Could you clarify why you slowed the research rate? Why did you choose it over the tech stagnation option?It's different, as I recall. Tech stagnation does not make things exactly twice more expensive. Rate 50% of normal is like that.
I like the idea of more expensive colony pods and 2 additional pods at start to make people care more about their cities instead of just spamming colonypods all the time. However if you start with 3 colonypods and one single scout patrol you have a pretty hard time using those pods early. I'd add the same number of scout patrols to speed up the start a bit.
I found that expensive pods kind of only add to RNG. Having a base or a pod killed by a roaming MW would be devastating.It is true, that loosing a cp from that starting pool is devastating, but the point is, that player is supposed to guard them well. Even when they cost 3 rows, such a loss is significant too, it is a matter of time also, in turns number, that you have to loose for getting another one.
I more favor nerfing down sea terraforming make land more valuable. A good way to slow down the later game is ecodamage IMO
Unity Escape Pod, Infantry, Colony Pod, Scout, 8, 1, 0, Disable, -1, 00000100001000000000000000000
They get both trance ability and slow to make it unique.After it turns out, that we can easily play MP games with altered alphax.txt file, thus having changed ruleset, I think having some rebalancing mod for better (as much as one can say that, it depends on what a person likes) gameplay.How does the increased cost of colony pods impact the expansion of the AI in multiplayer games?
For now, this would be in testing, but some of these things come from "Unity Mod" that I already tried long ago, though they were different, but many changes are similar.
Changes already in testing:
1) Colony module cost increased. The basic one costs 15 rows. It is 5 times more. This will make bases more important, and possibly players will care for their safety more.
2) Supply crawlers changed in a lot of small ways:
-- more expensive, the basic one is now for 12 rows. This will decrease their "avalanche" impact.
-- the package is now from Industrial Robotics, though:
-- from Industrial automation pre-defined unit is possible. There are also 2 more land designs with armor at MindMachine and Silksteel, and a trawler at Doc Initiative.
3) Cloudbase Academy moved to Graviton Theory, cost doubled.
4) Research rate slowed to 50%
5) Each faction gets 2 research points per base
6) Vanila factions get 2 more colony pods at start
7) Expansion factions get 1 more colony pod and 300 EC (to compensate)
Changes in consideration:
x1) Increased movement along roads to 5.
Any thoughts/comments?
Also in addition to what Yitzi pointed out, SUP is also stronger the more bases you build. With fewer bases the free maintenance becomes less valuable.
Also in addition to what Yitzi pointed out, SUP is also stronger the more bases you build. With fewer bases the free maintenance becomes less valuable.Support is balanced, since your opponents also build less bases, or maybe saying differently: there is a lag in AI factions achieving large number of bases.
...Started several games ( and abandoned after some turns) to see how Miriam is working under these new rules.
Next testing scenario will be Miriam then.
...Started several games ( and abandoned after some turns) to see how Miriam is working under these new rules.
Next testing scenario will be Miriam then.
This is not the best strategy, I guess, but it worked for me:
Having 3 cp at start, 260EC, and a scout. Sometimes a unity foil was thrown in for small island bonus.
On huge map, after initial 10 turns of no lab points, the first tech could be researched after 12 mostly turns. This is without trading other techs that would bring the cost up before this.
So around 2122 Centauri Ecology is available. Formers... and all that stuff.
What to do for 22 turns?
Miriam can have 4 units free in each base. The hq can build right away, typically 2 or 3 scouts. The other 2 bases take some time to travel to their location, it can be even 8-10 turns, especially when someone plays builder style and wants to put more space between bases.
On could make 4 scouts, but this would start to drain minerals when formers come around. After 2 scouts, I started Recreation Commons. Since we do not build new cp that often now, bases grow vertically sooner, so these are very much needed.
This is strength of Miriam, she can more easily deal with such problems of population 3-4.
These 3 additional (not garrisoned) scouts bring also additional energy from planetpearls, pop unity pods. And here is the thing:
- in bases with pop 2 or more, one can pop a mineral pod and have these 150 minerals giving a new cp (fourth, ...)
Also in addition to what Yitzi pointed out, SUP is also stronger the more bases you build. With fewer bases the free maintenance becomes less valuable.
And +3 PROBE is also much stronger for an expansionist (as far-away-from-HQ bases are cheaper to MC).
I wonder if (despite requiring .exe modding) a better solution to the "not caring about overrun bases" problem would be to make it so that losing population to mind worms causes extra drones temporarily...
I think it is a question of players taking risks. And players will take risks, though I agree, that if a chance of loosing a base completely when you leave it empty would be 70% or 90%, probably everyone would avoid it. With standard rules, in the first 20 turns, people often leave a base empty of size 1. There is a chance, especially when you are next to a fungus tile, that mw gets it, but the chance is small.How about the inclusion of negative TALENT in the place of negative POLICE for certain social models? I currently have Cybernetic at -3 TALENT instead of -3 POLICE because it allows the factions time to develop countermeasures without severe complications. I also made Optical Computers the prerequisite technology for the Virtual World. I also made the following changes for Technology:
I have a game of these rules with over 200 turns now. Later this large cost of colony pods is not noticeable almost, when your bases have 50 or 70 minerals per turn production.
However in general, this allows to get to this stage of the game at all, I think. I need to test it on standard size map though.
Meanwhile, I got other observations and intend to test these:
- Breaking second pop limit earlier. Maybe Silksteel Alloys. It is right after Ind Auto in the tree.
These limits of pop are actually pro-micromanagement. They force you to spread/spam new bases instead of developing existing ones. So this would most likely help.
