Compiled Commentary on SMAC's and SMAX's Digital Controls

[Bertilak]

A centralized thread of information on the program's controls in SMAC and SMAX might alleviate clutter in the current forum.

Controls for aggressive behavior from factions with a fight value of negative one or lower appear in an important function for the computer's diplomatic controls. If the faction with a fight value of negative one or lower possesses an active diplomatic flag for "I want revenge" with another faction, then the program multiplies the pacificist faction's negative value for fight by negative one. Fight values in the specific function appear in calculations around allowed number of units for each faction in diplomatic contexts, comparisons of commerce rates between factions, and diplomatic flags for pacts and treaties between factions.

Humans, in other words, should not commit annoyances against the Gaians and Morganites in SMAC. Human players and angered computerized controllers over the Gaians and Morganites in a game might experience higher hostility in certain military situations, less tolerance for certain diplomatic interactions, and elevated refusals of certain diplomatic requests.

[Nexii]

This fits the Gaian lore of their war with the Spartans, lol

[Bertilak]

A few contradictions might exist between the Human Hive's and Peacekeeping Forces’ explicit modifications for artificial players around technology and research and the Hive’s and Peacekeepers’ stock flavor around technology and research.

The stock game’s mechanics mostly ignore the Hive's potential reductions in technological trade and research. SMAC's and SMAX's modifications for the computerized Hive explicitly reduces the Hive's interest in trading multiple technologies with other factions in a single diplomatic interaction. The Hive receives a maximal specific bonus in allocations of energy for research in the default factional rules, and additional increases in the Hive's allocations of energy for research can occur from increased Tech Cost in factional rules. The program later in the same function reduces allocations of energy into research based on the Hive's military units outside a controlled base. The default programming implies the Hive’s opposition for "free flow of information" in diplomatic interactions, allocation of some resources into research in peaceful diplomatic settings, possession of a safety lever for falling behind in technology, and large reductions in allocations of energy for research in martial diplomatic situations.

The Peacekeeper's explicit modifications for artificial players in diplomatic interactions and probe teams slightly differ from the Peacekeepers' stock flavor around "free flow of information" and technology. The Peacekeepers' only explicit diplomatic modifications for artificial players increase technological costs for explicit requests of war against a faction, avoid requests for "gimmeenergy" in formation of treaties of friendships, and avoid requests for war in formation of treaties of friendship. Increased costs for declarations of war follow the Peacekeepers’ name, but the modification never explicitly supports a policy for “free flow of information.” The Peacekeepers' only AI modifications around technology in support of "free flow of information" include increased probability for construction of probe teams. Probe teams generally require subterfuge and aggression against another faction, so the Peacekeepers' probe teams might aggressively liberate technology.