Oceanic Pack - 7 Aquatic factions [input requested]

[Yitzi]

Do you mean change colors for an individual game? That's probably worthwhile for AARs by people who know basic graphics stuff, but if with the factionpack being available to the public, it'd be handy to avoid collisions by default rather than requiring messing with files.

Point, although even there an "alternate color" version would probably be fairly easy to put in the factionpack.

[Buster's Uncle]

Well - once you're past the primary and secondary colors, plus black white and gray, you get into fairly subtle shading, and it gets hard to tell flags apart.  This would be a problem without the limitations of the SMACX palette; with it, I threw my hands up and stopped even trying a long time ago, after much nit-picking time and effort to overcome.  There are only nine good colors to work with, and black only works for the Spartans.

It's just a thing we have to clench our teeth and live with.

[ete]

I'd be a lot happier with something subtly different even if it's not a good color as you're defining it, my issue with the current color is that it is flat out the same shade as an official faction.

@Yitzi: Yes, but doing that for all the factions would almost double an already massive download, as well as slightly complicating file loading, and require extra work to keep new changes to graphics applied to both versions of a faction's art. It's worth considering as an extra.. but I figure the loss may outweigh the gains there for most people who may use it.

[Sigma]

Question: would the .5 Votes for the Covenant have any real teeth considering that they will be in a constant state of Sanctions the second they declare war on someone?

[ete]

Activating nerve gas pods is optional, so they unless the war gets desperate they may decide not to take sanctions. Similarly using nerve gas outside bases against aliens or during sunspots does not matter, other than making the target hate you. Also, I don't think sanctions affects your ability to run for governor? I could be wrong about that though.

It's not a huge penalty, but it seems to be a fitting one. Could be dropped if we think of something else that works better.

[Sigma]

Activating nerve gas pods is optional, so they unless the war gets desperate they may decide not to take sanctions. Similarly using nerve gas outside bases against aliens or during sunspots does not matter, other than making the target hate you. Also, I don't think sanctions affects your ability to run for governor? I could be wrong about that though.

It's not a huge penalty, but it seems to be a fitting one. Could be dropped if we think of something else that works better.

Fair enough!

Quick question: where did you get the name Vathe from? I like it.

And I'm making the leader Irish, with the position of Unity's Deep Sea Oceanographer.

Also, Re:The Monarchs, what was the King's position on the Unity? I ask because he's kind of an older gentlemen, and the only older guys on the Unity were Yang and Zakharov (I forget how old Lal was), who were fairly high ranking.

[ete]

I googled evil sounding name generator and generated names until I got one I liked. Irish sounds good.

Not sure about the King's position.. maybe some kind of advisor?

[Sigma]

How does this look:

(click to show/hide)

#BLURB
In the deepest reaches of Planet's oceans, the crushing pressure and lack of nourishing
sunlight render the hadal trench zones barren of most forms of life. Yet in this hellish
environment, the xenofungus thrives in greater abundance and concentration than anywhere
on the surface. Fused into dense clusters by intense geothermal heat and over 1200 bars of
deep sea pressure, the neural capacity of the hadal fungus is magnitudes larger than the
rest of Planet's xenomass put together. In these fathomless depths, Planet's very soul lies
dreaming.
 ^
 ^        —Deacon Daniel Vathe,
 ^           “The Call of Chiron”

#DATALINKS1
^LEADER: {Deacon Daniel Vathe}
^BACKGROUND: {United Ireland, Unity Deep Sea Oceanographer}
^AGENDA: {Communion with Planetmind}
^TECH: {Social Psyche, Doctrine: Flexibility}
^

#DATALINKS2
^+1 PLANET: {Revere Planet as a powerful, godlike entity}
^-1 ECONOMY: {Attract few trade partners}
^Free Nerve Gas Pods on all units with discovery of High Energy Chemistry
^Free Isle of the Deep at Planetfall
^Planetary Council Votes Halved {Other leaders distrustful of beliefs}
^Extra Drone per 4 Citizens {Citizens repulsed by beliefs and rituals}
^{May not use Free Market Economics}

My thought process is that, like Miram, Vathe is not anti-science. Miram viewed science as one of God's miracles (per the High Energy Chemistry quote), and likewise Vathe understands that the Planetmind is the product of a unique bio-ecology-- but that doesn't make it any less worthy of worship and reverential fear for what it is capable of.

