non millitary sea units

[dacole]

Ok when you are running free market you get drones for every millitary unit away from your base. Fine and realistic but if you make an exploration unit such as a rover with hand weapons or a scout patrol you don't revieve these drones which makes sense as these are not millitary units. However if you make a unity gunship. 1-1-4 the same as a rover or a scout patrol (except the extra movement all ships get you do) Are there other ships that can be used for exploration than prope units and transports and why is the unity gunship considered a millitary unit??

[Petek]

Are you saying that scout patrols and rovers with hand weapons (outside your territory) don't cause drones under free market? I think that's true only if the unit isn't "homed" to a specific base. AFAIK, you can't build such an independent unit.

[dacole]

hmm so it's outside your territory thought it was outside your base. So I just need to build sea bases to extend my territory interesting ok thanks. See my error now.

[Dis]

yeah it's outside your territory. Not like in civ2. Actually in civ2 I think you could still stay inside your city radius with no drone (unhappiness) problems.

I notice this first when I make my first jump to free market. The police rating is pretty harsh. So when I have my scout patrol units that I built early in the game exploring, they will cause drones when outside my territory. But it should be noted (as mentioned above) that the first scout patrol unit you start with is independant. it's not based out of any of your bases. So that can exceed your territory limits with no drone problems.

As for naval units, you can build transports and explore with those. As you said gunships (1 attack 1 defense) will still incur drone penalties. But transports don't. You can make them trance transports to defend against isles of the deep, though I find they still lose most of the time even with trance ability. But exploring pods with transports is still a pretty good idea as you can get alien aritifacts with transports (which you can't with a regular naval ship). You just have to be careful about isles of the deep (and sea lurks with smax). And try to have some movement points left if you pop a pod and it turns out to be a isle of the deep.

[Senethro]

Isles of the deep move to the nearest inhabited shore to deposit mind worms. Always get out of the Isles path and you can pop many pods safely.

[PJayTycy]

I also think hand weapons start pacifism drones. AFAIK every "normal" weapon will incite them. So, build transort infantry/scout/foil/cruisers with 3-res + trance if you want safe pod-popping under free market.

Just forget about air units. Even when at a base, they still incite pacifism drones (unless they have the SAM abillity).

[Dis]

or you just build a sea base with the punishment sphere. .

I don't build one every game, but if I find I need a large military (including air units), and I'm too far away from telepathic matrix, then I build them.

[PJayTycy]

Originally posted by Dissident
or you just build a sea base with the punishment sphere. .

This only works if you use clean air units, or find a way to have a decent mineral production at your sea base (I consider nessus mining stations too late in the game for this purpose) .

[Major Guz]

Originally posted by Dissident
yeah it's outside your territory. Not like in civ2. Actually in civ2 I think you could still stay inside your city radius with no drone (unhappiness) problems.

IIRC that would be in a fortress/bunker up to 3 squares away from your base or something similar. (There were no actual territory boundaries in civ II).

When you pop a pod with your independent scout patrol you recieve at the beginning are those unity rovers that come out not independent as well?
Cloned units (SMAX only, pod effect) are always indepandent. Even when popped with a unit that is not independent. But they do not ocur frequently.

By the way, are mindworms considered combat units dronewise?

[GeoModder]

Yes popped/cloned rovers are independent, and are priceless for scouting under FM conditions.

And for MW's, I don't know. It might depend whether or not the unit is in or out a fungal field at the end of it's turn (it's mineral upkeep).

[dacole]

Actually I've popped a unity rover and it incited drone riots under free market as well as cost upkeep. I am using smac as opposed to smacx however.

[Senethro]

It depends where you pop the thing. If its within territory or base grid, sometimes its homed to a city.

[Dis]

I may be thinking of civ2, but if it is closer to an AI city than your city, then the unit will be independant.

[Commy]

I think it depends on the unit to pops it...