SMAX - The Will to Power - mod

[bvanevery]

Historically, there's a very common bug in the stock binary where something to do with interceptors, causes a crash.  I haven't been burned by it in recent years, but once upon a time, I could pretty much count on it to be the problem.

I gave up trying to diagnose the bug.  I am playing a new game with your latest version.

[Alpha Centauri Bear]

Let me know what are symptoms. Maybe I can diagnose it. I just didn't understand what kind of bug you meant.

[bvanevery]

Symptom is it flat out crashes, very soon after I press End Turn.

Using the Scenario Editor, deleting both the Data Angels and the Gaians will get past the problem.  I don't know anything more specific than that.

[Alpha Centauri Bear]

Fixed this. Some nasty problem with C++ code.

Although I noticed that AI turn takes hefty 10-20 seconds. Is it normal for huge map?

[bvanevery]

10 to 20 seconds including animations?  I've got all my options set to "fast resolution".  I haven't really noticed the inter-turn times.  I'll try to remember to assess that.

One thing I have noticed, is fairly often the game takes a long time to cough up a map, when you start a new game.  I assume that's what the code is whirring and spin looping about.  Then finally you get your faction announcement, "Domai, you're the arch socialist who will smash everybody!  Welcome to Planet!" or whatever the heck it says.  It can take 20 to 30 seconds, which is pretty ridiculous for random map generation.  I assume it's getting locked in some kind of bad generation state that somehow it finally breaks free of, as a failsafe somewhere.

Heck maybe it is some nasty sort bug?

[Alpha Centauri Bear]

I'm asking this to assess how heavily Thinker and WTP AI code load computer. Vanilla with its rudimentary AI is very fast. Occasionally, I needed to strip my computation because they took too long even on modern computers. That may compound on huge maps with a lot of objects. Just want to keep it under bearable wait time.

For map generation - yes. That is Thinker code that does multiple passes.

[bvanevery]

Regarding AI and colonization, on Reddit I wrote:

As a human player, part of my personal limit is driven by boredom! I simply don't want to keep colonizing endlessly. The AI unfortunately does not have a boredom function. Maybe one could be simulated. Like of all the various moves it spends, what % are building and moving colonists?

As you know from my abundant test game posts, I've adopted a strictly vertical approach to compete against the spammy horizontal AIs. This is about being able to dominate Secret Project races, since there's no horizontal way to do that in WTP. It's also about being able to crank out real military units. Typically I have 1 city with a Command Center and a big mineral deposit, dedicated to making all the garrison troops.

I also typically have 1 city that's on colony spewing duty. More at the beginning, of course, everybody's doing it. But at some point, I whittle down that role to 1 city. Has to do with having enough happiness facilities available to build, and enough places settled with good resources that need more population to work them. So I'm adding cities but it slows down a lot.

Details preparation for war

preparation for war

In my current game, here is an example of my empire going through the transition of "everyone making colony pods" to "only 1 city making colony pods".  My capitol is the designated spawner, because I popped a Nutrient special before settling it, and it's landlocked.  The trigger for the transition was, the Usurpers came into my awareness.  I think they almost immediately declared war on me, and they're close enough to actually destroy.

You might notice that my early colonization is actually on par with the AI's capability.  Granted, they might have gotten a worse start, with Courage: To Question somewhat stuck on a not so great chunk of peninsula.  On the other hand, the AI gets to colonize directly on top of fungus patches and I don't.

A big difference, however, is I could almost guarantee you the AI is completely blithe about scouting out the best mineral deposits, settling them, and making an appropriate switch to vertical development, while still colonizing horizontally elsewhere.  I seem to be way better at that.  I've got 1 such city working on garrison troops, which lucky for me, is at the front border with the Usurper empire.  I didn't plan it that way, and they haven't tried to scout me with anything, but it's gonna be handy some turns from now.  I've got 1 other city working on the Human Genome Project. 

I've had tons of mindworm spam to fend off, using nothing more than ECM Scouts until recently, so it's not like I've had it easy.  I don't know who triggered all that spam but it sure has been annoying.  I think it's more than I popped myself, although there were some 8 worm explosions.

Since I've got allies who have provided me sufficient techs, and I'm allowed to use chemical weapons on Aliens, I expect the Usurpers to be completely trashed Real Soon Now.  It's mainly about getting the mindworm storms over with.  Once I have a free hand, I don't see that the Usurpers are even going to have a chance.  They're simply too close and I know I'm too far ahead for their pathetic Scout defenses to deal with.

Details stirring the mindworm pot

stirring the mindworm pot

It may be the Free Drones who stirred up all the mindworms.  They have the Manifold Nexus, so they may have captured a few mindworms and have had them roaming around.  Supply pods in the north part of their territory indicate they haven't thoroughly scouted in my direction though.  Their city spread is larger than mine, surely owing to AI colonization priority, available land, and their +2 INDUSTRY bonus.  It remains to be seen if they will become a problem.  We only have a Truce.

