I'm interested in having this targeted option included, but please remind how it works now?
Is now only tech stealing allowed for those techs you have all prerequisites of?
I seem to remember (in SMACX) that I could pick techs from a list when probing for them? At least, when the "blind research" option was disabled.
More options is generally cool, but stealing tech is already extremely effective and the AI won't pick as well as me so I can't see myself using it.
Yea, stealing is already too easy. But I'm not sure that precludes targeted tech steal. I think it's a good idea although personally I'd like to see later game stealing made more difficult. It gets rather powerful to be able to steal a 1-4k labs cost tech for 40 minerals.
That being said, I've thought on this. I think tech steal should be relatively easy/cheap if you're more than ~5 techs behind the target. It is a good catchup mechanism.
Sounds really good for a start, the rates could be modified. It certainly hampers the 'Trojan Horse' (as I put it) strategy of gifting an enemy a near city to steal from. I assume the cost would only be taken off if successful? Or would it become guaranteed success like subvert?
Something to think about - framing and/or targeted steal would be different actions than random steal. If guaranteed then perhaps it would just be a cost modifier for targetted, and frame could be just a random chance to fail at based on PROBE
I think I would accept another option, provided it moved the risk two levels up, i.e. 50/50 for Elite units. Otherwise I would definitely use it and abuse it in scenarios where the AI has a much stronger initial set-up and you need to probe its techs away, but in the process you need to pirate a lot of crap like Field Modulation.
Or, alternatively, I'd welcome an option to introduce the security interlock right away to all AI bases. As it is right now, one base yields me one random tech 100% of the time, so the AI's expansion only speeds up its doom.
I think I would accept another option, provided it moved the risk two levels up, i.e. 50/50 for Elite units. Otherwise I would definitely use it and abuse it in scenarios where the AI has a much stronger initial set-up and you need to probe its techs away, but in the process you need to pirate a lot of crap like Field Modulation.
Or, alternatively, I'd welcome an option to introduce the security interlock right away to all AI bases. As it is right now, one base yields me one random tech 100% of the time, so the AI's expansion only speeds up its doom.
I think I would accept another option, provided it moved the risk two levels up, i.e. 50/50 for Elite units. Otherwise I would definitely use it and abuse it in scenarios where the AI has a much stronger initial set-up and you need to probe its techs away, but in the process you need to pirate a lot of crap like Field Modulation.
Or, alternatively, I'd welcome an option to introduce the security interlock right away to all AI bases. As it is right now, one base yields me one random tech 100% of the time, so the AI's expansion only speeds up its doom.
The success and survival chance for a elite probe team attempting a targeted tech steal is 50% and 50% (50%, 50%). The success and survival chance for a Displicined Probe is 50% and 0% (50%, 0%).
I think I would accept another option, provided it moved the risk two levels up, i.e. 50/50 for Elite units. Otherwise I would definitely use it and abuse it in scenarios where the AI has a much stronger initial set-up and you need to probe its techs away, but in the process you need to pirate a lot of crap like Field Modulation.
Or, alternatively, I'd welcome an option to introduce the security interlock right away to all AI bases. As it is right now, one base yields me one random tech 100% of the time, so the AI's expansion only speeds up its doom.
The success and survival chance for a elite probe team attempting a targeted tech steal is 50% and 50% (50%, 50%). The success and survival chance for a Displicined Probe is 50% and 0% (50%, 0%).
That seems strange...normally 50/0 for disciplined corresponds to 75/67 for elite.
I think I would accept another option, provided it moved the risk two levels up, i.e. 50/50 for Elite units. Otherwise I would definitely use it and abuse it in scenarios where the AI has a much stronger initial set-up and you need to probe its techs away, but in the process you need to pirate a lot of crap like Field Modulation.
Or, alternatively, I'd welcome an option to introduce the security interlock right away to all AI bases. As it is right now, one base yields me one random tech 100% of the time, so the AI's expansion only speeds up its doom.
The success and survival chance for a elite probe team attempting a targeted tech steal is 50% and 50% (50%, 50%). The success and survival chance for a Displicined Probe is 50% and 0% (50%, 0%).
That seems strange...normally 50/0 for disciplined corresponds to 75/67 for elite.
You are correct that the success and survival rate for the second option is 75/67 with a elite probe team for the first time that you steal tech from a base. However, assuming 0 SOCIAL PROBE, the success and survival rate for the second option with a elite probe team drops to 50, 50 and 75, 64 for the first option when you attempt to steal another tech after the first successful operation.