Drengin Cheating (Mystery cash injection)

from Stardock Forums
While playing my last game towards the end the were only the Drengin and myself left in the game, no minor races nothing. I was thinking of going to war with them and thought I will keep and eye on their cash levels for a few turns and strike when they have the least cash.
As I looked I noticed something strange happen. On the first turn that I looked they were something like -500bc which looking at there spending seemed to indicate they were going to keep dropping at a steady rate of about 300 bc a turn. This did indeed happen for one more turn, -800 or so. Then when I looked on the 3rd turn they had managed to magically gain a huge amount of cash out of nowhere putting them right back up to +2000bc.

As you can imagine I am at a loss as to where this money came from all of a sudden seeing as there were no other races for them to extort money from.

Any Ideas?

By the way I was playing on sub-normal AI and after that incident I got my ass handed to me on a plate by the Drengin.

~SDC~
559 views 15 replies
Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top
I've noticed that many times.
May be it is just the way th AI is managing his economy (probably very different from a Human).
The drengins probably add a high spending rate and/or buying policy until they crossed the -500$ barrier.
At that point, they change to a 0% spending. Moving from -800 to +2000 is not that strange during end game

But, I could be wrong, of course


~SDC~
Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top
Makes perfect sense and does indeed happen. Try it yourself. Bring yourself to over -500 in debt and look at your economy screen. Your ENTIRE income will go into your treasurey next turn. Towards end game, this can be thousands!

Paul.

~SDC~
The Political Machine 2024
Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top
Solitair is absolutely right, first turn you start past -500bc, all production and research halts and everything goes to cash. Works the same for you as it does for them. On larger maps I've easily gotten 5000+ bc a turn from all cash production.
Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top
Another thing to point out is that the AI's extort money from other civs too, just like a player can do, and especially the Drengin seem to like doing that when they're strong militarily, in my experience.

Looking at the debug.err file after a game, it's nothing rare seeing them extort a few thousand bc's out of other races regularly.

/unic
Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top
As everyone else points out, this is perfectly normal. I've had it happen to me on occasion, and it happens to the AIs quite often. I keep the map filter for production on, so when the AI's planets "shrink," I check their treasury, and they're 500+ in the hole. Next turn, they have thousands simply because they're not spending anything for one turn.

~SDC~
Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top
Interesting... I'd seen the same thing and figured the AI was subject to random events that give them cash, much like the player. Didn't know about the > -500 cash turnaround.
Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top
Well, it probably gets those as well. :)

~SDC~
Reply #8 from Stardock Forums Top
Yup i was shocked in one game to see all my production halt when i was about 700 in debt, i was doubly shocked to see 3 turns later i had 14,000 in my bank!

*Wonders if i tell my bank im in such debt they will put money in my account* :P

~SDC~
Reply #9 from Stardock Forums Top
Don't forget that while your treasury can jump a few thousand credits you get ZERO production and ZERO research during that turn.

Paul.

~SDC~
Reply #10 from Stardock Forums Top
I see it as a good sacrifice.

Later in the game by going into debt, i can earn enough money in a few turns, to produce an Avatar from each planet by buying it outright, albeit i already have the tech advantage by then ;) It can be good sometimes to stop production and research in favour of earning 10K++ a turn.

~SDC~
Reply #11 from Stardock Forums Top
AS far as I can tell there was no way he could of earned that much in one turn. I was playing on a tiny galaxy and our cash flows were both very similar about 500 income per turn. Whenever ive been badly in debt and production stops I've never gained that much on a galaxy this size.
Reply #12 from Stardock Forums Top
The AI isnt cheating... it's just smarter than you. I can (and have) force my economy to perform a sort of "rubberband" effect. Try it some time... drop all production sliders to 0 and see what happens to your cash intake. Once those cash levels = 10k or so, put all production back up...

Had you considered that being the Drengin, they could have taxed to the point of having 10% approval, set government expenditures to 50% and dropped all production? This could EASILY pick up 2k+ in one turn. Even on a tiny map.
Reply #13 from Stardock Forums Top
Also, maybe the Drengin finished paying off some leases. There's quite a few possible variables for such a simple game :)
Reply #14 from Stardock Forums Top
Hmm, that gave me a thought.

So, hypothetically if you obtain a lease with (for example) a minor civ and then wipe them out... does your lease still have to be paid out?
Reply #15 from Stardock Forums Top
I'm not sure about that, but I *KNOW* they stop paying if they're wiped out. Major pain in the butt when you're combining tech-trading and culture-rushing :p