HAHA, and its for real even So anyways, as this is the first question that has been posted since your election to moderator, I feel you should field this one entirely on your own

Ok I'm playin Call to Battle on Alienbase(this server rocks btw) the other day and I came across a question I could not answer...



In a span of 3 externs I had 3 citadel planets collide and 1 non-citadel planet collide. At all times, there were exactly 10 planets in sector. The first extern, there were no collisions. The second extern, two of the three shielded planets collided. the next day, the other collided with a random planet.

I'm just wondering... is there a much larger chance of a citadel-bearing planet colliding that a non-citadel bearing planet? it seems that way to me from this particular situation, but we have been retardedly lucky this entire game, and I just want to make sure.

I edited the topic name to help with future searches -T

Sounds like a cheating sysop to me





(Please note, I am just joking.)

Well Traitor this one should be an easy one for you to answer.

You've been lucky.

I've tested lots of extern collides, and all I can tell you is that the lower the planet number, the LESS likely it will collide. But it's not that singificant.

With some quick testing of an old script, in a game with 5 max planets, and 10 planets in sector, over 100 externs, there were collisions 53% of the time. That more or less agrees with my previous testing. I believe the margins were actually smaller, but I can't find my old data where I tested 1000's of externs.

Plan #, # of collisions
1, 10
2, 11
3, 8
4, 9
5, 12
6, 6
7, 9
8, 12
9, 14
10, 15
none 47

(I know, it looks like planet 6 has the least # of collisions, but over 1000's of collisions, the lowered numbered planets (1-5) had fewer collisions overall than the higher numbered ones (6-10))

Below is the raw data in order. x = no collision. they are in pairs, so 3 & 9 was the first collision, 4 & 5 was the 2nd, etc. Feel free to come to your own conclusions.
3
9
4
5
2
9
4
9
2
6
x
x
x
x
3
10
3
8
5
7
x
x
1
6
x
x
x
x
x
x
1
7
7
8
9
10
5
6
x
x
x
x
5
10
2
5
1
5
x
x
x
x
x
x
1
5
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
1
9
5
9
1
5
x
x
3
7
5
10
2
10
1
7
3
9
x
x
x
x
1
9
x
x
2
4
4
10
x
x
x
x
x
x
8
9
x
x
8
10
6
9
x
x
x
x
2
4
3
8
x
x
x
x
x
x
8
10
2
10
2
10
3
9
x
x
2
6
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
5
10
7
8
4
9
x
x
2
8
x
x
5
10
x
x
x
x
8
10
x
x
1
4
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
7
8
8
9
x
x
1
10
3
4
2
8
x
x
6
10
4
7
x
x
x
x
7
9

define significant

Well Earth, given a choice between planet # 200, or planet # 3, all things being equal, take planet # 3.

Thanks for the quick answer

Just a side note to this topic, i have played severel games now where i have gained control of planet #2, and inadvertantly left it in the sector already at max planet capacity for that sector, and suffered no planet collisions. also there were no daily log notices of overloaded sectors concerning that specific sector.
i am uncertan if planet 2 was set as undestructable as i cant get the twa file for that game.

Regardless of whether or not invincible ferrengal is set to on (can't det planet 2), you can still collide it.

does it come back?

Then it is possible to overload a sector and get no collisions and no reports in the logs as i have done this a few times.
This must be the minute random factors in the algorithum.
However its not something I would care to do on a regular basis but it has happened.

Planet #2 once destroyed will be the next planet # to made with the next gen torp launched.
But it wont be an alien planet.

But invincible ferrengal will, wont it?

If it does, Does it spawn as a new number then?

According to an old post in this forum. http://www.tw-attac.com/TWForum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=312, with a 5 planet per sector game, if you pop 15 in a sector, there is a 100% chance of collision at extern. The thread didn't discuss what types of planets are most likely to collide with less planets in sector though.

quote:Originally posted by Traitor

You've been lucky.

I've tested lots of extern collides, and all I can tell you is that the lower the planet number, the LESS likely it will collide. But it's not that singificant.



Below is the raw data in order. x = no collision. they are in pairs, so 3 & 9 was the first collision, 4 & 5 was the 2nd, etc. Feel free to come to your own conclusions.
3
9
4
5
2
9
4
9
2
6
x
x
x
x
3
10
3
8
5
7
x
x
1
6
x
x
x
x
x
x
1
7
7
8
9
10
5
6
x
x
x
x
5
10
2
5
1
5
x
x
x
x
x
x
1
5
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
1
9
5
9
1
5
x
x
3
7
5
10
2
10
1
7
3
9
x
x
x
x
1
9
x
x
2
4
4
10
x
x
x
x
x
x
8
9
x
x
8
10
6
9
x
x
x
x
2
4
3
8
x
x
x
x
x
x
8
10
2
10
2
10
3
9
x
x
2
6
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
5
10
7
8
4
9
x
x
2
8
x
x
5
10
x
x
x
x
8
10
x
x
1
4
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
7
8
8
9
x
x
1
10
3
4
2
8
x
x
6
10
4
7
x
x
x
x
7
9


According to the raw data, looks like it is low-high-low-high chance. For every planet that is lower than 5 one higher gets busted in most cases.

Like he said, draw your own conclusions. Oh, and yes with 15 planets you may be guaranteed a collision, but it is less likely one of the planets you want to collide will.