Unlimited range for AI planetbusters

Adalbertus · January 14, 2002, 03:54

In order to increase the thread count and anyway ...

In a SP SMAC game, it occurred that Miriam finished a (fission) planetbuster and immediately hit a base of mine which was certainly some thirty tiles away. Normally they should have a limited range of 16 tiles or so. Is this a special rule for the AI? Do I have to surround all my important cities with a ring of crawlers/probe teams/clean something to avoid this to happen?

fluffy · January 14, 2002, 11:49

do you have the latest patches? I think this was fixed (maybe SMAX only though....)

RedFred · January 14, 2002, 12:45

In both SMAC and SMACX several attempts were made to fix the infinite range missile bug. None were completely successful, but the frequency now seems far lower.

The only verifiable infinite range missiles I have seen now since patched SMACX take several turns to complete their infinite range. (I am guessing they now can't move more than the maximum allowable movement per turn.) So I occasionally spot them hanging in midair. If this ever happens to you, just take them out with an interceptor.

At least this is the case with regular missiles. In my SP games I rarely build PBs or get hit by them. So I can't tell you what the maximum range is. The manual says "12" but that is for R1. No idea what the other reactors' ranges are.

Cybergod · January 14, 2002, 14:46

Quote:

Originally posted by RedFred
In my SP games I rarely build PBs or get hit by them. So I can't tell you what the maximum range is. The manual says "12" but that is for R1. No idea what the other reactors' ranges are.

Really?

The PBs and missiles are certainly affected by the unit's reactor value. I remember I once had an elite PB (I had +1 MORALE from SE and both Cyborg Factory and Aerospace Complexes in most of my bases) and it had a movement rating of 19!

Lefty Scaevola · January 14, 2002, 15:28

Quote:

Originally posted by RedFred
So I occasionally spot them hanging in midair. If this ever happens to you, just take them out with an interceptor.

That must be a bit of a shock to Dedrie's bird watching club.

knowhow2 · January 14, 2002, 21:09

Quote:

Originally posted by Lefty Scaevola

That must be a bit of a shock to Dedrie's bird watching club.

"That's a bird. No. That's plane. No. It's Superm...... NUKEFEST!"

Googlie · January 14, 2002, 22:50

Range for a Singularity PB is 20 (I'm throwing them around like confetti in one 2-player PBEM I'm in)

Which raises an interesting point I never knew till today (same game).

If you probe a base that's harboring a PB (and without a probe defense) the PB crew leaps to the base's defense. That's right. Even with a host of elite antimmatter plate defenders, choppers and noodles in that base it's the valient PB crew who rush to the battlements.

Of course, you lose the PB.

I never knew that

G

Darius · January 14, 2002, 23:26

Quote:

Originally posted by Googlie
If you probe a base that's harboring a PB (and without a probe defense) the PB crew leaps to the base's defense. That's right. Even with a host of elite antimmatter plate defenders, choppers and noodles in that base it's the valient PB crew who rush to the battlements.

Of course, you lose the PB.

I never knew that

G

That's not quite what happened. I sent my probe in and activated a sabotage virus against a random target. To my great surprise

I destroyed your planet buster.

I never knew that, either.

moi · January 14, 2002, 23:58

well an ai planet buster once struck a base square of mine that was completely surrounded by gravships (and yes, it did strike the base square, not one of the gravships). so, i would say that the bug is present still in SMAX 2.0

GeneralTacticus · January 19, 2002, 18:51

Quote:

Originally posted by Moi
well an ai planet buster once struck a base square of mine that was completely surrounded by gravships (and yes, it did strike the base square, not one of the gravships). so, i would say that the bug is present still in SMAX 2.0

To be fair, it is kind of realistic that you can't avoid being nuked just by surrounding your bases with troops. Missiles should ignore whatever they fly over unless you detonate them - they are supposed to be able to go orbital after all (they come with Orbital Spaceflight).

GeneralTacticus · January 19, 2002, 18:54

Quote:

Originally posted by Darius
That's not quite what happened. I sent my probe in and activated a sabotage virus against a random target. To my great surprise I destroyed your planet buster.

It states in the manual that Sabotage viruses can destroy facilities, wipe out all minerals built up on current construction, or wreck PBs in the silos. I think you can target the PBs specifically if you choose a targeted virus.

Darius · January 20, 2002, 15:11

Now that you mention it, that does sound familiar. I guess it's been too long since I have read the manual.