GameSpot's Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri Game Guide

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part 1

Chapter 1: Exploration
    First City
    Scout Patrol
    Exploration Insight
Chapter 2: Infrastructure
Chapter 3: Research and Development
Chapter 4: Military Fundamentals

Chapter 1: Exploration

Scout Patrol
Now that the colony pod is safely on land and has been recycled into your first city, your initial plan of action should be to explore as much of the surrounding territory as possible. Fortunately, your new city comes with a prebuilt scout patrol, a unit with weak offensive and defensive abilities. The scout patrol is intended for exploration and not warfare - though it can hold its own against the occasional mind worm attack (mind worms are indigenous life forms on Planet that don't appreciate all these new visitors invading their home).

Build a few rovers early and explore the map as thoroughly and quickly as possible.

Scout Patrol Vision
Your initial scout patrol is capable of viewing terrain one map tile in every direction. Since it begins at your base no new territory will be visible, as a city is capable of viewing two tiles in every direction. However, once you pick a direction and move your scout patrol, new terrain will emerge, and the mystery of your location will slowly unfold.

TIP

The more scout patrols you have blanketing the area, the better. While you get one free patrol at the outset of the game, you should have your base manufacture at least two more so you can uncover hidden territory with much more speed.

What Am I Looking For?
You should be on the lookout for several things when moving your scout patrol:
* Resources for new cities
* Other faction leaders
* Supply pods and monoliths.

Let's take a look at each and see why it is important.

Resources for New Cities
You'll never get anywhere in Alpha Centauri if you don't branch out and create new cities. You can bet the competing factions are actively seeking out new territory, expanding their bases, and funneling every last resource into the creation of new military units and technological discoveries. At the outset of the game, you may be surrounded by factions that are staking their claim in territory perilously close to your base. You should uncover as much hidden terrain as possible as fast as you can, hopefully discovering new regions that would be suitable for a strong city.

Next: City Sweetspots