Social Engineering Questions

[benschwab]

Hi!  I have some questions about social engineering?

1:  Is there an on-line tool where one can chose different modules, factions, secret projects, and base facilities and see the effects?

2:  At a police rating of +3, do units with the police ability turn 4 drones into workers?

3:  What does -3 population growth actually mean?  I'm assuming it's not just increasing the columns in the nutrient tanks by 3.  I think I remember reading once that it only allows the nutrient tanks to increase by one nutrient per turn but I can't remember.

4:  I think that the Morale stat has no impact on Probe Team Morale (only tech, base facilities and the Probe stat).  Am I right?

5:  Does the Probe stat effect any unit with the Probe weapon on it (for example a probe needlejet)?

I thank you for your help.

[Yitzi]

Hi!  I have some questions about social engineering?

1:  Is there an on-line tool where one can chose different modules, factions, secret projects, and base facilities and see the effects?

Not as far as I know, but if you ask here I'm sure someone can answer.  Also, the scenario editor can be used to experiment in-game.

2:  At a police rating of +3, do units with the police ability turn 4 drones into workers?

No; while each says "doubled", together they're still only 3X.

3:  What does -3 population growth actually mean?  I'm assuming it's not just increasing the columns in the nutrient tanks by 3.  I think I remember reading once that it only allows the nutrient tanks to increase by one nutrient per turn but I can't remember.

I don't know offhand.  You can test it out and see...

4:  I think that the Morale stat has no impact on Probe Team Morale (only tech, base facilities and the Probe stat).  Am I right?

That is correct.

5:  Does the Probe stat effect any unit with the Probe weapon on it (for example a probe needlejet)?

I think the rule is anything with the Probe unit plan...which should mean anything with the Probe module plus anything that set the unit plan in alphax.txt to that for probe teams.  If it can carry out probe team operations, it's probably affected.

[PvtHudson]

3:  What does -3 population growth actually mean?  I'm assuming it's not just increasing the columns in the nutrient tanks by 3.  I think I remember reading once that it only allows the nutrient tanks to increase by one nutrient per turn but I can't remember.

Manual, page 160:
GROWTH
-3 ZERO POPULATION GROWTH
...
Note, however, that Children Creche facility affects individual base' growth.

[benschwab]

Thank you for the answers.

[Dio]

3:  What does -3 population growth actually mean?  I'm assuming it's not just increasing the columns in the nutrient tanks by 3.  I think I remember reading once that it only allows the nutrient tanks to increase by one nutrient per turn but I can't remember.

Manual, page 160:
GROWTH
-3 ZERO POPULATION GROWTH
...
Note, however, that Children Creche facility affects individual base' growth.

-3 Growth prevents the bases of the faction from increasing in size. However, population growth proceeds at the same rate as having -2 Growth. In other words, -3 Growth simply increases the number of nutrients required for Base Pop growth by 20% and prevents the population of the base from increasing to the next size.

[benschwab]

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3:  What does -3 population growth actually mean?  I'm assuming it's not just increasing the columns in the nutrient tanks by 3.  I think I remember reading once that it only allows the nutrient tanks to increase by one nutrient per turn but I can't remember.

Manual, page 160:
GROWTH
-3 ZERO POPULATION GROWTH
...
Note, however, that Children Creche facility affects individual base' growth.

-3 Growth prevents the bases of the faction from increasing in size. However, population growth proceeds at the same rate as having -2 Growth. In other words, -3 Growth simply increases the number of nutrients required for Base Pop growth by 20% and prevents the population of the base from increasing to the next size.

I'm sorry for my ignorance but what is the difference between Base Pop growth and increasing to the next size?

Is this when the game visibly increases the size (and complexity) of the base on the main screen at, I believe, 4 population, 8 population, and 16 population?

[Nexii]

Next size as in +1 population.  So for example a size 1 base cannot grow to size 2, if you have -3 GROWTH in the city.

Though if you are at -3 GROWTH SE, Creche, Golden Age, and/or Cloning Vats can overcome it allowing the city to grow