posted 02-22-99 03:19 AM ET        

First off, a playability issue:

As the game progresses, my lag tends to increase. It may take a full second between hitting a key or button before the game registers (the screen changes, that is) what I have done; this is frustrating and means simple actions take a long time. Automated units move faster (I have all the fast-move options selected) than I can make units move by hitting the keypad keys.
I have a p-233 mmx; "that other game you wrote" runs superbly on it, units and bottons moving and responding the moment i hit a button/key

Ok, on to little bugs (these are the more or less reproducable ones)

1) Airplanes told to go to a city with the G key sometimes stop after moving one square; the key here seems to be that they just moved NW, SW, NE or SE as opposed to simply N, S, E, W

2) With formers not allowed to build sensors or forests, but allowed everything else, (autoimproving base) I have found them moving in circles (specifically, going between 3-5 squares) that are not developed and within the base's red outline.
--often these squares have fungus on them that I wouldn't mind removed, but they just go in circles--
--also, un-automating the unit and reautomating it just returns it to its circling; I have to manually remove the fungus or otherwise improve the square before it will stop

3) These same autoimprove base formers Are allowed to make boreholes, condensers, rivers, echalon mirrors, but I have only one documented case of them making any of these improvements on their own (a condenser). I allowed them to make them because I want these improvements made!

3) Empaths and Technicians don't add +2/+3 econ as they are supposed to. At least, they do not boost the base's incoming amount of energy or efficiency. Is this a bug or do I not understand what they do?

4) Adding armor to helecopters and jets doesn't increase the cost, and the synthmetal rover costs the same as the synthmetal garrison. In both cases, logically, the cost would go up as more expensive parts are included.

5) alt-shift-m still toggles music rather than the terriform order to build road-farm-mine.

6) Airplanes can't land in ocean bases, but if they fly over one and attack something nearby, they are refueled for the next turn (or am I wrong, they can land?)

7) Alt-Shift-F doesn't automate a former to remove fungus; it doesn't seem to do anything

8) Morgan had been defeated and interrogated, (so I assume he didn't escape). I sent a probe skimmer to the believers (who were at war with everyone but the UoP, who they had a truce with). When I asked to drain money and steal tech, i was given the option of framing morgan (both times)... the only player i couldn't logically frame.

9) Automated formers run from enemy units, which is good, but they also run from (in this case) mindworms hidden in fungus that I couldn't see. (no a former did not uncover the mindworms by trying to move into the same square). If I can't see them, none of my units should know about them until they attack me.

10) Boreholes seem to (but might actually not) Increase rainfall around them... is this right? Shouldn't they decrease rainfall if anything?

NOW for the combat section. These are more or less reproducable and need to be fixed! Most take place with -3 morale in place, some with -1

11) Formers in bases did not have non-combat unit status taken into account, and so with defences, had a PSI rating of over 3 (when on defence)! This happened a couple times, independent of each other.

12) That defence rating of over 3 is also due to their being very green; this was a POSITIVE modifier! +37% vs locusts; this should be -37% I think. (I also had planet +30%, which is why the defence got so high)

13) Isle of the deep was in fungus, and was attacked by a ship. Planet was at +3, but the Isle did not get +30% for it, nor did it get ANY fungus bonus. This ment it had a defence rating of 2.?? when (I felt) the rating should have been higher.

14) Several, slightly different things occurred. ALL are PSI combat. Vs the believers, I attack, their unit has been disciplined and gotton a -12% rating for it, my worms have been green and gotton +modifiers for it, (eg Very green, get +12%)

15) In the same turn, 2 worms of mine attack: one is a great boil, and has a +25% modifier (I think with -3 morale; could be at -1 tho) the other is a Daemon boil, but only gets a +12% modifier! The Demon boil had just the turn before been promoted, so I know I didn't get the status (great vs Demon, which is higher) mixed up.

16) -3 morale is supposed to halve positive bonuses to units. This would make units with 1/2 of +12 and 1?2 of 37 However, I have never seen a unit with a +6%, or +18% bonus.

Basically, I think that negative morale is not being accounted for correctly. (ie conferring good bonuses rather than bad)

Firaxis, This looks like a great game, but the very first complaint is the most important. It runs slooowly! And I don't think it should. Quake 2 multiplayer runs just fine on this machine, as does Total Annihilation. Therefore it seems logical that the game could run more quickly during my turn, especially since the time the computer takes to make the moves for all 120 cities and their units in this game is completely analogous to the time "that other game you wrote"'s cities/factions to take their turn. This implies that the cpu is capable of doing things faster than it is for this game.

posted 02-22-99 04:57 AM ET         

> 7) Alt-Shift-F doesn't automate a former to remove fungus; it doesn't seem to do anything

posted 02-22-99 11:02 AM ET            

jkm

posted 02-22-99 08:52 PM ET            

2: Have you checked the 'allow formers to remove fungus button' in the preferences

3: Have you clicked the wee radio button in the top left corner of the city's nutreint/mineral/energy display? It changes to the Econ/Psych/Labs readout.

4: read the advanced unit cost notes in the advanced concepts datalink.

posted 02-23-99 01:19 AM ET            

3: Hey nifty! I would have never seen that in a million years...

4: It says armor costs are doubled for air units. I change between any and no armor, and there is no change in cost! A bug!