24-03-2000 09:34									#1
	Automatic Tubes Avatar Enlargement: We've got the solution

Watch out. The AI can take literally 5 to 10 minutes to make a move with automatic tubes.
In my current game, playing on the Asia download map, I, unfortunately, asked many of my 200+ formers to perform automatic tubes. What I have found is that this has just about ruined the game. The AI takes literally forever to make a move when an automatic tube former is selected. AND - there is no way to interrupt the former and cancel the command. You just have to sit there and take the abuse, or go off and do something else - (humm?).

Ned

	24-03-2000 14:35									#2
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

Serves you right for automating anything in this game! If I can make a suggestion, which was inferred from some info that was discovered by research into the knowledge of the wisdom inscribed on a wall in a small cave where a great teacher taught: "Do not put into the hand of an idiot that which is yours; you may lose much of it's usefulness."

'Idiot', artificial or otherwise.


Ok, so I am being a smarta$$; please forgive me...

	24-03-2000 21:34									#3
	Support Apolyton or Terrorists Win

Anunikoba, Thanks for the reply. I've learned a lot about the game from reading the posts on this forum. I had not seen this posted before, so I thought I would give a warning.

Just one more observation, the AI auto tube is extremely slow in areas of the map largely aready filled with cities, improvements and tubes. In remote areas, automatic tubes is slow, but by comparison, a lot faster. Automatic base improvers, seem not to be affected. They are fast, but make farms, which is not what I want - I want only forests.

Which brings me to a question, and maybe I should start a new thread on this, but is there a way to edit any file that would force the AI automatic former to build only forests outside of rocky areas, boreholes on flat rocky areas, and mines on other rocky areas?

I have already set the automation preferences to exclude fungus removal, roads, and other improvements. The formers still build sensors, bunkers, farms and solar panels. I simply don't want these built.

Ned

	25-03-2000 01:50									#4
	Got spare money?

Automation is evil!
I kinda like to keep my controll on things and therefor almost never turn on any automated features...exception beeing tubes in the end of the game.

But to the question of making a former automatically plant forests etc in certain places, I don't really know.
However I think the next fix should include the option of marking areas for automated forming.
ie. Marking some spots for forest and some for roads etc... The option of wether to assign only one former to do the job or to assign any available former to proceed to nearest available job would make the game MUCH more playable. (even if it is very playable allready...to the extent of robbing my very much so needed sleep).


Christopher

	25-03-2000 20:16									#5
	Get a bigger avatar today!

While I agree in general that the automation is apalling (I've seen the governors build a Cent. Preserve in a size 3 base, in MY 2240), one automation actually works well. Sea formers. Automated sea formers actually do build kelp in every square, and build mines and harnesses roughly 50/50. All together, not bad.

	26-03-2000 09:33									#6
	Support Apolyton, buy GURPS/ Alpha Centauri

There was a thread recently on whether you could force formers to plant only forests. The conclusion, as I recall, was that you couldn't - there were a few suggestions for working towards it, but these involved making the ability to create farms dependent on certain techs etc etc.