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Author Topic:   What's with the gifts?

googlie posted 03-24-99 11:24 AM ET
I'm Santiago, huge planet, and didn't find a butt to kick for 35 years, then stumbled into Dierdre. Power rating shows she's Undurpassed and I'm anaemic. Ok, I snuggle up and make like friends. 20 years later, Dierdre convenes council, and I meet (com-link?) all the other factions. Morgan takes a shine, Yang declares Vendetta, as does UoP, Miriam likes me.
Now it's the mid 2300's, and I am in a pact with M and D, fighting Y and Z. Believer and Gaian units are freely entering my cities and I theirs. Miriam gifted me airpower and Dierdre gifted me space. I'm two faced and am Fundamental, Green and knowledge, and trading D's techs to M and vice versa. I begged them both to call of their Vendetta, and they did "as a personal favour".
Suddenly, doing some maintenance in my bases I see that I own three Planet Busters and about six needlejets that I certainly didn't construct. My power is now Formidable.
Meanwhile M & D are blitzing the heck out of Yang's offshore bases and i am cleaning up moving in with me skimmers. I now own more ex-Yang bases than my original Spartan. I'm #2 on the chart, but am reluctant to try and supplant Dierdre as PG.
Question: has anyone else received unsolicited gifts? Did I miss a yellow notice at the screen bottom telling me of them? Why Planet Busters? Am I being set up for something? Is the AI that smart? Am I just being paranoid?
This current game certainly "broke the mold" from what i expected when I chose Spartans as my faction. BTW I am playing Librarian, with planned research.
Plato90s posted 03-24-99 11:29 AM ET
The AI frequently gifts units to you if they are wandering around they more units are being built at home. I once had a game as the Gaians with UoP as my Pact Brothers and we were both fighting the Believers. 2-3 Rovers showed up at my base every turn and promptly transferred to my command. it got to the point I stopped building my own units and concentrated on money to upgrade the free units and disbanding them to build structures.
However, no one has ever given me planet busters before. Check how many the Gaians still hold. When it's time to declare war, opening the war with a few PBs are always a nice way to do when you know you're going to be fighting everyone anyways.
Cadfael posted 03-24-99 12:01 PM ET
If your pact brothers or sisters are strong enough they will often give you units to assist in your war effort.
The transfer of these units is announced, but can be lost in a flood of messages. The announcement is made through the scrolling messages in the information box.
HMFIC posted 03-24-99 01:08 PM ET
Gifted units are announced in a popup. I dont think you can turn that off so you would/should know if a unit were transfered to your control. You might check and see if the governor is turned on in your cities and is cranking out PB's. Not a bad stash to stumble across IMHO.
googlie posted 03-24-99 01:26 PM ET
First thing I did was to check if the Governors were active - they weren't (I usually play without them as I can't stand their sometimes senseless decisions - I mean, how many sea transports do you really need?)
I must have missed the yellow scroll message.
Funny thing was that next time I talked to both my pact sisters each acknowledged that they knew I had the PBs and warned me not to use them. Question still is, why give me PBs. Did they want me to use them on Yang? I'll check tonight to see how many M and D have themselves, although it's now about 30 turns on since they were gifted.
Big Rich posted 03-24-99 06:52 PM ET
If I have some old units that I want to give to a weak pact member, is there a command to do that?
weregamer posted 03-24-99 07:19 PM ET
Giving gifts is quite easy. March the unit into your pact sibling's territory, and go to the action menu. "Transfer control to...".
This is the same option you use to set a bio unit "free"...
googlie posted 03-25-99 01:11 AM ET
Back with the game. Neither Miriam nor Dierdre have PBs, only me (now my might is Unsurpassed, yet they still give me units - we are all still pounding Yang - now his land bases, and I'm drop podding into the empty ones with one drop unit just moving around (I didn't know you got multiple drops with the same unit in one turn -you can capture up to at least four cities with one unit in one turn then move in copters or jets to hold the cities and keep the drones down). Dierdre is sending needlejets to these cities then ceding the units to me (this time I did see the scrolls) yet I'm the most powerful faction now.
Go figure. Is Santiago's reputation that fierce?
