Civ/Social Engineering

Social Engineering is equivalent to what the Civilization games refer to as form of government. However, Alpha Centauri's system is the most flexible of any Civ game (until Civilization IV): you can not only choose the form of government, but fine-tune its economy, values, and how it embraces advanced technology.

In Civ games, it is usually the rule that you must switch out of your starting form of government as soon as you can get any other form. This is not always true in this game. It is surely important to adjust your Social Engineering choices, but the time must be ripe. Would you want to switch to a Police State if you're already inefficient? No! You should only use Police State if your empire is reasonably efficient and will remain so.

Diplomacy

Your Social Engineering choices affect the AI factions' attitudes toward you. Each faction has a "preferred" choice and an "aversion" choice. For example, Morgan will begin to like you if your economy is a Free Market (his preferred choice), and will hate you for running Planned (his aversion). Likewise, Deirdre will hate you for running Free Market, and love you if you're Green. Factions will dislike you slightly if you use any other choice in the category of their preferred choice. To use the previous examples, Morgan will be wary of you if you are using Green economics, and Deirdre if you are running Planned. Listed under each socio/economic model are the factions whose attitudes are affected if you are using that model.

A faction may not select its aversion as a current engineering choice, regardless of whether it is AI-controlled or human-controlled.

Politics

Frontier

No advantages or disadvantages. While it is balanced, it lacks focus. Yang will want to switch to Police State as soon as possible because it will grant him great advantages with the only penalty being the upheaval cost, due to his immunity to inefficiency.

Police State

+2 Support, +2 Police, -2 Efficiency (except Yang)

Yang's best option because he incurs no penalty from it, and he starts with the option to boot. Everybody else is likely to suffer great inefficiency, so for them, Police State must either be balanced with other Social Engineering choices with positive Efficiency modifiers (e.g., Green) or with being a faction with bonus efficiency (e.g., Deirdre).

This is the Hive's preferred choice, and the Peacekeepers' aversion.

Democratic

+2 Efficiency, +2 Growth, -2 Support

Not a good idea for militaristic players, but great for pacifists. The extra efficiency will strengthen the economy, while the growth will help the faction expand, both horizontally and vertically. Watch out when sprawling those bases, though – you lose the 10 free minerals for new bases under a Democracy.

This is the preferred choice of the Peacekeepers' and the Data Angels, and is the aversion of the Hive and the Usurpers.

Fundamentalist

+2 Probe, +1 Morale, -2 Research

When a faction switches to Fundamentalist, they mean business! This choice was designed for one thing: kicking butt. Your research will be crippled, so forget about it unless you can balance it (with Knowledge or your faction's traits), or you wish to start the war to end all wars.

This is the preferred choice of the Lord's Believers, and the aversion of both the University of Planet and the Cybernetic Consciousness.

Economics

Simple

No advantages or disadvantages. While it is balanced, it lacks focus. Yang will want to switch to Planned as soon as possible because it will grant him advantages with the only penalty being the upheaval cost, due to his immunity to inefficiency.

Free Market

+2 Economy, -3 Planet, -5 Police

This is only good for one thing: bringing in lots of money. This is best if your faction already has an economy bonus; it will help the benefits balance against what you lose: control of both your people and Planet. Forget about balancing out the -5 Police; reversing or minimizing the -3 Planet is doable. The penalty isn't too bad if you know what you're doing. It is if you don't.

Advanced players may want to switch to Free Market as early as possible by researching Industrial Economics at the first opportunity. The base tile of each base is free from early game restrictions, and not much energy is being produced elsewhere because the focus is on creating Colony Pods, therefore the energy output of each base can often be doubled, or nearly so. This strategy is not universally accepted, however.

This is the preferred choice of the Morganites, and is the Gaians' aversion.

Planned

+2 Growth, +1 Industry, -2 Efficiency (except Yang)

Again, Yang will usually want this because he suffers no disadvantages. Otherwise, the efficiency hit can be crippling. The combination of Police State with Planned is signing your faction's death certificate — unless you're Yang, in which case it's your most optimal combination! Otherwise, it is often good for a Democratic faction (in order to give a further boost to Growth), especially because the efficiency of Democratic will balance perfectly against the inefficiency of Planned.

This is the preferred choice of both the Caretakers and the Usurpers, and is the Morganites' aversion.

Green

+2 Efficiency, +2 Planet, -2 Growth

Best if you wish to fight with Mind Worms — both in the sense of fighting against them and fighting using them. Otherwise, the +2 Efficiency is often not worth the -2 Growth. However, keep in mind that once you have many many bases, +2 efficiency will benefit your economy as much as FM's +2 economy without all the drawbacks.

This is the preferred choice of the Gaians and the Planet Cult, and the aversion of the Free Drones.

Values

Survival

No advantages or disadvantages. All other Values will hurt you militarily in some way or other, but Power will more than counterbalance that. The others will not; therefore, choosing a Value can be the most determining factor in whether or not you will play a military-focused middlegame.

Power

+2 Support, +2 Morale, -2 Industry

Another choice that warmongers will want, although the -2 Industry can also hurt their cause. There is no reason to choose Power unless you wish to use your military might extensively. The Cloning Vats removes the penalty to Industry, making this choice much more feasible.

This is the Spartans' and the Pirates' preferred choice, and the aversion of the Data Angels.

Knowledge

+2 Research, +1 Efficiency, -2 Probe

This choice is good either for boosting your Research through the roof or making Fundamentalist more practical. While The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm does not improve your Probe teams, it does make you immune to being Probed, so the defensive half of the penalty is removed.

This is the University of Planet's preferred choice, and the Lord's Believers' aversion.

Wealth

+1 Economy, +1 Industry, -2 Morale

As the name implies, this is for the money-grubber. Especially useful for Morgan, as he can run Wealth instead of Free Market and get the much-desired +1 energy per square.

This is the Spartans' and the Pirates' aversion.

Future Society

None

No advantages or disadvantages. As with Values, all other options will hurt you militarily, but Thought Control will counterbalance it by far if you have enough positive modifiers to Support elsewhere. Future Society is geared towards helping you bring the game toward the end, and selecting one will likely be the final Social Engineering choice you make.

Cybernetic

+2 Efficiency, +2 Planet, +2 Research, -3 Police

Mind Worm lovers will love this.

This is the preferred choice of the Cybernetic Consciousness (who else?). Additionally, the Consciousness is immune to the Police penalty, as is any faction that has built The Network Backbone.

Eudaimonic

+2 Economy, +2 Growth, +2 Industry, -2 Morale

A boost to infrastructure, for those who like to make use of newly-conquered empires near the endgame.

This is the Free Drones' preferred choice.

Thought Control

+2 Morale, +2 Probe, +2 Police, -3 Support

An all-military option, despite the -3 Support. The Cloning Vats removes the -3 Support penalty.