carlton@genrad.UUCP (Carl Hommel) (10/30/84)
Empire is now unplayable as a game or simulation. Its only use is as
a mechanism for flogging bugs.
There are supposed to be several limits to growth in empire. I will examine
them one by one, and show how bugs exist to circumvent them all.
1. Shortage of civilians. This is especially apparent in the early stages
of the game. It limits how fast you can develop sectors.
BUG: Deliveries of civilians from out of an urban sector give you free
civilians. No need for food or iron ore, just mobility.
2. Shortage of money. With no money, your mines and factories shut down, and
your army riots.
BUG: Contracting food from a warehouse gives you 10 times as much money
as expected. No need for loans, ever.
3. Shortage of oil. Oil is required to build tech and research levels, guns,
planes, and, of course, nukes.
BUG: Oil derricks do not deplete the oil level of a sector. Find a sector
with a high petroleum content. Designate it a harbor instead of an
oil well. Build as many oil derricks as you can stand to load and
unload. No more lack of lubricants.
4. Shortage of gold dust. This was intended to be the ultimate crusher, the
reason why a country's tech and research levels decline, especially if they
build nukes. Gold dust is non-renewable.
BUG: Gold mines that have not been updated for more than 127 work units
(2 days 20 hrs, if you are on a 30min clock) do not deplete their
mineral content as expected.
The first two bugs have to do with containerizing items. The third is a design
flaw, or a feature, depending on one's outlook. The fourth is a bug in the
program's update routine.
Carl Hommel
Wife: Why are you playing empfix now?
Husband: Shhh!