Drone joining the Drones

Grail Quest · May 12, 2002, 21:13

How does the Free Drones bonus of drone-riot cities joining them work?

I've never seen it in action, so I fabricated a scenario with 4 rival cities rioting. Absolutely zip happened for about 30 turns.

Mongoose · May 12, 2002, 21:38

I'm not altogether sure that feature works. I've never heard of somebody gaining a base with the Drones that way. Then again, base flips from drone riots are rare. I can count the number I've seen on three fingers.

That's in more thousands of hours of SMAC/Xing than I care to think about.

Googlie · May 13, 2002, 00:58

Not seen it in multiplay, but seen it often enough in single play games.

Drones have a 75% chance that a revolting base will join them (versus a 25% chance of joining the nearest faction)

I haven't seen anything in the txt files or faction editor to determine at what point a revolting base is "beyond the pale" and moves to join another faction. In SP games I've had it happen after 1 turn of rioting, and in other instances after as many as ten turns rioting (all at transcend level - again, I don't know if the "event" comes faster with increased difficulty)

G.

waab · May 13, 2002, 02:01

So that special abillity is working? I am new smax player and I have played some games with the drones and never seen it, and I have the 2.0 patch

Patashu · May 13, 2002, 02:50

Yep, it works. The problem is that it almost never gets to function. Bases must be in riot for at least 1 turn, but the computer usually fixes riots turn 1, and same for the human.
So the reason it doesn't appear to work is because it doesn't get to work.

waab · May 13, 2002, 07:19

So if I use probes teams and every turn starts new drone riots, I have a chance to get the base?

One more question: If I get the city in constant drone riots, have I then 75% chance to get the city every turn?

knowhow2 · May 13, 2002, 08:28

Quote:

Originally posted by waab
So if I use probes teams and every turn starts new drone riots, I have a chance to get the base?

If you use a probe team every turn, I think it's counted as a brand new riot each time (instead of one continuing riot).

Capt Dizle · May 13, 2002, 08:46

I have never seen a base flip in SMAC. I have never seen the metor strike either.

waab · May 13, 2002, 08:48

Then how shall you do it? I mean what to do?

Å förresten ÖiS slog IFK hehehe...

knowhow2 · May 13, 2002, 10:40

I say, forget about this "advantage", Drones are good enough a faction already.

IFK vinner allsvenskan i år. Tro mig.

Fitz · May 13, 2002, 11:40

A base continues to be in drone riots for multiple turns if growth via pop-boom causes riots on multiple turns. In my latest games, lack of attention following the Cloning Vats meant that I lost a few facilities in sea bases that had no psych improvments. Turn 1, grow one, riots, add doctor. Turn 2, grow one more, riots again, facility destroyed, add another doctor. In these cases, I must have gotten lucky that the base didn't defect. Never had it happen more than two turns in a row (yet).

I did have 2 bases flip in a game once. I was morgan, new to free market, and had all sorts of military units out and about. I couldn't control the rampant drones, and lost two of my four bases to the university. Did manage to win that game eventually though, and took my revenge on both the citizens of those bases and the University at a later date.

"50,000 University Citizens have been but to death at Morgan Metalgenics."

Impaler[WrG] · May 13, 2002, 14:43

Meteor Strike!?? Humm it must be excedingly rare cause I have also never seen or even heard of it, I have seen new volcanos form, it looks just like mount Planet I wonder if it provides the same Energy and mineral bonus at the peak? Tell me what this meteor strike looks like (like a big planet buster strike?)

Mongoose · May 13, 2002, 14:51

The new volcano is just like Mt. Planet in regard to energy and mineral bonuses. I've never seen a meteor strike, either, but I've read that it creates a new Garland Crater. Unfortunately, any bases there are destroyed.

Method · May 13, 2002, 15:34

so i've heard, (i turn random events off to avoid it

) it strikes your largest base(s) and obliterates them leaving a garland crater

BustaMike · May 13, 2002, 17:15

As far as I know the 75% chance for the Drones is broken. I have seen many bases flip and I have NEVER seen one flip to the Drones. I was even playing one game where there were only 2 factions left, the Drones and Morgan (me). I purposely let one of my bases riot for several turns and it revolted to the Data Angels who were already dead. Go figure. When a city revolts there is supposed to be a 75% chance that it will go to the Drones; however, as far as I can tell it usually just defects to the closest faction.

As for that meteor strike, hopefully someday I'll get to see it. I've seen pretty much every other random event. My buddy once had a new volcano erupt in the geothermal shallows. That looked crazy because all the bubbly stuff was now on a volcano.

waab · May 14, 2002, 01:45

Okay back to the questions...

1, BustaMike and Fitz told me (and every bady else that can read

) that they had lost bases in defecting. But they did defect to University and Data Angels (which actuly was dead, right?). Is it really mean that they shall be abel to get a base?

2, Correct me if I am wrong but is it like this: 75% chance of gettin a revolting base for the drones. And the rest has 25% chance...I am getting little confused over here.

Att IFK skulle vinna allsvenskan utan Mild finner jag ytterst osanolikt, men hellre dom än något jävla stockholms lag...

Method · May 15, 2002, 15:23

i think it means that if it is going to revolt there is a 75% chance of it revolting to the drones. i guess if it revolts to someone else then there's your 25% in action...

waab · May 16, 2002, 07:17

So if I edit the drones and gives them 100% chance to get a base all drone riots will go to the drones?

Will the AI starve a base to prevent drone riots? Or will the ai let the base be?

Fitz · May 17, 2002, 18:14

wabb, I'm not sure you can edit the chance of revolt, and like busta says, I think the drone base revolt thing is actually still broken. I think it was one of the things Firaxis claimed to fix in SMAX 2.0 patch but never did. Either that or busta is using the 1.0 version, in which the Drone revolt thing is definately not working.

BustaMike · May 18, 2002, 21:54

No, I have 2.0. I remember getting it immediately when it was released because I wanted to free a captured faction leader (broken in 1.0). Turned out to be not as cool as I'd hoped but still cool.

I actually got to see the meteor strike the other day. My friend had it wipe out about 5 bases he had recently conquered from the Gaians. It made a new Garland Crater (name and all) and it caused -1 energy every square on planet for the next 10 years. Pretty cool.