Ecology (Basic) & (Advanced)—datalinks redraft

[Guv’ner]

I’ve redrafted the Ecology (Basic) and Ecology (Advanced) articles.

The Ecology (Revised) article contains important additional information but I felt that it was too complex (certainly for me) and that the introduction of the term “clean minerals” is confusing since it implied a simpler relationship between the “16” base number and the number of minerals that could be produced at a base without incurring the risk of ecological damage then was in fact the case

I’ve therefore attempted to transfer the additional information back into the Ecology (Advanced) article. I’m sure my effort requires much further revision.

I’ve also clarified the effect on Tectonic Missiles which are not atrocities and have the same ecological impact regardless of whether the Charter is in place or not.

If changes here can be agreed, I will also copy them them to the relevant facilities, terraforming, and secret projects articles:

Ecology (Basic)
Planet’s oxygen poor, nitrogen rich, ecology is particularly sensitive to the release of its underground deposits of carbon into the biosphere.

Ecological damage

The more sea or land improvements built, the more Planet is antagonised; Thermal Boreholes, Echelon Mirrors, and Condensers in particular increase the risk of further fungal blooms.

Mineral production, further angers Planet whilst Major Atrocities, and the use of Tectonic Missiles increase ecological damage at each of that faction’s bases.

Fungal blooms

In the Data Readout section of the Base Control Screen (bottom left corner of the upper box) is the Eco-Damage number, which represents the percentage chance, each turn, of a fungal bloom occurring in that base’s production radius. Once a faction has caused enough ecological damage to trigger its first fungal bloom, Planet will begin to actively resist terraforming and industrial development.

Global warming

Fungal blooms in successive years can trigger global warming which will melt the polar caps and cause sea levels to rise.

Ameliorating ecological damage

The damage caused by terraforming can be ameliorated through the planting of forests; halved if base has a Tree Farm or Hybrid Forest, and eliminated if it has both.

Tree Farms, Hybrid Forests, Centauri Preserves, Temples of Planet, Nanoreplicators, The Pholus Mutagen, and The Singularity Inductor reduce the impact of mineral production.

Following a faction’s first fungal bloom, Planet will begin to communicate with that faction’s leader. Once this happens, the building of new Tree Farms, Hybrid Forests, Centauri Preserves, and Temples of Planet, will be rewarded by Planet with a much increased tolerance of both terraforming and mineral production. Planet only reacts to the construction of these facilities, it does not seem to ascribe meaning to their scrapping, destruction, or change of ownership.

Each fungal bloom increases Planet’s tolerance of terraforming and mineral production.

See also Ecology (Advanced).

Ecology (Advanced)
The ecological damage formula:

• For each base total the number of Mines, Solar Collectors, Farms, Soil Enrichers, Roads, Mag Tubes, Condensers, Mirrors, and Boreholes inside its production radius. Items in squares which are being utilized by workers from the base (but not by supply crawlers) count double
• Add an extra eight for each Borehole, six for each Echelon Mirror, four for each Condenser, and one if a Sea Base
• Subtract one for each Forest
• Halve if base has Tree Farm or Hybrid Forest, and Eliminate if has both
• Divide this value by eight, and reduce by up to 16 plus number of previous fungal blooms and number of Tree Farms, Hybrid Forests, Centauri Preserves, and Temples of Planet built since the first fungal bloom. Set this number aside
• Take the number of minerals produced this turn less those from Nessus Mining Platforms
• If result from step 5 was reduced by less than 16+#, reduce result (step 6) by remaining amount
• Divide minerals by one plus number of Centauri Preserves, Temples of Planet, Nanoreplicators, The Pholus Mutagen, and The Singularity Inductor
• Sum the values of steps 5 and 8, and add five for each use of a Tectonic Missiles and for each Major Atrocity
• If Perihelion is occurring, double the value

Eco-damage = (ValueFromStep10) × Diff × Techs × (3-Planet) × Life ÷ 300
Where:

• Diff = three on lower difficulties, 5 on Thinker and Transcend
• Techs = Number of technologies discovered
• Planet = Social Engineering Planet value
• Life = Native life abundance (1–3) for this map (adjustable in creating custom maps and scenarios)

[Lord Avalon]

Ecology (Basic)
...
On the information display for each base (in the bottom left hand corner) is an “Eco-damage” number that represents the percentage chance, per turn, of a fungal bloom occurring in that base’s production radius. Each fungal bloom increases Planet’s tolerance of terraforming and mineral production but fungal blooms in successive years can trigger global warming.

