Alpha Centauri 2

Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri & Alien Crossfire => Modding => Topic started by: Bearu on April 21, 2020, 06:12:16 AM

Title: Do you think the Telepathic Matrix should provide +2 PROBE (social)?
Post by: Bearu on April 21, 2020, 06:12:16 AM

I want some feedback on my modification of the Telepathic Matrix secret project. The +2 Probe Team Morale from the Telepathic Matrix in the most ideal conditions provides no positive Probe Team Morale in the stock game. You need to research 4 of the 5 technologies with a Probe Team Morale Bonus (Polymorphic Software, Pre-Sentient Algorithms, Mind/Machine Interface, and Digital Sentience) before you can build the Telepathic Matrix. This creates elite probe teams in the base game.
I decided to modify the Telepathic Matrix to provide +2 PROBE instead of +2 Probe Team Morale because the short description in the ALPHAX file for the Telepathic Matrix states "No Drone Riots; +2 PROBE." This indicates a very specific descriptor in the Alphax file.
From a flavor perspective, my change matches the flavor of the secret project because a telepathic connection would increase the ability of a government to monitor the thoughts of propaganda flowing into a base or individual.
From a game play perspective, the Telepathic Matrix already prevents Drone Riots and Drone Riots halve the cost of mind control. The Telepathic Matrix essentially provides conditional protection against a 1/2 modifier for mind control costs. My change would provide a potential additional 100% modifier on top and still provide potentially +2 Probe Team Morale.

How does this sound to you in terms of flavor and gameplay?
 

Title: Re: Do you think the Telepathic Matrix should provide +2 PROBE (social)?
Post by: bvanevery on April 21, 2020, 07:56:22 AM

I think the Telepathic Matrix is complete garbage, invalidating the hard work of actually playing the game.  Therefore, it is at the literal very end of my tech tree.  Problem solved.  I almost never "hard" take something out of the game, for fear of fans who would say "Well where is such-and-such?"  Rather, I "soft" remove things by making them very expensive, and putting them so far up the tech tree that by the time you get them, they're irrelevant.

The Matrix isn't for players.  It's for sandboxers.

I also removed all the tech flags that increase base probe team rating.  There are already tons of ways to level up probe teams without such flags.  It's really very absurd.

Title: Re: Do you think the Telepathic Matrix should provide +2 PROBE (social)?
Post by: Nexii on April 21, 2020, 06:29:33 PM

Yea it's conflicted with the full help description

#; The Telepathic Matrix
#HELPPROJ30
$LINK<Drones=36> never $LINK<riot=9> at your bases.
All of your $LINK<probe teams=30006> receive a $LINK<+2 morale=11> modifier.

+2 PROBE SE is definitely much stronger, since with Brood Pit that's MC immune at -1 POLICE or above

I play with all the free probe morale boosts taken out. Makes Elite probe teams way too easy and mostly invalidates the PROBE SE

I never really considered Telepathic Matrix OP, by the time you get there you have tons of psych facilities plus Transcendi. Drone control gets way easier in the late game

Title: Re: Do you think the Telepathic Matrix should provide +2 PROBE (social)?
Post by: bvanevery on April 21, 2020, 07:06:44 PM

You don't get Transcendii until the very last tech in the tech tree in my mod either.  I've even wondered about taking out all the specialists, but I've held off, since I don't want people howling in anger about what I've removed from the game.  Except for some things I really won't apologize for, like getting rid of the Chopper chassis.  It's overpowered, it has to go.

Title: Re: Do you think the Telepathic Matrix should provide +2 PROBE (social)?
Post by: Geo on April 21, 2020, 08:57:02 PM

Quote from: bvanevery on April 21, 2020, 07:06:44 PM

You don't get Transcendii until the very last tech in the tech tree in my mod either.  I've even wondered about taking out all the specialists, but I've held off, since I don't want people howling in anger about what I've removed from the game.  Except for some things I really won't apologize for, like getting rid of the Chopper chassis.  It's overpowered, it has to go.

You can adjust the Specialist abilities if you like.
And the 'Chopper, well, we had that discussion before. ;)

Title: Re: Do you think the Telepathic Matrix should provide +2 PROBE (social)?
Post by: bvanevery on April 21, 2020, 09:12:49 PM

I did substantially delay when you get the Specialists, but I didn't remove them.

Title: Re: Do you think the Telepathic Matrix should provide +2 PROBE (social)?
Post by: Geo on April 21, 2020, 09:58:16 PM

No, I mean the benefits they give. You can change those too in the Alphax file

Title: Re: Do you think the Telepathic Matrix should provide +2 PROBE (social)?
Post by: bvanevery on April 22, 2020, 03:14:28 AM

Yes I know, but there's a point at which nerfing them is pointless, might as well just take them out of the game.  Did I ever actually change the values?  Nope, not in 2 years.

Title: Re: Do you think the Telepathic Matrix should provide +2 PROBE (social)?
Post by: Geo on April 22, 2020, 10:03:17 AM

Okay.
It is a bit sad there's only those 3 parameters to be assigned to specialists.

Title: Re: Do you think the Telepathic Matrix should provide +2 PROBE (social)?
Post by: bvanevery on April 22, 2020, 01:40:48 PM

Unclear what other than ECONOMY, PSYCH, LABS you'd assign?

Title: Re: Do you think the Telepathic Matrix should provide +2 PROBE (social)?
Post by: Geo on April 22, 2020, 04:25:18 PM

The sky's the limit. Ie doctors heal infantry units faster, engineers mechanical units. Alternative 'benefit' from a psych chaplain when for example a punishment sphere is in the base.
Empaths benefiting new native life bred in the base. Stuff like that.

Title: Re: Do you think the Telepathic Matrix should provide +2 PROBE (social)?
Post by: bvanevery on April 22, 2020, 06:48:36 PM

You've named several ways to blow the lid off the dynamic range of several game mechanics.  I'm not seeing how that's an improvement.  I'll never write a game with citizen specialists in it.  It's an old mechanic from the stone ages that doesn't work with lots of bases.  It needs to die.

Title: Re: Do you think the Telepathic Matrix should provide +2 PROBE (social)?
Post by: Geo on April 22, 2020, 10:04:41 PM

That's your opinion of course.
And nobody stops you from doing so in your mod.

Title: Re: Do you think the Telepathic Matrix should provide +2 PROBE (social)?
Post by: bvanevery on April 23, 2020, 01:38:12 AM

I stop myself.  I "soft retire" things in my mod, not usually hard retire.  I push things out to the fringes of the game where they are not relevant anymore.  Like you don't get an Empath in my mod at Tier 4, you get it at Tier 6, with Eudaimonia.  Actually Tier 6 is relevant in my mod, it's not like the game is over yet, but the late game is beginning around then.  You're probably not going to Empath abuse your way to a game finish, at least, I don't think so.  I haven't really seen my mod played by someone who's an expert at citizen abuse though.

It is clear to me what a "stripped down" mod should look like, with many silly gewgaws completely removed.  The problem is, it does not favor my brand identity, notoriety, and mod uptake, to split my work as 2 mods.  So I don't.  I do the 1.  Ideas about "stripping down" are reserved for a full commercial effort, to make me money.  A 4X TBS does not need what SMAC has in it.  It has 3X as much stuff as is needed.