Hey, how come???? - Alpha Centauri Forums

  Alpha Centauri Forums
  Support
  Hey, how come????

profile | register | prefs | faq | search

Author Topic:   Hey, how come????

cousLee posted 03-13-99 09:36 AM ET
1. how come when you get fusion power, do you have to tell the game "no" 39 some odd times??
2. how come drop pods don't work? It (the game) says they can still move after the drop, but this is not so.
Also, drop supply transports can not be dropped into a city and applied to a special project in the same turn.
ALSO, no drops allowed in ocean cities???huh?
I have not been able to try to see if my probe team with drop works on land bases, but prob not considering the above.
ANDANOTHERTHING! I have saved games for the above bugs available. I sent them once to [email protected], but was told that is not a valid "person".
BTW, love this game.
Victor posted 03-13-99 12:56 PM ET
Send the files to [email protected].
Address him as Mr. Morris, he's the awesome tech-support guy that is helping all of us gamers out.
cousLee posted 03-19-99 05:29 PM ET
how come the AI cheats? Before you accuse me of just not using strategy, I have a sav file available. I lowered a Gaian city into the depths, but to my supprize it became an ocean city for free. before the land is lowered, you can see her city does not have a pressure dome (just recycling tanks). I sink the city and "POOF" she now has a pressure dome (and a recycling tank) in her city. the population did drop from 6 to 2, but the entire city should have been wiped out.
And my drop probe don't work, but the game gives a fair reason why not.
Fiannaidh posted 03-19-99 06:06 PM ET
that city thing is normal, that's how most cities are. Maybe you have a chance of sinking, but if you are large enough, can scramble the pressure dome before your city is flooded completely.
cousLee posted 03-23-99 04:54 AM ET
I know you can scramble a pressure dome, but what I am talking about is the enemy city did not have a pressure dome. the sav file, when you load it, is before the sinking takes place, and you can view the Gaian city window. no pressure dome. you "wait" 1 unit, the land sinks, and the gaian city gets a free pressure dome, and continues building the special project with out ever having lost a mineral. Will my cities do that? If so, then why ever build a pressure dome. they only cost 4 out of 6 population.
Dick Knisely posted 03-23-99 08:07 PM ET
1. Feature not a bug. It wants to know if you want to upgrade all 39 of your existing designs to use the fusion reactor. Agreed that it would be nice to have a button that says "yes, upgrade all my existing designs for free" and then have it ask about the upgrades of things you've actually built.
2. Documentation bug and not a code bug, I think. This one may be a documentation mismatch with the game because the code got changed after documentation was done. I seem to recall the beta testing was showing drop pod units were too powerful and unbalancing, so the move after drop was changed to fix that.
3. How do you know it got a "free" pressure dome. It could simply switch current production to that and issue a "hurry" to get one assuming the energy reserves existed. I like it this way imagining the rising waters while the city frantically attempts to get the dome built. If they're large enough and have the resources then they get it done while taking some losses.
cousLee posted 03-25-99 02:29 AM ET
fair question. I know it gets a free dome because 1. I had previously "infiltrated datalinks" and have access to the AI city window where i can see what is in the production box, what buildings have been built, ect..
as your turn progresses, the formers orders are listed in queue as all your units are. the game is saved just prior to the land actually sinking when the former gets the order for that turn. (am I making sence?).
and as for the "39" times you have to say no is a gameplay error, or hassle. IF one wanted the game to upgrade their workshop products, then that would be a dandy option. BUT, some of us who like to manage the roster ourselves, could find it a real pain in the arse. ihmo
I will send you the sav game if you like. email me and i will reply with attachment.
paraskous posted 03-25-99 06:09 PM ET
I can confirm that the AI gets free pressure domes. I once tried to sink Yang's cities into the ocean. I just had committed a few special "Combat Formers" (big armor, super former, press. hulls) and air support (AA-gravships) for this sole task.
"He wont know what hit him..." I checked out his cities production and picked one, moved into position and issued the order. I was smiling imagining how big his surprise would be as was mine when I discovered that he suddenly got a dome. "He must've hurried the dome" I tried again and again, placed the formers on the same spot ("This will do - he'll have to change production and hurry") and Yang had few credits. Well he got his dome again and produced his former task. No idea what he has done to get all those domes, I considered turning his continent into waterworld but I thought it was not worth the effort.
I remember I tried to sink cities in one of my first games and it worked
davedread posted 03-26-99 04:20 AM ET
On the other hand, Ive had a couple of my seabases attacked by isles of the deep, who promptly destroy the pressure dome. The base just keeps on going... (v1.0)
/Dave
[email protected]
paraskous posted 03-26-99 04:40 AM ET
As for the pressure dome destroyed by hostile force: I've heard it won't happen in the newer version (2.0, 3.0?)
Cedronian posted 03-26-99 08:17 AM ET
It seems like human players can also get free pressure domes. I had a game going in v2.0 and the sea levels were rising. I forgot to build a pressure dome in a size 18 coastal city. When the sea levels rose it became submerged and got a pressure dome and didn`t lose a single population unit. Bug or feature, I don`t know, but I like it
//Ced
JasHawk posted 03-29-99 09:10 AM ET
Sounds like the game doesnt have much in the way of pre-conditions and post-conditions on object manipulation. One of the very few things i took away from my formal methods classes. Saves alot of debugging time later.
assert() is your friend (or throw() & catch() in this case maybe, but exceptions suck anyway).
matt
micje posted 03-29-99 10:15 AM ET
You're an Eiffel man JasHawk?
To close this thread, click here (moderator or admin only).


