Sabotage!!

[Cybergod]

Mongoose - Maybe I missued the word retro-engineered, if so, I apologise. Foil probes do not come as pre-designed units and the AI never builds them so you have to either retro-engineer them from standard land probes (pre-designed) and place a foil/cruiser instead of speeder and there you go. But you can also select it and design it normally, as with normal units, which the AI can't do and can only deploy land-based probe teams. Not to mention the fact that a human can knock on a fusion reactor to probes to help against probe-vs-probe warfare.

[Mongoose]

You're right. You misused the word retro-engineered.

[Cybergod]

So much for missusing words... won't happen again...

[Cybergod]

And the "heating" incident which destroyed the letter C... (just spamming... )

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by MariOne
But OTOH you can beat the AI by rushing a project even if you got informed that it was due for next turn.
IF turn sequence were respected as it happens between humans, no matter how you rush your project, the AI should get it before you.
Instead you can snatch it, against the physics laws...

In a single player game the human player always goes first.

[Mongoose]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger




In a single player game the human player always goes first.

Nonsense. Fire up a game of SMAC. Choose the Peacekeepers. Select 'look first' from among the games' parameters. Found your first base in the landing square. Check the monuments. You will see a message about which of the other factions was the first to found a base. (ususally the Gaians, because they move first in the turn sequence)

This is beside the point, anyway. In the case where the game gives you warning about impending AI completion of a SP, if you check their F4 screen (you do have them infiltrated!, right?) you will see that they have already accumulated enough minerals for the project already or will have enough counting their next turns' mineral production. At that point, it is your turn. If the turn sequence were followed properly, the only things you could do to prevent that project from completing would be 1) sabotage it (CEO Aaron's choice) 2) take the bases where it is under construction or 3) (in the case where the upcoming turns' production will be required to furnish enough minerals) disrupt the mineral producing ability of the bases so that it produces below the required threshold for completion.

However, the normal turn sequence does not strictly apply here, as MariOne has noted. If, instead of one of the above three options, you rush build that same project yourself, either entirely or so that your next turns' production grants enough minerals to finish it, you, and not the AI, will complete the project. In this case, you will often get a repeat of the previous turns' warning message about the AI nearing completion of that project, which will then be immediately (or almost so) followed by the movie playing when you complete it.

[Adalbertus]

Hey, I'd always prefer
miss-using
over
miss-sueing

[Cybergod]

Hey, I'd always prefer
miss-using
over
miss-sueing

And I just love it when the warning messages ("Chairman Yang of the Hive have are aproaching mayor breakthrough with Command Nexus!" or something along those lines) are not shown at all and ZAP they do it the next turn...

[Mongoose]

I think that happens when they rush it at the end, Cybergod. I never verified that.

[Adalbertus]

Cybergod,
I played with some of the attempts to spell misusing,

Mongoose, I got the same impression, also didn't verify it. Mainly because the most likely to do so is Morgan, and when I get infiltration through Empath Guild or probe teams, he wouldn't build any more secret projects ...

[CEO Aaron]

And I just love it when the warning messages ("Chairman Yang of the Hive have are aproaching mayor breakthrough with Command Nexus!" or something along those lines) are not shown at all and ZAP they do it the next turn...

The only time I've failed to get the announcement is during Sunspot activity, which has to be my least favorite random event.

[Cybergod]

That's why I prefer No Random Events... But I play with that option off from time to time.

Aldarbertus, Morgan can be a cash-cow to milk by clever use of probe-teams!