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Dictionary of SMAC
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |
AFC n.
Alternate Future Chronicles.
amoeba n.
A faction that randomly constructs bases.
Archons n.
The original name of the University of Planet, led by Acadaemian Sorov,
not instead of Saratov (whose name was later changed to Zakharov).
attack to defend n.
Tactic of defending a base by attacking enemy units moving adjacent
to it, before those units can attack. It is especially useful against
infantry.
away from home penalty n.
The unrest that results under certain social structures (e.g. free
market) when troops are out in the field.
B
base stealing v.
To capture a colony whose defenders have been eliminated by another faction (including the Eighth Faction).
Believer Controversy n.
Forum argument over whether or not SMAC's depiction of the Lord's Believers
faction is unfair to Fundamentalist Christians.
Believers n.
Properly "The Lord's Believers". Alpha Centauri faction founded by
Sister Miriam Goodwinson, dedicated to bringing God's truth to Chiron.
syn.: bible
bashers, bible thumpers, religious
wackos
Bible bashers n.
Informal term for The Lord's Believers.
Bible thumpers
n.
Informal term for The Lord's Believers.
black hole defense
n.
Tactic used by a hemmed in faction that destroys any unit that enters
their territory.
BLAH (also: blah, Blah)
The precise meaning of this word varies with the context in which it
is found.
Blue Berets
n.
Informal term for the Peacekeepers
Blue Bonnets n.
Informal term for the Peacekeepers
bore patch n.
Land square used by a sea colony that has a thermal borehole in it.
BOS n.
Object of many threads. Acronym for Brotherhood of Sid.
syn.: CWAL, NIM, I
Club
box of chocolates n.
A Unity pod.
syn.: can
of worms
bread and circuses n.
Any of a number of drone reducing facilities.
Bunker Beaver
n.
Informal term for the Spartan Federation
buying the win v.
Having enough money to buy an Economic Victory in one turn from a standing
start.
C
canary n.
An unarmed unit used defensively in peacetime to avoid support / unrest penalties. Like the stalking horse, the canary provides early warning of a hostile's intent with minimal investment.
can of worms n.
A Unity pod.
syn.: box of
chocolates
Capitalist Pigs n.
Informal term for the Morganites
caviar units n.
1. Units with higher quality graphic icons.
2. Units of exceptional firepower or capability.
cherry picking v.
To make a concerted effort to build new bases in "special areas" like
Monsoon Jungle, Geothermal Shallows, etc., instead of expanding according
to the more orthodox "defensible territory" model.
checkpoint n.
A base built on a chokepoint to act as a defensive fortress and to
prevent enemy movement into your territory. Frequently such a base can
also be used as a panama canal.
chemistry set n.
A large group of nerve gas units.
Chiron n.
Official name of the planet in the Alpha Centauri system that is the
setting for this game. Chiron is a terrestrial planet with liquid water
and has an atmosphere well suited to earth vegetation, but asphyxiating
by humans. It is warmer than Earth and has a slightly higher gravity.
Chiron supports considerable indigenous life.
syn.: Planet,
Eighth
Faction (1, 2)
chokepoint n.
A narrow neck of land connecting your territory with an enemy's territory.
Chronicles of Future History
CoFHn.
Chronicles of Future History
Civ (also: civ, CIV) n.
Abbreviation of Civilization (also: Civilisation). Civilization, and
Civilization 2 were the games designed by Sid Meier and Brian Reynolds
before Firaxis. They are widely regarded as among the best computer games
ever made.
Civzone n.
A 5×5 square with corners eliminated, with a base at the center.
Civzoning v.
To divide territory into the optimum number of Civzones
Clustering v.
To cramm bases together & remote mine special resources to dodge
inefficiency penalties.
commie scum n.
Informal term for the Human Hive.
Conclave n.
Former name for the Lord's Believers.
Corbomite Maneuver n.
1. The AI's last pathetic attempt to make
peace with you before surrendering.
2. The act of an AI phoning to warn you
that a newly developed unit makes their forces "practically invincible".