[bvanevery]

Details ignoring the threat

ignoring the threat

Using only 1 base, I've had time to garrison everything with trained ECM Scouts, everything with Trance Scouts, complete a Skunkworks, complete a real offensive infantry piece, and drive a road straight at my enemy, completely unchallenged.  Still with the occasional mindworm explosion from nearby exploration and fending those off.  And even getting an Artifact home by sea, and will complete the Human Genome Project next year.

The AI is simply not paying attention to the approaching doom.  It is colonizing indefensible cities in my general direction, with no roads infrastructure to support them, and no meaningful garrisons.  The strategy of "scattering your seeds" only works when there is no enemy actively trying to kill you, when there's a lot of land available for you to spread the seeds around.  It's why the strongest AI enemy is generally the one diagonally opposite the player on any given map, at the greatest distance from the player.  That AI, always has the least amount of logistical interference from the human player.  "Seed spread" is a terrible, terrible strategy when a human player is close by.

The AI should, at a minimum, be making a war decision based on the closeness of proximity of the human player.  The Usurpers should have long since switched their production to a war footing, as I did.  And heck, I wasn't even on a desperate war footing.  I was on a "I know you're slack, so I'll complete my anti-mindworm garrisons" footing.

I think the stock binary makes that kind of proximity decision.  Either that or their default production, is much more geared to war.  I've had my butt handed to me, in my own mod, by early Recon Rover rushes if I'm too slack.  Usually happens with Conquer oriented factions.

It is only because of the mindworm explosions that I'm not overrunning the Usurpers by now.  They're really tying me up.  Meanwhile, Domai finally traded some techs, signed a Treaty, and is on good terms with me.  So that's not going to interfere.

I haven't even bothered to go Fundamentalist yet, or made chemical weapons yet.  I figured I'd drive my road towards them as long as they'll allow me to do it.  See how much damage a mere 1 unit can do.  Previous experience has been, quite a lot of damage.  My original goal was to link up to that Monolith in their territory, and use it as my logistical base.

I believe pretty strongly, that an AI should play as though it wants to live, to preserve itself.  It should not play as a cooperative element of a large collection of AI spamming factions.  It's not supposed to be "the human vs. a unified AI".  It's supposed to be about 7 factions all against each other.  An AI should try to behave for a defensive bad case, for real threats to existence early in the game.  That could be mindworms or other AI factions or a human faction.

It shouldn't be, well 6 AI players just cast their stuff about, and a few of them do ok enough, to eventually challenge the player.

[bvanevery]

Details no effective resistance

no effective resistance

I've destroyed 2 cities already with just this 1 unit, although I did have a Trance unit previously to accompany me on my takeovers.  The Usurpers had a Scout Rover nearby, but I did not take enough damage from the fighting, for them to be able to do anything about my armor.  Once I take this city, I will finally commit my 1st atrocity.  I don't need any Usurper citizen liabilities, and they stand in the way of me getting Diplomatic Victory later in the game.

I settled that other city myself.  I've stopped spawning colonists from my capitol.  I doubt I need any more colonists at all for awhile.  I've completed 2 Genejack Factories, as I have plenty of happiness to handle it.  They're doing eco-damage and despite completing 1 Tree Farm to mitigate it, it didn't seem to have much impact.  I'm also Democratic Green so +1 PLANET.  I recently captured my 1st mindworm and 1st spore launcher.  I'm working on the Empath Guild, and it will only take 20 turns.  I will finally start making more troops when my Command Center city completes its Tree Farm and then perhaps an Energy Bank.  For now, tearing up their periphery with 1 unit works fine.

Aside from aforementioned human proximity alert, the AI could stand to have an "ouch I'm getting my butt kicked" metric.  Like if you're not doing well, change strategy.

[bvanevery]

Details death coming

death coming

I gained the tech for Centauri Preserve and built one.  Possibly in conjunction with the Tree Farm, it reduced my eco-damage from 14 to 0.  That's pretty powerful.  14 is also a lot of eco-damage for +1 PLANET, I think.  Well whatever.  Problem solved.  Now my Command Center city is free to make some troops.  Marching around the 1 piece of Impact Plasma Infantry has been very successful, even without chemical weapons.  So I will send out X versions of that.  That will probably be the end of the Usurpers.  I might be limited mainly by the speed of roads to deliver all the chemicals.  I can send X Speeders once I think they're trapped with enough infantry units.

I've also got a Genejack Factory completed in a port city.  It's not doing eco-damage yet, perhaps because its population is not as high, or perhaps because there have been fungal pops already.  When it is built out, I'll use that to make the X ships to wipe out the sea bases.

Otherwise I don't really need more Genejack Factories.  3 seems to be enough for now.  1 for land troops, 1 for Secret Projects, 1 for a navy.