[Yitzi]

Activating nerve gas pods is optional, so they unless the war gets desperate they may decide not to take sanctions.

Well, unless the U.N. charter is repealed...

Also, I don't think sanctions affects your ability to run for governor? I could be wrong about that though.

I believe that is correct, though of course it means you don't get the bonus commerce even if you win.

[ete]

@Sigma: I like the quote. Maybe something slightly darker than "communication to planetmind" for agenda, and justification of Nerve gas (low value of human life?), but otherwise seems good. And maybe a little more hint of what they plan do with Planetmind? Submit to it and hope for mercy?

@Yitzi: True, and true.

[Sigma]

@Sigma: I like the quote. Maybe something slightly darker than "communication to planetmind" for agenda, and justification of Nerve gas (low value of human life?), but otherwise seems good. And maybe a little more hint of what they plan do with Planetmind? Submit to it and hope for mercy?

@Yitzi: True, and true.

I figure that I'll handle the most of their dark aspects in their dialogues. Vathe's ideology and beliefs need to be attractive enough to gather a following, with their truly negative aspects only becoming either to outsiders or to those who get in too deep.

[ete]

@Sigma: Okay, that should work. Worth bearing in mind the initial quote is all you'll see before picking a faction, and all you'll get if you pick the faction personally.

Thinking about graphics for the Covenant..

has potential? Not sure about it though, open to ideas. 5th one down on the right of base4? 4th down, 2nd from left on Diplomacy2? Not sure about logo. Sigma and BU, thoughts on these ideas?

[Sigma]

What about Base15,Row9? To me it definitely invokes the idea of a group obsessed with a godlike entity dwelling in the depths of the ocean.

[ete]

Yep, that's even better.

Also, running an AI only game with all three+Pirates/Yang/Usurper. The Covenant have an awesome start, nerve gas lets them rush brilliantly, but they kind of fall apart later on. Seasteaders have a horrible start, lose like five sea cps to the nrx, but are currently leading. Everyone hates the Covenant (nerve gas) and Yang (nuked the covenant HQ). The UN Charter got repealed, and King Colton nuked the Usurper's HQ and destroyed Mt Planet along with most of the Usurper core continent. Usurpers had been basically tied for first with nrx until then, but they're dropping back now. Seasteaders are still rising, perhaps they need some penalty that only matters lategame? Anything that hurts them a lot early may be too much for their already weakish start.

[Yitzi]

Yep, that's even better.

Also, running an AI only game with all three+Pirates/Yang/Usurper. The Covenant have an awesome start, nerve gas lets them rush brilliantly, but they kind of fall apart later on. Seasteaders have a horrible start, lose like five sea cps to the nrx, but are currently leading. Everyone hates the Covenant (nerve gas) and Yang (nuked the covenant HQ). The UN Charter got repealed, and King Colton nuked the Usurper's HQ and destroyed Mt Planet along with most of the Usurper core continent. Usurpers had been basically tied for first with nrx until then, but they're dropping back now. Seasteaders are still rising, perhaps they need some penalty that only matters lategame? Anything that hurts them a lot early may be too much for their already weakish start.

Perhaps a substantial RESEARCH penalty, but bonus research per base.  So early game when each base produces only a small amount of research, they have a teching advantage, but later on they have a disadvantage.  It even fits well thematically with a loosely organized semi-anarchic society and encourages lots of bases regardless of EFFIC considerations.