Fiannaidh posted 03-25-99 01:22 AM ET
My only game with Santiago was with Librarian or Specialist, whichever's easier. Nobody liked me, but I totally anihalted mirriam, Diedre was unsurpassed because she had the whole eastern continent (map of planet) to herself. I convinced everyone to unite behind me as supreme leader and that was that. You will probably be able to do that, but you will have to fork over some major bribe money (but if it works, who cares?)
googlie posted 03-25-99 11:36 AM ET
Fiannaidh, you are prescient (core competency for a transcendi?) - that's exactly what I did. Yang declared servitude, I alternated turns with Morgan selling him technology (at 25 credits each he thought he was ripping me off!) and threatening to kick the **** out of him (he eventually was giving me 1000 credits ecery other turn). Z got into servitude to Dierdre, who loved me 'cos I was Green, as did Miriam 'cos I was Fundamental. Massive bribe to Lal and got elected Supreme ruler in 2389.
elodia posted 03-25-99 10:56 PM ET
If you give a unit to a faction that is more advanced than what they have avalible to them because in one game Morgan was almost dead so I gave him a couple of tanks I had built. A few turns later I checked up on him and HE was cranking out tanks of that exact same design even though he wasn't nearly far enough up the tech tree to build them.
Fiannaidh posted 03-26-99 12:57 AM ET
Santiago's portrait just looks intimidating, she's not the kinda person you want as your enemy, but she's even worse as an ally.
Fiannaidh posted 03-26-99 01:01 AM ET
Yeah, after you play the game for a while, you turn into a patch of fungus on your keyboard, and just hope that nobody with a can of Lysol happens to walk by. Life as a fungus isn't as glamourous as most people think, I mean, come on, would you want to be something that people pick out of their toes? It's especially frustrating when you try to get a date. I mean, it's really hard to hide the fact that you're a fungus, and, while you can't just go out and say it and expect a date, you really gotta wonder about the IQ/sanity of anyone who agrees to go out with you.
McGeorge posted 03-26-99 12:29 PM ET
Ah, but when two fungi fall in love, that my children is what makes the world go 'round.
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Author	Topic: What's with the gifts?
googlie	posted 03-24-99 11:24 AM ET I'm Santiago, huge planet, and didn't find a butt to kick for 35 years, then stumbled into Dierdre. Power rating shows she's Undurpassed and I'm anaemic. Ok, I snuggle up and make like friends. 20 years later, Dierdre convenes council, and I meet (com-link?) all the other factions. Morgan takes a shine, Yang declares Vendetta, as does UoP, Miriam likes me. Now it's the mid 2300's, and I am in a pact with M and D, fighting Y and Z. Believer and Gaian units are freely entering my cities and I theirs. Miriam gifted me airpower and Dierdre gifted me space. I'm two faced and am Fundamental, Green and knowledge, and trading D's techs to M and vice versa. I begged them both to call of their Vendetta, and they did "as a personal favour". Suddenly, doing some maintenance in my bases I see that I own three Planet Busters and about six needlejets that I certainly didn't construct. My power is now Formidable. Meanwhile M & D are blitzing the heck out of Yang's offshore bases and i am cleaning up moving in with me skimmers. I now own more ex-Yang bases than my original Spartan. I'm #2 on the chart, but am reluctant to try and supplant Dierdre as PG. Question: has anyone else received unsolicited gifts? Did I miss a yellow notice at the screen bottom telling me of them? Why Planet Busters? Am I being set up for something? Is the AI that smart? Am I just being paranoid? This current game certainly "broke the mold" from what i expected when I chose Spartans as my faction. BTW I am playing Librarian, with planned research.
Plato90s	posted 03-24-99 11:29 AM ET The AI frequently gifts units to you if they are wandering around they more units are being built at home. I once had a game as the Gaians with UoP as my Pact Brothers and we were both fighting the Believers. 2-3 Rovers showed up at my base every turn and promptly transferred to my command. it got to the point I stopped building my own units and concentrated on money to upgrade the free units and disbanding them to build structures. However, no one has ever given me planet busters before. Check how many the Gaians still hold. When it's time to declare war, opening the war with a few PBs are always a nice way to do when you know you're going to be fighting everyone anyways.
