There's been quite a lot of discussion about various tactics as exploits the last few SG's. And naturally, there are different opinions on what counts as an exploit, and what doesn't, especially as the number of people playing has grown. I think it might be a good idea to lay down a list of tactics that some people consider exploitative, and decide which ones we're going to do without.
My suggestion is to start a list, and split the 'exploits' into two categories. First, are the tactics that are never allowed. These would be akin to the RoP rape in Civ 3; so devastatingly powerful as to break the game. The second would be a list of tactics that we might enable for certain extreme adventures to avoid premature loss, but would otherwise take off the table because they are very strong, or the AI can't handle them properly. Every game would have which of these are valid and which are not as part of the scenario information.
This will be the "repository" post. I'll list off the tactics I've seen come up so far, in no particular order, and try to be as objective as possible in describing them. I'll update this post as others suggest further additions. Things listed here are NOT on any list yet; they are proposals for discussion. Hopefully, we'll have a civilized debate, and come up with something that everybody can live with. The goal of this is to eliminate confusion and misconceptions, so everybody is playing by the same rules.
dathon
Tactics Under Exploit Consideration
*Spectator Wars: Asking one race to declare war on another with no intention of joining in the fighting. Such wars are usually started with the sole purpose being to sour relations for council votes or to weaken a strong opponent. This action has been called exploitative in the past because the AI will often declare war for nothing when asked, even against current allies.
*Retreating Ships: Whenever the AI retreats from a planet, the fleet is always re-directed to its closest owned planet. The player, however, has the option to re-direct the fleet anywhere on the map, including staying in the system. This can give a huge advantage to missile/bomber ships, allowing them to wittle down fleets and bases with very little loss that they would not otherwise be able to defeat.
*Yo-yo exploit: I'm using the phrase coined by Blake
The AI is hard coded to try and avoid any missile on the tactical screen it can outrun, even if the damage taken from a hit would be minimal. This allows the player to "pin" enemy ships in the back rows of the tactical grid by firing slow missiles at ships as they approach, wait for them to retreat out of range, and repeat as they close again. In the mean time, the fleet is taking damage from planetary missile bases, since those rounds do not have a maximum range. This often results in the player being able to defeat a clearly superior attack fleet with an obsolete missile boat stack and a few missile bases.
*Threatening to Attack: The player has the option to threaten the AI with attack. This has the effect of causing any fleets currently inbound to player worlds to instantly retreat, and sometimes results in the gift of an obsolete tech. This tactic is usually used when the AI has a fleet inbound to a world that the player cannot adequately defend. Some feel that this tactic is exploitive as the AI often backs down from such threats, even if they have a clear power and/or military advantage. Also can be used to brow-beat a cowardly AI with repeated use for multiple techs without much penalty.
*Using the 'Wait' Button: Some people feel that the use of the wait button in and of itself falls into the exploit category because the AI does not have this capability. This allows, among other things, for fast bombers to out-run slow missiles, "training" the AI to attack decoy ships, etc.
*Baiting AI fleets with worthless ships: The AI will try to attack any ship it feels it can beat on the tactical sceen, even if that will result in significant damage/desctruction of the attacking fleet with respect to the value of the target. Probably the best example is using unarmed scout ships over planets with missile bases to destroy enemy ships.
*Bribing: The AI in Moo can be pursuaded to do just about anything with enough bribes of BC or outdated tech. Can be considered an exploit if used to excess.
*Tech Trading: The AI will place irrationally high values on some techs that it cannot use, or are out-dated. The best example is the Silicoids, who will trade dearly for Soil and Advanced Soil Enrichment, but can never use it. Similarly, everybody else will trade high for Soil even if they already have Advanced Soil.
My suggestion is to start a list, and split the 'exploits' into two categories. First, are the tactics that are never allowed. These would be akin to the RoP rape in Civ 3; so devastatingly powerful as to break the game. The second would be a list of tactics that we might enable for certain extreme adventures to avoid premature loss, but would otherwise take off the table because they are very strong, or the AI can't handle them properly. Every game would have which of these are valid and which are not as part of the scenario information.
This will be the "repository" post. I'll list off the tactics I've seen come up so far, in no particular order, and try to be as objective as possible in describing them. I'll update this post as others suggest further additions. Things listed here are NOT on any list yet; they are proposals for discussion. Hopefully, we'll have a civilized debate, and come up with something that everybody can live with. The goal of this is to eliminate confusion and misconceptions, so everybody is playing by the same rules.
dathon
Tactics Under Exploit Consideration
*Spectator Wars: Asking one race to declare war on another with no intention of joining in the fighting. Such wars are usually started with the sole purpose being to sour relations for council votes or to weaken a strong opponent. This action has been called exploitative in the past because the AI will often declare war for nothing when asked, even against current allies.
*Retreating Ships: Whenever the AI retreats from a planet, the fleet is always re-directed to its closest owned planet. The player, however, has the option to re-direct the fleet anywhere on the map, including staying in the system. This can give a huge advantage to missile/bomber ships, allowing them to wittle down fleets and bases with very little loss that they would not otherwise be able to defeat.
*Yo-yo exploit: I'm using the phrase coined by Blake
The AI is hard coded to try and avoid any missile on the tactical screen it can outrun, even if the damage taken from a hit would be minimal. This allows the player to "pin" enemy ships in the back rows of the tactical grid by firing slow missiles at ships as they approach, wait for them to retreat out of range, and repeat as they close again. In the mean time, the fleet is taking damage from planetary missile bases, since those rounds do not have a maximum range. This often results in the player being able to defeat a clearly superior attack fleet with an obsolete missile boat stack and a few missile bases.*Threatening to Attack: The player has the option to threaten the AI with attack. This has the effect of causing any fleets currently inbound to player worlds to instantly retreat, and sometimes results in the gift of an obsolete tech. This tactic is usually used when the AI has a fleet inbound to a world that the player cannot adequately defend. Some feel that this tactic is exploitive as the AI often backs down from such threats, even if they have a clear power and/or military advantage. Also can be used to brow-beat a cowardly AI with repeated use for multiple techs without much penalty.
*Using the 'Wait' Button: Some people feel that the use of the wait button in and of itself falls into the exploit category because the AI does not have this capability. This allows, among other things, for fast bombers to out-run slow missiles, "training" the AI to attack decoy ships, etc.
*Baiting AI fleets with worthless ships: The AI will try to attack any ship it feels it can beat on the tactical sceen, even if that will result in significant damage/desctruction of the attacking fleet with respect to the value of the target. Probably the best example is using unarmed scout ships over planets with missile bases to destroy enemy ships.
*Bribing: The AI in Moo can be pursuaded to do just about anything with enough bribes of BC or outdated tech. Can be considered an exploit if used to excess.
*Tech Trading: The AI will place irrationally high values on some techs that it cannot use, or are out-dated. The best example is the Silicoids, who will trade dearly for Soil and Advanced Soil Enrichment, but can never use it. Similarly, everybody else will trade high for Soil even if they already have Advanced Soil.
"A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject."
"It is not the fall that kills you. it's the sudden stop at the end." -- D. Adams
"Don't you hate it when your boogers freeze?" -- Calvin
"Very funny, Scotty, now beam back my clothes!!"
"It is not the fall that kills you. it's the sudden stop at the end." -- D. Adams
"Don't you hate it when your boogers freeze?" -- Calvin
"Very funny, Scotty, now beam back my clothes!!"
) the Wait command exploit. Can you (or anybody) provide a description so I can add it to the thread? What is the specific issue with it, and why is it considered exploitive?