They are strongly in the original ruleset, we are so much used to it, Morgans and PK have even parameters with it. The game would not be the same without it. So they need to be there. But I think the second limit must be broken right after the first one. And even more drastic change would be giving Habitation domes with Ind Auto too. Maybe this is a better way. After all, you need to make this expensive facility, so this is effort, that only in case of significant nutrients increase will be started.
- Giving something to optical computers. Hologram theaters.
I thought about it, and really there is no other thing influencing the game little. Presently, Holo theaters are rarely build right with Planetary Networks. They are expensive (compared to other facilities costing 1/turn), so often players get it later anyway, I think.
- More drones. This one is BIG one.
Each faction gets as standard: DRONE, 4
Univ gets DRONE, 3 because they have with parameter 4 from the start, so they are getting only somewhat more.
Why such thing? To force a player to devote more energy to psych. But AI needs to be tested on this one.
I have to think about these changes.I understand the counteraction of police with psych allocations later in the game, but the -3 TALENT certainly makes golden ages harder on higher difficulties even with higher psych energy allocations.
Lack of police is in later game easily counter-measured with increased psych allocation.
Virtual World, yes, I thought about it. Good solution, though more "game changing" as players often start this SP with Planetary Networks. So game strategy would be influenced more.
Tech tree changes.
Some of them are very tempting to do. So far, I thought about leaving the tech tree as it is. Less influencing the standard game. But some techs are just asking to be made the way you write. E.g. Air Power after Initiative.
Let me think about it all.
Trying most of the changes you wrote.I would remain careful with the over improvement of physical aircraft at the detriment of PSI as a viable option. I know that AAA tracking, Aerospace Complexes, and Hypontic all defend against Aerial PSI Assaults. I also moved PSI Defense from Eudaimonia onto Centauri Psi.
- Naval Yards, good idea, they are with foils. After all, simpler foil ships bases can be considered naval too.
- Tech changes included as you have them. Though Holo theaters and Virtual World stay as I initially had.
- Formers stay as they were, I think earlier formers is a good thing. AI could build more of them.
I will put 4 new pre-designed formers.
And one more thing:
- Aerospace Complex available from Synth. Fossil Fuels.
This tech is suggesting rockets, so we can consider facilities that make them/test them as early airfields.
Cost of Aerospace Cmplx 2 rows! And upkeep 0.
Cloudbase Academy returns to MMI. Cost somewhat increased to 40 rows.
AI will benefit greatly.
For human players, this will help a lot to destroy "chop'n'drop" strategy. I hope.
I am also thinking about turning all of the Yitzi drone additional features, however, rule 8 is something quite game changing. The strategy of bases with all-specialists will not work.
Luckily, rule 1 helps with pacifism drones.
Additional drones change drone management anyway, so why not have these extreme drone rules here too.
Rule 32 is helping in return.
Trying most of the changes you wrote.I also know that the replacement of Polymorphic Software for Optical Computers as a technology rerequisite of Advanced Military Algorithms makes it easier for the majority of factions to reach the Power Social Model.
- Naval Yards, good idea, they are with foils. After all, simpler foil ships bases can be considered naval too.
- Tech changes included as you have them. Though Holo theaters and Virtual World stay as I initially had.
- Formers stay as they were, I think earlier formers is a good thing. AI could build more of them.
I will put 4 new pre-designed formers.
And one more thing:
- Aerospace Complex available from Synth. Fossil Fuels.
This tech is suggesting rockets, so we can consider facilities that make them/test them as early airfields.
Cost of Aerospace Cmplx 2 rows! And upkeep 0.
Cloudbase Academy returns to MMI. Cost somewhat increased to 40 rows.
AI will benefit greatly.
For human players, this will help a lot to destroy "chop'n'drop" strategy. I hope.
I am also thinking about turning all of the Yitzi drone additional features, however, rule 8 is something quite game changing. The strategy of bases with all-specialists will not work.
Luckily, rule 1 helps with pacifism drones.
Additional drones change drone management anyway, so why not have these extreme drone rules here too.
Rule 32 is helping in return.
Civ4 has this idea of a civ, that with several cities can effectively compete with an aggresive civ, that spreads wide on the map.I could see it providing a severe disadvantage for the factions that cannot population boom easily until after Hybrid Forests provide a sustainable source of nutrients for a base (i.e. Hive).
Having easier breaking of the second population limit and ability to grow bases to their maximum with abundant nutrients makes somewhat that. In this mod of smacx, you could have several bases with sizes well over 20, with lots of specialists providing a lot of economy and research.
Civ4 has this idea of a civ, that with several cities can effectively compete with an aggresive civ, that spreads wide on the map.
Having easier breaking of the second population limit and ability to grow bases to their maximum with abundant nutrients makes somewhat that. In this mod of smacx, you could have several bases with sizes well over 20, with lots of specialists providing a lot of economy and research.
Ok, but nutrients can be obtained from farming, not necessarily all forests around is the best.Obtaining a Golden Age means a big hit for income and research, esp. for the Hive with their neg. Economy -> cranking up psych will give an additional penalty for economy and research (starting at psych 20 if I remember correctly, and it prob. needs to go a lot higher for a GA in a reasonable amount of cities)
Hive has both +1 growth and +1 industry. Always some benefit to get things done sooner, like having enough formers, facilities, etc.
And always there is golden age. I agree, it requires energy, and Hive is not the best at it, but still, assigning psych can help here.
So +7 actually can be from:
+2 planned
+2 children creche
+2 golden age
+1 factional bonus
Well, bad news. Quantum Converter is enabled by Robotic Assembly plant.
Now I am not sure, is Nanoreplicator limited the same? Or it is free of such pre-requisite. I need to check.
Normally, an arrangement could be made without bigger problem, but if the mod is to be without changing of of files other than faction txt and alphax.txt, there are limitations.