Rewrite:  "In the Data Readout section of the Base Control Screen (bottom left corner of the upper box) is the Eco-Damage number, which represents ..."  Add a comma after "mineral production" and before "but fungal blooms."

...

The more sea or land improvements built, the more the potential damage; Thermal Boreholes, Echelon Mirrors, and Condensers in particular.

Add after "in particular": increase the risk of damage.

Tree Farms, Hybrid Forests, Centauri Preserves, and Temples of Planet, and Nanoreplicators as well as The Pholus Mutagen and The Singularity Inductor all reduce ecological impact.

Delete "and" before "Temples" and "Nanoreplicators"; put a comma after "Nanoreplicators" and delete "as well as"; add a comma after "Mutagen" and delete "all."

The building of Tree Farms, Hybrid Forests, Centauri Preserves, and Temples of Planet, will increase Planet’s tolerance of terraforming and mineral production if built after a faction has experienced it’s first fungal bloom.

"its"

Planet only reacts to the construction of these facilities, not to their destruction or loss through conquest.

Hasn't this been patched, or is that yet to be done?

Ecology (Advanced)
The ecological damage formula:

• For each base total the number of Mines, Solar Collectors, Farms, Soil Enrichers, Roads, Mag Tubes, Condensers, Mirrors, and Boreholes inside its production radius. Items in squares which are being utilized by workers from the base (but not by supply crawlers) count double
• Add an extra +8 for each Borehole, +6 for each Echelon Mirror, +4 for each Condenser, and +1 if a Sea Base
• Subtract 1 for each Forest
• Halve if base has Tree Farm or Hybrid Forest, and Eliminate if has both
• Divide this value by 8, and reduce by up to 16 plus # of previous fungal blooms and Tree Farms, Hybrid Forests, Centauri Preserves, and Temples of Planet built since the first fungal bloom. Set this number aside
• Take the number of minerals produced this turn less those from Nessus Mining Platforms
• If result from (5.) was reduced by less than 16+#, reduce result (6.) by remaining amount
• Divide minerals by 1 plus # of Centauri Preserve, Temple of Planet, Nanoreplicator and +1 each if the faction controls The Pholus Mutagen or The Singularity Inductor
• Sum the values of (5.) and (8.), and add +5 for each use of a Tectonic Missiles and for each Major Atrocity
• If Perihelion is occurring, double the value[/l][/l]

If you're already using "Add," there's no need for the plus sign.  I think simple numbers should be spelled out, except for "step 5," which I would use instead of "(5.)" and in formulae.


Speaking of step 5, it isn't too clear to me what "and reduce by up to 16 plus # ... " means, and I would use "the number" instead of "#".   How do you determine "up to," and is the limit 16, or (16 + the number of ...)?  If you were using a formula instead of elaborating, what would it look like?

Ecology% = (ValueFromStep10) × Diff × Techs × (3-Planet) × Life ÷ 300

Shouldn't that be "Eco-Damage"?

Diff = Normally 3, but 5 on two highest two difficulty levels

Change to: "Diff = 3 on lower difficulties, 5 on Thinker and Transcend."[/list]

[Guv’ner]

Planet only reacts to the construction of these facilities, not to their destruction or loss through conquest.

Hasn't this been patched, or is that yet to be done?

It appears that it is not a bug and I believe it therefore won’t be patched in Scient’s 2.0 patch but there will possibly be an option to change the behaviour in Yitzi’s patch using an alpha(x).txt setting.

The treatment of atrocities and of the construction of these facilities does appear awkward. However, Planet is not responding to pollution or pollution reduction but rather using something similar to telepathy. That still leaves the issue of exploiting this by scrapping and rebuild facilities.

I think something more could go in here from #INTERLUDE9 to make it clearer.

Speaking of step 5, it isn't too clear to me what "and reduce by up to 16 plus # ... " means, and I would use "the number" instead of "#".   How do you determine "up to," and is the limit 16, or (16 + the number of ...)?  If you were using a formula instead of elaborating, what would it look like?

The limit is 16 plus the number of, I assume it means that the result cannot be a negative. It is based on the original datalinks formula with the revised ecology information backfilled into it.

[Yitzi]

It appears that it is not a bug and I believe it therefore won’t be patched in Scient’s 2.0 patch but there will possibly be an option to change the behaviour in Yitzi’s patch using an alpha(x).txt setting.

Actually, the consensus was that it was a bug, and therefore it will be changed automatically in my 2.0 patch.

The treatment of atrocities

This is an option to change in my patch (even earlier versions).

I think something more could go in here from #INTERLUDE9 to make it clearer.