3. (v.) To attempt to make peace
from a disadvantageous position.
crater n.
1. The resulting landform after a planet
buster impact.
syn.: fish
pond
2. The action of a base being hit by a
planet buster missile.
3. (v.) To launch one or more planet
buster missiles toward an enemy base
crazy Ivan v.
A sudden shift in diplomatic policy, esp.when it is Provost Zakharov.
CWAL n.
Object of many threads. Acronym imported from StarCraft, acronym
for Can't Wait Any Longer.
syn.: NIM, BOS,
I
Club
D
doping v.
To set Psych allocation to an amount greater than 0 and remote-mining and terraforming enough energy to "dope" the populace into a Golden Age.
E
early bird n.
1. The first player to use needlejets
2. The first player to go out pod popping.
Edsel n.
A unit design that was a flop.
Eighth Faction n.
1. All red flagged units, including mindworms,
islands, and locusts.
2. General term for the planetary consciousness.
3. Any of several forum generated multiplayer
factions (e.g. Canadians, Americans)
electioneering v.
The active use of negotiating of technology or credits to let the other
factions "see your side of things" during council negotiations.
erythrophobia n.
A general fear of the color red.
Eye of Chiron n.
The little round hole at the top of Mt. Planet.
syn.: Little
Round Top
F
facts on the ground n.
Placing small, uninvested-in cities on desirable territory in order to claim it. Support for these cities is often planned for later.
ex.: Uranium Flats is over by Yang? I better get some facts on the ground over there!
Fat Capitalist Bastards n.
Informal term for the Morganites
fat deployment n.
Sending portable infrastructure with a colony pod or soon after.
Firaxis n.
1. The fiery axis of creativity
2. The actual word Firaxis (Fur-ak’-sis)
is the combination of words fire and axis. The word implies a red-hot wheel
of creativity around which the company's efforts will revolve.
fish pond (also:
fishin' pond) n.
The resulting landform after a planet buster impact. The hole created
generally is below sea level, resulting in a "fishin' pond". Term pronounced
as "fission pond".
syn.: crater
flag, the n.
A critical enemy base like the capital, far behind enemy lines, that
would cripple them if captured.
floaties n.
Sea colonies
FNLS n.
Acronym for "Faction No Longer Significant," used to describe a situation
where a faction has no real chance to win the game.
formersniping v.
To kill non-combat units just for grins.
Free Market Controversy n.
Forum arguments concering whether or not the Away from Home Penalty
unfairly penalizes players and factions who use the Free Market social
choice.
fudd n.
A unit used to destroy colony pods.
funguforming v.
To place fungus all over your bases at the end game to get their bonuses
and slow down your lower tech brethren.
fungusproofing v.
To clear the fungus around bases & roads to minimize damage to
civilian infrastructure.
G
Gaians n.
Properly "Gaia's Stepdaughters". Alpha Centauri faction founded by Lady (Lt.) Deirdre Skye. Believe that humanity must understand and protect Chiron if they are to live there.
syn.: tree huggers, garbage eaters, greenpeace, worm lovers
Gaia's High Garden n.
Original Gaian capital, later changed to Gaia's Landing. Is now
a standard city.
Garbage Eaters n.
Informal term for Gaia's Stepdaughters.
Geeks
n.
Informal term for the University of Planet
Gilligan's Island Hypothesis n.
A SMAC origin theory postulating a connection between the seven SMAC
factions marooned on Chiron and the seven castaways washed ashore on Gilligan's
Island. While most researchers do not dispute the basic validity of the
theory, there is considerable disagreement about which castaway corresponds
to which faction leader. All agree that the Professor represents Provost
Zhakarov, and that Mr. Howell represents CEO Morgan, but no agreement has
been reached on whom the others correspond to.
Greenpeace n.
Informal term for Gaia's Stepdaughters.
Gun Nuts n.
Informal term for the Spartan Federation
H
Hard Science Fiction n.
