Disable mind control?

[Neil]

Just by editing the rules files, is it possible to disable the mind control ability? I find it annoying and would rather it didn't exist.

[Neil]

Ok so I found a few partial solutions, including a very interesting piece of information!!

I can give immunity to mind control and capture as a faction trait. I'm fine with unit capture, but I hate mind control more. I could also give polymorphic encryption to every unit as a free ability, to at least make mind control harder. I'd give the trait to all factions for fairness.

However, I discovered something else. Units with polymorphic encryption inside a base will significantly increase its mind control cost. Perhaps you thought this already, but it's much more than double! It's non-linear, so 2 or more gives a huge increase. In fact, it doesn't even depend on the type of the unit, so a few cheap scout patrol with encryption (add clean?) will make it exorbitantly expensive to mind control the base!

With this new knowledge, perhaps I can protect my bases more effectively without changing the game rules.

[Vidsek]

 I'll agree with you that throwing around faction and text edits seems unpleasantly heavyhanded.  Your discovery of the effect of PmE units in a base is brilliant, tho.  I do believe clean polymorph scouts will be on the menu for my future games.  Good work!  Carry on.

[Alpha Centauri Bear]

Perhaps you thought this already

This is your topic. Whom are you addressing?

Which version/mod are you analyzing? If this is for vanilla then you are right about PE units increasing MC cost.
https://alphacentauri2.info/wiki/Mind_Control_Cost
However, keep in mind that you also need large number of units at base in general and preferably expensive ones so you have something to multiply on.

Mind me asking why you don't like MC? Is it just not in your play stile of you find it extremely strategy breaking?

[Neil]

It was rhetorical. I was saying the general reader may have assumed PE increases mind control cost of the base, but it does so much more than I think one would expect. As I said, it doesn't depend on the cost of the unit.

I find MC annoying and too much of a chore to defend against, especially when the AI receives a huge discount on the hardest difficulties.

[Alpha Centauri Bear]

Everything in this game is a chore one way or another. That is why I asked for your playstyle. In vanilla player's unstoppable army was too easy way to win. Retaking bases back by MC was probably the only possible counter play AI could resort to. That's why many players disgusted it as it disrupt their uninterrupted and unelaborated world conquest.

It is pretty easy to switch off if you like - just disable probe teams. About equally easy to defend with some extra defensive probe teams, especially in vanilla where they cost 3 mineral rows.

[Neil]

I'm not playing vanilla. I'm playing mods that make the game harder. I don't want to disable probe teams entirely. The problem is on harder difficulty levels, the AI gets a huge discount on mind control, so it makes the game feel frustrating and unfair. There is already a discount on mind controlling lost bases. It's annoying when a stray probe team turns up out of nowhere and mind controls one of my bases without warning, before I'm developed enough to have a probe team protecting every base, and before the AI "should" have enough money to do this anyway. But for that, the game is fun and hard enough for me already.

[Alpha Centauri Bear]

1.
The AI MC discount on toughest level is about 30% as I remember. This is not huge in my judgement as there are plenty of other factors applied to everybody like 50% discount for retaking the base or 50% discount to take base in riot, etc. Besides, the cost of taking bases is already pretty high to the level that no one even with AI 30% discount can wage MC war on a regular basis. They just won't have that much money. In vanilla they eagerly retake first few bases just because they have some cash stashed out. It does not last beyond 2-3-4 occurrences. Sure that momentarily disable player advantage but with more powerful economy one still can suppress the enemy eventually. Although, if one bet on first strike to overcome stronger economy than MC is exactly the cure against such risky adventure.

2.
"Stray probe team turns up out of nowhere and mind controls one of my bases without warning, before I'm developed enough to have a probe team protecting every base".
Pleas forgive me but this does not sound like constructive analysis. This is the rule of the game equally available to everybody. You are free to do the same when one of your bases is captured.
Besides, how can they turn out of nowhere when you already have needlejets? If not needlejets, block roads with stacked units, destroy roads, plant forest - there are plenty of counter measures. Build 3-4 probes yourself and place them in newly captured bases. There should not be too many of them at the front line. Even in WTP, where they cost 6 rows, it should be just a fraction of the cost you invested into assault army. Paying fraction to not loose everything is a pretty sound game design and strategy. The mere fact that you don't want to do it makes no argument against the game in general.

3.
Same response I give everybody against "game is too hard" opinion. The game itself is not too hard. It has six difficulty levels. AI do not have MC discount on Librarian and below if you interested to try it out. I don't get the logic in picking toughest difficulty and then complaining it is too difficult for you.

[Neil]

Kind of patronizing. If I can afford enough needlejets to clear the probe teams that the AI sends, then I can afford defensive probe teams in my bases as well, so that's not a helpful suggestion. As I said, the problem is with my home bases being captured early on before I have the resources to afford all these counter measures. I'm also aware that I can change the difficulty level. I'm not a noob and know how to play the game. It's my opinion that this particular aspect of the game isn't fun for me so I wanted to disable it. I'm not making anyone else play their game differently.

[Alpha Centauri Bear]

Sorry, I didn't mean to be. And I apologized in advance if I would sound like that.
 

I see your point now. You are talking not about AI recapturing bases when you wage successful war against them but them taking your bases as first strike early in the game?
Just to clarify - it happens when you don't have a war with them and this capture triggers a war? Right?

Personally, I haven't experienced this too often so I don't see as a major reoccurring concern but willing to look into it. Would you happen to have a save game for this? Even if it is right after they MC-d your base.

[Karnewarrior]

I'd be interested in disabling Mind Control too - in particular I think it'd be nice to lock it behind a technology beyond just access to probe teams. It doesn't make much sense to me that your faction has access to mind control that can completely flip an entire city's disposition most of the time, and yet can't structure themselves into a Green economy or figure out psionics. I mean, if not psionics, what are they even using to mind control the people? Why isn't Yang using exactly that same technology on his own people to stop drone riots?

I'm not concerned with balance, but it seems like an incredibly strong and unimmersive ability, particularly when Biological Warfare is for some reason locked behind advanced gene editing.

[Misanthrope]

Qualify: I'm playing more or less 'vanilla' here, and yes, it CAN be a headache to lose entire bases to wandering probe teams, but said counter-measures SHOULD be enough to blunt probe team actions.... SHOULD.  It's a nuisance, it CAN cripple your faction almost immediately, but by the time Lasers and rovers are discovered, doubling up units to block off enemy probe teams -SHOULD- give you an effective, if tedious answer.  Prepping your landscape layouts with forests/fungus and putting checkpoints on inbound roads really is the best option.
(EDIT:  Oh yeah, and sensors!  SENSORS EVERYWHERE!)

....playing with mods?    ...that's well beyond my expertise, sorry.