Troops and Happiness question

[Kamog]

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but my understanding is that the happiness benefit of troops on a planet is based only on the number of troops present. The game doesn't care what components are on the troops or what size they are. So the cheapest way to increase happiness on a planet is to use lots of small troops with no weapons or shields.

This just doesn't make sense to me. It would be better if large troops help improve the happiness more than having the same number of small troops. Is there a way to mod troops such that large troops improve the happiness more than small troops? I took a look at the data files and the answer seems to be no, but I'm not experienced at modding so I'm not sure. Do you know if it's possible? Thanks!

[Captain Kwok]

Unfortunately no.

The troop happiness setting is defined in the happiness.txt data file in each happiness type.

[Fyron]

One way you could look at it is that the small troops have greater numbers, so they can be in more places at once. More policing, more presence inspiring awe (or fear), etc. What's more effective as a police force, a few tanks or a few dozen infantry?

[Atrocities]

Men with guns running around the planet inforcing their will on the populaitons is not what I would consider "improving happiness." We all know from many reports that many of the planetary police forces are currpt bastards who prey on the unarmed citizans of the worlds they have been tasked with protecting. They take young women and have their way with them and get away with it because any one who tries to stop them gets beaten, shot, or sent to prison on some trumped up bogus criminal charge. They extort money from the populations as a "protection" fee, while doing nothing to curve the criminal elements that pleague our worlds.

Freedom of speech is a joke on most planets as we all know. The police, the very people who are paid to "serve and protect" are the only ones with guns so they serve and protect only those that can afford to pay their fees and all of the others are treated like slaves.

Just try and form a rebellion on one of these worlds and see what happens. You'll end up dead like most of the homeless children have. No, happiness given on the heal of oppression is not true happiness, its imposed acceptance that hope has died.

Death to the police! Power to the people!

[Randallw]

Your reply is strange Atrocities because, correct me if I'm wrong, a STmod game, at least an old version I am in, will cease to work if the ai puts unarmed troops on its planets http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[PvK]

War is Peace
Freedom is Slavery
Ignorance is Strength

[TurinTurambar]

Imperator Fyron said:
One way you could look at it is that the small troops have greater numbers, so they can be in more places at once. More policing, more presence inspiring awe (or fear), etc. What's more effective as a police force, a few tanks or a few dozen infantry?


The way I've always seen it, Armed Troops equate to military, and those living next to a military base in this world don't necessarily feel anymore protected than anyone else. They DO however feel comfortable with the knowledge that their sovreignty is protected by a large military force, hence population happiness with a fleet in orbit or nearby in the system.
Unarmed troops would equate to a police force; not heavily armed, but there to ensure order. People feel better about their neighborhoods when they know they have a good police force watching out for things.

Just my $0.02
TT

[Wenin]

Let's all remember that these people that are becoming happy with military presence are living in a universe where there are aggresive races out there looking to wipe their planet clean of all traces of their life.

So with that thought, I think Weapon Platforms should provide happiness. =)

[TurinTurambar]

I concur with that thought. That being said, I've never successfully defended a planet with WP's alone.

[Alneyan]

TurinTurambar said:
I concur with that thought. That being said, I've never successfully defended a planet with WP's alone.



Heh, weapon platforms can get the job done against a lone raider, particularly missile boats. If nothing else, the platform does protect the inhabitants, and partial damage can save the day.

Then again, an utterly unprotected homeworld of mine did survive an attack (led by four warships), without even losing one facility. Well, that must mean my people are the Chosen Ones, or some such... and I'm at least a divinity or a similar being of great power, since I lead the most exalted Empire in the whole universe. That doesn't sound too bad.

[Wenin]

Were the warships all minesweepers? =)

[Alneyan]

Minesweepers posing as warships? Could be actually: Minesweeper has been known to destroy the productivity of some workers. It isn't a very deadly weapon, though.

All four vessels were equipped with weaponry and supplies, though I don't recall for sure whether they used Direct Fire weapons or Seekers. Of course, Seekers are known to have a few bugs, but Direct Fire is a good deal more likely at turn 50 (when the attack occurred).

For what it's worth, we both concluded it was a bug, and I no longer have the savegame as my harddrive crashed since then.

[Wenin]

Did you see the Dr Who episode they aired on Scifi channel this past friday?

Guy was claiming ambulances were warships, since they are used in wars. =)


The group I play with ran into a bug where you can have a fleet with a troop transport set to capture planet, fleet set to capture planet.... but the capturing of the planet never occurs. The planet had no population, and no defenses.... so the troop transport refused to land troops. Very odd.

[Suicide Junkie]

Planets with no population cause that issue.
Nobody sees it as a valid target.

[Kamog]

Thank you for all the thoughtful replies, everyone. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[TurinTurambar]

Kamog said:
Thank you for all the thoughtful replies, everyone. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif


Yes, yes.... all the thoughtful replies completely off-topic to the question of data files. LOL. We rule!

[psimancer]

whoa there sj so the game i'm in where a enemy has a planet but never populated it
effectivly said planet is immune to troop transport ships
the only way is destroy and colonize

darn

[Strategia_In_Ultima]

Well, since the "colony" has no population, facilities, units or anything else, you cannot destroy it. For a colony to be "destroyed" in combat, you need to kill off all the population, but since said colony never had any population to start with, it is untouchable and can only be removed A.) by the owner or B.) by a solar nuke. Power to the empty colonies.

[narf poit chez BOOM]

Well, destroying the planet will probably work.

[Strategia_In_Ultima]

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I believe you can't destroy a planet with a colony? Could be mistaken, I guess.

[Fyron]

You can shoot empty colonies in combat. You can blow up colonized worlds with tectonic bombs.

[psimancer]

ok so i can shoot empty colonies thus removing them (its gotta have a base hitpoint value which i damage
thus the empty colonie structures are destroyed

now back on original question target the happiness txt file lists "Our Troops on Planet := -2" is that minus 2 per troop per turn (for those who don't know rioting is positive 100 happiness value unmodded)
and if so then 10 troopes would subtract 20 per turn thus dropping from riot(100) to angry(74) in 2 turns (if those are the actual numbers at the time)
is this correct ???

[Fyron]

Happiness.txt values are in tenths. Maximal anger should be thought of as 1000, rather than 100, to directly use the values without decimal conversions.

10 troops drop anger levels by 2% per turn. To get the maximal decrease of 20% (if there are no positive anger modifiers in effect), you need 100 troops.

Note that this means that an Urban Pacification Center III is equaled by a paltry 15 small troops... Not that useful of a facility once you undome your planets. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/frown.gif