Dumb questions about happiness...

serpwidgets · #1 April 27th, 2003, 06:14 AM

Ok, I've got a huge empire now, and it doesn't seem to matter what I do, my people will not be happy.

I've got a UPC III in every system, started out years ago with UPC I's and have kept them up to date, yet they are still going downhill, to where a couple of planets are now rioting (One has been on/off for at least a couple years now)

From what I've read, the UPCs don't stack, so I can't get anything out of building more of them, eh?

I've also been beating up on one of the other empires. I have a protectorate with one after I started taking their planets, and am taking over a few planets from another empire right now, yet my people are still almost all in the "angry" Category. The happiest I have is "Indifferent" and they're starting to go back downhill.

I don't have the cargo space to put 100 troops on every single planet, I don't have the time to build (and maintain) a huge fleet to sit over every single planet. This is starting to get stupid.

I've never seen this happen before, and this is the first game where I've even bothered building UPCs.

I'm trying to figure out if I took some stupid happiness type, but I can't even figure out which one I took, and if I could, I'd like to figure out how I can change that (by hex-editing an empire file or something, I presume) because this is just ridiculous.

I know I didn't take any default race points for or against happiness, so it's not that. All I am able to find is "Infantile, Scientists, Friendly." I don't recall if Friendly is a "happiness type."

I think I'm going to end up altering the UPC III in the file to have an increase of 6 or 9 instead of 3. It may be the easiest solution, but doesn't seem like the best one. And I'm not even sure if it'll work, because I swapped out the starnames file in the middle of the game but it's still using the default names, which I hate.

Any other ideas? (other than building troops?)

Fyron · #2 April 27th, 2003, 06:20 AM

Some files are read only when the map or game is created, others are read dynamically. SystemNames.txt is one of those only read when the map is created. Happiness.txt (as most of the files) is read constantly, and so changes to it will be reflected in your savegame.

Are you losing any battles? What is happening in your empire that would affect happiness? What log Messages do you get about happiness levels each turn?

serpwidgets · #3 April 27th, 2003, 06:40 AM

I'm not losing any battles, I'm winning them. I have a large defense force set up on the "fronts" (two systems on the edge where they keep bringing in a few cruisers at a time to attack, and lose.)

I don't get any other Messages about anything happening, regarding happiness.

I could see why those two systems might be unhappy, since there are almost constantly enemy ships in the system, but the rest of the empire, too? Shrug...

I'll try taking a look at the happiness.txt file... Ok, I've changed all of them to match the "peaceful" one, which is what I'm pretty sure I used to take every game prior to this.

It would be nice if I did get Messages such as "there has been a new colony established at [planet] and people are pissed about that!" ;-)

Also, if I have a protectorate over someone and they ask for a trade alliance, I assume this would end the protectorate treaty, right? (They keep asking, I keep ignoring them, hehe.)

Fyron · #4 April 27th, 2003, 07:09 AM

Quote:

Also, if I have a protectorate over someone and they ask for a trade alliance, I assume this would end the protectorate treaty, right? (They keep asking, I keep ignoring them, hehe.)

Yes. You can only hold one treaty with an empire at a time. A newly accepted treaty replaces the old treaty.

Maybe if you posted the savegame we could see what is causing the happiness problems. From what you describe, you should not be having problems.

[ April 27, 2003, 06:11: Message edited by: Imperator Fyron ]

serpwidgets · #5 April 27th, 2003, 07:22 AM

Ok, here's the savegame.

Save Game, turn 136 (about 3 turns ago)

I did change the happiness.txt file to make all of them identical parms to "peaceful" and the next turn I colonized two planets (I'd just created with my Stellar Manip ships) and it made a big difference already.

Heh, I also edited the facilities, I should probably change those back, eh? ;-)

Q · #6 April 27th, 2003, 07:34 AM

Could you just post the happiness.txt file and specify the type your race is using.

Fyron · #7 April 27th, 2003, 07:40 AM

He already said he didn't know what it was...

Quote:

I did change the happiness.txt file to make all of them identical parms to "peaceful" and the next turn I colonized two planets (I'd just created with my Stellar Manip ships) and it made a big difference already.

That means you probably selected Neutral. Neutral hates contact of any sort. Winning battles, losing them, making colonies (IIRC), its all bad. Only Non-Aggressiona and Non-Intercourse make your people happier.

[ April 27, 2003, 06:42: Message edited by: Imperator Fyron ]

Cyrien · #8 April 27th, 2003, 08:16 PM

You selected neutral. Got the savegame saved the empire started new game loaded it up and checked. Neutral empire.

Well... now you know first hand why neutral empires are unpopular.

PvK · #9 April 28th, 2003, 09:15 PM

So just change to an isolationist policy and your people should be happier!

PvK