Unwanted Neighbours

[Proletariat]

I've been playing Pirates on a large ocean map and I've made with pacts with just about every human factions on Planet (save the Gaians who I only have a Treaty with, thanks to my Free Market policies.) Lately, for some reason, every one of them have decided to set up shop immediately next to my territorial waters and essentially hijacking all the surrounding squares, equipment and all. In one instance, the Peacekeepers made their way from halfway across the map to set up a base in a tiny gap completely surrounded by my own water bases.

Needless to say, this is extremely annoying. I don't want to go to war with them just to get rid of a couple of bases. I've been able to take control some of these bases through threats or trade, but that still leaves me with a useless and poorly-positioned base that I'd rather do without.

Does anyone why the computer do this? I mean, some of these base locations have absolutely no strategic value and aren't even economically viable (eg. smack dab in the middle of the ocean) For that matter, why do water bases only have 3-square radii anyways? The territory granted by a land base is huge by comparison, and they even get control over all adjacent water squares (whereas if someone sets up a land base anywhere near the land squares being used by your water base, you're screwed)

Also, in the datalinks, it says that all native units can be "released into the wild, to harass and disrupt an enemy." How are you supposed to this?

 

[YNCS]

The problem is, quite simply, that SMAC was originally designed for land bases, with water bases added pretty much as an afterthought. When SMAX and the Pirates came out, the water base control areas wasn't modified. It's an exploit that a landbased faction can use against any water base. There's not much you can do about it other than take over the other guys' land bases by whatever means available or appropriate.

 

[Proletariat]

Hmm... I don't think I made myself very clear in my OP. I don't have a problem with AI factions setting up land bases near my water bases. There are ways I can get around that. What I meant to say is that the AIs are setting up their own water bases right outside the 3-radius around my base, and absorbing some of my base squares into their territory in the process. Normally I'd just write this off as coincidence, since my bases are generally surrounded by kelp and other equipement that the AI would find desirable for a base. Except, in a lot of cases, the base is waaaaay off from the faction's HQ or where they had been expanding previously, and it's happening way too frequently. I don't think they've even built any new water bases that aren't bordering my territory anymore.

 

[Petek]

I've had the same problem with pactmates setting up sea bases immediately adjacent to my territory. If the sea colony pod ends a turn while in your territory, you could demand its withdrawal. They will probably keep coming back, however. That action might also degrade their attitude towards you.

You asked how to release native units into the wild. To do so, use the same command (Ctrl + Shift + U) that you use to turn over control of non-native units. When used with a native unit, you'll get an additional option to release it into the wild. As you probably had in mind, this could be the solution to your problem. Immediately after the other faction founds a sea base, release an IOD or Sea Lurk into the wild directly adjacent to the new base. With luck, the newly released life form will attack the undefended base and destroy it.

 

[Truronian]

Innapropriately close neighbours are the reason I don't play this game anymore. The same thing happens on land. I like to make large bases that don't overlap X's, and the AI just creeps up on my borders by building base afetr base two tiles away from one another.

 

[Proletariat]

Yeah, I've noticed that as well. Borders really ought to become fixed once they come in contact with another faction's border. Or at the very least, base squares should never change hands unless the bases are removed or captured. Oh well.

You asked how to release native units into the wild. To do so, use the same command (Ctrl + Shift + U) that you use to turn over control of non-native units.

You know, I've probably played this game a dozen times over, and this is the first time I've heard of it. Oddly enough, soon after reading this post, the Peacekeepers suddenly decides to give me a missile penetrator to "defend my bases against spartan aggression."

Also, I'm not sure what did it, but ever since my last post, all the AIs seem to have gone back to colonizing their own part of the planet. Weird.