Hard Science Fiction uses only scientifically accepted ideas or premises within a story. The opposite of hard SF is soft science fiction or "sci-fi." These readers are irritated by the apparent scientific ignorance displayed by many writers of even the most basic of scientific principles.
It should be noted, however that almost all science fiction is "soft" to one degree or another. Faster-than-light drives, teleportation, and psi are two prominent examples of the "soft" scientific ideas in very wide use in science fiction. Most readers willingly accept a limited number of these soft science concepts in the pursuit of good and diverse storytelling. Even most purists grudgingly accept FTL as a necessary convention of the genre.
SMAC uses a very large number of hard scientific premises and can be considered hard science fiction. But such elements as the Psi effects, the Gaian idea and some of the later techs, such as quantum energy and singularity armor, must be considered "soft" science. On the Ellison-Brinell scale of sci-fi hardness, with a 1 equivalent to "Battlestar Galactica" and a 10 euivalent to "Marooned off Vesta", SMAC registers a very hard 8.2 rating. It can scratch transparent aluminum, but is insufficiently hard to scratch a diamondoid surface.
hermitism n.
The state of being when one has no units to explore with and are not
in contact with any factions. Often reduces enjoyability of a game
Hive Wars n.
Any of the numerous forum threads devoted to debating the relative
niceness of the Hive philosophy. It is the most prominent of the holy wars
raging in the Faction forum.
holy grail n.
Research or build item so important all gameplay efforts are directed
toward it.
holy trinity n.
Any combination of techs / build items / unit design specs which result
in unprecedented synergy.
Human Hive (also: Hive) n.
A communal faction founded by Chairman Yang, Executive Officer of the
Unity. Its goal is to protect the new humanity of Chiron from the
destructive impulses of the individual.
syn.: commie
scum, thought police, insects
I
I Club n.
Object of many threads. I is from the Roman numeral for 1.
syn.: CWAL, BOS, NIM
independents n.
Units that cost no support, and do not generate unrest, either captured
from Unity pods or acquired at the beginning of the game.
industrial park n.
A low-lying, landlocked, arid, usually a captured site with a Punishment
Sphere, mostly forest & mine terrain, very little energy income, and
usually without crawlers, specialized for building military units &
exporting portable infrastructure to more profitable bases.
Insects n.
Informal term for the Human Hive
J
jawbreaker n.
A term describing a seemingly weak faction that provides unexpected resistance to invasion.
junkie n.
A person hooked on SMAC.
K
Keepers of Wisdom n.
Former name for the Peacekeepers.
kill the wabbit v.
To attacking an enemy's colony pods to prevent him from expanding.
L
Lab Rats n.
Informal term for the University of Planet
Labyrinth n.
The original name of the Faction currently known as the Human Hive.
Led by Doctor Yang, whose title was changed to Chairman Yang when the Faction
changes its name. It was more based on science and control than despotism.
land grabbing (also: land snatching) v.
Building bases as close as possible to enemy bases in order to steal
their territory, and preferably a few terrain improvements in the process.
Little Round Top n.
The little round hole on the top of Mt. Planet.
syn.: Eye of Chiron
M
military convoy n.
Low-cost military units whose purpose is to disband, providing production materials to a colony. Typically, military convoys are used before Supply Crawler technology is discovered, although any obsolete unit may qualify.
mindworm farm n.
An area with lots on fungus, such as the Ruins, and monoliths.
mindworm farming v.
To capture and/or build mindworms.
mindworm sweep n.
The tactic of rushing many mindworms into enemy territory.
mindworm tactics n.
1. Any of several major tactics and strategies
utilizing mindworms.
2. The basic anti-mindworm tactic is to
attack them before they attack you.
mindworm trawling v.
To move around the fungus squares to generate mindworms for mindworm
farming, esp. in Sea Fungus squares.
mini-van (also: minivan) n.
A euphemism for a colony pod.
syn.: rabbit
methadone n.
Something you use to keep your mind off SMAC when you can't get a fix.
Mindworm Controversy n.
