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Experimentor stealth what-if

Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2018 9:10 pm
by defaultuser
This is a little "out there". I have had experience in the past where an Ion Storm moved over the Experimentor world. That has a natural stealth of 165, IS adds 40 for a total of 205, so the 200 of Omni-scanner can't see it. You have to wait for the storm to clear.

Now, suppose there is a Space Volcano wandering about, and it happens to be at a system where a starlane to the Experimentor system opens, either due to the player using a bore or release of monsters. Could the SV follow that lane into the system and lay on the Volcanic Ash special that also adds 40 stealth? Or does something keep it from either going in or applying the special?

If if could, then you'd have a permanent 205 stealth.

Re: Experimentor stealth what-if

Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2018 9:38 am
by AndrewW
It's possible to get to 210 with a Panopticon. Had to do this once myself, had a planet I couldn't see even with 200.

Re: Experimentor stealth what-if

Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2020 2:54 pm
by Oberlus
There are three macros in monster.macros that govern monster movement:
  • MONSTER_MOVE_ALWAYS: makes monsters move to a random adjacent system every turn, starting from turn 10, and avoiding going to the Experimentor Outpost. This is the one used by most wandering monsters.
  • MONSTER_MOVE_PRE <[0..1]> MONSTER_MOVE_POST_NOT_OWNED: moves with random probability [0..1] to an unowned system. Only used by the dampening cloud (fuel soaker) with 0.1 probability. I presume the Experimentor Outpost is owned and thus it is excluded.
  • MONSTER_MOVE_PRE <[0..1]> MONSTER_MOVE_POST: same as above but it can go to any kind of system (owned or not), an so it could go to the Experimentor Outpost system. It is only used by the monsters that increases planetary stealth (Space Volcano/Cloud, Dimensional Drifter and Behemoth of the Void), with probability 1. So this is as the MONSTER_MOVE_ALWAYS without the restriction for Experimentor.
So it is possible to make the experimentors planet >210 stealth and hence impossible to detect.

I suggest changing the [[MONSTER_MOVE_PRE]]1[[MONSTER_MOVE_POST]] of Space Volcano/Cloud, Dimensional Drifter and Behemoth of the Void to [[MONSTER_MOVE_ALWAYS]].

OK?

Re: Experimentor stealth what-if

Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2020 6:25 pm
by Vezzra
Personally I'd prefer if those monsters were removed completely...

Re: Experimentor stealth what-if

Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2020 6:30 pm
by Oberlus
Vezzra wrote: Sun Apr 05, 2020 6:25 pm Personally I'd prefer if those monsters were removed completely...
Noted.

I'll open a poll, eventually, once I get some ideas for them (apart from removing them or leave them as they are).
Because they are monsters, they should do something monstrous, not just delaying colonisation/invasion of some worlds.

Re: Experimentor stealth what-if

Posted: Mon Apr 06, 2020 6:18 pm
by Ophiuchus
The game purpose the stealth-adding-monster cascade (badly) fulfils is masking a neighbours stealthy colonization. If a planet suddenly goes stealth it could be because of the monster or of some neighbour. You need to upgrade stealth to find out. So this monster is part of the "stealth story" and should be revisited in that context.

Re: Experimentor stealth what-if

Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2020 2:38 pm
by Vezzra
Ophiuchus wrote: Mon Apr 06, 2020 6:18 pmSo this monster is part of the "stealth story" and should be revisited in that context.
This.