Alpha Centauri 2

Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri & Alien Crossfire => Modding => Topic started by: Ford_Prefect on October 23, 2014, 06:12:45 PM

Title: Questions.
Post by: Ford_Prefect on October 23, 2014, 06:12:45 PM

In the factions file there is.
COMMERCE    = Increased commerce rate

what does it do?  Is it a percentage increase/decrease?  aka 50% would have half the commerace rate?


Rules:
3,2      ; Numerator & Denominator for artillery fire damage.  aka 1.5
Anyone know the formula that they are using for artillery damage?  Is it just  straight 1.5 x normal weapon damage?  How does it calculate how many times it hits the target?

Title: Re: Questions.
Post by: Nexii on October 23, 2014, 06:47:02 PM

For the first, it's a +/- to your commerce rating.  Works similar to having ECON +3, +4, +5

From conceptsx.txt:

#ADVCONCEPT3
Commerce is computed base by base between factions with
$LINK<Treaties=4> and $LINK<Pacts=3>, as follows:
^
^(1) First, all bases for each faction are ranked from top to bottom
by Energy output.
^(2) Bases are paired off from top to bottom. If one faction has extra
bases, these are ignored.
^(3) For each pair of bases, sum the combined economic output and
divide by 8, rounding up.
^(4) Double this value if a Global Trade Pact is in effect.
^(5) Now, for each individual base, the commerce formula is as follows:
^       (ValueFromStep4) * (CommerceTech+1) / (TotalCommerceTech+1)
^(6) CommerceTech is the total # of economic technologies discovered,
plus faction & social bonuses.
^(7) TotalCommerceTech is the total # of economic technologies in the game.
^(8) Now, using the value from step 5, divide by 2 if no Pact (e.g. only a Treaty)
^(9) Add +1 if you are $LINK<Planetary Governor=28>.
^(10) Reduce to zero if sanctions are in effect against either faction.

Title: Re: Questions.
Post by: gwillybj on October 23, 2014, 07:44:09 PM

I have a very similar question about the artillery numerator/denominator:

Is the formula anything like 3*A / 2*D ?

(A) being attack value (weapon)
(D) being defense value (armor)

If I change it to 5,3 would it be 5*A / 3*D ?

Title: Re: Questions.
Post by: Ford_Prefect on October 24, 2014, 02:17:28 AM

I looked up on the wiki and all I could find was that artillery fire ignores armer and can only bring land units down to 50% health.
Artillery duels are weapon strength vs weapon strength.

So.... if I had to guess... the 3/2 is a small buff to the artillery attack power since it can only hit the unit once per turn.

Title: Re: Questions.
Post by: Yitzi on October 24, 2014, 03:44:18 AM

Quote from: Ford_Prefect on October 23, 2014, 06:12:45 PM

In the factions file there is.
COMMERCE    = Increased commerce rate

what does it do?  Is it a percentage increase/decrease?  aka 50% would have half the commerace rate?

It gives +X commerce for that faction, same as learning X "boosts commerce rate" techs or having X+2 ECONOMY (although ECONOMY can't give more than +3).

With a lot of pacts, it is extremely powerful.  If you put it at 50, you'd have a commerce powerhouse.

Quote

Rules:
3,2      ; Numerator & Denominator for artillery fire damage.  aka 1.5
Anyone know the formula that they are using for artillery damage?  Is it just  straight 1.5 x normal weapon damage?  How does it calculate how many times it hits the target?

I expect to eventually get to looking at this (probably when it's time to add combat modding options), and then I plan to let people know what I discover.

Title: Re: Questions.
Post by: gwillybj on October 24, 2014, 12:36:23 PM

Quote from: Ford_Prefect on October 24, 2014, 02:17:28 AM

I looked up on the wiki and all I could find was that artillery fire ignores armer and can only bring land units down to 50% health.
Artillery duels are weapon strength vs weapon strength.

So.... if I had to guess... the 3/2 is a small buff to the artillery attack power since it can only hit the unit once per turn.

Why would they do this? Weapon v weapon is just so wrong -- thinking compared to RL, where an M16 is no match for an 8-inch cannon ball. You can't shoot down artillery.

Title: Re: Questions.
Post by: Ford_Prefect on October 24, 2014, 01:07:39 PM

I guess a better question is "What is the formula used for combat?"

Title: Re: Questions.
Post by: Ford_Prefect on October 28, 2014, 03:16:31 AM

New question.

Is it listed anywhere the costs for the different technologies?  Or is there a formula that I'm not seeing that determines the cost of research and secret projects?

Title: Re: Questions.
Post by: Yitzi on October 28, 2014, 11:36:11 AM

Quote from: gwillybj on October 24, 2014, 12:36:23 PM

Why would they do this? Weapon v weapon is just so wrong -- thinking compared to RL, where an M16 is no match for an 8-inch cannon ball. You can't shoot down artillery.

You can shoot down artillery if you've got artillery of your own.  The M16 isn't artillery, and indeed when the target is not artillery it's not weapon vs. weapon.

Quote from: Ford_Prefect on October 28, 2014, 03:16:31 AM

New question.

Is it listed anywhere the costs for the different technologies?  Or is there a formula that I'm not seeing that determines the cost of research and secret projects?

The cost for research depends on how many techs you've already researched.  It is described here (http://alphacentauri2.info/index.php?topic=3505.msg22128).

Project costs are taken from alphax.txt.