I assume it means that the result cannot be a negative.

Indeed; it is reduced by 16+pops+facilities or its current value, whichever is less.

[Lord Avalon]

Ecology (Basic)
Planet’s oxygen poor, nitrogen rich, ecology is particularly sensitive to the release of its underground deposits of carbon into the biosphere.

"... oxygen-poor, nitrogen-rich ecology ...", i.e., no comma after rich.  But isn't this getting beyond a "basic" explanation?  And I wonder if your reasoning about carbon is correct.  Going by the manual, Appendix 5 describes "the scarcity of carbon in the environment" (Ecology, p.220), and says "... all efforts to return carbon to the biosphere would encourage Planet life to proliferate" (p.221).  That seems to be the opposite of damage.  And do mines and solar collectors have anything to do with carbon?  Can we really be more specific than "If Planet's complex ecology is not respected, it turns on an invader" (Ecological Risks, p.54)?

Ecological damageThe more sea or land improvements built, the more Planet is antagonised; Thermal Boreholes, Echelon Mirrors, and Condensers in particular increase the risk of further fungal blooms.

Minor, but "z" for "antagonize."

Mineral production, further angers Planet whilst Major Atrocities, and the use of Tectonic Missiles increase ecological damage at each of that faction’s bases.

Move the comma after "production" to after "Planet" and delete the one after "Atrocities"; "while" instead of "whilst."  Although maybe this should be two sentences.  Min production affects one base, but the latter affect every base, right?

Ecology (Advanced)
The ecological damage formula:

• For each base total the number of Mines, Solar Collectors, Farms, Soil Enrichers, Roads, Mag Tubes, Condensers, Mirrors, and Boreholes inside its production radius. Items in squares which are being utilized by workers from the base (but not by supply crawlers) count double
• Add an extra eight for each Borehole, six for each Echelon Mirror, four for each Condenser, and one if a Sea Base
• Subtract one for each Forest
• Halve if base has Tree Farm or Hybrid Forest, and Eliminate if has both
• Divide this value by eight, and reduce by up to 16 plus number of previous fungal blooms and number of Tree Farms, Hybrid Forests, Centauri Preserves, and Temples of Planet built since the first fungal bloom. Set this number aside
• Take the number of minerals produced this turn less those from Nessus Mining Platforms
• If result from step 5 was reduced by less than 16+#, reduce result (step 6) by remaining amount
• Divide minerals by one plus number of Centauri Preserves, Temples of Planet, Nanoreplicators, The Pholus Mutagen, and The Singularity Inductor
• Sum the values of steps 5 and 8, and add five for each use of a Tectonic Missiles and for each Major Atrocity
• If Perihelion is occurring, double the value

Eco-damage = (ValueFromStep10) × Diff × Techs × (3-Planet) × Life ÷ 300
Where:

• Diff = three on lower difficulties, 5 on Thinker and Transcend[/l][/l]

Use "three" and "five" or "3" and "5."

• Techs = Number of technologies discovered
• Planet = Social Engineering Planet value
• Life = Native life abundance (1–3) for this map (adjustable in creating custom maps and scenarios)

Speaking of step 5, it isn't too clear to me what "and reduce by up to 16 plus # ... " means, and I would use "the number" instead of "#".   How do you determine "up to," and is the limit 16, or (16 + the number of ...)?  If you were using a formula instead of elaborating, what would it look like?

The limit is 16 plus the number of, I assume it means that the result cannot be a negative. It is based on the original datalinks formula with the revised ecology information backfilled into it.

I think I would add at the beginning of the formula description: "Let v(step #) = the value from step #," and use where needed.  I think the explanation is much clearer if it looks more like a formula and less like a lot of words, which might be unclear.


Then: "5. Let n = 16 + (the number of previous fungal blooms and the number of Tree Farms, Hybrid Forests, Centauri Preserves, and Temples of Planet built since the first fungal bloom).  If v(step 4)/8 > n, v(step 5) = v(step 4) - n.  If v(step 4) < n, v(step 5) = v(step 4) - x, where x < n and is the highest (integer?) value that keeps v(step 5) > 0."  Is it right to assume that x should be an integer?  Does v(step 5) keep fractions?  I see Yitzi posted while I was composing this.  Can v(step 5) = 0?  Or maybe the question is are we rounding to an integer after dividing by 8?

"6. Let m = the number of minerals produced this turn less those from Nessus Mining Platforms.  If v(step 4) > n, v(step 6) = m.  If v(step 4) < n, v(step 6) = m - n + x."  Moved step 7 into 6.