Forum arguments debating whether or not mindworms were too powerful,
and particularly whether mindworm farming and trawling unbalanced the game
in favor of the Gaians. Subsequent changes in the mindworm rules have reduced
the debate.
Morgan Industries (also: Morganites) n.
Alpha Centauri faction founded by CEO Morgan Nwabudike. Believe that
only sound investment and free wheeling capitalism can make Chiron a viable
habitat.
syn.: moron industries,
capitalist
pigs, pact rats, fat capitalist
bastards
Morganic Offense n.
The use of probes as a primary assualt force. The player attempts to
subvert all incoming enemy units. Specially designed for Morgan due to
high energy reserves needed, as well as the fact that probes do not cause
unrest under a free market.
Moron Industries n.
Informal term for Morgan Industries
Moron Trading Company n.
The term applied to bases of little worth on an unimportant island
and using them to trade for important bases in strategic territory.
N
NIM n.
Object of many threads.
syn.: CWAL, BOS, I Club
NRA n.
Informal term for the Spartan Federation
O
Ortega, Colonel Joaquim n.
The original name of faction leader Colonel Santiago.
P
pact rats n.
Informal term for Morgan Industries
panama canal n.
A base built on a narrow isthmus of land. Generally allows naval units
to transit between two separate bodies of water.
pawn defense n.
The action of cramming a base with mindworms and other assorted units
as a 1-turn defense. The enemy might win every battle next turn, but won't
have enough attacks to actually take the city.
peace blitz n.
The usage of units' self-destruct capability to destroy neighboring
enemy units during peacetime.
Peacekeepers (also: PKs) n.
Properly "UN Peacekeeping Forces." Alpha Centauri faction founded by
Dr. Pravin Lal to preserve the original UN mission.
syn.: blue
berets, blue bonnets, soulless
bureaucrats
peacemongering v.
Asking your friends to stop fighting with each other so they'll stop
asking you to fight and taking offense when you refuse.
picard maneuver n.
The action of nullifying a defeat by loading a recently saved game.
pipelining v.
To put a crawler far from (your) civilization on a borehole.
pipeline team n.
General term for 1 transport, 1 former, and 1 garrison for each 1 crawler,
and 1 extra garrison.
Planet n.
When capitalized, another name of the planet in the Alpha Centauri
system that is the setting for this game. Chiron is a terrestrial planet
with liquid water and has an atmosphere well suited to earth vegetation,
but asphyxiating by humans. It is warmer than Earth and has a slightly
higher gravity. Chiron supports considerable indigenous life.
syn.: Chiron,
Eighth
Faction (1, 2)
pod people n.
General term applied to units found inside of Unity Pods.
pod popping v.
Sending out some semi obsolete unit (typically an early rover or foil)
with the chief purpose of exploring all of the pods it can.
podlotto n.
The act of going podpopping in hopes of acquiring new tech or treats.
portable infrastructure n.
Terraformers and supply crawlers reassigned to a new colony & rapidly
deployed onto choice terrain, giving the tiny colony vast, immediate production
and growth.
prayer cities n.
A base founded in or near a large patch of xenofungus. The founders
often pray that their cities are not overrun by mindworms.
president's day sale n.
Civilization stratagem consisting of boosting the luxury rate until
most cities experience repeated "We Love the President Day" announcements.
Causes a rapid burst in population and output.
probe watch n.
Strategy of posting units at strategic locations with the intent of
destroying any probe teams coming through.
Q
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R
rabbit n.
1. A colony pod
2. To rapidly increase in population by building large numbers of colony pods
rapid rover reinforcement n.
Strategy of building bases no more than five squares from each other,
so that a rover from one base can reinforce the next base down the road
in only one turn (since a rover can move six spaces by road). Allows Free
Market economies to maintain a credible defense without large numbers of
units or 'away from home' penalties.
remote mining v.
Obtaining resources via supply crawler / trawler.
religious wackos
n.
Informal term for the Lord's Believers
roverrun v.
1. To overrun with rovers
2. The strategy of building rovers from
the start of the game and using them to attack any factions encountered.
