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Author Topic:   How to disable production?

svrieze posted 02-18-99 03:34 PM ET
Is there a way to stop unit production completely at a base to build up resources? This would be extremely helpful later in the game when you get low on energy and so forth.
Dredd posted 02-18-99 03:37 PM ET
Isn't that what "Stockpile Energy" does? Similiar to "Capitalism" in Civ2.
CEO Bernard posted 02-18-99 03:38 PM ET
You can switch minerals to energy only by choosing "Stockpile Energy" as your object to build. As far as I know you cannot convert food to energy, energy to food, energy to minerals (darn), food to minerals or minerals to food.
CEO Bernard
ThRiLL posted 02-18-99 04:33 PM ET
when you 'hurry' a unit, you essentially ARE converting energy to minerals, Bernard.
But yes, Stockpiling enerygy is the only such way to do what you ask, svriez. Dont forget... if you can spare the workers, you can always make a couple engineers or whatnot to improve that town's economy. (much like those little pencil-necked tax guys in .. uh.. Civ II )
-ThRiLL
CEO Bernard posted 02-18-99 05:08 PM ET
An excellent, and quite correct, point Thrill. I meant in terms of supporting military units, in this case (another thread I started).
Audrey Two posted 02-18-99 06:06 PM ET
In Civ, if a city's resource requirements were greater than its production, it would drain resources from the "current production" box-- units wouldn't disband until the production box was empty. Does SMAC do that?
If so, it's pretty easy to support units with energy-- just set the city to build something big (a secret project will do nicely), and "hurry" the project-- not to completion, just with a row or two's worth of production. The excess units will drain the production box, then you can repeat. Just *don't forget* to refill it...
It would be nice if excess food were automatically converted to money, as in MOO-- very nice for when you're bumping your head against the hab complex/dome limits. For that matter, I wish I could set up a food reserve (a la Civ's grainaries), so my cities wouldn't start starving as soon as something goes wrong... In MOOII, there was also a "food replicator" city enhancement, which was also nice. (If a planet had it, then whenever it ran short on food, it automatically converted enough minerals to food to keep everyone fed.) But perhaps these would be unbalancing.
--A2
CEO Bernard posted 02-18-99 06:58 PM ET
What you say may or may not work Audrey, good advice in any event. I do not know the answer though, I would have to test it. Still you would never be able to build anything ... which well, is worse than not being able to support some units.
In my other thread, I was hoping that Firaxis would add the capability to pay in energy the support cost of troops instead of minerals when minerals were not available (or just pay them outright would be even better!). I am wondering if people think that would be unbalancing or not? MOO2 had a similiar process with the command points.
Sinapus posted 02-18-99 07:33 PM ET
What I wish is that you could set it to stockpile for a limited number of turns, then start building something else. Or do the governors automatically switch to and from that if they have nothing else to do?
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Author	Topic: How to disable production?
svrieze	posted 02-18-99 03:34 PM ET Is there a way to stop unit production completely at a base to build up resources? This would be extremely helpful later in the game when you get low on energy and so forth.
Dredd	posted 02-18-99 03:37 PM ET Isn't that what "Stockpile Energy" does? Similiar to "Capitalism" in Civ2.
CEO Bernard	posted 02-18-99 03:38 PM ET You can switch minerals to energy only by choosing "Stockpile Energy" as your object to build. As far as I know you cannot convert food to energy, energy to food, energy to minerals (darn), food to minerals or minerals to food. CEO Bernard
ThRiLL	posted 02-18-99 04:33 PM ET when you 'hurry' a unit, you essentially ARE converting energy to minerals, Bernard. But yes, Stockpiling enerygy is the only such way to do what you ask, svriez. Dont forget... if you can spare the workers, you can always make a couple engineers or whatnot to improve that town's economy. (much like those little pencil-necked tax guys in .. uh.. Civ II ) -ThRiLL
CEO Bernard	posted 02-18-99 05:08 PM ET An excellent, and quite correct, point Thrill. I meant in terms of supporting military units, in this case (another thread I started).
Audrey Two	posted 02-18-99 06:06 PM ET In Civ, if a city's resource requirements were greater than its production, it would drain resources from the "current production" box-- units wouldn't disband until the production box was empty. Does SMAC do that? If so, it's pretty easy to support units with energy-- just set the city to build something big (a secret project will do nicely), and "hurry" the project-- not to completion, just with a row or two's worth of production. The excess units will drain the production box, then you can repeat. Just don't forget to refill it... It would be nice if excess food were automatically converted to money, as in MOO-- very nice for when you're bumping your head against the hab complex/dome limits. For that matter, I wish I could set up a food reserve (a la Civ's grainaries), so my cities wouldn't start starving as soon as something goes wrong... In MOOII, there was also a "food replicator" city enhancement, which was also nice. (If a planet had it, then whenever it ran short on food, it automatically converted enough minerals to food to keep everyone fed.) But perhaps these would be unbalancing. --A2
CEO Bernard	posted 02-18-99 06:58 PM ET What you say may or may not work Audrey, good advice in any event. I do not know the answer though, I would have to test it. Still you would never be able to build anything ... which well, is worse than not being able to support some units. In my other thread, I was hoping that Firaxis would add the capability to pay in energy the support cost of troops instead of minerals when minerals were not available (or just pay them outright would be even better!). I am wondering if people think that would be unbalancing or not? MOO2 had a similiar process with the command points.
Sinapus	posted 02-18-99 07:33 PM ET What I wish is that you could set it to stockpile for a limited number of turns, then start building something else. Or do the governors automatically switch to and from that if they have nothing else to do?