a probe team. Then it's an official audit and "inspectors". Next thing you know there's "peacekeeper" troops walking the streets and taking in "dissidents". Lal should respect the sovereignty of his neighbours.

Lal/Peacekeepers was interesting. I could never quite figure out if they were better, equal or worse than the hive. Sure they're seemingly better, but that bureaucracy can get awfully bloated. I can't honestly tell myself that a world ruled by peacekeepers would be best of the 7.

...
You are attempting to compare the peacekeepers to the goddamn hive?

[Aqizzar]

I've never understood what people have against Zakharov.  He doesn't have a lot of detractors of course, being the Nerd Faction guy in a game that you pretty much have to be a nerd to fully appreciate.  But everyone calls him an evil mad scientist, but I don't remember him doing anything evil to beings who aren't lab animals or mind worms.  He doesn't give a shit about the rest of humanity who aren't scientists, but... Well I guess in SMAC's terms that would be like Evil By Inaction or something.

[Rakonas]

The Hive is the better faction than the peacekeepers because it's honest that it views the individual as unimportant and morality only useful when the group is used. Lal is a warmongering pacifist hypocrite.
The worst faction is Morgan if you ask me, and Deidre/Zakharov are probably the best.

[Imperial Guardsman]

I've never understood what people have against Zakharov.  He doesn't have a lot of detractors of course, being the Nerd Faction guy in a game that you pretty much have to be a nerd to fully appreciate.  But everyone calls him an evil mad scientist, but I don't remember him doing anything evil to beings who aren't lab animals or mind worms.  He doesn't give a shit about the rest of humanity who aren't scientists, but... Well I guess in SMAC's terms that would be like Evil By Inaction or something.

He has NO research safeguards, and he is apparently experimenting on drones.

[Delta Foxtrot]

The Hive is the better faction than the peacekeepers because it's honest that it views the individual as unimportant and morality only useful when the group is used. Lal is a warmongering pacifist hypocrite.
The worst faction is Morgan if you ask me, and Deidre/Zakharov are probably the best.

Pretty much this. With Hive you know where you stand. And there's a philosophy there that I can't outright condemn. A very practical faction. For human rights I might side with Spartans though. Maybe Gaia.

Peacekeepers don't seem very honest faction, towards themselves or others. "Tyranny of the majority" as someone mentioned.

Morgan embodies the worst (or best?) of capitalism. Zakharov values science and knowledge above all, to the unjust detriment of those who don't excel at them. I guess Gaia is ok, since there's no UN resolution to ban mindworms. Right?

All leaders/factions have some grey in them. How much, probably depends on your personal views.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

I hate Zakharov because everybody wants to play as him all the time. "Ooh, I'll be the science faction". Yeah, you and every other fucking nerd on the internet. Something like half the LPs of SMAC are Zakharov. It's so god damn typical.

[Eagle_eye]

I think it's pretty clear that the Free Drones are the good guys.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

The anti-science Neo-Marxist Free Drones? I'll give you that they're decent fellows, but they're literally a dictatorship of the masses.

[Aqizzar]

I hate Zakharov because everybody wants to play as him all the time. "Ooh, I'll be the science faction". Yeah, you and every other fucking nerd on the internet. Something like half the LPs of SMAC are Zakharov. It's so god damn typical.

Word.  I mean, I think Zakharov has some personal style so at least he's not boring, but yeah he's kind of a self-fulfilling choice for many players.  Meanwhile Morgan and Miriam rarely get any love.

I think it's pretty clear that the Free Drones are the good guys.

Nobody cares about the expansion factions man, the original seven are the philosophically interesting ones.

[Eagle_eye]

I never got the impression that they were anti science: hell, they have an aversion to green policies. I'm pretty sure they're bad at science, not because they oppose it, but because they don't have the established organization and infrastructure from the colony ship of the other factions.

[Imperial Guardsman]

The anti-science Neo-Marxist Free Drones? I'll give you that they're decent fellows, but they're literally a dictatorship of the masses.

The only reason they have a minus to science is because they think that Blue Sky research wont improve living conditions.
That and the scientists have to take turns doing labor like everyone else, even Domai Himself.
Domai is bro tier.

[Delta Foxtrot]

Nobody cares about the expansion factions man, the original seven are the philosophically interesting ones.

Word.

Morgan is tough because he has all those population/army limits and Miriam gets *gasp* a research malus. And yeah, I always played Zakharov too. Gotta get dat tech, you know? Hive and Peacekeepers were fun to play around with too. But I never could get Spartans to work. One turn all is dandy, the next a hundred Hive rovers suddenly appear!

[Imperial Guardsman]

Nobody cares about the expansion factions huh
Expansion factions are importent.
they add much fluff, much wow.

[The13thRonin]

Interesting that a lot of people see the crazed PETA faction as the good guys. A faction that wants to exploit enslaved mind worms to literally burrow into their enemies brains...



Whereas the capitalist and especially the religious factions get all the hate even though on the gray-black scale they are the most gray factions... Liberal hypocrisy at its finest.

[Mr. Strange]

Nobody cares about the expansion factions man, the original seven are the philosophically interesting ones.

Word.

Morgan is tough because he has all those population/army limits and Miriam gets *gasp* a research malus. And yeah, I always played Zakharov too. Gotta get dat tech, you know? Hive and Peacekeepers were fun to play around with too. But I never could get Spartans to work. One turn all is dandy, the next a hundred Hive rovers suddenly appear!

Spartans were easiest faction for me, even if I was against Believers or Hive. Or both. It's the starting rover tech you have to take advantage of, and use that extra mobility while it's still major advantage. If you're not the only one on your starting continent when first weapon and armor techs have been researched and put in production, then you're playing them wrong. Or with intentional handicap, like trying to win tech race as Believers.

As for expansion factions, they seemed more like your typical scifi cultures you find in every space opera while original seven were closer to what we have on earth now, so they don't really fit together thematically very well.