Problem building a Colony Pod

[ParaSitius]

Hi,

I've tried looking on the forum but I've not seen anyone else have this problem.

There is probably a very straight forward answer to my question which will no doubt make me feel fairly silly that I missed it, but I don't get the option to build a colony pod even though my starting city has reached population 4.

Reading the in-game help, there isn't any pre-reqs and the option to build is there from the start but the unit doesn't appear for selection in the build queue even though all other units including the Formers do.

I'm stumped as to why this is happening and any help in explaining what I'm doing wrong would be appreciated.

Ta.

[Ironwood]

Weird. Can you post a screen-shot of your build options list? It should be there from the start, even when your city size is 1 (if it's still 1 when the pod builds, the game gives you the option to abandon the city, delay the build, or examine the city).

[Petek]

My first thought is that there's a problem with your alpha(x).txt file. The #UNITS section of that file should contain the following line:

Colony Pod, Infantry, Colony Pod, Scout, 8, 0, 0, None, -1, 00000000000000000000000000

If that's not present, or has been altered, that's the problem. If such is the case, I suggest that you simply copy the original alpha(x).txt from the CD to your SMAC folder (backing up the current version to be safe).

If this suggestion doesn't help, can you design a Colony Pod in the workshop?

HTH

Petek

[ParaSitius]

As requested, screenshots of both the build window and then the workshop. Note that I also created a shielded colony pod that is sitting in slot 4 as a test. As you can see from the build window, it doesn't appear either.





Also, here's a c&p from the #UNITS part of the text file, looks identical to me.

Colony Pod, Infantry, Colony Pod, Scout, 8, 0, 0, None, -1, 00000000000000000000000000

Unfortunately, I don't have my game CD on hand though funnily enough, the person who has it just called me as I was typing this reply so I may get it back tonight. Which would be nice

[Petek]

Very strange problem indeed. You probably noticed that the basic CP appears in the workshop; it just can't be built!

When you get your CD back, you should just go ahead and uninstall/reinstall. You may first wish to start a new game and see if the problem persists. I doubt that your current game can be salvaged.

Good luck!

Petek

[Verrucosus]

In the screenshot from the workshop, the standard colony pod is not marked as "obsolete" in the row of designs, but it looks as though its name is displayed in a different colour. Could it have been obsoleted when you designed the upgrade? Admittedly, this is unlikely because in that case it should be labeled "obsolete" and in any case, it would not explain why the armoured version does not appear in the production menus, but the colour difference made me speculate.

[Petek]

Well, I found a possible explanation for this situation: In a scenario, you can set a rule that no colony pods can be built. If that rule is in effect, then the basic CP appears in the workshop, and you can design other types of CPs. However, none of them can actually be built.

So, perhaps the OP is playing a scenario.

[ParaSitius]

Hmm, I do believe I've managed to solve the problem and it does actually have to do with one of the rules it seems.

I had a look at the scenario games after reading your above post Petek and found that CP's were actually available which had me stumped for a while. But I couldn't figure out where the rules for scenario's are hidden after much routeing about.

I then went back to the normal game and after messing around for a while with several different rule setups I've found that turning off the Blind Tech Tree rule suddenly made the CP's available to me.

So, huzzah for me and many thanks to you guys who gave me suggestions on sorting this out.

It would be interesting to know just why that particular rule was causing the problem though.

Again, thanks for your help. Think I'll stick around and see what else this place offers (and of course if something else suddenly rears its ugly head without warning).

[Petek]

Originally posted by ParaSitius
Hmm, I do believe I've managed to solve the problem and it does actually have to do with one of the rules it seems.

I had a look at the scenario games after reading your above post Petek and found that CP's were actually available which had me stumped for a while. But I couldn't figure out where the rules for scenario's are hidden after much routeing about.

Press Ctrl+K to open the Scenario Editor (and confirm your action). Then open the MENU, select SCENARIO, then select Edit scenario rules. That's where you see the "No colony pods" option. You can use the Scenario Editor in any game (not just a scenario), but your game won't be scored if you do so.

I then went back to the normal game and after messing around for a while with several different rule setups I've found that turning off the Blind Tech Tree rule suddenly made the CP's available to me.

Good troubleshooting! This makes even less sense than before (because many others play with Blind Research switched on but still can build CPs). If you're now satisfied, fine. Otherwise, I suggest that you make sure that you're fully patched (let me know if you're unsure about this). If so, then uninstall/reinstall.

So, huzzah for me and many thanks to you guys who gave me suggestions on sorting this out.

It would be interesting to know just why that particular rule was causing the problem though.

Again, thanks for your help. Think I'll stick around and see what else this place offers (and of course if something else suddenly rears its ugly head without warning).