Drones calculation

[Yitzi]

Ok, here is the final formula for how drones are calculated:

Part 1: "Unmodified" drone/talent numbers. 
1. Every citizen after the {first on Transcend, second on Thinker, etc.} is a drone, plus conquest drones and University drones and those resulting from a negative TALENT rating.  Subtract 1 for Domai.  This gives your "basic drones", up to a maximum of the base's population. 
2. Bureaucracy drones are added in (up to a maximum of the base's population); any extras make "superdrones".
3. Lal gets bonus talents, as does anyone with a positive TALENT rating.
4. It can happen (especially if using specialists) that the total number of talents plus drones (of both types) plus superdrones is more than the number of non-specialist citizens.  In such case, talents cancel out first superdrones (turning them into regular drones) and then regular drones until there are either no more drones (in which case the number of talents is equal to the number of nonspecialists), or there are no more talents (in which case it's left as is), or the total number of talents plus drones plus superdrones is no more than the number of non-specialist citizens.

Part 2: Psych.
1. Every 2 psych makes a talent.
2. If this results in there being more talents than the base population, the extras are removed.
3. It can happen that the total number of talents plus drones (of both types) plus superdrones is now more than the number of non-specialist citizens.  In such case, they cancel out as in the 4th step of part 1.

Part 3: Base facilities.
1. Add the effects of the rec commons, hologram theater, research hospital, nanohospital, paradise garden, genejack factory, and (for bases size 3 or less) Planetary Transit System.  These cancel out regular drones normally, but when they cancel out superdrones they leave behind "ghost drones", who show up as drones on the main base screen, but do not show up on the psych breakdown screen and do not cause drone riots or prevent golden ages.  "Ghost drones" count as superdrones but not as drones for purposes of cancelling talents.
2. If this raises the number of talents or drones above the base population, the extras are removed.
3. It can happen that the total number of talents plus drones (of both types) plus superdrones is now more than the number of non-specialist citizens.  In such case, they cancel out as in the 4th step of part 1.

Part 4: Police/Pacifism.
1. Add the effects of police or pacifism.  For police, it first applies the bonus police unit from the Self-Aware Colony, then units with non-lethal methods, then units without non-lethal methods.  Pacifism is as said by the social engineering value.  Superdrones are treated as in part 3.
2. If this results in the number of drones being more than the population, the extras are removed.
3. It can happen that the total number of talents plus drones (of both types) plus superdrones is now more than the number of non-specialist citizens.  In such case, they cancel out as in the 4th step of part 1.

Part 5: Secret Projects.
1. Add the effects of the Human Genome Project, Clinical Immortality, and the Longevity Vaccine.  Superdrones are treated as in part 3.
2. If the base is nerve stapled or has a punishment sphere, drones and talents are all removed, and superdrones become "ghost drones".
3. If this results in the number of talents being more than the population, the extras are removed.
4. It can happen that the total number of talents plus drones (of both types) plus superdrones is now more than the number of non-specialist citizens.  In such case, they cancel out as in the 4th step of part 1.

It's late, so I won't post the full list of flaws and bugs I've found and proposed solutions until later, but feel free to post your own ideas on the matter in the meantime.

[ariete]

discovering secret project of Virtual World, the base facility of Network Node, over its effects, counts as an hologram theater and reduce number of drone by 2

[Yitzi]

discovering secret project of Virtual World, the base facility of Network Node, over its effects, counts as an hologram theater and reduce number of drone by 2

True; I didn't include that since it's really just the effect of the hologram theater, but that is in there.

[Petek]

Thanks for posting this information. It clears up something that's confused me for a long time. Namely, Domai's bureaucracy drones ("b-drones") aren't negated by his NODRONE bonus. The attached save file illustrates what I mean. The game is on a standard size map at the transcend level of difficulty. Therefore the bureaucracy limit is six bases. Domai has seven bases, so Freedom's Foundry has a b-drone, just the same as any faction that doesn't have the NODRONE bonus. I now see this happens because the NODRONE bonus is computed before the b-drones are taken into account. Since, at first, Freedom's Foundry has no drones, the bonus has no effect. Then the b-drone is added, causing the base to riot. I guess this is working as intended, but it makes the NODRONE bonus slightly less valuable.

[Yitzi]

Thanks for posting this information. It clears up something that's confused me for a long time. Namely, Domai's bureaucracy drones ("b-drones") aren't negated by his NODRONE bonus. The attached save file illustrates what I mean. The game is on a standard size map at the transcend level of difficulty. Therefore the bureaucracy limit is six bases. Domai has seven bases, so Freedom's Foundry has a b-drone, just the same as any faction that doesn't have the NODRONE bonus. I now see this happens because the NODRONE bonus is computed before the b-drones are taken into account. Since, at first, Freedom's Foundry has no drones, the bonus has no effect. Then the b-drone is added, causing the base to riot. I guess this is working as intended, but it makes the NODRONE bonus slightly less valuable.

And on Transcend with at least two specialists, you've got your maximum number of non-bureaucracy drones even with NODRONE, making it even less useful.  That, at least, will be changed by one mod allowed by version 2.1 of my patch.