Title: Re: Questions.
Post by: gwillybj on October 28, 2014, 01:05:16 PM

Quote from: Yitzi on October 28, 2014, 11:36:11 AM

Quote from: gwillybj on October 24, 2014, 12:36:23 PM

Why would they do this? Weapon v weapon is just so wrong -- thinking compared to RL, where an M16 is no match for an 8-inch cannon ball. You can't shoot down artillery.

You can shoot down artillery if you've got artillery of your own.  The M16 isn't artillery, and indeed when the target is not artillery it's not weapon vs. weapon.

Ah, okay :relief: So if my guy with a Particle Impactor is in a Plasma Steel Rover, incoming Chaos Artillery isn't necessarily fatal, because he has the armor protection? If, on the other hand, I have Chaos Artillery there, my Chaos Artillery will be what fights back (most likely)?

Title: Re: Questions.
Post by: Ford_Prefect on October 28, 2014, 01:34:42 PM

Yeah.  I was wrong.

Artilary vs Artilary is a weapons only battle.

Artilary vs everything else is weapon vs armor.

Title: Re: Questions. New Question.
Post by: Ford_Prefect on November 03, 2014, 02:30:38 PM

How is the health calculated per unit.  I know it involves reactor power... but I'm not sure of the actual formula. 

Title: Re: Questions.
Post by: gwillybj on November 03, 2014, 06:49:51 PM

something like this:

In normal combat, each hit takes away a certain number of hit points based on the attack strength minus the defense strength, with a little fudge factor, and affected by previous damage. So if a hit from a chaos gun takes away 8HP from a fusion reactor, it will take the same 8HP from a singularity reactor, so it take more hits to kill the unit.

In psi combat, each hit takes a percentage, typically 30%, from the original full-strength amount, with a little fudge factor. So a fusion reactor (10HP) loses 3HP from a hit, while a quantum reactor would lose 9HP (30%) from that same hit (with a little fudge factor, and also affected by previous damage), and it takes the same number of hits (usually 4 or 5) to kill either reactor.

I don't know the detailed calculations. This is just from observation.

Title: Re: Questions.
Post by: Ford_Prefect on November 03, 2014, 08:07:06 PM

Thanks for your observations.  :D

But, I was wondering more about the total health of the unit is for each reactor type.  :)

Title: Re: Questions.
Post by: gwillybj on November 03, 2014, 08:30:05 PM

Ah, that's this:

Fusion 10
Fission 20
Quantum 30
Singularity 40

unless you want to edit it, which is done in alphax.txt:

;
; Reactors
;
; Name, power, preq
;
#REACTORS
Fission Plant,        Fission,     1, None,
Fusion Reactor,       Fusion,      2, Fusion,
Quantum Chamber,      Quantum,     3, Quantum,
Singularity Engine,   Singularity, 4, SingMec,

simply change the power to whatever you want and the health/hit points will be 10*power

Title: Re: Questions.
Post by: Yitzi on November 04, 2014, 03:05:45 AM

Quote from: gwillybj on November 03, 2014, 06:49:51 PM

something like this:

In normal combat, each hit takes away a certain number of hit points based on the attack strength minus the defense strength

Attack strength minus defense strength, or attack strength divided by defense strength?  Or are you not sure?

Title: Re: Questions.
Post by: gwillybj on November 04, 2014, 12:52:40 PM

ugh
Most likely divided.

I have three different games going on inside my head.
sorry

Title: Re: Questions. New Question.
Post by: Ford_Prefect on November 09, 2014, 02:07:41 AM

//Optional
    /*
         ; Special Unit Abilities

; Cost   = Cost factor of ability
;          1+ = Straight Cost; 25% increase per unit of cost
;           0 = None
;          -1 = Increases w/ ratio of weapon to armor: 0, 1, or 2.
;               Rounded DOWN. Never higher than 2.
;               Examples: For a W1,A2 unit, cost is 0
;                         For a W3,A2 unit, cost is 1 (3/2 rounded down)
;                         For a W6,A3 unit, cost is 2
;          -2 = Increases w/ weapon value
;          -3 = Increases w/ armor value
;          -4 = Increases w/ speed value
;          -5 = Increases w/ weapon+armor value
;          -6 = Increases w/ weapon+speed value
;          -7 = Increases w/ armor+speed value
        */

Yeah.........
How do the -1 to -7 effect the cost of a units abilities.  If someone could figure this out, it would save me allot of time.  (I don't have a late game save to experiment with.... so I would have to spend a day playing just to get to the point were I could start experimenting.)

Title: Re: Questions.
Post by: Yitzi on November 09, 2014, 02:17:11 AM

Ok (weapon, armor, and chassis all refer to the weapon/armor/chassis cost):

-1 costs 0 if weapon<armor, 1 if 2*armor>weapon>=armor, and 2 if weapon>=2*armor.

-2 has cost equal to weapon-1.

-3 has cost equal to armor-1.

-4 has cost equal to chassis-1.

-5 has cost equal to weapon+armor-2.

-6 has cost equal to weapon+chassis-2.

-7 has cost equal to armor+chassis-2.

Title: Re: Questions.
Post by: Ford_Prefect on November 09, 2014, 03:05:52 AM

Soo.. is the resulting number then used like the positive total_unit_cost = ( unit_cost * ability_cost / 4) ?

Title: Re: Questions.
Post by: Yitzi on November 09, 2014, 03:08:16 AM

It's used as if that were the positive ability cost, i.e. positive total_unit_cost = (unit_cost *(1+ability_cost / 4))

Title: Re: Questions.
Post by: Ford_Prefect on November 09, 2014, 03:32:39 AM

Thank you!  :D