Influence not computing properly

from Stardock Forums
I'm trying to culture bomb a Torian planet. So I built 3 starbases with +60% cultural influence, I also have a planet in the sector with culture influence of 1 with an embassy. When I quit the game I had influence in the sector of over 1000 points to the Torian 329. When I resumed the game, my influence was only about 100 and it was my planet that was in a 'secessionist' mood! A turn later my influence was back over 1000. Probably, the 100 is the correct figure, now that I think about it. There is some kind of bug though, I think.
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Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top
No, this is a problem with the influence computations. According to Brad, influence is computed with an algorithm that is called every turn, using the previous turn's influence calculations. Reloading a game means the calculations have to start over from the begining (using as the base, the influence generated by your systems). It fixes itself within a few turns, depending on the galaxy size.

~SDC~
Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top
Thank you, but it's not practical for me to leave my computer on all the time. Otherwise, every time I load the game I risk losing a planet. :sniff!:
Multiplicity - Control multiple PCs using one keyboard and mouse
Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top
Yeah, your numbers before the reload were the right ones. Give it a couple turns and they'll return to normal. It's a bit annoying when saving right before a Cultural victory, but otherwise doesn't make much of a difference. :)

- Ash

~SDC~
Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top

#2 by Citizen playshogi - 4/11/2003 10:55:12 AM
Thank you, but it's not practical for me to leave my computer on all the time. Otherwise, every time I load the game I risk losing a planet.


I would guess that the same holds true for the AI. When the savegame is loaded both you and the AI are back to a 'neutral' influence, then after a few turns the modified values are calculated. If the AI doesn't suffer this 'game math' then I agree.



~SDC~
Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top
"Otherwise, every time I load the game I risk losing a planet."

The 'reset time' is pretty short; to lose a planet in that duration of time you'd have to be BADLY out-cultured in that sector... probably badly enough that you'd have been in trouble even before the reload, I would think.

- Ash

~SDC~
Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top
"its a state computation that should be stored in a save game file"

Agreed.

- Ash

~SDC~
Reply #8 from Stardock Forums Top
I don't think its that easy. ALOT of games have this same type of issue. Both Europa Universalis II and Medieval Total War had numbers that didn't update properly for a few turns when reopening a file. In EUII it was monthly budget numbers.

I suspect that unless lazy game designers ran rampant over 3 of my all time favorite games, that there is more to it than simply saving a variable in a save game file.
Reply #9 from Stardock Forums Top
Also agreed, Valamir. I didn't say it would necessarily be easy to do, just that it would be an improvement to do it. :)

- Ash

~SDC~
Reply #10 from Stardock Forums Top
Do you guys have the latest patch? As far as I know, this got fixed in one of the patches, and my last game (in which I did save and re-load a few times), I didn't observe it.

The influence curve looked just as smooth as it should, without the downward spikes for save/loads which I had in my earlier games.
Reply #11 from Stardock Forums Top
"Do you guys have the latest patch?"

1.02.042, so yes. But I don't think I've tried a cultural gambit since DLing, and I don't think I've even loaded a save game since then, either -- I tend to leave my computer on 24/7, and with GalCiv so alt-tab friendly, I never have to close the program. So it's quite possible they fixed it and I just haven't noticed yet. :)

- Ash

~SDC~
Reply #12 from Stardock Forums Top
What got fixed was the Cultural Victory Timer as I recall.

It used to be that if you get to the point where you have 12 turns to win and it counts down to three, but then you reload, the screwy reloading issue would take your down below what you needed...then when it reset in a couple of turns, the counter would start over.

Now you still have the screwy reloading issue, but when you start over it remembers where you were and continues the countdown.
Reply #13 from Stardock Forums Top
I've got 1.02.41, so I'm reasonably up to date. On reload my influence is 111 and theirs in 329. After a few turns mine goes up to 1000+ and theirs is still 329.
It's my planet with the skull and crossbones.
Reply #14 from Stardock Forums Top
"I've got 1.02.41, so I'm reasonably up to date. On reload my influence is 111 and theirs in 329. After a few turns mine goes up to 1000+ and theirs is still 329.
It's my planet with the skull and crossbones."

That skull and crossbones never seems to go away for me... I posted it as a possible bug yesterday I believe. Last time I had it, I never lost the planet, but even after I had long regained cultural supremacy in the sector, the icon was still there...

- Ash

~SDC~