Missing Research Options

[RobbieCrash]

How come sometimes technologies I should be able to research aren't in my options?

I've noticed this a lot of times, but figured that I probably just missed some pre-req tech so never thought much about it, but since getting a copy of the game with the tech tree poster and plotting out what I wanted to research to, I've realised there must be some other reason.

For instance, in the last three games I've played I've had Doctrine: Flexibility and Optical Computers but haven't been able to research Advanced Military Algorithms for several picks. Then all of a sudden I can, and the next turn Roze builds Hunter Seeker and I throw my mouse across the room.

[vyeh]

The short and simplified explanation: Techs are divided into three groups, according to their position in the alpha(x).txt file. (1st, 4th , 7th, etc. are in the first group; 2nd, 5th, 8th, etc. are in the second group; 3rd, 6th, 9th, etc. are in the third group.)

One of the three groups will not be available.

The longer explanation has been covered in this forum in the past and includes an explanation of which group is not available depending on the slot of the faction you're playing, the number of techs acquired and whether any techs have been researched.

[RobbieCrash]

I take it that longer explanation is in one of the multiple thousand posts that's missing?

Thanks for the brief explanation. Is there any way to work around it?

[Verrucosus]

I almost always use blind research, but if you allow me to speculate until someone with better knowledge or a good archive link (I didn't find anything at first sight) comes along, I would say that the mechanism comes straight from Civ2.

If, and only if, that is the case, you need to count the number of techs that you have, add one for tech you are about to research and devide the sum by three. If there is no remainder all techs from the first group (as explained by vyeh) will be excluded from the next choice. If the remainder is "1", all techs from the second group will be excluded. If the remainder is "2", all techs from the third group will be excluded.

In order to turn this information into a strategy, you should copy the tech table into a seperate file, print it out and add a group number to each tech (again, as explained by vyeh), perhaps 0, 1 and 2, so they translate straight into the remainder calculation. Now, if you plan to research a specific advance next, you can use the rules to predict whether it will be included on the next list. If it won't be, you can change the number of current techs by trading for one or by cashing in an artifact, so timing your tech trades and artifact discoveries is the key to influencing your research choices.

Again, there is no guarantee that SMAC research works exactly like Civ2 research. (After all, Brian Reynolds also moved the food box from the top right to the top left of the base screen.) In fact, since I did not account for two factors mentioned by vyeh (faction slot and whether any techs have been researched (by someone else I suppose)), I am almost certain that things are more complex, but you can use the Civ2 rules as a point to start from.

Good luck experimenting!

Verrucosus

[RobbieCrash]

Thanks a lot for that!

I love that there's a game, near ten years old, that's still keeping me entertained and confused and there's still more complexities to delve into.

[Kadrian]

I seem to remember reading in the instructions, or possibly GameSpot's guide, that the techs available for reasearch are selected at random. Yes, it is frustrating when you're shooting for a specific tech, but it's part of what keeps the game from being predictable.

Kadrian

[BlackCat]

Originally posted by RobbieCrash
Thanks a lot for that!

I love that there's a game, near ten years old, that's still keeping me entertained and confused and there's still more complexities to delve into.

I played the game on my own for some four years and then stumbled over this site. I thought I was good but found out I was just mediocre . There is so many ways to play this game and even the possibility to choose your own approach, that makes the game a bit insane - there are no "right" way to play it.

The real problem is if it can be played on newer versions of MS.

[Kadrian]

Originally posted by BlackCat
The real problem is if it can be played on newer versions of MS.

Do you mean, newer versions of Windows? I'm playing on XP and I've noticed a few quirks. On the first screen that pops up where there are two buttons, all I can see is the outline of the buttons and nothing more. I assume the buttons are along the lines of "Play Alpha Centauri" and "Cancel". Also, at the end of the game, the "book" written about you (e.g., Raising a Nerve Stapled Child) doesn't show the graphic of the book cover.

Kadrian

[vyeh]

Long explanation and thread reference

Originally posted by Kadrian
I seem to remember reading in the instructions, or possibly GameSpot's guide, that the techs available for reasearch are selected at random. Yes, it is frustrating when you're shooting for a specific tech, but it's part of what keeps the game from being predictable.

Kadrian

I feel like I'm telling a kid there is no Santa Claus. A LOT of time has been spent on this forum pointing out where the manual or other "authoritative" material is incomplete or worse.

The great accomplishment of the thread below was to show that the techs available for research are NOT random.

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=96606&perpage=30&pagenumber=1

To summarize the thread and give the long explanation, the tech choice formula is:

(n + t + s - b) mod 3 != 0 OR the "joker" tech

where

t = position of tech in alphax.txt (0-88)
n = total number of technologies for the faction
b = number of technologies at the beginning of the game for the faction
s= slot number of the faction

Notes:

(1) "b", for normal factions (Gaians) is 1, for some others (University, Pirates) 2 and for the Progenitors 5.

(2) The joker tech: If there are any Explore techs with both the prerequisites researched, it's the Explore tech that has the lowest "t" in alphax.txt. If there are no Explore techs, it's a Discover tech. If there are no Explore or Discover techs, it's a Build tech. If there are no other techs, it's a Conquer tech.

(3) While there's no specific column in alphax.txt that specifies the category a given tech belongs to, the category can be determined from the maximum value of the ai-mil, ai-tech, ai-infra and ai-colonize values of the tech. That is, if a tech has the following values: 2, 3, 2, 0, its maximum value is 3, which is on the ai-tech column. Thus, it is an discover tech. The only technology that has its maximum value in two columns instead of one is Ethical Calculus. Otherwise its very easy to determine the category of a technology just by these four values.

(4) ai-mil = Conquer .... aka Power in some contexts
ai-tech = Discover .... aka Knowledge
ai-infra = Build ........ aka Wealth
ai-colonize = Explore ... aka Growth

(5) The starting tech adjustment only works until you do your first tech trade. After you have traded techs the starting tech adjustment is no longer used in the formula.

(6) There is an Excel program in the thread that automates the process.

[vyeh]

Originally posted by RobbieCrash
I take it that longer explanation is in one of the multiple thousand posts that's missing?

Thanks for the brief explanation. Is there any way to work around it?

And it was on my hard drive, along with the reference to the thread. If you choose to peruse the forum, it is a good idea to cut and paste anything that is interesting and to record the thread reference.

Now that you see the formula, the work around follows. You adjust "n," the number of technologies your faction has, by trading or refusing to trade technology, cashing or not cashing alien artifacts, stealing or not stealing technology through probe action.

So let's say you have Doctrine: Flexibility, you are on the verge of discovering Optical Computers and you want to have Advanced Military Algorithms as a choice.

Plug all the values in the formula with "n" including Optical Computers.

If (n + t + s - b) mod 3 EQUALS zero, then you have to change n so that (n + t + s - b) mod 3 DOES NOT EQUAL zero. One way is to acquire an additional tech through trade, cashing an alien artifact, or stealing a technology through probe action.

For the Darsnan created scenario "The Sword of the Righteous," I divided the techs into three groups and planned a tech acquisition strategy to acquire Industrial Automation as soon as possible. AI's can not handle crawlers!

[Kadrian]

Re: Long explanation and thread reference

Originally posted by vyeh

I feel like I'm telling a kid there is no Santa Claus. A LOT of time has been spent on this forum pointing out where the manual or other "authoritative" material is incomplete or worse.

That's some excellent information, vyeh. Got any more formulas us newbies (or even old pros) should know about?

I'm not surprised there's something on this issue in the forum, but most new players are going to be far more interested in playing the game than in spending DAYS reading through old posts here on Apolyton. It would help if the forum at least had a decent SEARCH feature.

BTAIM, I have been doing exactly that. Over the last week I've managed to comb through about 250 of over 3000 threads in the archive section. It's very tedius work and only about 40 of them had content worth reading.

[Petek]

See item #57 in the FAQ for a link to an index of interesting articles in the archives. Also, items #16-19 contain useful information about ecodamage. If you haven't already looked at the FAQ, you might find other items of interest.

HTH

Petek

[Kadrian]

Someone pointed me to that already, but thanks! It contains a lot of good reading.

Kadrian

[Verrucosus]

Did you by any chance stumble about something definitive for calculating blind research odds?

I remember discussions about it being linked to the Explore, Discover ... values in the tech table, and had attributed my difficulties to getting Mind-Machine Interface to the low values of its Neural Grafting prerequisite. In last weekend's game I made a point of stealing Neural Grafting from the University as soon as they got it, but despite a conquer focus, but despite a conquer I still got all kind of fancy stuff (including Advanced Spaceflight), before researching Mind-Machine Interface. (Zakharov had been conquered by Miriam before he could research it.)

I know that trying to predict the results of blind research in a way defeats the purpose of that option, but I am just curious. Having read vyeh's detailed explanation of the directed research mechanism, I might try that option in my next game. For purposes of his formula, do the Gaians have faction slot #0 or #1?

Verrucosus

[Verrucosus]

Re: Long explanation and thread reference

Originally posted by vyeh
I feel like I'm telling a kid there is no Santa Claus.

Actually, I think it works better the other way around. To steal Zakharov's Einstein quote: "Not only is there a Santa Claus, but it is also possible to manipulate his gift lists."