Yet another planet capture problem

[Slick]

Originally posted by geoschmo:
Well slick. Looks like you were right. I have confirmed that the units in cargo are destroyed during the invasion. Not sure what happened there, but I don't think it was an intentional change. Unless I am misunderstanding the entries in teh history file. Guess we need to report this to Malfador.

Geoschmo

I will play around some more to get some data and do some testing and report my results here and to MM. BTW how exactly did you test this? I will be trying to rule out as many variables as possible.

[edit: maybe this is an undesired byproduct of the change to kill WP's first during a planet capture???]

Slick.

[ February 12, 2003, 05:10: Message edited by: Slick ]

[PsychoTechFreak]

maybe this is an undesired byproduct of the change to kill WP's first during a planet capture???

I don't think so, my laptop SE Version is not yet patched and I always have seen the same issue. Planet capturing with or without bombardement resets planet cargo. Sats and mines are not launched during combat (maybe intended?) as far as I recall, just drones and fighters.

OTOH, what if planet cargo would be completely filled with units? Where do your troops go in this case?

[couslee]

at first glance I also thougt I had captured planets before with the cargo unaffected, but then i got to thinking, that those may have been surrendered planets, and not troop-taken planets. Not 100% sure about Sats in cargo either, sure I have captured planets via troops and kept the WPs, but anything else is in a grey area.

[dogscoff]

I have been taking planets in tactical lately (ie, in 1.84) without bombardment, and have noticed that all weapons platforms are destroyed in every case.

[Fyron]

Originally posted by PsychoTechFreak:
OTOH, what if planet cargo would be completely filled with units? Where do your troops go in this case?

Cargo storage can have more cargo than the limit. The troops just get added to the cargo area. Try building a Cargo Storage Facility, and then fill the planet with units. Scrap the facility, and all the units remain there and work fine. You can't add more, of course, and you can't just move one off and then back on. This only happens with Planet cargo, and not ship cargo.

[PsychoTechFreak]

Cargo storage can have more cargo than the limit. The troops just get added to the cargo area. Try building a Cargo Storage Facility, and then fill the planet with units. Scrap the facility, and all the units remain there and work fine. You can't add more, of course, and you can't just move one off and then back on.

Yeah, I see this nice feature also with an abbidon home planet with ex-extended cargo racial ability (proportions), it has now 18/15 facilities and I should better not scrap the cultural centers to free space for computer complex or similar.

I just fear a little chance of probably non-capturable full planets if this would be fixed because of a probably different combat cargo handling, probably like transfer from ship to planet. Most unlikely, but who knows.

[Fyron]

Your dropped troops just overflow the cargo space of the planet, using up something like 15000/3000 (as an example).

[steveh11]

Problem? Just blat it with your orbiting spacecraft until the # of troops defending is low enough that you're sure of success!

Works for me...
(Even in Proportions - where taking out Homeworlds is sometimes a /very/ slow and deliberate process!)
Steve.

[Slick]

Before I notify MM of this, are we all in agreement that cargo which is undestroyed by bombardment/combat during planet capture should be captured and turned over to the control of the conquering empire?

I can't think of any good reason to have the cargo destroyed. Obviously the intent of MM was to be able to capture the planet in as much of a useable condition as possible. If the intent of the defending empire was to use a "scorched earth" tactic, it surely would destroy facilities before cargo. Since this has never worked that way, I think this cargo thing is a bug.

Thoughts?

Slick.

[dogscoff]

Before I notify MM of this, are we all in agreement that cargo which is undestroyed by bombardment/combat during planet capture should be captured and turned over to the control of the conquering empire?

I can't think of any good reason to have the cargo destroyed.

I wouldn't object to a few random units/ facilities being destroyed at random once in a while, but I don't think a 100% destruction rate of units is good.

Of course it would be best if Malfador made the fix moddable so anyone who wants to play it diferently still can (and modders have another toy to play with.)