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View Full Version : oh, the abuse


Puke
January 10th, 2001, 10:44 AM
here is another bug in the ai http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon12.gif

some people will probably think me lame for even wondering if this can be done (if they dont already) but here is a little abuse for the trade / gift functions.

if you give two people the same thing, on the same turn, it goes to the one who has their turn next. so, for example if you are player 2 and you give planet X to player 1 and 3, 3 gets it since his turn is next. likewise if you were player 1 and gave to 2 and 3, 2 would get it. you get the idea.

I have tried this in turn based and simul-move, it works the same way in both (except for when the actual transaction takes place, based on end-of-turn resolutions). so for example, if you traded planet X to player 3 and 4 in exchange for a load of stuff, player 4 would be sh-- out of luck. now, if player 4 was a human, he would probably not play with you anymore. if player 3 was a human, he would be just as lame as you, and you would deserve each other. you can see how two players could use this to swap things between them while bleeding the AI dry.

now, if youre wondering if it just cancels the trade when the second player does not get what he wants, the answer is 'no.' so if planet X was part of a trade deal, it only gets given once, but everyone who agreed to a deal still pays out for their end.

it would be *nice* if the item-transfer / trade routines checked for availability before completing the transaction, so if the thing isnt there it turns the accept into a reject and maybe adds a dialogue line for "you dont have that item to trade anymore, you treacherous prick. and stop reading puke's cheesy abuses while your at it! this means war!"

kids, dont try this at home - people will think its a troll and no one will like you http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon12.gif

WhiteHojo
January 10th, 2001, 06:00 PM
Puke, you sound like a man after my own heart - of course, I'm an attorney and get paid to be sneaky and look for loopholes w/in the law/framework of rules.

Very clever.

apache
January 10th, 2001, 06:39 PM
Well, that would only be a problem if both parties accepted the trade. If player 4 does not accept the trade, then you do not have that problem. But the problem is that you can offer the same thing to two players on the same turn. I think that if you offer something to one player, you should not be able to offer the same thing to another. Or at the very least, if the first player accepts your trade, it should automatically cancel the next proposed trade if you do not control everything you proposed to trade.

Jubala
January 11th, 2001, 01:13 AM
Puke, have you mailed MM about this? They need to know.

Puke
January 11th, 2001, 01:56 AM
yep, reported. dont know how busy they are though. not like this is a real crucial bug either.

Emperor Zodd
January 11th, 2001, 01:59 AM
I wish MM would post stuff here on this forum once in a while to keep us informed and to exchange ideas.

Puke
January 11th, 2001, 02:04 AM
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Emperor Zodd:
I wish MM would post stuff here on this forum once in a while to keep us informed and to exchange ideas.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

they do. Richard Posts here every so often, and seems to read the threads. Many beta testers are Online here. take heart, you are not forsaken!

Richard
January 11th, 2001, 04:30 PM
The best way to contact Aaron is via email, he respond to every email he gets.

This forum can get crazy and it is easy to loose individual Messages http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon12.gif.

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Sarge is coming...

Richard Arnesen
Director of Covert Ops
Shrapnel Games
http://www.shrapnelgames.com

Atrocities
January 12th, 2001, 01:51 AM
Oh Puke, this is so evil is good. http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>you can see how two players could use this to swap things between them while bleeding the AI dry.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

The AI won't know what hit em. (Not that I would ever do such a thing.) But its nice to know that you can. http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

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"We've made too many compromises already, too many retreats! They invade our space and we fall back -- they assimilate entire worlds and we fall back! Not again! The line must be drawn here -- this far, no further! And I will make them pay for what they've done!" -- Patric Stewart as Captain Picard
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