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What every SMAC player MUST know.
Hear ye! Hear ye! Let it be proclaimed throughout the land! The following is an announcement of what should be well known and heeded by each and every SMAC player. It concerns a "feature" (some call it bug) in SMAC, whereby given the default method of playing, extra energy (that not accounted for in energy banks reports) is accumulated by players.
I thank Marc420 for elucidating it so concisely on e-paper at the ACOL forums. Since he put it so well, I will simply quote his post, verbatim.
--- http://www.an.i-dentity.com/ubb/Forum8/HTML/000461.html
marc420
ACOL-lite posted 12 May 2000 07:43 AM
Does anyone know anything about the Stockpile Energy bug? This is causing havoc in at least one PBEM game because one group of players knew about it and the others didn't.
The bug works as follows. Anytime a base completes production of an item and then switches to Stockpile Energy, the base effectively double produces. The full production of the base is applied to producing the item, and then the full production of the base is applied to producing energy a few steps later in the turn resolution process.
This can occur two ways.
1) If you produce a facility/SP with an empty que behind it, then the program automatically switches to Stockpile Energy and does the above
2) If you produce a unit, and then put Stockpile Energy in the production que behind the unit, then the program switches to Stockpile Energy and does the above.
With high producing bases, this can create large amounts of extra energy for a faction. Picture a turn where you have 4 x 30 production bases all finishing production in a turn. That would mean in that turn not only would you get the production items, but you would also get 120 points of production applied to Stockpile Energy.... thus 60 ec extra energy.
So be aware. If you see Stockpile Energy in the production que of another player, then they know about this bug and are taking advantage of it in the game. And if you aren't doing it you are falling way behind in production/energy.
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My editorial comments:
The obvious message is clear...DO NOT USE build queues to simplify or plan a production program. Secondarily, to extend this feature's effect to bases which are producing units, put "stockpile energy" into the build queue. This will at least maintain consistency in the game mechanics' treatment between facilities and units.
Before you jump the gun and declare this a cheat, consider that each and every time you've built a facility, or special project, with an empty build queue, you've taken advantage of the feature. Also, to arbitrarily rule it a cheat, and to deny its use, would be to enforce the placement of SOMETHING in the build queue of each and every base, so that the "extra" energy is not generated. This is something that exceedingly few players will want to hassle with. Particularly if they've never found the build queues especially useful, and have developed their play styles around what they have actually received from the game, whether they knew from whence such bounties came, or not.
Finally... imagine trying to enforce a rule in a pbem game, especially in the early stages before having infiltration status on an opponent.
JAMiAM
Ps. Sorry for the edits, but the formatting looked so much better, before I pasted.
[This message has been edited by JAMiAM (edited May 12, 2000).]
[This message has been edited by JAMiAM (edited May 12, 2000).]
[This message has been edited by JAMiAM (edited May 12, 2000).]
[This message has been edited by JAMiAM (edited May 12, 2000).]
I thank Marc420 for elucidating it so concisely on e-paper at the ACOL forums. Since he put it so well, I will simply quote his post, verbatim.
--- http://www.an.i-dentity.com/ubb/Forum8/HTML/000461.html
marc420
ACOL-lite posted 12 May 2000 07:43 AM
Does anyone know anything about the Stockpile Energy bug? This is causing havoc in at least one PBEM game because one group of players knew about it and the others didn't.
The bug works as follows. Anytime a base completes production of an item and then switches to Stockpile Energy, the base effectively double produces. The full production of the base is applied to producing the item, and then the full production of the base is applied to producing energy a few steps later in the turn resolution process.
This can occur two ways.
1) If you produce a facility/SP with an empty que behind it, then the program automatically switches to Stockpile Energy and does the above
2) If you produce a unit, and then put Stockpile Energy in the production que behind the unit, then the program switches to Stockpile Energy and does the above.
With high producing bases, this can create large amounts of extra energy for a faction. Picture a turn where you have 4 x 30 production bases all finishing production in a turn. That would mean in that turn not only would you get the production items, but you would also get 120 points of production applied to Stockpile Energy.... thus 60 ec extra energy.
So be aware. If you see Stockpile Energy in the production que of another player, then they know about this bug and are taking advantage of it in the game. And if you aren't doing it you are falling way behind in production/energy.
------------------------------
My editorial comments:
The obvious message is clear...DO NOT USE build queues to simplify or plan a production program. Secondarily, to extend this feature's effect to bases which are producing units, put "stockpile energy" into the build queue. This will at least maintain consistency in the game mechanics' treatment between facilities and units.
Before you jump the gun and declare this a cheat, consider that each and every time you've built a facility, or special project, with an empty build queue, you've taken advantage of the feature. Also, to arbitrarily rule it a cheat, and to deny its use, would be to enforce the placement of SOMETHING in the build queue of each and every base, so that the "extra" energy is not generated. This is something that exceedingly few players will want to hassle with. Particularly if they've never found the build queues especially useful, and have developed their play styles around what they have actually received from the game, whether they knew from whence such bounties came, or not.
Finally... imagine trying to enforce a rule in a pbem game, especially in the early stages before having infiltration status on an opponent.
JAMiAM
Ps. Sorry for the edits, but the formatting looked so much better, before I pasted.
[This message has been edited by JAMiAM (edited May 12, 2000).]
[This message has been edited by JAMiAM (edited May 12, 2000).]
[This message has been edited by JAMiAM (edited May 12, 2000).]
[This message has been edited by JAMiAM (edited May 12, 2000).]
HoHoHo, Merry Christmas
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