Details mindworms at it again

mindworms at it again

A fungal pop next to where I'm building the Empath Guild, causes me to divert production to a Fusion Empath Speeder.  And to move 2 Trance units closer to the city, because for some reason, I neglected to garrison it with a Trance unit earlier.   Probably because I was working on the Human Genome Project and didn't want any SUPPORT cost.  I could have left it homed to some other city, but in the course of the day's interruptions, doing other things, I simply forgot.  Well, I seriously doubt the 2 mindworms I see, can penetrate my defenses anyways.  I'd only be in trouble if there's a whole ton of 'em I can't see.  Which I doubt, because this is the 1st mindworm bearing pop I've had.  City is still doing 7 eco-damage afterwards.

[bvanevery]

Details first real defense

first real defense

Previously I did not bother to infiltrate their network.  I figured they'd never have any tech I needed, and the pattern of Scout defense was clear enough.  This is the 1st time I've seen something resembling a defense, although these units are only Green.  I wonder if they'll try to shoot at me?  My unit is Commando.  My Impact weapon is probably not enough to ding them up, so I will back off here, and find another target.  I recently researched Gatling tech so I'll probably field upgrade soon.  I've got both these units armed with chemical weapons now.

MY 2222.  I've completed the Empath Guild, and have the votes to win the Governorship.  However we're in sunspots.

MY 2224.  Sunspots end.  Domai asks for Pact against Miriam and I agree.  I'm elected Governor.

[bvanevery]

Details alien death throes

alien death throes

Here we have the Usurpers finally about to die.  The last few cities were quite spammy about artillery.  They inflicted some wounds but didn't really do anything for actually killing my units.  Units that could kill, like the occasional Missile Speeder, seemed rather poorly used.  Were they really that afraid of my armor?  Even when I was badly wounded after making a successful chemical attack, the AI wouldn't do the logical thing and go after the nearly dead units.  Consequently, my units would generally escape.  Since I have the Xenoempathy Dome, they'd hole up on some fungus to heal for awhile.  An artillery piece might come and barrage one of them, but they certainly didn't have enough to barrage all of them.  And so eventually, I just wore them down.

On the ocean, it's only been 2 X Missile Foils and a Gun Cruiser wiping everything out.  The sea bases have been almost all poorly defended, mere Scouts.  So it's just blast, take, and obliterate.  Only this 2nd to last base has shown a Silksteel defender, which has caused me to take some time trying to soften it up with naval artillery first.

RESEARCH regressive Domai is actually pretty ahead on tech.  He's got a lot of rather large cities.  Looks like Democratic Planned Power Cybernetic has worked out pretty well for him.  I didn't want Cybernetic due to my active crushing of the Usurpers.  Once they're done though, I have no nearby enemies.  Maybe I'll go Democratic Planned as well.

MY 2267.  I wipe both the land base and that sea base.  They've only got the other sea base left.

[bvanevery]

Details class traitor

class traitor

Domai's Agenda is Eudaimonic, but he has gone Cybernetic.  WTP is inheriting Thinker mod's disregard for faction agendas.

Pretty soon we'll be in the awkward position where I go Cybernetic, but then Domai jaws at me to go Eudaimonic, while he is Cybernetic himself!!

I have both Domai and Aki Zeta5 as allies.  In a normal game, they would be ideologically incompatible with each other.

MY 2269.  My buddy Domai barely beats me out of the Governorship.

[bvanevery]

Details th th tht th tth th that's all folks!

th th tht th tth th that's all folks!

MY 2271.  He ded.

So... how long ago was it, from "obviously" I'll just wipe him out?  2271 - 2185 = 86 years.

[Rocky]

I made a screenshot of the Datalinks info for the Habitation Dome, but the screenshot ended up wrong. There are two errors in the first two lines. I post the description below:

"Eases population growth beyond defalut limit 14.
The limit can be modified faction settings and SP's."

Thank you for noting. I am a quick typist.
😢

Note 1.
Feel free to edit these text documents in GitHub for further changes if you are up to co-authoring but don't feel bad if you don't. I'll fix this one myself.

Note 2.
I think this needs to be reworded as the whole mechanics about it is not simple yes/no as was in vanilla. I may use yours and all other forum folks help to set it right. The first sentence does not quite catch it.

Code: [Select]

Helps base grow faster by improving living conditions.
^Eliminates population limit GROWTH penalty.
^Default limit without this facility is {7} (alterable by faction settings).
^
^Base with this facility gets GROWTH bonus below the limit.
^GROWTH bonus = min(3, limit - population)
^
^Base without this facility gets GROWTH penalty approaching the limit.
^GROWTH penalty = max(0, population - limit + 3)


I recently started playing your mod. It's very different experience from vanilla AC but I'm enjoying it. It's fun to re-learn the mechanics and technology tree.

Yeah. The mechanics change is there. As for tech tree I tried to stick to vanilla more or less in latest versions.

Thank you for your reply. I'm not really sure how Github works. Do I need an account for that?

I like the idea of how Hab Complexes work. Does it mean it rewards the player for building them earlier for some extra growth? In vanilla SMAC I always found building them a bit of a burden but here you actually get an incentive for it.

The description of the Covert Ops Center doesn't state what kind of bonuses it gives. (It only describes what the building is)

EDIT: The new description for Hab Complex looks good. (Although I can't tell from which population size the bonus or penalty kick in)