A rush using rovers. Basic Spartan strategy, but useful for others as well.
S
Saratov n.
Incorrect transliteration of Provost Zakharov's name. Used in some of the early chapters of the story.
scorched planet tactics n.
The tactic of destroying a base with a unit to prevent an enemy capturing
the base.
seabees n.
Heavily-armored formers, for building bunkers, airbases, sensors, etc.
and, of course, Terrorforming in harm's way.
sick trick n.
A sick trick is a very clever technique that abuses a weakness in the
game rules or a weakness in the AI to gain an unfair advantage.
SMAC n.
The acronym for Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri
SMAC'd n.
1. Way gone on SMAC
2. What happens to a city when a planet
buster gets dropped on it.
SMAC-talk n.
Term used to refer to the postings on the forums; esp. ones that generate
hearty discussion.
slash and burn (also: slash 'n burn)
v.
To use formers to eliminate every trace of xenofungus from around your
bases. A quick way to annoy the eighth faction.
slick trick n.
A slick trick is a very clever game technique or stratagem.
smokeying v.
To plant forests in order to prevent fungal "fires" (blooms).
soulless bureaucrats
n.
Informal term for the Peacekeeping Forces
Spartans n.
Properly "Spartan Federation". Disciplined faction founded by Corazon
Santiago (Colonel Santiago) to protect her followers right to keep and
bear arms.
syn.: survivalists,
bunker
beaver, gun nuts, the NRA
spore clouding
n.
Expanding hard and fast, and letting the infrastructure catch up later.
syn.: thin deployment
stripmining v.
To use crawlers on a territory instead of building a base there.
stupid AI n.
Weak faction that declares war on you when your might is unsurpassed.
sunken colonies n.
A colony terraformed undersea without a pressure dome
survivalists
n.
Informal term for the Spartan Federation
T
terrorforming v.
Using formers to sink cities, plant fungus, destroy improvements, or do other dastardly deeds.
thin deployment
n.
Expanding hard and fast, and letting the infrastructure catch up later.
syn.: spore clouding
thought police
n.
Informal term for the Human Hive
Traveler's Paradox n.
On Planet the quickest distance between two points is rarely a straight
line. The "bounce" effect of xenofungus on early units means that it is
usually quicker to go around xenofungus than it is to try to go directly
through it.
treehuggers
n.
Informal term for Gaia's Stepdaughters
U
Unity Pods n.
Disks seen on the surface that often confer special bonuses to the faction that pops it.
University of Planet (also: UoP) n.
Faction founded by Provost Zakharov. Dedicated to the advancement of
knowledge, whatever that goal may require.
syn.: geeks,
lab
rats
upgrade banking v.
Building cheap Scout Patrols but having enough energy on hand to upgrade
them all from the workshop at a moment's notice.
usual suspects n.
Factions that always seem to be involved in a Vendetta with each other.
V
vertical investment n.
Building up existing bases at least somewhat at the expense of building new ones.
vets n.
1. Someone who posted before the forum
crash
2. Unit with advanced moral
W
wholesale price n.
When one hurries the building an item, this is the lowest Partial Payment you can make that still completes the item in one turn. For instance, you want to Hurry build a Gatling Rover and the computer asks you to pay 80 credits to do it. It would take 4 turns to complete it normally. So if you make a partial payment of 60, the unit will still be done next turn, but you save 20 credits.
wormlovers
n.
Informal term for Gaia's Stepdaughters
wormraped v.
1. An occurrence after one drops a planet
buster missile
2. The state of being attacked by more
than many fungal units from a single bloom.
X
xenofungus n.
That red stuff all over the map.
Y
return to top
Z
zone of control (also: ZOC) n.
The squares surrounding a unit, in which that unit is deemed to exert a controlling influence. SMAC uses "rigid" ZOCs; a unit cannot move from one square adjacent to an unfriendly unit to another square adjacent to an unfriendly unit. A unit trapped by unfriendly ZOCs is said to be "zoced in".
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