Population bug

[Dread_SMAC]

I'm running one of the basic versions of SMAC with no mods or patches, etc. I just ran a game to max a base population (I love grav supply ships)... at population ~127 all energy and minerals went to 0 and shortly after that the game ended in defeat (population went to 0). I had up to 350 available nutrients coming in, and a population boom with the cloning vaults... is this bug fixed in any patches?

 

[vyeh]

I'm running the Alien Crossfire expansion with the latest patch. I've observed the same phenomenon as you. At 127, the population no longer grows automatically (through pop boom or cloning vat). The game acts as if the population increases from 127 to 128 and then is reset to 127 (i.e. no increase in the nutrient supply tank). If I add a population unit through a colony pod, nutrients, mineral and energy all go negative. The population goes negative (but it gains one population point each turn thereafter).

 

[drakdan]

Yeah that's the limit. I'd stay away from it.

 

[Keroro]

Sounds like that's hardcoded, 128 is a binary number so a 127 max (possible pops from 0 - 127) would make sense.

 

[Phlegmak]

It's a signed byte value.

I honestly don't understand why Firaxis (and the two Civ games that preceded Firaxis) used so many small size variables. In Civ 2, if a unit in a nation lost more than 255 units, the losses would only be recorded as 255. It would never go beyond that.

Firaxis: Really, how much of a memory loss is using an unsigned int instead of an unsigned byte?

 

[Keroro]

There are similar frustrating limits in Civ 3 - e.g. 31 civs + barbarians maximum, or 512 buildings maximum. I'm not a programmer, but it would seem to be pretty easy to make sure that these limits are high enough as to be unreachable. Something to hope for with Alpha Centauri 2?

 

[Kalean]

Didn't they fix this in one of the patches? It says that it stopped it from reseeting when it reached however high, about that area.

 

[vyeh]

Didn't they fix this in one of the patches? It says that it stopped it from reseeting when it reached however high, about that area.

I have the latest patches and I hit the population limit of 127.

I trust my own experience over patch notes.

 

[GooglyBoogly]

One of the patches prevented it from resetting, but you still cannot go above 127 - it just keeps it stable at 127

 

[sendos]

There are similar frustrating limits in Civ 3 - e.g. 31 civs + barbarians maximum, or 512 buildings maximum. I'm not a programmer, but it would seem to be pretty easy to make sure that these limits are high enough as to be unreachable. Something to hope for with Alpha Centauri 2?

Alpha Centurai 2, if it ever comes out (somehow I doubt it), would have to have no problem whatsoever. Why because theres new graphics, new files, etc.

I'm not into high population but my bro got only up to about 60 and I'm assuming certain people still play on after they finish the game. I don't do that.

 

[Keroro]

I'm not so sure that A C 2 would have no problems with this. It seems that Firaxis is putting too much graphical complexity into their games now. I would guess that A C 2 (if it ever does happen) will be based on the 3D civ 4 game engine, which cannot handle as much going on as the 2D civ 3 engine. They're pushing us to smaller scale gaming experiences in general it seems.