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Author Topic:   Nerve Gas!!!

Smeagol posted 05-05-99 11:47 PM ET
Wow. I just played a short game with Yang... wiped out 3 factions in no time with my impact nerve gas rovers. What is the point of not using nerve gas if you are a military faction? Economic sanctions? Yang doesn't even know the meaning of commerce anyway!
Seriously, is there any reason not to use nerve gas? I guess the only downfall is if you have "spoils of war" turned on, because you end up wiping out a base before you can capture it.
Enoch posted 05-06-99 01:09 AM ET
Yes, nerve gas is excellent. I was disappointed to find that I couldn't equip it to my missile units. Alpha Centauri says that missile units can't heve special abilities. Do you know any idea how I could do this or get around this?
Smeagol posted 05-06-99 01:24 AM ET
I don't think it's possible. I just looked through the alpha.txt file and I don't see anything associated with that. A shame, too, because that is an excellent idea that should really be in the game-- maybe make some kind of missiles that only unleash biogical weapons or something.
Beta1 posted 05-06-99 05:49 AM ET
I think nerve gas may cause eco damage. I used serious amounts of it in one game and planet went berserk.
Also anyone noticed using x-air units causes far less diplomatic problems than x-land units?
Beta1 posted 05-06-99 05:49 AM ET
I think nerve gas may cause eco damage. I used serious amounts of it in one game and planet went berserk.
Also anyone noticed using x-air units causes far less diplomatic problems than x-land units?
GaryD posted 05-06-99 08:21 AM ET
Why not commit attrocities ? Because it's bad karma and you'll pay for it in the next life.
Seriously, why can't a missile have special abilities ? Why can't my ground to air missiles take out that jet ? Hmph !
Jo Beare posted 05-06-99 07:42 PM ET
Nerve gas choppers are like reusable PB's without the crater.
Enoch posted 05-07-99 12:09 AM ET
I am very sad to hear that there is no way to equip missiles with special abilities. While the planet busters take into account the nuclear aspect of Alpha Centauri, chemical and biological weapons can be just as devestating in a real conflict as nuclear weapons. Also, you don't say, "That explosion was reeeal cool, but I just done blowed up what I wanted to get ahold of." The only reason I can see in forbidding the missile units from having special abilities is that they might have been too powerful. What are your views on this?
Smeagol posted 05-07-99 02:13 AM ET
The worst part is that you can't put clean reactors on missiles. I think missiles should get special abilities, and just be limited in what can be chosen.
Smeagol posted 05-07-99 02:14 AM ET
But the truth is, missiles are too powerful as it is-- it really is too easy to just fire a bunch of missiles into a city and then take it with any ground unit thereafter.
Beta1 posted 05-07-99 05:31 AM ET
I think missiles should be allowed special abilities but these should be carefully limited - clean reactor yes, nerve gas no,morale upgrades definately not.
I know x-missiles would simply be biological tipped missiles but the +50% attack bonus would make them far too strong. Maybe if the base missile attack strength was reduced this would balance things better.
Jo Beare - They may be like reusable PBs but I would miss the pretty mushroom clouds.
GaryD posted 05-07-99 08:31 AM ET
They've never seemed that powerful to me. So I rarely make more than a handful, for emergency (whatever that is).
After all, although they take out whatever is fired on, they don't survive, so it seems just an energy drain in most circumstances.
Beta1 posted 05-07-99 11:50 AM ET
GaryD - Missile do have their uses. If I'm about to attack a base with air units I'll generally hit it with a missile first. This way that nasty AA unit gets bashed and makes life easier for the wave of jets. Even when the defending unit survives the damage is often enough to allow the air units following up to take it out.
ApcJK posted 05-08-99 04:10 AM ET
Beta1
But wouldn't you rather have another jet instead of missile if they have an equal chance of destroying the enemy? You could use it again and again.
Beta1 posted 05-08-99 07:29 AM ET
But unless you have access to high weapon techs or equip nerve gas the jet is unlikely to have the same attack rating. Also my point was that even if the mssile dosnt destroy the defender it is likely to damage it so that the following jet can destroy it. If you threw the same jet at the defender and lost it but damaged the defender your basically using it as a missile anyway and so are wasting the extra resources used. There are few situations where a single type of attack unit is better than multiple types.
Empath posted 05-09-99 01:30 AM ET
The problem I find with missiles is the drain on keeping them around. If I could design clean missiles, I might use them more. As it stands, the clean jet will cost me less in the long run than the missile I have to support. By the time I stop caring about support cost for missiles, I have jets that will do the damage & live.
Vinny posted 05-09-99 02:42 PM ET
You don't really have the resources to pump out alot of missles as soon as you get them, and at the end of the game units have awesome armor with AAA in aerospace/tachyon defended bases. How bout another more powerful conventional payload that you can discover later on?
Plato90s posted 05-09-99 04:17 PM ET
Good lord, no. We really don't need a more powerful missle.
Until you develop Neutronium armor, not even the best base facilities can save your units from multiple missle bombardments. And given the AI's capability for teleporting missles, we really don't need to make them more powerful.
Enoch posted 05-10-99 01:14 AM ET
Question- if I equip an artillery unit with nerve gas when it bombards a city does the nerve gas kick in? I have not yet got a chance to test this...
GaryD posted 05-10-99 09:25 AM ET
I think an advantage a missile might have over the jet is that the misile doesn't respect the defender's AAA rating much.
But we seem to be off the initial question don't we ?
