Planetarion Forums

SpookyVince · 15 Oct 2006, 12:30

Copied from the in game description of the Wave Distorter:

"If you have X Distorters, you can not be scanned by people with X-1, or fewer, Amplifiers."

So, that means that people with exactly 1 distorter can't be scanned only by people having 1 - 1 = 0 amps? That is, the first distorter you build is in fact totally useless?

Veedeejem! · 15 Oct 2006, 12:41

I think you read it a bit wrong,

"If you have X Distorters, you can not be scanned by people with X-1, or fewer, Amplifiers."

Meaning, if you have 10 dist, you can only be scanned by people with 10 amps or more, but can't be scanned by people 9 amps or less.

So in your example, if you have 1 dist, you can only be scanned by people with 1 amp or more

SpookyVince · 15 Oct 2006, 12:47

Yes, that's exactly what I mean. That is, the first distorter is useless, as people with 0 amps can't scan at all anyway. What I mean is, you should be able with 1 dist to block a "scanner" with only 1 amp, making your very first distorter useful.

Wandows · 15 Oct 2006, 13:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpookyVince

Yes, that's exactly what I mean. That is, the first distorter is useless, as people with 0 amps can't scan at all anyway. What I mean is, you should be able with 1 dist to block a "scanner" with only 1 amp, making your very first distorter useful.

I don't see why it should be changed so that 1 distorter has any usefull effect. Its not like 1 distorter is gonna stop any half decent scanner from scanning you, and personally i don't believe that it make sense to waste resources (and building space) on 1 distorter if you aren't going to make more anyway, thats like building 1 structure killer just for the fun of it. Ppl with only 1 amp won't have access to the 'usefull' scans anyway.

SpookyVince · 15 Oct 2006, 13:08

I totally agree, but I believe that this is a rather stupid fact, and that it could be changed.

Quote:

... personally i don't believe that it make sense to waste resources (and building space) on 1 distorter ...

It is waste to build one useless structure anyway, even if it is only the first of many.

wakey · 15 Oct 2006, 13:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpookyVince

Yes, that's exactly what I mean. That is, the first distorter is useless, as people with 0 amps can't scan at all anyway. What I mean is, you should be able with 1 dist to block a "scanner" with only 1 amp, making your very first distorter useful.

Your change gives a massive amount of power to dist whores. Your only allowed 150 constructions as a max. Even if a scanner goes all out for amps then they still need 1 factory to be able to do the scans. Dist whores also need 1 factory to be able to put their dists to some kind of use. Currently a maxed out scanner can scan a maxed out dist whore so no-ones completely protected but with your change a scanner would require x+1 amps to scan a planet meaning that at the top end a dist whore would be unscanable and to point untouchable as you don't know what he has in the way of ships or what defence he has.

Certainly to me its better that no-one is fully immune and have a waste at the start for people building dists than to have immune planets just to save people building a meaningless structure at the very start

Wandows · 15 Oct 2006, 14:07

i'm not sure about that wakey, i think he meant it should only affect the first distorter you make, not any following it (those will all work by the "(amps+1) distorter = unscannable" rule) . In effect making the 2nd distorter 'useless' as it doesn't add to ur distorter power, and thus moving the "problem" instead of really fixing it.

SpookyVince · 15 Oct 2006, 14:26

Well Wakey has a valid point there, and actually I didn't really think of moving the problem to the 2nd distorter... I have to admit I have never really thought of building 149 distorters anyway

Maybe it is a problem without any satisfying solution, and we'll have to admit that the first dist is indeed useless...