A few miscellenous questions

[Mansooj]

Hi,

A few things that I've noticed and wondered about while playing my first few games of SMAC (4.0 patched).

o) What's the deal with worms on adjacent squares to one killed by one of my units getting an instant morale/lifecycle boost?

o) Why is it that when I set an air-to-air tactical/interceptor plane on alert while sitting in a base, that it goes flitting around the area rather than doing as the manual states and holding in position and coming out when an enemy enters the area? I *think* the AI's planes when on alert actually work this way, but none of mine do.

o) In playing my first game as the Gaians I strove for a +6 planet rating so I could get a 75% capture rate. Unfortunately, when I got that +6, I ended up almost never capturing any worms. I kept a tally when I got suspicious and out of 26 attempts, I only captured 4. Prior to getting the +6, my success rate seemed to meet the 25% chance I had at that time. Note that this was before I patched to 4.0. Haven't checked since then.

o) I have a base on the 'corner' of a peninsula with a small two square island across a strait, but still within the city's radius. I transported a former to one of the squares that has a mineral bonus on it, and mined it. Ordinarily, I would get 5 minerals on this type of terrain, but for some reason I am only getting 4, with the black border around the mineral icon. Another deposit within my radius is getting the 5 I expect. Is there some subtraction if working terrain on land not contiguous with that of the base? Never noticed it elsewhere. Note that I have all the techs necessary to lift the mineral caps.

That's it for now. TIA for your comments.

-Mansooj

[Patashu]

Re: A few miscellenous questions

Originally posted by Mansooj
Hi,
o) In playing my first game as the Gaians I strove for a +6 planet rating so I could get a 75% capture rate. Unfortunately, when I got that +6, I ended up almost never capturing any worms. I kept a tally when I got suspicious and out of 26 attempts, I only captured 4. Prior to getting the +6, my success rate seemed to meet the 25% chance I had at that time. Note that this was before I patched to 4.0. Haven't checked since then.

Hmm...sounds like the probe bug in SMAX(maybe do-able in SMAC with custom factions). In SMAX, if you play as the Data Angels, and get the tech that for you gives you a Probe Ops center in every base, you have a probe rating of 4+, which, instead of making you immune to probes, allows them to walk right in. The only way around it is to go Knowledge for the rest of the game.

[Adalbertus]

Hi too,

o) What's the deal with worms on adjacent squares to one killed by one of my units getting an instant morale/lifecycle boost?

I noticed this strange behaviour too, but don't know why. Bug? Anyway, it gives you more energy if you have the chance to attack it.

o) Why is it that when I set an air-to-air tactical/interceptor plane on alert while sitting in a base, that it goes flitting around the area rather than doing as the manual states and holding in position and coming out when an enemy enters the area? I *think* the AI's planes when on alert actually work this way, but none of mine do.

I never used this function but you probably will get what you want when you simply put the interceptors on hold ("H"). They will come out if something in the base radius is attacked by enemy planes. Rather annoying when your plane should heal ...

o) In playing my first game as the Gaians I strove for a +6 planet rating so I could get a 75% capture rate. Unfortunately, when I got that +6, I ended up almost never capturing any worms. I kept a tally when I got suspicious and out of 26 attempts, I only captured 4. Prior to getting the +6, my success rate seemed to meet the 25% chance I had at that time. Note that this was before I patched to 4.0. Haven't checked since then.

Apparently the number of worms you already have plays heavily into the equation whether you actually get a worm. I forgot to check it but often you get a message "mindworm capture attempt failed". Maybe the 75% is the chance of an attempt and the chance to get one is lower. It's a feature, not a bug

o) I have a base on the 'corner' of a peninsula with a small two square island
...
contiguous with that of the base? Never noticed it elsewhere. Note that I have all the techs necessary to lift the mineral caps.

[Mansooj]

Adalbertus:

I noticed this strange behaviour too, but don't know why. Bug? Anyway, it gives you more energy if you have the chance to attack it.

Yeah, at least that's nice. In actuality, because of that I *do* like it, but I wondered about it. I just assume the worms get mad and get meaner. Works for me.

I never used this function but you probably will get what you want when you simply put the interceptors on hold ("H"). They will come out if something in the base radius is attacked by enemy planes. Rather annoying when your plane should heal ...

Ahh, okay, I'll try holding them in base first. Also the part about the plane reacting to enemies entering only the base radius answers another question I probably would have had since the manual says units on alert will react to enemies that come within their movement range (for planes, this is clearly not the case, then). >30 pages about double stars and gas giants could have been better used to actually explain all these 'unimportant' details.

Apparently the number of worms you already have plays heavily into the equation whether you actually get a worm. I forgot to check it but often you get a message "mindworm capture attempt failed". Maybe the 75% is the chance of an attempt and the chance to get one is lower. It's a feature, not a bug

Ahh, that could be it, then. I had quite a respectable wiggly army to my credit before I got the 6 planet rating. And yes, with regard to the messages, I think you're correct. It may very well be that the actual attempts were so few that I may have actually gotten those 4 worms in my tally out of 5 or 6 actual capture attempts, all the rest not even being attempts.

More 'unimportant' details left out of the manual.

Thanks for your input. Very helpful.

