The mysteries of prototyping

[chuft]

Can someone explain to me when prototyping is required, and when it is not?

I am currently playing a SMACX game and my faction just discovered Fossil Fuels. As a result I can now build units with Missile as their weapon type. This is the best weapon I have had access to all game. Yet, for some reason I do not need to prototype it. I am not the Spartans nor do I have any skunkworks, yet the new units using Missile are not marked as prototypes nor do they cost a lot compared to similar units using Impact weapons. I have had to prototype previous units (such as units using Impact weapons) so I am mystified why sometimes I have to prototype a new and improved weapon/armor, and sometimes I do not.

 

[vyeh]

Could you post a save?

This is excerpted from an annotated (by mart and Nevill) SMAC Academy Bug List, which may be downloaded at CGN:

56. Building a prototype of a weapon, armor, or chassis also counts as a prototype for lower-valued (or equal) weapons, armors, and chassis. Example: Building a missile (6) prototype means that gatling lasers (5), impact (4), and lasers (2) will also be considered as having been prototyped. Chassis prototypes only count for the same types of chassis: air, sea, land. Thus, prototyping a needlejet means that choppers and gravships will not have to be prototyped; they are the same type - air - and they have the same chassis "value".
--comment-- a feature.
/***********************************
57. Discovering Planetary Networks automatically prototypes the Speeder chassis.
--comment-- not sure.
--comment by Nevill-- Any tech that has a basic units associated with it also prototypes weapon, armor and a chassis for the unit. There still are some inconsistencies, though. If a unit that was not yet prototyped was in production when the tech was discovered, it will still cost the old amount of minerals.
/***********************************
58. Discovering Doctrine: Flexibility automatically prototypes the Foil chassis.
--comment-- not sure.

 

[chuft]

I think this nails it:

--comment by Nevill-- Any tech that has a basic units associated with it also prototypes weapon, armor and a chassis for the unit.

An earlier tech unlocked an AI-only "basic unit" which I obsoleted immediately and forgot about, since human players are not supposed to use them. It has Missile as its weapon. That solves that mystery. Thanks.

 

[vyeh]

I hope that excerpt also answered your question about when prototyping is required and when it is not. To summarize:

Building a prototype of a weapon, armor, or chassis also counts as a prototype for lower-valued (or equal) weapons, armors, and chassis. (I suspect that prototyping plasma armor serves as prototyping 3-res armor in light of the observation you made at CFC about the downgrading bug.)

Any tech that has a basic unit associated with it also prototypes weapon, armor and a chassis for the unit. Doctrine: Flexibility has the Transport Foil associated with it, so the foil chassis does not require prototyping. Planetary Networks has the Probe Unit associated with it and the Probe Unit uses a speeder chassis.

For the casual reader of this forum, chuft was playing his Lazymod (you can find a thread describing it in this forum), which has units only the AI is suppose to use.

The text file I referenced started as the Bug List in the SMAC Academy. As part of the bug-fixing project, mart took that list and annotated it ("--comment--"). Then Nevill took Mart's list and annotated that ("--comment by Nevill--"). In addition to annotating the Bug List, they also added some bugs that were not in the Bug List.

There are also additional bugs that we discovered after June 4, 2009, the date the annotated bug list was last updated. Interested readers should peruse the thread titles at the CGN SMAC/X - General/Help/Strategy forum.

You're welcome to post any questions about any of those threads here at CFC.

 

[Lefty Scaevola]

That would suggest that the games track what is prototyped with a single number for each category (armor, weapon, etc) and everything rated equalt to or lesser than that number is prototyped.

 

[vyeh]

For SMAC, such a system makes sense. For some reason, in many games I get missile launcher (synthetic fossil fuels) before gatling lasers (superconductor). If I have already prototyped missile launchers, it is a disincentive to prototype gatling lasers (of course, there is the morale boost that comes with a prototype).

There is a problem with the introduction of 3-res, 8-res, 3-pulse and 8-pulse armor. I suppose you could think of 3-res as the equivalent of plasma steel armor and a weaker form of hypnotic trance.

Since one doesn't have to prototype special abilities, this would make sense.

It certainly makes it easier in the design workshop if everything equal to or lesser than a category number is considered prototyped and it does give a little bit of reward to the player who systematically prototypes every new weapon or armor as they become available as that player will have more units with the prototype morale bonus.

 

[GooglyBoogly]

it also means that once you prototype planet busters you never need to prototype any weapon ever again.

 

[chuft]

Has anyone ever experimented with changing the strength of Planet Busters from 99 to, say, 98, or 55, or 20 or something? I wonder what would happen.

 

[Lefty Scaevola]

it also means that once you prototype planet busters you never need to prototype any weapon ever again.

Assuming missile payloads are tracked in the same counter as unit weapons.