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Author	Topic: Nerve Gas!!!
Smeagol	posted 05-05-99 11:47 PM ET Wow. I just played a short game with Yang... wiped out 3 factions in no time with my impact nerve gas rovers. What is the point of not using nerve gas if you are a military faction? Economic sanctions? Yang doesn't even know the meaning of commerce anyway! Seriously, is there any reason not to use nerve gas? I guess the only downfall is if you have "spoils of war" turned on, because you end up wiping out a base before you can capture it.
Enoch	posted 05-06-99 01:09 AM ET Yes, nerve gas is excellent. I was disappointed to find that I couldn't equip it to my missile units. Alpha Centauri says that missile units can't heve special abilities. Do you know any idea how I could do this or get around this?
Smeagol	posted 05-06-99 01:24 AM ET I don't think it's possible. I just looked through the alpha.txt file and I don't see anything associated with that. A shame, too, because that is an excellent idea that should really be in the game-- maybe make some kind of missiles that only unleash biogical weapons or something.
Beta1	posted 05-06-99 05:49 AM ET I think nerve gas may cause eco damage. I used serious amounts of it in one game and planet went berserk. Also anyone noticed using x-air units causes far less diplomatic problems than x-land units?
Beta1	posted 05-06-99 05:49 AM ET I think nerve gas may cause eco damage. I used serious amounts of it in one game and planet went berserk. Also anyone noticed using x-air units causes far less diplomatic problems than x-land units?
GaryD	posted 05-06-99 08:21 AM ET Why not commit attrocities ? Because it's bad karma and you'll pay for it in the next life. Seriously, why can't a missile have special abilities ? Why can't my ground to air missiles take out that jet ? Hmph !
Jo Beare	posted 05-06-99 07:42 PM ET Nerve gas choppers are like reusable PB's without the crater.
Enoch	posted 05-07-99 12:09 AM ET I am very sad to hear that there is no way to equip missiles with special abilities. While the planet busters take into account the nuclear aspect of Alpha Centauri, chemical and biological weapons can be just as devestating in a real conflict as nuclear weapons. Also, you don't say, "That explosion was reeeal cool, but I just done blowed up what I wanted to get ahold of." The only reason I can see in forbidding the missile units from having special abilities is that they might have been too powerful. What are your views on this?
Smeagol	posted 05-07-99 02:13 AM ET The worst part is that you can't put clean reactors on missiles. I think missiles should get special abilities, and just be limited in what can be chosen.
Smeagol	posted 05-07-99 02:14 AM ET But the truth is, missiles are too powerful as it is-- it really is too easy to just fire a bunch of missiles into a city and then take it with any ground unit thereafter.
Beta1	posted 05-07-99 05:31 AM ET I think missiles should be allowed special abilities but these should be carefully limited - clean reactor yes, nerve gas no,morale upgrades definately not. I know x-missiles would simply be biological tipped missiles but the +50% attack bonus would make them far too strong. Maybe if the base missile attack strength was reduced this would balance things better. Jo Beare - They may be like reusable PBs but I would miss the pretty mushroom clouds.
GaryD	posted 05-07-99 08:31 AM ET They've never seemed that powerful to me. So I rarely make more than a handful, for emergency (whatever that is). After all, although they take out whatever is fired on, they don't survive, so it seems just an energy drain in most circumstances.
Beta1	posted 05-07-99 11:50 AM ET GaryD - Missile do have their uses. If I'm about to attack a base with air units I'll generally hit it with a missile first. This way that nasty AA unit gets bashed and makes life easier for the wave of jets. Even when the defending unit survives the damage is often enough to allow the air units following up to take it out.
ApcJK	posted 05-08-99 04:10 AM ET Beta1 But wouldn't you rather have another jet instead of missile if they have an equal chance of destroying the enemy? You could use it again and again.
Beta1	posted 05-08-99 07:29 AM ET But unless you have access to high weapon techs or equip nerve gas the jet is unlikely to have the same attack rating. Also my point was that even if the mssile dosnt destroy the defender it is likely to damage it so that the following jet can destroy it. If you threw the same jet at the defender and lost it but damaged the defender your basically using it as a missile anyway and so are wasting the extra resources used. There are few situations where a single type of attack unit is better than multiple types.
Empath	posted 05-09-99 01:30 AM ET The problem I find with missiles is the drain on keeping them around. If I could design clean missiles, I might use them more. As it stands, the clean jet will cost me less in the long run than the missile I have to support. By the time I stop caring about support cost for missiles, I have jets that will do the damage & live.
Vinny	posted 05-09-99 02:42 PM ET You don't really have the resources to pump out alot of missles as soon as you get them, and at the end of the game units have awesome armor with AAA in aerospace/tachyon defended bases. How bout another more powerful conventional payload that you can discover later on?
Plato90s	posted 05-09-99 04:17 PM ET Good lord, no. We really don't need a more powerful missle. Until you develop Neutronium armor, not even the best base facilities can save your units from multiple missle bombardments. And given the AI's capability for teleporting missles, we really don't need to make them more powerful.
Enoch	posted 05-10-99 01:14 AM ET Question- if I equip an artillery unit with nerve gas when it bombards a city does the nerve gas kick in? I have not yet got a chance to test this...
GaryD	posted 05-10-99 09:25 AM ET I think an advantage a missile might have over the jet is that the misile doesn't respect the defender's AAA rating much. But we seem to be off the initial question don't we ?