negative income and still making money

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Author Topic:   negative income and still making money

AlexDePol posted 10-01-99 11:51 PM ET
I noticed that quite often when my income is in the red I still get more energy added in to my total after each turn. Once I have been playing with -14 income and still my total amount kept increasing. WTF. Anybody had this problem/feature. I play version 4.
Koshko posted 10-02-99 12:44 AM ET
What level do you play? On the higher levels, you actually get a upkeep discount. This is a feature. I don't think the game shows this correctly. The Main Screen, the City Production Screen, and the Income Info Screen are often different. This I think is a bug. I've had games with literally -500 income and still gained money.
Beta1 posted 10-02-99 04:32 AM ET
Ah I just thought it was a bug - my mistake!
Isn't there something about trade not being counted on the income bit?
Krushala posted 10-02-99 10:55 PM ET
There is such thing as a building queue bug. If there is nothing in the queue after a base improvement is built it automatically switches to stockpile energy and that amount of minerals is added to mineral reserves at the beginning of the turn for each base that completes a base facility.
AlexDePol posted 10-03-99 02:40 AM ET
I always play on Transcend. I don't think the "stopile energy" is a bug. It seems to be a default setting. It prevents you from trying to build the same improvement twice or exhausting you bases' minerals by churning out the same unit over and over.
I just can't figure out how the income is calculated. If the income window shows a negative net income I expect to loose money! It simply makes impossible to plan your finances. I noticed that I gain money when I have at least 400c on hand, when the amount is small I do actualy loose money. Too weird.
I wish my own real bank account worked that way
Schoop posted 10-03-99 05:25 PM ET
The Stockpile Energy thing is DEFINITELY not a bug. It's the only thing that makes sense to do when a base has just completed a facility. Would you rather it just ticked away trying to build the same thing again, so you would lose a bunch of minerals when you finally remember to change it??
Krushala posted 10-03-99 09:13 PM ET
not what I meant about the bug. I was only talking about the turn when a base facility is constructed it switches to stockpile energy and adds this to your energy credits. But i have never verified this, the energy calculations are kind of screwy anyways.
jimmytrick posted 10-04-99 12:43 AM ET
Krushala you are correct. The lesson learned is not to queue when your income is in the red.
mcostant posted 10-05-99 05:58 AM ET
AlexDePol, if I can sum up about miscalculation, with SMAC we have two different problem:
- upkeep (of base improvements) discount
Know bug, not a feature (look at the bug lists at this forum, it's never reported in datalink or manual as a wanted feature); generally it's supposed to be introduced by programmer as "AI cheat" to help AI factions, but it works also with human player because of a programming error. Someone reported it count -33% upkeep cost at Thinker level, -66% at Trascende level.
- queue list bug
Also a know bug, if you don't have item into queue list, the production is shifted into "stokpile" AND the amount of energy surplus (excess in mineral production for that turn) is added to your "energy account". If, during that same turn you put anything in production, you regain all unused mineral BUT KEEP ALSO the energy gained converting unused mineral: pratically your excess mineral is counted double time, one as mineral and one as converted into energy.
So you can take these as two "wonderful hidden cheats opportunity" or as "unwanted bugs". Chose one and feel good
Compugasm posted 10-05-99 12:37 PM ET
In Civ2, if you were in the red a base facility would be sold at random. Doesn't that happen in SMAC?
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Author	Topic: negative income and still making money
AlexDePol	posted 10-01-99 11:51 PM ET I noticed that quite often when my income is in the red I still get more energy added in to my total after each turn. Once I have been playing with -14 income and still my total amount kept increasing. WTF. Anybody had this problem/feature. I play version 4.
Koshko	posted 10-02-99 12:44 AM ET What level do you play? On the higher levels, you actually get a upkeep discount. This is a feature. I don't think the game shows this correctly. The Main Screen, the City Production Screen, and the Income Info Screen are often different. This I think is a bug. I've had games with literally -500 income and still gained money.
Beta1	posted 10-02-99 04:32 AM ET Ah I just thought it was a bug - my mistake! Isn't there something about trade not being counted on the income bit?
Krushala	posted 10-02-99 10:55 PM ET There is such thing as a building queue bug. If there is nothing in the queue after a base improvement is built it automatically switches to stockpile energy and that amount of minerals is added to mineral reserves at the beginning of the turn for each base that completes a base facility.
AlexDePol	posted 10-03-99 02:40 AM ET I always play on Transcend. I don't think the "stopile energy" is a bug. It seems to be a default setting. It prevents you from trying to build the same improvement twice or exhausting you bases' minerals by churning out the same unit over and over. I just can't figure out how the income is calculated. If the income window shows a negative net income I expect to loose money! It simply makes impossible to plan your finances. I noticed that I gain money when I have at least 400c on hand, when the amount is small I do actualy loose money. Too weird. I wish my own real bank account worked that way
Schoop	posted 10-03-99 05:25 PM ET The Stockpile Energy thing is DEFINITELY not a bug. It's the only thing that makes sense to do when a base has just completed a facility. Would you rather it just ticked away trying to build the same thing again, so you would lose a bunch of minerals when you finally remember to change it??
Krushala	posted 10-03-99 09:13 PM ET not what I meant about the bug. I was only talking about the turn when a base facility is constructed it switches to stockpile energy and adds this to your energy credits. But i have never verified this, the energy calculations are kind of screwy anyways.
jimmytrick	posted 10-04-99 12:43 AM ET Krushala you are correct. The lesson learned is not to queue when your income is in the red.
mcostant	posted 10-05-99 05:58 AM ET AlexDePol, if I can sum up about miscalculation, with SMAC we have two different problem: - upkeep (of base improvements) discount Know bug, not a feature (look at the bug lists at this forum, it's never reported in datalink or manual as a wanted feature); generally it's supposed to be introduced by programmer as "AI cheat" to help AI factions, but it works also with human player because of a programming error. Someone reported it count -33% upkeep cost at Thinker level, -66% at Trascende level. - queue list bug Also a know bug, if you don't have item into queue list, the production is shifted into "stokpile" AND the amount of energy surplus (excess in mineral production for that turn) is added to your "energy account". If, during that same turn you put anything in production, you regain all unused mineral BUT KEEP ALSO the energy gained converting unused mineral: pratically your excess mineral is counted double time, one as mineral and one as converted into energy. So you can take these as two "wonderful hidden cheats opportunity" or as "unwanted bugs". Chose one and feel good
Compugasm	posted 10-05-99 12:37 PM ET In Civ2, if you were in the red a base facility would be sold at random. Doesn't that happen in SMAC?