Example of play - Part 3

 One of the best things about SMAC this screen.  In the buy screen you can pick how much you want to pay.  The last five minerals cost 2 credits each, so they are very cheap to pay for if a base is new and you want to make every production point count.

 During My exploration I find an Alien Artifact.  These things become moveable units, but cannot attack, and if attacked by an enemy, get stolen.  When taken to a base these devices can be used for several purposes.

After several turns I get it back to the base, If you remember, I told you that University bases get a free Network Node, meaning I can use the artifact right away, but I choose not to, not yet.

About 50 turns in, I have formers building roads, moving a Colony Pod through a gap int he fungus to make a 4th base, and am planting forests to eat up the fungus. Forests provide 1/2/1  1 food, 2 production and 1 energy. Much better than many unmodified squares. In addition they expand!, And when they expand onto a fungus square, it wilts and dies.

Next I work on my first Level 3 tech, Industrial Automation. This tech gives several benefits, and builds into my first big goal, Tree Farms. 

I'm setting up a 5th base close to the fungus, and using my Formers to build forests to eat it and produce production minerals

With a Recycling Tanks, I can maintain a city size of 3 easily. That's 6 production.

Taking a quick look, I decide to get a Secret Project done, These are like Wonders in Civ, they bestow unique bonuses and have a much bigger impact.

One of the things I can do, aside of getting a free instant tech advance, is to spend the node to advance a project 50 points! I decide to hold onto it a while to see what happens.