7. [size=78%][/size]Let y = the number of [size=78%][/size]Centauri Preserves, Temples of Planet, Nanoreplicators, The Pholus Mutagen, and The Singularity Inductor.  v(step 7) = v(step 6) / (1 + y)."  I'm assuming here, since "minerals" is unclear, and dividing by one is meaningless.

"8. v(step = v(step 5) + v(step 7) + 5 for each use of a Tectonic Missile and for each Major Atrocity.  Double if perihelion is occuring."  Moved former step 10 into this, so use v(step in the forumla.

I've written more like a formula for the sake of clarity in the math.  Have I got the math right?  If so, what do people think of this style?  If it's acceptable, I could redo the previous steps for continuity.[/list]

[Yitzi]

Lord Avalon:

You said "If v(step 4)/8 > n, v(step 5) = v(step 4) - n"; it should be (v(step 4)/8)-n.  If it's less than n, then v(step 5) is just 0.  The rounding rounds down (actually toward 0; if you have a lot of forests it can be negative, and then it'll round up), so you'll get an integer automatically.

8) is expressed by the forum software as .  To express it properly, do 8[b][/b]).

Also, it's undocumented, but I'm pretty sure that the bonus minerals from planet busters etc. are also reduced by preserves/temples/nanoreplicator/etc. (and I think the Voice of Planet is also on that list.)

[Buster's Uncle]

After VOP is built, fungal pops still happen, but yield no worms.

[Guv’ner]

Also, it's undocumented, but I'm pretty sure that the bonus minerals from planet busters etc. are also reduced by preserves/temples/nanoreplicator/etc. (and I think the Voice of Planet is also on that list.)

I’ve started some testing and it seems to be the case but I will test more extensively next week.

I also have a mild suspicion that the global warming trigger might be successive fungal blooms regardless of faction.

[Guv’ner]

Actually, the consensus was that it was a bug, and therefore it will be changed automatically in my 2.0 patch.

Apologies, I didn’t realise that you had already put it into your patch. I read that thread too and voted for the change you indicate. However, I was subsequently editing the interludes and my thinking has changed.

The problem is that the interludes make it clear that the action of Centauri Preserves (at least) should manifest it’s additional benefits only after Interlude 9:

“I have ordered these Preserves set aside for you, Voice. Planetlife will remain completely undisturbed inside these compounds. Can you, in return, regulate your animal and plant vectors, keep them from overrunning my compounds?”

…

  “stop we no. slow we yes, in compounds stay we, less harming cause you. now, let us make you we more poems.”

In SMAC at least, the interlude occurs when a Centauri Preserve is constructed after the second fungal bloom.

There is also an argument for the existing behaviour that Planet would reward a faction for building the facility but not for losing them in conquest or having them destroyed by probe action or similar.

I do think that scrapping and rebuilding these facilities is an exploit but I believe that the existing behaviour is part of the storyline rather than broken or lazy coding.

[Guv’ner]

"... oxygen-poor, nitrogen-rich ecology ...", i.e., no comma after rich.  But isn't this getting beyond a "basic" explanation?  And I wonder if your reasoning about carbon is correct.  Going by the manual, Appendix 5 describes "the scarcity of carbon in the environment" (Ecology, p.220), and says "... all efforts to return carbon to the biosphere would encourage Planet life to proliferate" (p.221).  That seems to be the opposite of damage.  And do mines and solar collectors have anything to do with carbon?  Can we really be more specific than "If Planet's complex ecology is not respected, it turns on an invader" (Ecological Risks, p.54)?

Generally speaking, the division between basic and complex articles appears to be the level of mechanistic detail; complex formulas and story trampling details get shunted off into advanced articles.

The Ecology intro is complicated because there appear to be two overlapping phenomenon here, one is pollution and tectonic missiles and their ecological effects; the other is Planet conscious reaction to terraforming, major atrocities, as well as pollution.

The Eco-damage term is itself problematic, perhaps that is something we can rethink and clarify.

[Yitzi]

There is also an argument for the existing behaviour that Planet would reward a faction for building the facility but not for losing them in conquest or having them destroyed by probe action or similar.

I do think that scrapping and rebuilding these facilities is an exploit but I believe that the existing behaviour is part of the storyline rather than broken or lazy coding.

Could be, but what's done is done and fixing it to work properly (the number you built minus the number you scrapped) would be quite a chore to implement.  It might be done eventually if requested when I open up requests, but not yet.

[Guv’ner]

I’ll try to keep the reference here and for each facility discrete so they can be swiftly removed.