Another 1.5 bug

Has anyone seen this bug? How can an AI who has a -9800 bank be able to tribute to me 30/4 turns as a bribe. For that matter, I've also seen it happen where ALL races major and minor are bankrupt (-3k or more) with hardly a ship besides their survey ship be able to come up with transports and freighters? I had one AI that was -6800 in the bank with one planet remaining. He had a population of about 1.6B and he somehow came up with 1 transport/turn for the next 6 turns and he used them to dump 1/2 his population onto it. 800M turn 1, 400M turn 2, 200M turn 3, 100M turn 4, 50M turn 5, 25M turn 6. I blew them all up with my Hero survey ship and invaded with 1B troop on turn 7.

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Reply #1 Top
There is a thread specifically for 1.05 bugs. The forum admins would probably prefer you put these there.

~SDC~
Reply #2 Top
I will post a reply here, because I don't think this is a bug. The A.I. is allowed more leway when it comes to deficit spending. The very fact that there can be a negative income implies that they are already spending money that they don't have. They just add to the deficit ala California.

The real question is not how the A.I. can do this, but why the Terrans cannot. My guess is that it comes down to a game balancing issue.
Reply #3 Top
Well it don't explain the blatent cheat I saw earlier. To me, it really is not that big a deal. But I saw a minro race colony ship colonize a system, and immediatly have another colony ship in orbit in that system. A free one, like it got it from a colonizing event. (no other planets colonized in that system). I checked it out via reload testing, and it happened about 75% of the time. It certainly was unexpected. It was a maso game, but it should not matter how much a production bonus the AI gets, or even if it leased it as soon as it colonized the system, it should not have been available until the next turn. It was not the same colony ship either, the free one had a different ship number.
Reply #4 Top
Okay, if I understand you correctly, it's not the deficit spending that disturbs you, but the instant creation of a colony ship in a system in the same turn as it colonized the system. Here's what I think happened, but I could be wrong:

The colony ship was not created on the turn when the planet was colonized it only seems that way. When you click the "Turn" button, what actually happens is that all the autopilot and A.I. ship movements take place for the end of the current turn. That is, your turn is over, but the A.I. is still finishing up it's tasks for the current turn. This is when the minor colonized the planet and decided to build a new colony ship. Then the new turn technically begins and the minor has his new, shiney colony ship. It only seems like it all happens in the same turn because it all happens after you click the turn button. Make sense?
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Reply #5 Top
If what you say is true I'd nevr win a game! If income is positive but the Kitty is empty (-500 bc or more)for the AI 'production still continues!' (unlike the Terrans where -500 bc stops all production and research even if you have a positive cash flow).

I've never played a maso where I've survived long enough to notice any cheating by the AI. But on all other levels I can't say I've ever seen anything that can't be explained (ship build Qs etc). :notsure: