Turn Start issue

[Horst]

While testing the Change Supply Output effect, I've stumbled upon a strange Turn Start event issue.
I let a specific engineer unit on a defined hex accumulate 1 supply point on turn start.
If I apply a Check Turn condition with own Alliance set then it behaves normally, accumulating 1 desired supply point per turn.
However, if I don't use that Check Turn condition then somehow 4 supply points are added per turn.

Does that mean that the Turn Start event is actually four times triggered per turn? Twice for each faction-side?
By the way, the deployment phase also counts for a Turn Start event.
You have to change my scenario in the editor to try out different Check Turn settings.

[GabeKnight]

However, if I don't use that Check Turn condition then somehow 4 supply points are added per turn.

Does that mean that the Turn Start event is actually four times triggered per turn? Twice for each faction-side?

I've read the explanation to this behaviour in some thread, maybe Bruce or another of the resident scen design experts can elaborate on this further, but I think it goes like this:

There are actually four factions active with standard maps: the two "selectable" human and AI factions, plus two additional factions that are used by default: Neutral and NoMansLand. That means that every turn cycle consists of at least four "iterations".

[Horst]

Oh yes, I forgot about these neutral ones besides the AI. Alright, thanks, I'll be careful with infinite Turn Start events then. Usually, you rather fire most triggers once, so you can forget about these alliance-specific check turn conditions.

[GabeKnight]

Yeah, you have to watch out for this when e.g. using the "Trigger Timer" trigger.

[bru888]

Most of the time it doesn't matter. For example, you set yourself an Event Popup on Turn X. You are the only human pair of eyes that are going to see it (unless it's a multi-player) so even if it does "pop up" for the AI player(s), so what. Same thing for any type of trigger that is a one-instance event, like spawning a unit.

But something that is repetitive is going to repeat for everybody's Turn Start unless you specify an Alliance or Team. If you do, it will happen only once per turn as expected and perceived by the human player.

That's why I have gotten into the habit of specifying an alliance anyway for Turn Start whether it's necessary or not. (Sometimes there is a subtle need to do so such as, say, the human player goes first and you want the AI to spawn a unit on that turn but only after the human has played; then you would specify the AI alliance's Turn Start.)

As Gabe mentioned, that Trigger Timer can be especially hairy if one forgets to set the Turn Start alliance. And without pairing it with Turn Start or some other Condition as a way of restricting it to one alliance, it will literally count each Combat Event, Capture VP Event, Move Event, or Any Event for any alliance and fire early accordingly.