Some questions :)

[Jokka das Trevas]

1 - Above thinker level, the games becomes "unfair"(hehehe) and gives a little advantage to the AI. Anyone know what these are exactly?

2 - How can I use tectonic missiles efficiently? After all, it only elevates the terrain, and don't destroy anything except boreholes :/

3 - Does anyone thinks too that the game could have even more personality present? I mean, Lal would never use genejack facs or p-spheres (nerve gas against aliens, maybe?) and declare war to anyone who builds/use such a thing, Morgans would laugh at the Ascetic Virtues project, Mirian would yell at Planetvoice and call it a demon many times before befriending it (and maybe even call the Gaians satanists LOL, and "baby" Planetvoice would think Mirian is a fun person hehehe), and the lack of ethics of Zak's would make him try to copy or imprison(in vain) the Planetvoice so he can study it... And so on... hehehehe

I myself found the story part of the game so-so...

4 - HOW THE HELL CAN I MANAGE TO STOP PLAYING THIS GAME? It's been a year since I acquired it! :P hauahua

[John Paul Jones]

I'll hazard some guesses at the first question:

The computer has a slight advantage in combat resoloution.

And also with minerals needed to fill the build box.

Knows where unity pods/good base sites are located without having revealed the terrain. Watched a scenario unfold with the map revealed to confirm this. Anyway I've often seen Miriam send a colony pod on a mission from god to reach the jungle even if it's half way round the world.

I don't have smacx so dunno bout them missiles, and about the script , that was a great addition to the game...although scripted sequences do get boring after you've seen them two or three times. As for the AI - i won't be happy till i see one that learns and evolves, is that asking too much ?

[John Paul Jones]

Oh yeah...
4. You can't. Blame it on the trance-like subliminal ambient music.No sense denying the addiction though, admit it to yourself and you'll feel better - anyway you can't quit the drones need you...

[Avenoct]

I'm sure somewhere in these here threads someone lays down the math for the computer advantages at various levels. An easy way to test this is to play scenarios and observe a faction or two as it develops. By looking in their cities you can see that they get incredible advantages indeed. Recently I noticed that Yang was getting three nuts per rainy square without even a tree farm or forest or any development on said square. That was news to me. Other things I've noticed at Transcend Level:

1. Ai's all on steriods. Growth is like +6 without the pop boom. Mineral rows - 4 or 5 minerals per row!. Energy from Treaties seems a bit unfair too.

2. Tech. I've heard, but not done the math to confirm that the AI needs only 1/3 the labs per tech at Transcend. Certainly they have it easy. I believe I also heard this is 2/3's the labs at the next lowest level.

3. Drones. I suspect they AI plays drones at about the novice level or better.

4. like our admiral said, the AI knows all at all levels. It knows where all units are, where all the specials are, is basically infiltrated into every faction. In one case this works for you. If you are up in tech and want to give a tech to a pactmate you can sometimes convince them to give you a map of your enemies territory, even though they've never been there or probed them.

5. I agree that the factions could use even more personality, but also that they have a good bit and play quite differently even if the story doesn't adapt itself around them.

Happy Crawlering,

Smack

[John Paul Jones]

Going to have to disagree about the maps...remember the ai can get maps from another AI by trade too. Also i'm not sure they know the locations of every unit/base in the game (although it really does look like this in the ocean for example).

I once played on a large island and was very careful not to give away my maps to the AI (thro trade or pact). I got away with a peaceful builder strategy for about two centuries before the first scout ships started patroling my coastline and eventually started sending in transports. Then again i can't be sure about this theory 'cos the AI isn't too brilliant at launching overseas invasions anyway...aw well

[Kirnwaffen]

My understanding is that when playing a transcend level game, the AI has all of the advantages of citizen level play, meaning that they get the same advantages we would get playing at citizen.

IIRC, there was a thread a while back on this board where it was eventually confirmed that the AI knows the location of all units, at least in the field. Whether or not this still applies in fungus, I don't know.

[Cybergod]

AI drone rebellion? Never heard of it either...

I have never seen one of the AI's bases rebel and turn into another faction (doen't have to be the player's faction, another AI). I have even tested it by sending hordes of probe teams each turn, causing drone riots for decades and ever tried turning their doctors back into workers. Nothing happened. Now even their production was decreased. All the bonuses the player gets of an AI drone riot is halved cost to subvert the base.

This is really unfair, especially if you played as Drones!