Freeing leaders

Flubber · February 1, 2002, 15:08

I am trying to understand exactly how the "free leader" thing works . I know that another faction can free the leader of an eradicated faction by probing the capital of the faction that eradicated them. A few questions

1. is the chance of success on the probe action high (I know it would vary with probe rating etc but compared to probing for tech, is it harder or easier?

2. What happens to the freed faction?-- do they get automatic bases, techs etc or are they just given a CP or two. Where do they appear . . in open land, their liberator's land or where??

3. Will they remain submissive to their liberator ?

4. Will they hate the faction that originally eradicated them (atrocity victim status even if no gas or PBs were used)?

5. If so, Could their liberator convince them to make nice with the former enemy? (not a likely sequence but just curious)

Yxklyx · February 1, 2002, 15:21

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1. is the chance of success on the probe action high (I know it would vary with probe rating etc but compared to probing for tech, is it harder or easier?

I don't recall who I was playing but I think the chance was something like 50% the few times I've done it.

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2. What happens to the freed faction?-- do they get automatic bases, techs etc or are they just given a CP or two. Where do they appear . . in open land, their liberator's land or where??

In my case: they appeared in some uncontrolled portion of the globe with one or more bases. They get techs - probably what they had before they were eliminated.

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3. Will they remain submissive to their liberator ?

If you treat them well - just like other submissives I think.

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4. Will they hate the faction that originally eradicated them (atrocity victim status even if no gas or PBs were used)?

Yes! I had a problem with this as my two submissives were constantly at war. Could do nothing about it except eliminate one of them.

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5. If so, Could their liberator convince them to make nice with the former enemy? (not a likely sequence but just curious)

I wasn't able to do this.

GeneralTacticus · February 1, 2002, 19:11

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1. is the chance of success on the probe action high (I know it would vary with probe rating etc but compared to probing for tech, is it harder or easier?

It's got the same chance as assassination (of researchers), i.e. you get a message saying that, 'this is hard, do you want to go ahead?'.

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2. What happens to the freed faction?-- do they get automatic bases, techs etc or are they just given a CP or two. Where do they appear . . in open land, their liberator's land or where??

They get what they would have if they originally escaped. They have what techs they did before, and if they have some that you don't, they give them to you.

Control Freak · February 1, 2002, 20:17

General...um...sir! (salute)

I have just seen my first assassinate researcher option. (I'm very new to the game!)

Could you tell me what does it do???

Thanks

Flubber · February 1, 2002, 20:42

Hey control Freak

It either reduces or eliminates the lab points that a faction has accumulated towards the next tech IIRC.. The guys that knew "stuff" are killed and their knowledge is lost

Control Freak · February 1, 2002, 23:11

Thanks Flub!

This could be very useful in keeping up with the University in the tech tree.

Does the assasination option only present itself at certain bases or under certain circumstances???

GeneralTacticus · February 2, 2002, 01:59

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Originally posted by Control Freak
Does the assasination option only present itself at certain bases or under certain circumstances???

It appears when your Probe Team enters someone's HQ, IIRC it replaces the 'Mind Control' option, since you can't use Mind Control at an HQ.

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Originally posted by Control Freak

4. Will they hate the faction that originally eradicated them (atrocity victim status even if no gas or PBs were used)?

I don't think so, but I do know that they remain at war. I can't remember if I've ever had them refuse to stop fighting the conqueror.

vitamin j · February 2, 2002, 23:24

In the SP game I'm running right now, I just freed my old pact-mate Morgan from the Gaians HQ. I'm playing Roze, and I used an elite foil probe. The chance of success was 75%. As somone mentioned, it seems like it has the same success rate as assassination. I haven't figured out where Morgan was re-started yet, but in the handful of times I've done this it's been as Yxklyx said.

WRT assassination and research effects, I've had wildly variable results. Sometimes you'll wipe hundreds of research points, but almost as often you'll only get single digits!

Control Freak · February 3, 2002, 12:08

Is the free a captured leader only in Alien Crossfire or in the original as well???

Adalbertus · February 3, 2002, 12:57

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Is the free a captured leader only in Alien Crossfire or in the original as well???

SMAX only, as Icks-Clicks was so kind to tell me a few threads ago.

Kassiopeia · February 3, 2002, 15:57

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Originally posted by Control Freak
Thanks Flub!

This could be very useful in keeping up with the University in the tech tree.

I'd rather probe the tech itself.

knowhow2 · February 4, 2002, 07:45

There is however a bug somewhere that sjows it ugly face every once and while so the option for Free captured leader won't show up!

I hate it when that happens (usually it takes som effort to get your probe right into the heart of your enemy).

mrdynamic · February 4, 2002, 14:05

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Originally posted by knowhow2
There is however a bug somewhere that sjows it ugly face every once and while so the option for Free captured leader won't show up!

I hate it when that happens (usually it takes som effort to get your probe right into the heart of your enemy).

This used to happen to me until I installed the smacx 2.0 partch. When in the game do a CTL+F4 , should say 2.0 version.

I mentioned that because I went a year before I realized the patch never installed correctly.

Once I got the 2.o patch installed correctly I never had a issue with it again.

http://www.firaxis.com/downloads_detail.cfm?file_id=19

Fitz · February 4, 2002, 18:29

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Originally posted by vitamin j
WRT assassination and research effects, I've had wildly variable results. Sometimes you'll wipe hundreds of research points, but almost as often you'll only get single digits!

AFAIK, the assassination eliminates half of their currently accumilated research points. So it makes sense to check the amount they have first (i.e. - infiltrate them) on the f2 research screen. I usually try to time it for 3/4 turns left for an AI, and whenever possible with a human (typically 3-4 turn research rate per tech).