Lal Attacks Self

Morganstern · October 12, 2001, 11:01

Trying to make friends with Lal, and against my better judgment, playing as Morgan, I gave him a valuable tech. The next turn he relinquishes one or more spies and units to my control. During that same turn, he declares I have violated the UN Charter and attacks the units he just gave me. One spy knocked out another; I'm not sure whether the one he gave away or kept won. He also attacked and destroyed one of the units he gave me.

Most amusing was the display at the bottom of the screen, where it shows which factions are fighting. Lal was on both sides! As far as the program was concerned, he was attacking himself, not me! Now, he never specified what UN Charter provision I violated, and I doubt that I did. This almost has to be a glitch in the program, doesn't it? Anyone seen anything like this before?

Lefty Scaevola · October 12, 2001, 11:09

Apparently the AI for lal was considering them your units from the time he transfered them but the game does not make th transfer offical until you turn begins subsequent to the transfer.

Tizzy · October 12, 2001, 11:14

On a related note:

After getting a new computer, I re-installed SMAX and reintroduced my self to it.
My game was going along nicely when I had a fungal pop next to my headquarters, spawning a few spore launchers.
I killed as many as I could in my turn, but there were still a few left. I fully expected them to attack my HQ, or possibly the spore laucher I had captured sitting a few sqaures away. But what happened?
They started attacking each other! Yep, two spore launchers which had just popped up, having a battle, instead of attacking me.

Bella Hella · October 12, 2001, 11:34

yeah, i've seen that too - spore launchers attacking each other. i'm not sure if that happens with other types of mind worms, but it's nice when they go after each other intead of you!

i've never seen anything like the AI attacking itself!!!! LOL at LAL! but i agree with the idea that they weren't considered YOUR units until the turn officially began. that's too funny.

the AI is so incredibly retarded. "hi, i'm dierdre and i'm gonna attack this fungal tower with artillery forever and ever and ever." and when you attempt total thought control and take over a base, how do they not know it was you??? last night i bought a spartan base right out from under santiago's nose while we had an uneasy truce, and the next turn she called me to trade tech and propose a treaty.

Cybergod · October 12, 2001, 14:04

Haven't had an AI attack itself, but had my two artillery units attack each other for no apparend reason:

* I deside to bombard a critter from a fungal pop with one of my Chaos Skimships, the target was 2 squares away
* I forgot that I had a base with an artillery unit, which was adjacent to the fungus and in between the ship and the worm
* I can hear the bombard sound and see an explosion over the worm but the battle screen switched to show my ship and my artillery fighting each other, the ship receiving a 100% hasty assault penalty

BTW, I was playing as Lal

Morganstern · October 12, 2001, 14:56

Interesting replies. I guess my program isn't uniquely daffy after all. BTW, the thought that the program hadn't fully transferred the units to me makes sense.

Earwicker · October 12, 2001, 17:36

Quote:

Originally posted by Bella Hella
yeah, i've seen that too - spore launchers attacking each other. i'm not sure if that happens with other types of mind worms, but it's nice when they go after each other intead of you!

Wild spores will attack each other. Wild spores and IoD's will attack human-controlled spores and IoD's. Worms will leave each other alone. An interesting (and fortunate) exception.

Flubber · October 12, 2001, 19:06

I have seen the battles of the native life before and it always seemed to me that it was a launcher from the sea that was fighting land-popped stuff. I can't confirm this since often i would not even see the natives ubtil they fought but it was my impression.

Admiral · October 12, 2001, 19:59

As far as I can tell, spore launchers regardless of where they are popped will sometimes attack each other. All the other life forms only attack players.

On a related note, I was innocently playing a game as the University, completely wiping out the Spartans, when the Spartan base I had under seige seemed to suddenly get an international defence contingent. Now, this base was completely surrounded by my tropps, and did not have the psi gate, so no troops should have been able to get in. Even weirder, some of those troops in the base were MY TROOPS!

Method · October 12, 2001, 22:04

just whilst we're talking about spores, why is it that the angel artillery attacking my spore got a 100% hasty penalty?

Mr. President · October 12, 2001, 23:39

One time I attacked an aquatic base in which the last military unit was a transport. My destroyer's Marines boarded and captured the ship. The next turn the destroyer was unable to capture the base until I entered its control screen, activated the captured transport, and moved it out. This has actually happened a few times, and it's rather annoying.

Sprayber · October 12, 2001, 23:56

Quote:

Originally posted by Mr. President
One time I attacked an aquatic base in which the last military unit was a transport. My destroyer's Marines boarded and captured the ship. The next turn the destroyer was unable to capture the base until I entered its control screen, activated the captured transport, and moved it out. This has actually happened a few times, and it's rather annoying.

In one game I was the Pirates allied with Lal who had just gotten his seabase taken by the hive. I attacked Yang's foil the next thurn and my marines captured the foil still inside the base. The next turn my second destroyer tried to enter and it ended up fighting the foil that i just captured.

knowhow2 · October 13, 2001, 01:21

Quote:

the AI is so incredibly retarded. "hi, i'm dierdre and i'm gonna attack this fungal tower with artillery forever and ever and ever." and when you attempt total thought control and take over a base, how do they not know it was you??? last night i bought a spartan base right out from under santiago's nose while we had an uneasy truce, and the next turn she called me to trade tech and propose a treaty.

well that's what the TOTAL THOUGHT CONTROL does, namely to take control without giving you away. Works great with AI worthless against Humans.

Blake · October 15, 2001, 21:25

Today I was playing as Cyborgs, and my ex-pactmate Yang started sending his troops into my territory. Then he gifted me a unit

, despite being only a treaty. The gifted unit is stacked with one of his units, I've never seen non-pacted units in the same tile before... (open ground tile that is, I've seen the oddities like your units appearing in enemy bases....)

Sarxis · October 15, 2001, 22:15

I have seen all of this weirdness before- natives attacking each other; AI faction civil war; non-pacted units in same square.

I bet you guys are wishing Firaxis had released SMAX[c] version 3.0/5.0!!

Cybergod · October 16, 2001, 13:40

Quote:

Originally posted by Anunikoba
I bet you guys are wishing Firaxis had released SMAX[c] version 3.0/5.0!!

Well, you never know...