-Mansooj

[Mansooj]

Re: Re: A few miscellenous questions

Patashu:

Hmm...sounds like the probe bug in SMAX(maybe do-able in SMAC with custom factions). In SMAX, if you play as the Data Angels, and get the tech that for you gives you a Probe Ops center in every base, you have a probe rating of 4+, which, instead of making you immune to probes, allows them to walk right in. The only way around it is to go Knowledge for the rest of the game.

I haven't yet gotten the expansion, so I'm not aware of this, but it seems like it is similar. Most likely some range overflow/wrapping kinda thing. Seems pretty common in a lot of games for some odd reason. Also seems like stuff that could have and should have been caught and corrected in even minimal playtesting.

-Mansooj

[Yxklyx]

Isn't a probe rating greater than 2 just supposed to make you immune to mind control, not probes against Procure Research for example.

[Mongoose]

o) I have a base on the 'corner' of a peninsula with a small two square island across a strait, but still within the city's radius. I transported a former to one of the squares that has a mineral bonus on it, and mined it. Ordinarily, I would get 5 minerals on this type of terrain, but for some reason I am only getting 4, with the black border around the mineral icon. Another deposit within my radius is getting the 5 I expect. Is there some subtraction if working terrain on land not contiguous with that of the base? Never noticed it elsewhere. Note that I have all the techs necessary to lift the mineral caps.

Tile needs a road, I think.

[Mansooj]

Tile needs a road, I think.

Does that make any difference on non-rocky squares? I forgot to mention the underlying terrain. It is rolling/rainy.

That aside, I'm getting the ghosted mineral icon which implies I have enough terraforming to get more, but something somewhere is preventing it from actually yielding that amount.

-Mansooj

[Mongoose]

Does that make any difference on non-rocky squares? I forgot to mention the underlying terrain. It is rolling/rainy.

I surely think so. Give it a try?

[Yxklyx]

No, the only number that you should ever see surrounded by the black outline is a 2. If you're seeing some other number then you've encountered a very strange glitch that you will probably never see again - unless there's something else I don't know about here.

And yes, I've not been able to capture a single mindworm (other than the very first one) with a planet rating of 6.

[Mongoose]

No, the only number that you should ever see surrounded by the black outline is a 2. If you're seeing some other number then you've encountered a very strange glitch that you will probably never see again - unless there's something else I don't know about here.

This is incorrect. The black circle will be present, sometimes not as noticibly as others, whenever the resource yield is less than the maximum allowed by the basic terraforming done in the square. By basic, I mean farm, mine, solar, borehole.

As a test, take any generic rocky tile on which you have a mine/road. (within a base's radius) Note the mineral yield is 4. Pillage the road. You will see a 3 with a faint black circle.

Still waiting on Mansooj to report on whether the originally discussed tile has a road.

[Mansooj]

Originally posted by Mongoose


I surely think so. Give it a try?

Whoops! My mistake, it's on a flat/rainy square.

-Mansooj

[knowhow2]

Re: A few miscellaneous questions

Originally posted by Mansooj
Hi,

A few things that I've noticed and wondered about while playing my first few games of SMAC (4.0 patched).

o) What's the deal with worms on adjacent squares to one killed by one of my units getting an instant morale/lifecycle boost?

Th AI-worms don't get moral boost from winning battles. The get it from either the way you mentioned or by Hercules moving closer triggering active native life.

[QUOTE]o) Why is it that when I set an air-to-air tactical/interceptor plane on alert while sitting in a base, that it goes flitting around the area rather than doing as the manual states and holding in position and coming out when an enemy enters the area? I *think* the AI's planes when on alert actually work this way, but none of mine do.[QUOTE]

Welknown bug. Get the patches!

o) In playing my first game as the Gaians I strove for a +6 planet rating so I could get a 75% capture rate. Unfortunately, when I got that +6, I ended up almost never capturing any worms. I kept a tally when I got suspicious and out of 26 attempts, I only captured 4. Prior to getting the +6, my success rate seemed to meet the 25% chance I had at that time. Note that this was before I patched to 4.0. Haven't checked since then.

The chance for capturing worms decrease compare to the numbers of worms you already have and the lifecycle the Mindworm have. Fungus-pop-worms are also harder to catch.

o) I have a base on the 'corner' of a peninsula with a small two square island across a strait, but still within the city's radius. I transported a former to one of the squares that has a mineral bonus on it, and mined it. Ordinarily, I would get 5 minerals on this type of terrain, but for some reason I am only getting 4, with the black border around the mineral icon. Another deposit within my radius is getting the 5 I expect. Is there some subtraction if working terrain on land not contiguous with that of the base? Never noticed it elsewhere. Note that I have all the techs necessary to lift the mineral caps.

flat+mineral bonus+mine = 4
rocky+mineral bonus+mine+road=7

[Yxklyx]

Mansooj: How did you get your Planet rating up to 6 without the expansion?! You should get 1 for the Gaians, 2 for Green, and 2 for Cybernetic. Where did you pick up the other 1 Planet from?

[Verrucosus]

The Manifold Nexus Landmark is included in the last SMAC patch. If the Gaians get it, they can get up to Planet +6 in the late game.