I was just messing around a test bed trying to make an upgraded version of "Determine PRT from scouts", when I noticed something that made me pause.

The DNA scanner requires 3 Prop, Bio6.
CA races starts with Bio6.
If he takes Prop exp AND IFE, he starts of with Prop4 and a FM.

So when I just ran the test bed right now, why didn't the default "Smaugarian Peeping Tom" upgrade to a DNA scanner automatically?
It should have weighed 19kt (FM,pod,DNA) instead of 22kt (FM,pod,Rhino).

Any ideas?

This is going to waste my entire testbed and ruin my excel file,

Report message to a moderator

Just tested that, and noticed the same. Strange

The only viable explanation I can think of is that the "default" projects only look up the Electronics tech level progression for scanners, and select the one which is at the highest Elect level available. SS, for instance, routinely start with Possum scanners for that very reason, so if you spot any "starting" scout with Possum, dead sure it's SS.

I'd say a minor nuisance anyway. After all, who stops you from redesigning the scout with the DNA scanner?

Report message to a moderator

loucipher wrote on Wed, 09 February 2011 17:04

Just tested that, and noticed the same. Strange The only viable explanation I can think of is that the "default" projects only look up the Electronics tech level progression for scanners, and select the one which is at the highest Elect level available. SS, for instance, routinely start with Possum scanners for that very reason, so if you spot any "starting" scout with Possum, dead sure it's SS. I'd say a minor nuisance anyway. After all, who stops you from redesigning the scout with the DNA scanner?

That makes a warped sort of sense. Atleast I can make sense of the starting 5 year scouts now.

However if we are discussing it seriously, then the code should use the default scanner as per the best long distance scanner (125LY vs 50LY in this case).
Atleast putting the possum scanner makes sense, even though it's more expensive.

[Updated on: Wed, 09 February 2011 22:11]

Report message to a moderator

Just a long shot here, but I think it is for balance purpose.

Imagine someone who play CA with NAS and who start with electronics 0... You would start up with two ships fitted with 250ly range scanners (125*2=250), which mean that your starting ships would have 5 times the range of your initial planetary scanners.

Since there is not really a reason to use the OA bombs on yourself, you could simply keep the OA ship on your homeworld and send your first scout away and have far greater scanner range than anybody else.

I think that CA is already a strong enough PRT.

[Updated on: Wed, 09 February 2011 22:15]

Report message to a moderator

Why don't you save me a lot of time and just tell me what race you are, with your two scouts of 19kt and 22kt.

Report message to a moderator

And deprive you of the fun of trying to guess the starting race of a moderately advanced player who might or not simply be playing with your mind?

Of course not.

Report message to a moderator

Eagle of Fire wrote on Thu, 10 February 2011 04:14

Just a long shot here, but I think it is for balance purpose.

Quite likely, I'd say.

Plus, the whole thing is probably coded in a simple way that doesn't allow for fancy items outside the most straightforward path.

Report message to a moderator

Eagle of Fire wrote on Wed, 09 February 2011 21:14

Imagine someone who play CA with NAS and who start with electronics 0... You would start up with two ships fitted with 250ly range scanners (125*2=250), which mean that your starting ships would have 5 times the range of your initial planetary scanners.

250/100 = 2.5

Report message to a moderator

Report message to a moderator

Report message to a moderator

Report message to a moderator

Both, actually.

Seems like he was right but he was so talkative that I didn't catch what he was trying to say... I thought he had simply made a calculation error or whatever.

It is still almost 3 times stronger than your starting planetary scanners anyways.

Report message to a moderator

Eagle of Fire wrote on Thu, 10 February 2011 17:44

It is still almost 3 times stronger than your starting planetary scanners anyways.

Not mine, I'm playing SS with NAS. 300 ly scanners. And one more electronics and I have 440 ly planet and 320 ly/45 ly pen scout scanners. So take your DNA and shovel it.

Report message to a moderator

Report message to a moderator