Problem With Planet

[Kataphraktoi]

(which implies btw, that Leon's editing of his alphax.txt may indeed have given him an unfair advantage with the AI)

Morgan giving him IA is dumb and unfair and anything else you want to call it but later playtesting shows the AI attribs i gave him lead him to that behaviour. Since i missed it, what edits did leon do to the alphax.txt?

[Sperber]

Well, if Firaxis really wanted to help it some, they could have:

a) incorporated and hardwired the alpha(x).txt files into the turn files

b) used a WAY better encryption that what they did use (it's so bad, as a professional programmer I even have to force myself to name it "encryption")

c) protected the turn files from modifications by putting various checksums in there.

But if I remember correctly, PBEM support was a post-release feature that came with a patch for original SMAC. So all points to a "quick'n'dirty" solution.

[Kataphraktoi]

Originally posted by Sperber
Is it a forbidden bug or acceptable use in PBEM games? I hadn't speculated on this outcome. As long as Setroc hasn't done his turn, I could still redo mine. But it's kinda awkward that you'd not be allowed to seize an unguarded city if it contains an artifact.

Actually its not a bug at all but the way unit capture is implemented. For proof take a look at how the marine detachment works-the defeated unit enters the victors tile and the victor loses his MP.

[Sperber]

Originally posted by Kataphraktoi
PS.People that dont like cheaters like to pretend its hard to cheat so ssshhhhhh

Well, I'd rather have it pulled out into the open, because the possibilities are so obvious, that it is better if people are aware that the whole thing is based on trust and honesty.

And I believe it's important that players are aware of the alpha.txt issue, because some might be playing with one modified for their single player games and apply them unknowingly to PBEM games too.

[Kataphraktoi]

And I believe it's important that players are aware of the alpha.txt issue, because some might be playing with one modified for their single player games and apply them unknowingly to PBEM games too

Which is how i happened to find that out in the first place.

I agree absolutely that all cheat knowledge should be open.

[binTravkin]

Maybe that was how Sebed knew the map?
I mean, the discovery bit..

[Kataphraktoi]

How did he just up and edit the pod results then?
He could have reloaded for the impossible military wins, but i doubt it.

I would think you would know the nature of sebeds program

[Leon Trotsky]

Originally posted by Kataphraktoi
Basicly you need to trust the people you are playing with. No anticheat system in existance can stop cheaters as good as playing with friends.

Agreed. This holds especially true for SMAC - as you stated before, anyone who wants to cheat may do so by just editing a text file. Trust -> on.

Originally posted by Kataphraktoi
Since i missed it, what edits did leon do to the alphax.txt?

I recalled having read something about AI trading comm freqs with players, but it turned out not being in the alpha.txt, but actually in the readme.txt - it was a fix in the 2.0 patch:

FIXES:
(...)
· AI doesn't offer a human controlled faction's comm frequency to other human players in MP.

So there is no alpha.txt editing involved whatsoever.

[Sperber]

Perfect.

Now that this concern is settled then ...

SETROC!!!!! WE ARE WAITING!!!!

[Setroc]

Sorry guys, I have for 2 days been figuring out the best way to cheat in this game given the information above...

j/k of course

I should be able to play the turn tomorrow morning. Sorry for the delay

[Setroc]

Here's the turn finally.

My apologies for the reload message, yet another PC crash. It took me the last 30minutes just to get it to turn on again.

[Leon Trotsky]

No soup for you! Come back, one year!

Peacekeepers gave me the commlinks I had missing. I could summon the planetary council for a governor election, but an AI would be elected. What should I do?

Also, if I wanted to "sell" comm freqs to you people - it would all be a word arrangement, right? Nothing prevents you from clicking on other player's name right now, but you'd wait until I "sell" you the link (or you find it elsewhere, of course).

[Lazerus]

Turn sent

Well too late to think about it, the peacekeepers have called the Planetary Council ! -

Lal - Lal 30 votes
Morgan - Morgan 30 votes
Aki - Abstain
Lazerus - Lal 6 votes
Sperber - ?
Setroc - ?
Leon - ?

[Sperber]

Sperber - Lal 8 votes

turn sent

[Setroc]

10votes for morgan =)