beginner's question on morale modifiers

[karu-san]

hello everyone,

I would appreciate it if someone could elucidate the strange modifiers to morale that I keep seeing (esp. with the Spartans). To my knowledge, the possibilities are permutations of "+" and "-" signs, but letters often pop up. By permutations I mean that I've seen "+", "++", "+-", and "--". What do these mean? What effect to they have, esp. when the unit is already elite?
I suspect the letters have to do with things like being designated defenders, but why would this be listed next to morale? I keep wanting to test this kind of thing out, but time is always short for me. So if anyone has already done the exhaustive gruntwork (or any ) please let me know.

I skimmed Vel's immense and otherwise utterly complete strat. guide but I couldn't find it there, nor on the forum, nor in the datalinks. So, for that matter, is there another source of (basic) info that I'm missing?

Thanks in advance!

Karu-san (Paul Carr)

[mark13]

You are right in saying that the documentation provided with the game doesn't cover these at all, so here is a basic outline of what they are.

To start off, each unit is given a 'base' morale - ranging from Very Green (-25%) to Elite (+50%). Various facilities may alter these values - Children's Creche, for example, if the unit is in the base square, gives a unit two positive (++) morale modifiers, which effectively gives +25% in combat. A green unit in a base with a CC would say Green(++) meaning that whilst the unit is under the effect of the morale modifiers, the unit fights as if it were hardened (+12%). Running wealth gives a negative morale modifier IIRC, along with a -1 base morale.

I hope that has cleared things up. Actually, reading it over, it has probably complicated things even more - basically what you have to remember is that if a unit is under the effects of a (++) morale modifier, the unit fights as if it were two morale ranks higher than its base.

[karu-san]

Thanks, Mark13, for the reply!

Actually, you began to clear things up, but I think my question wasn't specific enough. If you have the time, let me ask a couple more specific questions.

1) What base fac's give negative modifiers? I have a whole army of spartans, cyborg fact., command nex., and playing power/police state. All of my units are elite, all away from base. Here are all the variants on my units:

elite (+)
elite (+)(-)
elite (++)
elite (-)
elite

now, can you tell me:

a) why some units are different than others, since the CC, you said, only affects units in the base square,

b) why some units have neg. modifier (what base facility gives a neg. mod?)

c)does this have any affect on my combat? According to what you said, the elite (-) should act like commando (+37%) but will all the others fight the same?

d)finally, sometimes, when my units fight, the battle readout says elite (+12%) (with no modifiers)Shouldn't this be ALWAYS 50% if there are no modifiers? Is this a glitch? Even if there were modifiers that I missed, I KNOW that no unit of mine has elite (---). What is going on here?

Thanks again for your last reply!

[Helium Pond]

There was a huge argument a while ago about what exactly Children's Creches do. Some people thought they acted just like they say they do in the manual, some people thought they gave bonuses anywhere in a person's territory, others said they'd observed the bonuses applying even outside territory. So bear that in mind.

[Aredhran]

You get a (-) when the unit's home base is in Drone Riots.

These + / - apply to individual units, which means that you can have an elite(-), acting as commando, while another unit without the (-) will act as a normal elite (ie. extra move)

Regarding your point d), are you certain of what you're saying ? I've never seen anything like this. Negative SE morale modifiers will apply directly to the unit's base morale (ie. you won't see Elite--- but Hardened)

Aredhran

[mark13]

HP,

I am by no means certain of this, but I a fairly confident that a CC morale modifier applies only in the base square. Having said that, I'm not sure when other morale modifiers come into play - doesn't a command center in the base have something to do with it? I have seen several instances of having a unit in the late game that has green (++++) to fight at 37%.

[Fitz]

Mark, it's fairly well established that the Children's Creche bonus applies anywhere inside you territory, to any unit supported by a base with a ChC.

I agree with Adrehan that the - probably comes from the units home base being in drone riots.

The Elite: +12% could come from defending with a elite (-) unit defending against sopophoric gas pods. The SPpods morale adjustment does not appear anywhere accept in the final bonus on the MFD during combat. I regularly see disciplined: -12% for enemy units when attacking with SPpods.

[mark13]

Is it well established? Didn't know that, sorry - oh well, wrong again....

[DogberryMan]

I thought that the base facilities changed the morale of any unit that was created at that base. The CC I don't know about, but I thought the others gave a permanent bonus. BTW how does a parameter defense in a city affect combat (e.i. does it affect morale or combat strength which I thought was determined by armor and reactor type)

[Fitz]

The morale enhancing facilities (Command Center, Naval Yard, Aerospace Complex, Bioenhancement Center) all enhance new units that are created at the base that has them. They each add +2 morale levels to a unit of the appropriate type (unless -2 MORALE SE, in which case they add +1 morale).

This adjustment is permentant, but I can't remember if the SE is an instantaneous affect or applies only to new units. In other words, when you change to -2 MORALE, does it drop you by -1/facility enhancement until you swith back to a higher level?

Anyway, the Children's Creche has the following morale level effects:

All negative penalites from MORALE SE settings are removed and instead you get plus one morale level, however the halving of bonuses is not canceled. i.e. - at -2 MORALE (-1 morale, + from facilities halved), a unit instead get +1 morale, + from facilities halved.

This effect affects any unit homed at a base that has a Children's Creche, and that affect AFAIK remains in force as long as the unit is in your territory.

Perimiter Defense add +100% to the defense rating for any unit inside the base, which is determined by armor as a base score, modified by morale, facilities, and special abilities as normal. Reactor types don't affect the combat score, they affect the number of hits a unit can take. Some attacks bypass the perimiter defense bonus, but I can't remember what they all are (possibilities include air attacks, native life, artillery, naval, but I don't garuntee any of those bypass).

[Tau Ceti]

Some effects from the Children's Creche work everywhere, while some work only in the base square.

Any unit built at a base with CC ignore the negative morale level effects of social engineering, so a unit built under Wealth will be green rather than very green before the effects of morale enhancing facilities are calculated. This effect applies everywhere.

In addition, the CC gives a temporary morale bonus to units that are in the base square - this bonus shows up as (+) or (++) etc. Usually it is one step, but I believe a negative morale SE will increase the bonus; if you have -1 morale because of SE you will get (++), if you have -2 you get (+++) etc. I have seen (++++) in an MP game where someone was running Wealth/Eudaimonic (-4 Morale SE = -3 Morale levels).

I do not guarantee that the values above are correct, but you can quite easily verify that this bonus only applies to units in base squares by moving them out then back again.

In addition, I believe the extra morale bonus on defence that you get from a morale SE rating of +2 or +3 shows up as a (+). (At least I seem to remember always seeing Spartan units as Disciplined (+) as standard).