Oceanic Pack - 7 Aquatic factions [input requested]

[Sigma]

Reefkeeper (or Reefkeep) Caliphate?

Keeper may be something that we can work with, since "keeping" is at the core of their ideology.

[ete]

hmm, keeper is good, and that's one of the best so far. It does sound a little like they're environmentalists though, and keeping the reefs healthy rather than keeping knowledge?

[Sigma]

How about this: The Theoric Caliphate. Short name: "Theors"

"Theoric" comes from the novel Anathem by Neil Stephenson, where it references a society of thinkers and academics that isolate themselves from the rest of civilization in order to protect their knowledge from being misused.

[ete]

mm.. It invokes http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/theo- a bit too much, unless we want a religious angle too.. which Caliphate also hints strongly at. Most people won't get the reference, even if it is a good reference.

[Sigma]

See I think that actually kind of works into their ideology. They want to create a society free of religious control and restriction, and yet all they are doing is creating a new clergy comprised of academics instead of imams. The name encompasses that-- theo is both the origin of theology and theory.

However, here's an alternate option: what about the Savants? Like the University it embodies knowledge, but it invokes the idea of doing it in an abnormal manner (accrual and hording rather than sharing)

[ete]

If we want them to actually practice religion (e.g. have literal priests controlling knoewlegde) in then that name does work pretty nicely, but unless they're overly religious they're not going to want a word with the root "god" in their faction name, I think? I'm fine with having them be religious, but what you're describing is not that, and even if it is a little like religion they'd not be keen to advertize it.

Savants has potential.

[Sigma]

Let's go with Savants. I'll put together a .txt today that we can use for testing.

[ete]

Okay. Patch to github so I can sync

[Sigma]

Done. Here's the datalinks:

(click to show/hide)

#BLURB
Men have longed followed the idiom that knowledge is power. This cannot be denied.
But these same men do not follow this idiom to its final conclusion: that knowledge,
like power, will cast men undeserving of its burden into corruption, and in this
manner fell our first home. The lesson painfully learned is this: the power of the
mind to change the world must be guarded as jeaously as the power to split atoms, for
from the first arises the second.
 ^
 ^        —Caliph Saeed Alizadeh,
 ^           “Planet Theory”

#DATALINKS1
^LEADER: {Caliph Saeed Alizadeh}
^BACKGROUND: {Iranian Islamic Republic, Unity Education Specialist}
^AGENDA: {Golden Age of Knowledge}
^TECH: {Doctrine: Flexibility, Choose 1}
^

#DATALINKS2
^+2 RESEARCH: {Hierarchy of scholars and academics}
^+1 PROBE: {Protected networks and trained infiltrators}
^-1 INDUSTRY: {Labor neglected in favor of research}
^+10% Hurry Cost {Understaffed factories}
^Does not experience negative effects of Knowledge Values
^All units gain Algorithmic Enhancement upon discovery of Nanominiaturazation
^{May not use Fundamentalist Politics}

[ete]

Looks good! I like them being able to pick a tech, and AE as a freeabil. These guys are very much the opposite of Zak as a researcher.

I wonder if swapping the +1 and +2 bonuses would be a good idea, perhaps if the current version feels a bit strong.

[Sigma]

I figured that they need AE because they have no way of getting +Probe before Thought Control, and they needed something to boost their spies and assassins.

[ete]

Okay, now we've got all seven I'll run a few more tests. I'd like to test a fairly major nerf to the seasteaders, because right now they seem fairly OP. Going to try a major Economy penalty, which is a bit hard to justify flavorwise, but can say something like "Separate communities are not closely economically connected", which should lower the eng/base to more reasonable levels. Combine this with Yiti's ideas about research penalty+per base research bonus may work nicely.

I'm also thinking of nerfing the Traders somewhat, they currently don't have that much of a downside to go with their lovely +1 Econ. May also make a few other minor changes to others to play with balance.

[Sigma]

Flavor wise: for the Savants, I'm thinking of changing Saeed's title from Caliph to something like Minister, since I feel like Caliph is a little to on the nose, or perhaps too provocative to other factions. I feel like they'd prefer for their ambitions to go more unnoticed, and having a leader advertising himself as a Successor in a quasi-religious sense may be compromising that stealthiness.

[ete]

Makes sense, though Minister seems a bit too low ranking/general.

[ete]

Test seems.. unreasonably balanced so far. I doubt some would be in human hands though... but it's still a good sign.





Still pretty balanced, though I'm thinking the harvesters need renerfing possibly. Maybe dropping their Indust bonus, since conventional combat penalties apply to Psi.. or boosting Psi more and dropping conventional combat anyway. Armada is making a billion sea formers, covenant seems to be staying off the atrocities this game for some reason. -3 Econ may have been too harsh on the seasteaders, but in human hands they'll still thrive I'm certain. Pirates are in this as a yardstick, and they're looking comfortably middle of the road which is ideal.



Harvesters are making plenty of native, which is good. Covenant are still friends with some people for the first time ever, possible AI bug since they're not using gas even with the charter repealed. Nrx, as usual, are having a very strong late game. Most likely due to the AI loving support and Morale bonuses from free power. I feel like they're still probably underpowered in human hands due to almost irresolvable efficiency problems. Going to do another run with some minor changes.



My overall feeling about these factions is that a lot of them have a point in the mid-late game where they get a huge boost. Seasteaders+Hab Complexes (big no-ineffic bases), Harvesters+later Centauri Techs (awesome fungal resources), Monarchs (Free Power for +2 Support/Morale), and to a slightly lesser extent Armada+Doc:Init (free naval yards), Savants with free Knowledge, and with latest changes Traders with free Wealth. The only exception is the Covenant, who instead are focused almost entirely on the earlygame and aggression.

I kinda like this setup. Each faction has a different goal to beeline for, and a different way of getting ahead. It does mean endgame may be super hard to balance, but since a large part of how a game goes is who gets to fully use their major bonus first and most effectively.. maybe it's okay to let the games be somewhat decided earlier.