Preventing new bases stealing land from bases

[TrailblazingScot]

Hi there,

One of the things I hate most is when the AI plonks down a new base and it steals tiles that are currently being used by one of my bases. It makes no sense whatsoever that a this can happen - in my opinion.

Is there anything that can be done?

[Buster's Uncle]

I imagine it might be possible with .exe coding - but would be a massive change to gameplay even if there was room to insert a check into the code, which I doubt.  Yitzi will be along with an expert opinion soon enough.

Welcome to AC2, BTW.

[Yitzi]

Anything that can be done can, in theory, be done with .exe coding, but it'd be a hassle.

However, I am fairly certain that you can't use land in someone else's territory, so whose territory is the stolen square in after they build their base?  It's probably that the base causes a territory shift (which can happen), so you can't work it anyway, so then they grab it.

[TrailblazingScot]

That's the issue. A new base has been constructed by the AI so close to one of my bases that the border results in my base tiles being taken. I have no issues with new bases moving the border, except when it results in the tiles immediately around a base (the ones that can be worked) being taken.

[Petek]

You might try modifying the following line in Alpha(x).txt:

8,       ; Territory: max distance from base

Change the "8" to a higher value. That will extend your bases' borders and might prevent the AI from settling so close to you. I haven't actually tried this, however.

[Yitzi]

The AI will still be able to gradually creep toward his bases; as long as a square is closer to their bases than his, it's their territory, so they can build bases there and work it and he can't.  If they're getting overlapping radii with his bases, chances are they're already doing that.  Increasing the territory distance will slow it down, but the only way to stop it is to take over the offending bases.

[Kilkakon]

Or use a nuclear missile!

[Kirov]

Or use a nuclear missile!

  Settling border frictions via planet busting warheads - now that's a sound strategy if I ever saw one. That'll teach them!

[Nexii]

Wouldn't there already be a check for minimum base distance?  You can't put a base right next to another base for example.  The current minimum distance is 2.  To prevent land stealing through base construction, the minimum base distance would have to be 4.  But I suppose that depends how it's coded, and it could get complex if the rule for own bases was different from enemy factions.