known bugs for trascendi level ?

[sevencubed]

I looked for relative threads, didn't find any, so : playing at trascendi level (SMAC v4.0) seems to be easier than i could expect. Is it possible that the AI doesn't get the bonuses it should get?

One more thing: how come the AI builds sea bases in ocean squares, while the player can only build in ocean-shelf squares? Can this be fixed by modifying alpha.txt ?

[Adalbertus]

There is one big bug in SMAC 4.0 (in addition to many others): You pay much less maintenance cost than you are supposed to do. Which means, even as Yang you don't have to worry about energy, you simply build. This is fixed in SMAX. On the other hand, the experienced player has possibilities at hand the AI simply cannot counter, such as heavy use of crawlers, building the right unit for a given purpose etc.

I never had problems in building bases in deep ocean squares in SMAC 4.0. For building improvements, you have to raise the sea floor. A very quick search in alpha.txt didn't produce anything.

[Method]

About the energy thing: i just played the hive for the first time since i got SMAX (a long time ago) and it seemed that when i played it in SMAC i could build just as easily as with any other faction, -2 energy or not. no wonder it was so hard this time.

About deep sea bases: why would you want to build them anyways? airbases maybe?

[Blake]

It often makes sense to found a base in a deepwater tile (with adjacant shallow tiles) to maximise available shallow tiles. A minor possible benefit.

[sevencubed]

About deep sea bases: why would you want to build them anyways? airbases maybe?

i don't want to build them! its the AI that builds them like crazy!

[Alex]

I remember something about this bug affecting the last two difficulty levels, am I right?

[Adalbertus]

TKG, I just come from playing Hive, Transcend with SMAX. I think it's not too hard With the very dense 2-in-diagonal setting, and PS/Planned you get some definitive boosts. You don't have any drawback due to inefficiency immunity. You grow faster, you support four instead of two free units, and can use three instead of one police unit. Which means you get bigger bases faster. When you get Intellectual Integrity, you can get police units (up to six drones calmed), and if you can get the Ascetic Virtues, it's even twelve less drones, without any energy spent to facilities. You have to be careful in the beginning to build only facilities you really need, and you'll more desperately want the SP which gives you free bases.

[Method]

not that it was hard i was just lagging in tech. i ended up having to storm the drones with recon rovers. in some games the AI is on and has good research and energy, but most of the time it's not and i end up like 2 levels ahead of it even though i suck in tech myself (MMI/fusion around 2250-60). Now the usurpers! there's a momentum faction without any anti-builder traits!

[Sikander]

Originally posted by Adalbertus
TKG, I just come from playing Hive, Transcend with SMAX. I think it's not too hard With the very dense 2-in-diagonal setting, and PS/Planned you get some definitive boosts. You don't have any drawback due to inefficiency immunity. You grow faster, you support four instead of two free units, and can use three instead of one police unit. Which means you get bigger bases faster. When you get Intellectual Integrity, you can get police units (up to six drones calmed), and if you can get the Ascetic Virtues, it's even twelve less drones, without any energy spent to facilities. You have to be careful in the beginning to build only facilities you really need, and you'll more desperately want the SP which gives you free bases.

Playing this way (2 on the diag, crawling food and only 2 workers on boreholes) as the Hive you never need to build anti-drone facilities (or at least not until you have an ungodly number of bases). I lag a bit in tech compared to games played as the University to be sure, but by the end of the 1st century I am firmly in the lead with the AI declaring jealousy wars. Yang and the specialist were made for one another.

[Method]

Originally posted by TKG
Now the usurpers! there's a momentum faction without any anti-builder traits!

I take it back! it seems they can't run democracy even though im sure it doesn't say so in the datalinks or what-have-you

[Googlie]

Usurpers have Democracy as an aversion

Caretakers have no aversions

[Lazerus]

Could you explain this Hive strategy of having bases 2 on the diagonal and loads of specialists abit more clearly to me please ?

I normally play with Hive and like to have my bases as close to each other but not overlapping more then 2 squares at the most. 2 defense units and 3 formers per base, a few outer bases with just 1 former but high mineral for creating impact or chaos rovers to quickly kill any enemies.
which secret project gives u free bases ?
Also won't it slow down your base and military building spending so many turns building crawlers early in the game ??

[waab]

Hive is easy. Just arme yourself

Personally I am going with Yang as builder to people starts attaking me for everything from communist to a brutal beast that doesn't love democratic or fund...

[Method]

Originally posted by Lazerus
which secret project gives u free bases ?

are you referring to the Planetary Transit System? New bases begin at size 3, 1 less drone and all bases size 3 or less.

[big_canuk]

Originally posted by Adalbertus
When you get Intellectual Integrity, you can get police units (up to six drones calmed), and if you can get the Ascetic Virtues, it's even twelve less drones, without any energy spent to facilities.

The documentation says that the AV doubles police effect. It is actually only +1 drone controlled per unit.
Therefore a normal unit(not interceptor though) will quell 2 drones, and a police unit will quell only 3. Therefore, Yang can quell 9 drones per base with 3 police units.

bc