posted 04-15-99 01:13 PM ET        

;
; Sid Meier's ALPHA CENTAURI
;
; FACTION FILE: D'Haran Empire
;
; Made with ACEdit (c)1999 ANX at http://www.acedit.8m.com
;
; For use this Faction file select load from
; faction select in the game and write... D'Hara
;

#D'HARA
D'Haran Empire, D'Hara, D'Harans, M, 2, Richard Rahl, M, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1,
TECH, Mobile, TECH, Physic, SOCIAL, +2RESEARCH, SOCIAL, +2PLANET, SOCIAL, -2PROBE, SOCIAL, -1ECONOMY, FACILITY, 6, UNIT, 2
Values, Knowledge, RESEARCH
Values, Power, nil
D'Hara, D'Hara
Kahlan Amnell, Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander, Ebinissia
Emperor, bold, trusting, reckless, stubborn,
the Bringer of Death
destroy the Imperial Order
to save all factions from the Imperial Order
forcing us all into slavery under his rule
forcing us all into slavery under your rule
destroy the sovereignty of all the factions
dancing with death
dancing with death
slaughtering innocents
powerful army, M1
people, M1
efforts, M2
support tax, M1
keeping the Imperial Order at bay
General Reibeish
my terms

#BASES
Aydindril
People's Palace
Ebinissia
Tamarang
Hartland
King's Port
Southaven
Palace of the Prophets
Togressa
Pendian Reach
Agaden Reach
Grennidon
Tristan
Penverro
Winstead
#END

#WATERBASES
Trunt
Drun
Callisidrin
Kern
#END

#BLURB
Once committed to a fight, cut. Everything else is secondary. Cut. That is your duty, your purpose, your hunger. There is no rule more important, no commitment that overides that one. Cut. The lines are a portrayal of the dance. Cut from the void, not from bewilderment. Cut the enemy as quickly and directly as possible. Cut with certainty. Cut decisively, resolutely. Cut into his strength. Flow through the gaps in his guard. Cut him. Cut him down utterly. Don't allow him a breathe. Crush him. Cut him without mercy to the depths of his soul. It is the balance to life: death. It is the dance with death. It is the law a war wizard lives by, or he dies.
^
^ Richard Rahl
^ "The Prime Edict"

#DATALINKS1
^LEADER: {Emperor Richard Rahl}
^BACKGROUND: {Hartland, Wood's Guide}
^AGENDA: {destroy the Imperial Order}
^TECH: {Doctrine: Mobility, Applied Physics}
^

#DATALINKS2
^+2 RESEARCH: {Lord Rahl strives to learn new things}
^-2 PROBE: {Richard's trusting nature leaves him open to enemy infiltration}
^+2 PLANET: {Being a wood's guide has given Richard an affinity for nature}
^-1 ECONOMY: {Richard will not let merchants overcharge or con his people}
^Free RECREATION COMMONS at every base
^{May not use Power for values}

#FACTIONTRUCE
#xs 440
#caption $CAPTION7
"Let us end this war, my soldiers are more useful in a fight against the Order."

"Agreed, my fight is with the Order."
"No, there will be no neutrality in my war with the Order. You are either a part of the D'Haran Empire, or you are an enemy."

#FACTIONTREATY
#xs 440
#caption $CAPTION7
"I am at war with the Imperial Order, $TITLE0 $NAME1, will you join me in my struggle."

"We will both strike against the hordes of Emperor Jagang!"
"No, $NAME3, you are but a puppet of the Order."

# ; This line must remain at end of file

posted 04-15-99 02:29 PM ET         

Look at it this way. There is already one faction that has +2 Kn -2 Probe + a free base facility. That faction also has a disadvantage which is absolutely CRIPPLING on harder mode in exchange for free Network Nodes (which are arguably less good for a new base than Rec Commons... it is much easier to have a Rec Commons and then build a Network Node then to do it the other way 'round). You have the Probe Kn thing, which is an okay trade, +2 Planet for -1 Econ (not fair, +2 Planet allows you to get instant mindworms and is really helpful in the late game, -1 econ doesn't really do anything... and you can still get +2 econ with Wealth + FME, which is the critical econ value), AND rec commons in every base absolutely free. No go.

If you wanted to make it fairer, have -2 econ and / or no Free Market values, since Rahl is obviously not the type of guy who values money over order or the good of the environment (although he is willing to seek power over industry in times of war), AND drop the Rec commons... you have done nothing to pay for them. The +2 Kn doesn't really fit, either, nor does the probe... Rahl is the Seeker of Truth, and gets less gullible after his early days, and he doesn't even want to be a wizard until he realizes it is necessary. But that is plot related, not balance related.

Finally, as a total package, what you have currently is a group
1) that researches as well as the UoP after the early game (once it gets NNs) base per base, and probably researches almost as well early because it allows additional workers in the field, thus more energy, thus more research fodder.
2) Which attains golden ages and expands MUCH more easily than the UoP, and expands about as well as the Peacekeepers into small cities (which is the PK's main strength and why they are arguably the best on Transcend level), thus trumping the UoP's early research advantage via expansion and the PK's overall advantage via better research.
3) Not content with trumping 2 factions, you need to trump the Gaians with +2 Planet, even tho the Gaians are supposed to be hyper eco and only have +1. This also allows your faction to attain mindworm guards quite easily to protect it while it expands and researches until it is the ultimate tech presence, and thus able to pound people with hypertech.
4) Whose total penalties are -2 Probe (something to be aware of, but hardly crippling, and a non-factor once you take up Knowedge values) and -1 Econ (which means one less point of energy per year than a similarly sized faction... you only lose one point at your headquarters at -1 econ)... a fairly laughable set of disadvantages.

Go back to the drawing board... way back... keep going...

posted 04-15-99 03:13 PM ET         

Planet has more to do than just mindworms, it also affects your psi rating and your eco damage. Starting at +2 and going Green, would mean you could almost harvest all the mineral you want with no ecodamage, a HUGE advantage.

Probe, though serious in some circumstances, is generally not that big of a deal unless your stretegy revolves around it.

Research is pretty serious also. I have to agree with Ghost, a +2 is pretty high up there, and should have a pretty high counter.

The rec commons I would just remove.

The +1 economy can be really good depending on your SE choices.

I haven't read this book, but something you should do is seriously consider all of the bad things about your faction first.

Dont be so involved with matching pluses to minuses. It doesn't work out. A +1 to planet far outweighs a -1 to probe. I frankly like to limit SE choices as a good balancing factor. Would the faction utterly despise the idea of Police State? Ok, now they cant use that SE choice. If they like power and the planet so much, take out Wealth as an option as well.

posted 04-16-99 11:35 AM ET         

Richard's magic is an interesting point... but it probably shouldn't be considered research (it's more a Planet/Psi thing, imo), and maybe a bonus starting tech (ecology + something else)... but not research. Zak's research bonus represents his total relentless commitment to knowledge, over and above any sort of ethical standards which a regular society might have... hence all the drones. In fact, when considering how Zak is balanced, it is probably better to think of the drones paying off the knowledge bonus, and the probe penalty paying for the NN's, as I consider the Knowledge bonus to be about as useful as the drones are crippling, and similarly for the network nodes and the probe penalty. And again, Kn+ and pr- plays right into the Knowledge value schema.