Bug about "Analyze" button (1.49)

[Taera]

In my recent game i've encountered a not-very-nice bug.
Situation:
I am not a unit fan. I do not research Units, and therefore, Construction techs untill the mid-game.
So i didnt research Construction, nor fighters.
Suddenly an alien Carrier warped through damaging WP (=damaged carrier). I was pretty happy (free tech!) and built a boarding ship.
To avoid being caught by enemy's fighters i waited untill he warped through a warp point (and stopped there) and warped after him. Of course i captured the shieldless carrier.

Now the carrier had two techs i did not know: Cargo 2 and Fighters 1 (l. car, s. fighters).
So i sent the ship to nearest SY, unloaded the fighters and analyzed the carrier hoping to get at least 'construction' tech. I didnt put high hopes because the Research Potential was only "sizable".
OK, i scrapped. I go to the log and what do i see?
I received the following techs:
* Cargo lvl.2 (no wonder)
* Fighters 1 (ok..)
* Fighters 2!!!

AFAIR, I did not receive the Construction.
I see the reason that because i didnt have the tech but the analyze was "three technology levels i did not have" it just added me one more of the latest tech from the list.

Is this a bug? Was it fixed in Gold?

[dogscoff]

Not a bug.

You get fighters twice because you have 2 differnet fighter techs on the carrier: The carrier hull itself (which requires fighter tech + ship construction) and the fighter bay component, which requires fighter tech.

You don't get construction because construction isn't a _direct_ requirement of the fighter bay component or the carrier hull. It is an indirect requirement, yes, but that's not enough.

[Taera]

yea, but that isnt right - the fighters 2 is an expensive one for the early game and getting it just for the carrier is just not good. I dont see any reason for that.

[capnq]

I'm pretty sure you can't get a level of a tech more advanced than the opponent already has.

If so, that would imply that he already has medium fighters, but didn't have any loaded on that carrier.

[Bman]

Yep. It must have been either a medium carrier or it was carrying fighter bay-II components. So by analyzing both the fighter bays and the carrier you got 2 levels of fighter tech. But it definately should be a bug if the ship was a small carrier with fighter-bay-I

[Taera]

Very well...
Small carrier with:
-Standard control set
-Ion Engine III
-Fighter Bays I
-Supply storage II

Loaded with small fighters with ion engines, small duc III and thats it.

[dogscoff]

Oh, sorry, I misunderstood. In your original post you said Now the carrier had two techs i did not know: Cargo 2 and Fighters 1 (l. car, s. fighters).<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I assumed this meant "large carriers, small fighters"

If it was actually a small carrier then you're right, that's wrong.

[Taera]

I realy do need to test it...hmm...
*launches SEIV.........*

OK, there is a bug.
I've saved the game. Look at the design of the ship at "enemy ships" and then scroll through the log.

Uhh... i cant post the file here. should i upload it to the mod forum or just e-mail someone?

[dogscoff]

Hmm... if there _is_ a bug where you can analyse two tech level Y items and get tech level Y+1 as a result, then it could be exploited by two friendly empires working together:

-Empire 1 researches fighter tech I. Gifts a carrier to empire 2.

-Empire 2 analyses the carrier for fighter tech I and II. Builds a more advanced carrier, gifts it back to empire 1...

I'm sure someone would have noticed this by now.