[MGM] Second ruleset

[Kirov]

I know this game like the back of my hand

You know what I hate about the Internet? It’s the cynicism. I mean, between all those Canadian model girlfriends and Nigerian princes, we forgot simply to trust one another. So let me assure you that I do believe that you’re very good just because you say so, no matter if you can prove it or not.

And that 'I'm better than you' challenge against Mart and Brecon? My God, usually I don't use grand words, but this time I just have to say this: your 3rd place is much more dignified than many things which involve peanut butter (trust me I know).

So can I ask you to help me out with that current GotM? I have this feeling that I could shave off at least 10 turns from that 103 turn score, maybe even more. And a player as good as you think you are should go below 2390. It’s not gonna be easy, but this scenario is the best place to show your cost-saving skills. I’m also looking forward to your discussion of any elements vital for good performance, like Mart’s modifications, elections and AI management, terraforming, etc. I really want to see your submission and try to guess how I would assess your skills had you not already told me how exceptional you are. Please, oblige me.

And last but not least, your comments about Mart’s ideas will have much more gravity to them, coming from testing as much as from theoretical background. Until then, I’ll allow myself to continue my conversation with Mart. We await your turn file and subsequent comments!

[Kirov]

I would modify as little items as possible, but hoping to fix some gameplay problems.

Mart, regarding the high maintenance cost of Fusion and Quantum Labs.

At first I wanted to tell you that the changes don’t bring much about. I mean, if you’re high on cash, you can afford that maintenance. If you’re high on labs, you want those facs in place no matter the cost. So people would build them (or not) anyway, and the only change would be a 10% step on the slider towards ECON. Hardly a gameplay-affecting thing.

But then I thought about it some more and I figured that adjusting maintenance can actually have very good effects. With high maintenance, you want to know what you’re doing and you won’t build pricey buildings just about everywhere. People who come from single- to multi-player often suffer from that debilitating habit of ‘constructing every good facility in every base’, figuring that MP is just comparative building. So they all put those Energy Banks and Tree Farms everywhere and it usually takes more than one invasion to show them why this is a bad idea. By increasing the maintenance, you make those facilities situational, like Punishment Spheres or Command Centres. Normally in a 20-base faction, I’d build Fusion Labs in some 16. Now that number goes down to 12-14 (in single player of course). And I think it’s a great idea.

I need to see and analyse more before I make up my mind about 0 maintenance facs (like your Biology Labs, for example).

[bvanevery]

So can I ask you to help me out with that current GotM?

Rest assured, I have every intention of utterly trouncing the GotM like it's a kind newborn baby.  But I'm deep in the middle of my own massive tech tree / social engineering / faction reshuffle, and I have to playtest that stuff as well.  Working on the thing is sort of a Gordian Knot that keeps morphing into something else, consuming buckets of production time.  I can really see why commercial entities would never ship a "perfect" tech tree, as my own ideas about perfection have been sorely challenged by the exercise.  I think I'm satisfied with the early tree now though.  It's the midgame tree that has lots of loose ends still.

Some of the reshufflings did take note of Mart's concerns about various overpowered Secret Projects.  I'm solving those problems "the right way," IMO, by moving them farther along in the tech tree.  Thus they have power commensurate with other kinds of power the players are gaining, for the most part.  Also, nobody starts with the ability to make a SP, and you must do divergent research paths to get to your 1st SP.  I hope this blocks the tendency of the AIs to just start up piles of SPs and take pot luck on whatever they can actually finish.  It may make it more difficult for a human player to "run the table" with all the SPs.  To the extent that the human can't get to something, I'm hoping that the faction actually concentrating in a given research area will complete the SP.

[bvanevery]

People who come from single- to multi-player often suffer from that debilitating habit of ‘constructing every good facility in every base’, figuring that MP is just comparative building.

I've found in many single-player games that Research Hospitals are already high maintenance.  I've found that many factions I've played, will go bankrupt if I build too many Research Hospitals, before I've got Environmental Economics removing my energy limit.  So nowadays I don't do it.  One RH goes in the Capitol, until I've got EE.

Trying to solve game problems through "high maintenance" does not sound at all enticing to me as a single player.  Nor generally do I think maintenance costs should be lowered.  I can already feel the effects of economics, and I don't want those effects increased or removed.

In my mod I'm making Punishment Spheres available with Doctrine:Loyalty.  It's realistic.  If you want to blow 50% of your research making people unhappy, hey have at it!  You're not gonna pop boom with repressed drones either.

I'm making Nerve Gas available with Biogenetics.  Hey if you want to make everyone hate you permanently and have mindworms overrun you because of your chemical attacks, have at it!  We had mustard gas in WW I.  And if you want to exterminate the Aliens immediately, I'm very much in favor of it.  They often attack without saying so much as "hello" first.

I'm making Fundamentalism available with Social Psych.  Again, knock yourself out blowing your research at the beginning of the game!  Whatever floats your boat.  Now, my Fundamentalism is a bit different than stock, more on that later.  I repurposed Secrets of the Human Brain, it holds The Empath Guild much later in the tech tree.