Hop to:

Contact Us | Alpha Centauri Home

Powered by: Ultimate Bulletin Board, Version 5.18
© Madrona Park, Inc., 1998.

Author	Topic: Hey, how come????
cousLee	posted 03-13-99 09:36 AM ET 1. how come when you get fusion power, do you have to tell the game "no" 39 some odd times?? 2. how come drop pods don't work? It (the game) says they can still move after the drop, but this is not so. Also, drop supply transports can not be dropped into a city and applied to a special project in the same turn. ALSO, no drops allowed in ocean cities???huh? I have not been able to try to see if my probe team with drop works on land bases, but prob not considering the above. ANDANOTHERTHING! I have saved games for the above bugs available. I sent them once to [email protected], but was told that is not a valid "person". BTW, love this game.
Victor	posted 03-13-99 12:56 PM ET Send the files to [email protected]. Address him as Mr. Morris, he's the awesome tech-support guy that is helping all of us gamers out.
cousLee	posted 03-19-99 05:29 PM ET how come the AI cheats? Before you accuse me of just not using strategy, I have a sav file available. I lowered a Gaian city into the depths, but to my supprize it became an ocean city for free. before the land is lowered, you can see her city does not have a pressure dome (just recycling tanks). I sink the city and "POOF" she now has a pressure dome (and a recycling tank) in her city. the population did drop from 6 to 2, but the entire city should have been wiped out. And my drop probe don't work, but the game gives a fair reason why not.
Fiannaidh	posted 03-19-99 06:06 PM ET that city thing is normal, that's how most cities are. Maybe you have a chance of sinking, but if you are large enough, can scramble the pressure dome before your city is flooded completely.
cousLee	posted 03-23-99 04:54 AM ET I know you can scramble a pressure dome, but what I am talking about is the enemy city did not have a pressure dome. the sav file, when you load it, is before the sinking takes place, and you can view the Gaian city window. no pressure dome. you "wait" 1 unit, the land sinks, and the gaian city gets a free pressure dome, and continues building the special project with out ever having lost a mineral. Will my cities do that? If so, then why ever build a pressure dome. they only cost 4 out of 6 population.
Dick Knisely	posted 03-23-99 08:07 PM ET 1. Feature not a bug. It wants to know if you want to upgrade all 39 of your existing designs to use the fusion reactor. Agreed that it would be nice to have a button that says "yes, upgrade all my existing designs for free" and then have it ask about the upgrades of things you've actually built. 2. Documentation bug and not a code bug, I think. This one may be a documentation mismatch with the game because the code got changed after documentation was done. I seem to recall the beta testing was showing drop pod units were too powerful and unbalancing, so the move after drop was changed to fix that. 3. How do you know it got a "free" pressure dome. It could simply switch current production to that and issue a "hurry" to get one assuming the energy reserves existed. I like it this way imagining the rising waters while the city frantically attempts to get the dome built. If they're large enough and have the resources then they get it done while taking some losses.
cousLee	posted 03-25-99 02:29 AM ET fair question. I know it gets a free dome because 1. I had previously "infiltrated datalinks" and have access to the AI city window where i can see what is in the production box, what buildings have been built, ect.. as your turn progresses, the formers orders are listed in queue as all your units are. the game is saved just prior to the land actually sinking when the former gets the order for that turn. (am I making sence?). and as for the "39" times you have to say no is a gameplay error, or hassle. IF one wanted the game to upgrade their workshop products, then that would be a dandy option. BUT, some of us who like to manage the roster ourselves, could find it a real pain in the arse. ihmo I will send you the sav game if you like. email me and i will reply with attachment.
paraskous	posted 03-25-99 06:09 PM ET I can confirm that the AI gets free pressure domes. I once tried to sink Yang's cities into the ocean. I just had committed a few special "Combat Formers" (big armor, super former, press. hulls) and air support (AA-gravships) for this sole task. "He wont know what hit him..." I checked out his cities production and picked one, moved into position and issued the order. I was smiling imagining how big his surprise would be as was mine when I discovered that he suddenly got a dome. "He must've hurried the dome" I tried again and again, placed the formers on the same spot ("This will do - he'll have to change production and hurry") and Yang had few credits. Well he got his dome again and produced his former task. No idea what he has done to get all those domes, I considered turning his continent into waterworld but I thought it was not worth the effort. I remember I tried to sink cities in one of my first games and it worked
davedread	posted 03-26-99 04:20 AM ET On the other hand, Ive had a couple of my seabases attacked by isles of the deep, who promptly destroy the pressure dome. The base just keeps on going... (v1.0) /Dave [email protected]
paraskous	posted 03-26-99 04:40 AM ET As for the pressure dome destroyed by hostile force: I've heard it won't happen in the newer version (2.0, 3.0?)
Cedronian	posted 03-26-99 08:17 AM ET It seems like human players can also get free pressure domes. I had a game going in v2.0 and the sea levels were rising. I forgot to build a pressure dome in a size 18 coastal city. When the sea levels rose it became submerged and got a pressure dome and didn`t lose a single population unit. Bug or feature, I don`t know, but I like it //Ced
JasHawk	posted 03-29-99 09:10 AM ET Sounds like the game doesnt have much in the way of pre-conditions and post-conditions on object manipulation. One of the very few things i took away from my formal methods classes. Saves alot of debugging time later. assert() is your friend (or throw() & catch() in this case maybe, but exceptions suck anyway). matt
micje	posted 03-29-99 10:15 AM ET You're an Eiffel man JasHawk?