Where are my drones?

RobN · February 14, 2001, 14:15

I`m sure this problem has been raised many times, but I`m new here, so bear with me.
I`m playing SMAX as the Free Drones. I`ve been expecting some rioting enemy cities to join my faction, but it hasn`t happened yet - despite much unrest amongst my enemies. Is this a bug, or am I missing something? Thanks for any help.

Fitz · February 14, 2001, 14:28

It is a bug if you have SMAC V1.0, so make sure you've installed the V2.0 patch.

Even then, AI cities rarely leave their faction. Don't expect to see it very often, unless you set a city into severe riots yourself (destroy the garrisons, destroy the psych enhancing facilities, then probe to increase drones). If you are planning to try and incite this, make sure you choose a large city, but usually you might as well just conquer the city with military force instead.

Sindai · February 14, 2001, 16:01

The thing is -

The 75% chance doesn't apply to riots.

It actually applies to revolts.

They are two entirely different things - you know, of course, what "riots" are.

Once a base is in riots for a certain # of turns there is a small chance of it "revolting" and automatically beind switched to the control of another faction. In this case, the Drones have an automatic 75% chance of being that faction.

The problem is, even with the V2.0 patch, the AI will never leave a base in drone riots. Even if it means turning half the base's population into doctors and starving it, the AI will do that.

I've played something like 10 games, and I have yet to see any base ever revolt....

cbn · February 14, 2001, 16:34

I seem to recall once having a base join my empire on the lower levels when I first started playing but perhaps my memory is playing tricks on me. More recently I have never seen a base revolt although the possibility of allowing one of my own bases to revolt in order to probe for tech and infiltrate, subvert it back and do it again etc has some possibilities. ( Would that be a cheat?) -- I must check the old threads-- I know I saw something about it at one time.

buster · February 15, 2001, 18:44

I have seen it happen three times in PBEMs.

Once in original SMAC where an enemy city joined me (they were Uni I was Hive).

Another where I was Angels and one of mine joined Sparta (even if there was a Drones player).

A third where anothers city joined drones.

This out of maybe 40 pbems. In my experience it only happens after extended periods of unhandled riots. Say you by oversight let a city go on rioting for 5-6 turns in a row.

Blake · February 17, 2001, 07:24

Just playing a LAN game this evening and I lost one of my cities to the Drones (AI), I had left it in riots for several turns.

And Domai was running Fundie making it hard to mind control back. And he bribed my single "home guard" attack rover with MY probe team (I had an army but it was dealing to the caretakers). All in all a major PIA.