In
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri (
SMAC), the
Hunter-Seeker Algorithm is a
Secret Project. It may be built at a cost of 360 minerals, on discovery of
Pre-Sentient Algorithms (D6). It negates ALL rival faction
Probe Team operations against your faction's units and bases.
How useful is this? Probe operations are a significant part of the game; Probe immunity is a radical advantage. This is makes the Hunter-Seeker Algorithm one of those "must-build" Projects, as even your allies will occasionally send a Probe team your way to steal technology. The alternative is to station a defending Probe Team unit in every base. It also tempers the -2 Probe penalty incurred under the "Knowledge" model in the social engineering screen.
Secret Project animation narrative:
"If I determine the enemy's disposition of forces while I have no perceptible form, I can concentrate my forces while the enemy is fragmented. The pinnacle of military deployment approaches the formless: if it is formless, then even the deepest spy cannot discern it nor the wise make plans against it."
-- Sun Tzu,
The Art of War, Datalinks