1. Mindworm capture probability formula
2. Research rating's effect on tech cost
From the Prima Guide, page 23:
[11 + (DIFF x 4) + ((TECHS x 6)/5) - (TURNS/8 - (MOSTTECHS/5)] x TECHS x WORLDSIZE = RESEARCHCOST
DIFF = Difficulty Level, Citizen = 0 ... Transcend = 5
TECHS = the number of Techs you've already discovered
MOSTTECHS = the greatest number of Techs already discovered by any one player
TURNS = the number of turns that have already passed
WORLDSIZE = If you are playing on a smaller world, multiply the result by 0.6 (Tiny) or 0.8 (Small). If playing on a large world, multiply the result by 1.1 (Large) or 1.6 (Huge). (Obviously a Standard world would not be adjusted here). If you've created a custom size for your world, use these WORLDSIZE modifiers to estimate your custom WORLDSIZE modifier. (On my Humongous maps this can range from 2 to 3!)
If Tech Stagnation is selected, divide TURNS by 12 (instead of 8) and multiply the final result (RESEARCHCOST) by 1.5.
Early in the game, if your faction is weak on Research (e.g., the Believers), the (RESEARCHCOST) can be increased by as much as 15%. Late in the game, this increase is closer to 2%. Similarly, factions that are strong on Research (e.g., the University) can decrease RESEARCHCOST by 15% to 2%.
Your final result is the number of Research Points required for your next discovery.
The result can range anywhere from about 65 (Citizen difficulty level on a Tiny world at the very beginning of the game with a research-savvy faction) to about 9000 (Transcend, Huge, after you've discovered more than 70 Techs). If Tech Stagnation is selected, it can take over 13,000 Research Points to discover your next Tech!
As you might be able to see, the greatest factor is how many Techs you yourself have discovered. In fact, you can quickly estimate your next research cost by squaring the number of your current Techs and adding a bit. Be sure to adjust the result based on WORLDSIZE and Tech Stagnation.
Research does not lower tech cost it just grants more research points.But it appears that negative research does indeed increase tech costs. Try a simple experiment. Set up a hotseat game where you control all players on the map of Planet. Have University, Cycon, Believers, Drones, and a couple of other factions in the game.
I found that CyCon, University, Gaia, Peacekeepers, and Angels all had a tech cost of 14 for their next tech. I was a bit surprised by this, because I thought that the factions that already had 2 techs (CyCon, University, and Angels) would have a bit higher tech cost, but this is not the case.
Ah, I see, only negative.. hm. That's a little more awkward to test for all values. My assumption from that one data point (double at -2) would be something like techcost*(1+negativeresearch/2), I'll try with some factions with other negative research modifiers.
Ok, after testing every value from 0 to minus six in a hotseat game with modded factions, it appears to be as simple as: if RESEARCH is negative, double techcost. That's quite a massive penalty, and makes -1 Research almost as harmful as -2. At least it's simple to implement for my formula.
hm, true. Much more than double in % of research rate terms as much as to anyone else (normal faction goes from 1x to 1.2x, a 20% boost. Drones go from 0.5*0.8=0.4x to 1x, a 250% boost.). I guess maybe the Drones should beeline knowledge then, unless they're heavily probing/being fed tech (and even then it would be huge)? Does that happen?
No, I did not test further into the game. I don't think I have a mid/lategame Drones file to test Knowledge with handy either.Ah, I see, only negative.. hm. That's a little more awkward to test for all values. My assumption from that one data point (double at -2) would be something like techcost*(1+negativeresearch/2), I'll try with some factions with other negative research modifiers.
Ok, after testing every value from 0 to minus six in a hotseat game with modded factions, it appears to be as simple as: if RESEARCH is negative, double techcost. That's quite a massive penalty, and makes -1 Research almost as harmful as -2. At least it's simple to implement for my formula.
Any sense if it is weakened as the game progresses?
Wow, if Knowledge does not fix the Tech Cost doubling, then Free Drones and Believers have more of a penalty than I ever realized!
Ok, I've tested it...running knowledge does nothing to affect the increased tech cost, but it does decrease a lot as the game progresses.My test agrees with this. I had one case with 270 vs 300 techcost, but it's still kind of strange that faction penalties still count when canceled out by SE changes, feels like a bug to me. Oddly later in the game I'm getting wildly different values, with my drone faction needing 1544 point and university still needing 300.. this seems likely to be because I gave my AI drones a lot of Mk3 Ogres which let saved them and let them take over the university, so the drones were doing all the discovering. And "TECHS = the number of Techs you've already discovered" must not include techs you've traded/stolen from people? Maybe that's why we're both getting decreases late game, simply because we're both gifting technology to the drones, and any other faction in their position would still have half the tech cost.