Cadfael	posted 03-24-99 12:01 PM ET If your pact brothers or sisters are strong enough they will often give you units to assist in your war effort. The transfer of these units is announced, but can be lost in a flood of messages. The announcement is made through the scrolling messages in the information box.
HMFIC	posted 03-24-99 01:08 PM ET Gifted units are announced in a popup. I dont think you can turn that off so you would/should know if a unit were transfered to your control. You might check and see if the governor is turned on in your cities and is cranking out PB's. Not a bad stash to stumble across IMHO.
googlie	posted 03-24-99 01:26 PM ET First thing I did was to check if the Governors were active - they weren't (I usually play without them as I can't stand their sometimes senseless decisions - I mean, how many sea transports do you really need?) I must have missed the yellow scroll message. Funny thing was that next time I talked to both my pact sisters each acknowledged that they knew I had the PBs and warned me not to use them. Question still is, why give me PBs. Did they want me to use them on Yang? I'll check tonight to see how many M and D have themselves, although it's now about 30 turns on since they were gifted.
Big Rich	posted 03-24-99 06:52 PM ET If I have some old units that I want to give to a weak pact member, is there a command to do that?
weregamer	posted 03-24-99 07:19 PM ET Giving gifts is quite easy. March the unit into your pact sibling's territory, and go to the action menu. "Transfer control to...". This is the same option you use to set a bio unit "free"...
googlie	posted 03-25-99 01:11 AM ET Back with the game. Neither Miriam nor Dierdre have PBs, only me (now my might is Unsurpassed, yet they still give me units - we are all still pounding Yang - now his land bases, and I'm drop podding into the empty ones with one drop unit just moving around (I didn't know you got multiple drops with the same unit in one turn -you can capture up to at least four cities with one unit in one turn then move in copters or jets to hold the cities and keep the drones down). Dierdre is sending needlejets to these cities then ceding the units to me (this time I did see the scrolls) yet I'm the most powerful faction now. Go figure. Is Santiago's reputation that fierce?
Fiannaidh	posted 03-25-99 01:22 AM ET My only game with Santiago was with Librarian or Specialist, whichever's easier. Nobody liked me, but I totally anihalted mirriam, Diedre was unsurpassed because she had the whole eastern continent (map of planet) to herself. I convinced everyone to unite behind me as supreme leader and that was that. You will probably be able to do that, but you will have to fork over some major bribe money (but if it works, who cares?)
googlie	posted 03-25-99 11:36 AM ET Fiannaidh, you are prescient (core competency for a transcendi?) - that's exactly what I did. Yang declared servitude, I alternated turns with Morgan selling him technology (at 25 credits each he thought he was ripping me off!) and threatening to kick the **** out of him (he eventually was giving me 1000 credits ecery other turn). Z got into servitude to Dierdre, who loved me 'cos I was Green, as did Miriam 'cos I was Fundamental. Massive bribe to Lal and got elected Supreme ruler in 2389.
elodia	posted 03-25-99 10:56 PM ET If you give a unit to a faction that is more advanced than what they have avalible to them because in one game Morgan was almost dead so I gave him a couple of tanks I had built. A few turns later I checked up on him and HE was cranking out tanks of that exact same design even though he wasn't nearly far enough up the tech tree to build them.
Fiannaidh	posted 03-26-99 12:57 AM ET Santiago's portrait just looks intimidating, she's not the kinda person you want as your enemy, but she's even worse as an ally.
Fiannaidh	posted 03-26-99 01:01 AM ET Yeah, after you play the game for a while, you turn into a patch of fungus on your keyboard, and just hope that nobody with a can of Lysol happens to walk by. Life as a fungus isn't as glamourous as most people think, I mean, come on, would you want to be something that people pick out of their toes? It's especially frustrating when you try to get a date. I mean, it's really hard to hide the fact that you're a fungus, and, while you can't just go out and say it and expect a date, you really gotta wonder about the IQ/sanity of anyone who agrees to go out with you.
McGeorge	posted 03-26-99 12:29 PM ET Ah, but when two fungi fall in love, that my children is what makes the world go 'round.