Free drones and drones riots.

[Zombiebaby]

Hi, i got these two "problems" with my SMAC.

First, when i play the Free drones, rioting bases NEVER join, i think i have the 2.0 patch applied, is there anyways to fix this?

Also, sometimes when i conquer a base, the rioting drones turn back the control their former masters, but when the AI conquests one of my base, they never join me back.

Anyone experienced this?

[Petek]

Regarding your first problem: This has been discussed many times on this forum over the years. The consensus is that the AI never allows a base to stay in drone riots long enough for the feature to take effect. However, the feature does work. I once set up a game in which I played the Hive and the Drones also were present. I deliberately allowed my bases to stay in riots for multiple turns. Eventually, all bases (except my HQ) joined the Drones.

For your second problem: Are you saying that when you don't quell drone riots in conquered bases, they revert back to the prior owner? If so, that seems normal to me. Again, the AI quells drone riots right away, so this wouldn't happen to them.

[Flubber]

What petek said

[Zombiebaby]

Ok, this sucks.
Is there any way to alter the rules so they don't always quell the riots? Cause it'd be more fun if i could get at least some enemy bases to join, that's why i wanted to play the drones.

[RedFred]

You could always keep hitting a base with probes using the "incite riots" option.

[Illuminatus]

Originally posted by Zombiebaby
Ok, this sucks.
Is there any way to alter the rules so they don't always quell the riots? Cause it'd be more fun if i could get at least some enemy bases to join, that's why i wanted to play the drones.

It is impossible to get AI bases to defect to you in single player. Inciting riots won't help, as due to bonuses AI gets you can't get make AI citizens to become drones, which is required for a defection. It is hardcoded in the game along with other AI bonuses. You will have to try multiplayer or simulated multiplayer hotseat game to see them riot and defect to you.

[Zombiebaby]

Ok, so playing hotseat should do it?

[Illuminatus]

Yes. It will work against any non-AI opponent since AI bonuses are the ones preventing it from happening.

[Zombiebaby]

but i could still play against the computer or would i have to play against human opponents?

(i feel like a noob)

[Illuminatus]

None of AI bases will ever defect to you. Only human controlled ones will.

[Frankychan]

I dunno what youse guys are talking about, but I've had a couple of games where my rioting bases went over to the Free Drones (well, before I learned to quell them in a 2 turns or less...

...but back in the day, I had a few bases that went over the to Free Drone Alliance. What sucked even more is that I didn't have a homeland defense seeing as how most of my units were tied up in offshore wars. I've lost many a base to the Free Drone riots, before I learned that Police units are your friends & keep a few offensive units close to home.


Domai and his anarchistic view of society......

[Illuminatus]

Originally posted by Frankychan
I dunno what youse guys are talking about, but I've had a couple of games where my rioting bases went over to the Free Drones (well, before I learned to quell them in a 2 turns or less...

Likeliness to revolt has nothing to do with presence of Free Drones (unless they incite drone riots, but any faction can do that), but the choice of to which faction base will defect does. There is a 75 chance that revolting base will go to Domai. Bases usually defect to nearest AI, but with Drones in game, they are defect to him in vast majority of cases.

But since AI gets bonuses when it comes to dealing with drones, in SP no AI bases will ever defect to anyone, including other AIs. This Drone ability is therefore useless in SP, but with +2 industry and ability to run FM who really cares about that. Your bases can defect to other AIs if you mismanage them.

To test this, run FM and rehome as many aircraft as you can to a base. Your base will have all citizens turned to drones, rebel and defect to nearest AI.

This Drone ability also presents a nasty forbidden exploit for multiplayer, as one can simply force a base of his own to rebel and wait for it to join the Drone player so he can probe rape him with ease.

Did anyone research if the actual chance to defect to Domai is 75 percent? Might be an interesting thing to do.

[Petek]

Originally posted by Illuminatus

Did anyone research if the actual chance to defect to Domai is 75 percent? Might be an interesting thing to do.

In the test game mentioned in my previous post, eight Hive bases defected to the Drones and none to any other faction. I'll see if I can get a base to defect to some other faction.

[Illuminatus]

True, but were the Drones the closest faction to you? Whenever I made tests in SP base would always go to nearest AI. However I nevere tried it in game with Drones present.

[Commy]

I like the drones...+2 industry is nice...

My friend and I were playing hotseat once, he was playing as the cyborgs, and I was playing as the Free Drones...he conquered a base of an enemy rather close to me, and the base, having many drones, defected to me...since we were working as allies against a rather beefed up AI, I kept the base and used my +4 industry (wealth and planned) to quickly build units and facilities...he was doing free market and knowledge...with +5 efficiency, +4 research, and +2 econ, he had researched about 80% of our techs...using his energy and technology, the base quickly was built back up, and then I gave it back to him...

Anyway, it is an interesting idea, to have a research faction doing free market to combine with a heavy industry faction like the drones our hive...if done right, it is a very hard alliance to defeat...