Dragon-Bomb your enemies with Science ships

[aroddo]

This is exactly the same exploit as this fixed one, just with the Rubicrator archeology site:

1. Find the Rubicrator dig site and complete it
2. Do NOT close the dig-site-finished dialog!
3. Move the excavating science ship to the target system. You can remove the scientist beforehand.
4. Close dialog. Shard the ether Dragon will spawn next to the science ship.

That dragon has about 20k fleet strength and killing him is necessary to gain the Rubicrator.
In the early game you can take out any fleet or system you want, even during peace time. Also makes a fantastic choke point.
Kill Shard yourself eventually, when your fleet is powerful enough.

I assume this bug will be fixed soon enough, but meanwhile it's hilarious.

 

[WC with 100 clone pops]

So what? You don't get to choose where the digging cite is going to spawn anyway.

 

[Tilarium]

So what? You don't get to choose where the digging cite is going to spawn anyway.

If I’m understanding correctly (can’t watch the video right now), what you’re doing is spawning shard in another system and since you control where he spawns you can use it to screw over an opponent.

 

[Incompetent]

This got fixed in 3.1.2, according to the patch notes.

 

[Aepdneds]

This got fixed in 3.1.2, according to the patch notes.

OPs original comment:

This is exactly the same exploit as this fixed one, just with the Rubicrator archeology site

The 3.1.2 patch notes are only mentioning the "elders one" (broken gate) exploit, not the "kleptomanic rats"

 

[WC with 100 clone pops]

If I’m understanding correctly (can’t watch the video right now), what you’re doing is spawning shard in another system and since you control where he spawns you can use it to screw over an opponent.

This sounds like a bug though, for me the shard was always spawned in the system where the digging site is located.

 

[sillyrobot]

This sounds like a bug though, for me the shard was always spawned in the system where the digging site is located.

That's because you didn't move the science ship after finishing the archology and before closing the notification window. You know, the steps outlined in the OP.

 

[aroddo]

Yeah, the Dragon spawns where the science ship is, not the dig site.
And since you can ignore the excavation-finished message indefinetely, you have plenty of opportunity to move the ship to wherever you want.

And yes, it's a bug, obviously. But boy, it's a funny one.
I'd send a bug report but I don't wanna.

 

[Derp Throat]

I guess this never came up in the lunchtime multiplayer session.

 

[Vorpaliminal]

So until this gets fixed you can use it to snipe out a system you want from an otherwise friendly empire you don't want to/can't wage war on.

 

[Incompetent]

OPs original comment:

The 3.1.2 patch notes are only mentioning the "elders one" (broken gate) exploit, not the "kleptomanic rats"

Ah, my bad, I was responding based on the video I saw. Sounds like the devs took a band-aid approach rather than addressing the underlying design flaw (namely, that stuff happens where the science ship is currently located, rather than at the location of the dig site).

 

[currylambchop]

Ah, my bad, I was responding based on the video I saw. Sounds like the devs took a band-aid approach rather than addressing the underlying design flaw (namely, that stuff happens where the science ship is currently located, rather than at the location of the dig site).

They just should have targeted the rubicator planet instead of the science ship in the spawn dragon command