JarlWolf's Custom Factions

[Kilkakon]

For sure! Yeah your CC faction is pretty loved as is at the moment. I recall their refusal to die in Green's AAR haha~.

Military factions tend to get a positive police score due to the increased military about, although you could have a small penalty and more support to make it a bit more interesting.

Have you made art for the clones yet? Sorry if I managed to miss it.

[Buster's Uncle]

It strikes me that if the Imperium isn't an aristocracy with an entire ruling class that has pretentions to Noble class status, it should be. 

[Yitzi]

That's the thing, I am not sure. It was mainly just in terms of their Police score: I want them to reflect a brutal, strong empire that either has to violently suppress its contingents of slaves or appease the mob.

Perhaps a substantial penalty to TALENT and/or extra drones, but give them a bonus to POLICE and free hologram theaters?

[JarlWolf]

It strikes me that if the Imperium isn't an aristocracy with an entire ruling class that has pretentions to Noble class status, it should be.

Their ideology prevents that for the most part: It's a do or die mentality society, total self made man style capitalism in a slaver society, and Sepsu and his loyalists ensures that, as does the natural status quo of the empire. He's an Emperor, but the people up top earned their position: And someone could potentially replace him as well.

This society is more equivalent to Ancient Rome then a Medieval society: You have an all powerful Emperor with wealthy senator/merchant style citizens who can be knocked from power at any moment. Sepsu just keeps a very tight grip on his power is why he hasn't been knocked down, and that he is a strong leader.

In fact, a source of pride is drawn from among the upper class of their roots and rise to the top: it's an integral part of faction identity, making your own way in the Empire and rising from nothing to riches. If your looking for the closest thing to Nobility, that would probably be the Clones, as they have a literal genetic caste system.

While a slave in the Imperium has bitter chances of becoming free, its not impossible. Slaves that show strength and manage to dominate other ones or prove themselves to their owners typically get some limelight, and some of the richest Magnates and merchants within the Imperium Crescint were once miserable slaves toiling in wretched factories. Though in order to rise that high, you need to be willing to sell your scruples for the most part. Every merchant on top in the Imperium had to get his or her hands dirty at one point, and probably kill the next in line or ruin them to get ahead.

Actually, on that note I think a police penalty does make sense... the society isn't lawless, but there is loads of corruption and social problems in the society. Right... content with that then...

The Clones definitely need a nerf though, recent games with them have shown to be overpowered.

Also, on note of the Clones...
Kilkakon:

For sure! Yeah your CC faction is pretty loved as is at the moment. I recall their refusal to die in Green's AAR haha~.

Military factions tend to get a positive police score due to the increased military about, although you could have a small penalty and more support to make it a bit more interesting.

Have you made art for the clones yet? Sorry if I managed to miss it.

Indeed I have. Feast your eyes.



As for the support, Support usually (in my mind at least) indicates resources or amounts of support the populace/system gives to the overall group. Which in the Imperium, wouldn't really be there, resources are competed for, people are out for themselves. In factions say like, the Believers who follow a Christian mindset, there is a bit more of a sense of community and citizens are willing to lend a hand and support their faith. Or in the Crimson Comrades, where things are communalized and resources are stockpiled and communally shared combined with loads of volunteers.

That's the thing, I am not sure. It was mainly just in terms of their Police score: I want them to reflect a brutal, strong empire that either has to violently suppress its contingents of slaves or appease the mob.

Perhaps a substantial penalty to TALENT and/or extra drones, but give them a bonus to POLICE and free hologram theaters?

I think I might decrease their police penalty a small bit and add extra drones instead (if I can.). I don't want them having free facilities other then Childrens creche (Sepsu's background in fertility research, which is also a side thing to promote growth) and I want their exploding, imperialistic population to have struggles maintaining order, at least at first.

[Kilkakon]

I like that leaderhead. I might suggest squashing it horizontally very slightly, but otherwise it looks great and gives that air of being a femme fatale.

I think 1 in 4 drones could work well yeah.

[JarlWolf]

I like that leaderhead. I might suggest squashing it horizontally very slightly, but otherwise it looks great and gives that air of being a femme fatale.

I think 1 in 4 drones could work well yeah.

Was thinking more like 1/3 

If I squash it more it doesn't fill the entire picture plane sadly. So she'll have to remain as such.

And yes, she is indeed a femme fatale: Her society is inspired by Rapture and a few other sources, and she's basically got her own personality cult. The Sons of Oceanus are also pretty hedonistic and love their luxury and recreation, and while she isn't the type to show herself with no reservations (she's has some decency/self respect), she does play on the emotion of lust with her followers.

[JarlWolf]

Bumping up for all comrades to see

[Buster's Uncle]

I like that leaderhead. I might suggest squashing it horizontally very slightly, but otherwise it looks great and gives that air of being a femme fatale.

If I squash it more it doesn't fill the entire picture plane sadly. So she'll have to remain as such.

Pretty easy to fill in that blank-ish background...

[vv221]

Just discovered this thread from JarlWolf's post here:
http://alphacentauri2.info/index.php?topic=8557.msg48634#msg48634

After I read the factions descriptions, I downloaded them all without an afterthought!
While I'm not a "power gamer", I have no idea how well they fare in game, but my first after-reading thought has been this:
"If there had been a second extension to Alpha Centauri, this is what its factions would have looked like!"

Well, that and being one of those awful commies myself, I couldn't resist the call to play The Crimson Comrades in one of my future playthrough

Are those factions intended to be played all together?
Or do they mix well with Alpha Centauri or Alien Crossfire ones?

[JarlWolf]

Personal advice from a fellow dirty red [progeny of unmarried parents]-

These factions are ALL intended to be played with one another. Its also fun to play these in conjunction with Sigma's faction pack if you ever feel like switching it up.

While you can still have fun mixing these with the original SMAC and SMAX factions, these factions here are intended to be "successors" of both those former group of factions. These factions lore wise are the results of all the others collapsing/evolving into these ones, and are a fair bit stronger. However, the originals can STILL give you a challenge and still provide a decent game, these factions aren't total power houses. They are just a bit more extreme then the originals is all, and that can bend either way in terms of how your game goes- it can either help you, or bite you in the ass with the penalties.

And don't underestimate any of the factions in this pack. They are all extreme and very tough competitors in their own aspect. I would never tread on the Valhallans unless I knew I was far ahead in the tech race and outnumbered them.

I would never try to out produce the Machine Mandate unless I had way more cities and production capacity from just expanding more.

They all have very good strengths, but also pincering weaknesses.

[ete]

If you want to use a normal faction in a game with a bunch of these, I recommend taking it down a difficulty level or two unless you want a massive challenge or are finding your standard difficulty level significantly too easy. Some of them are absolutely brutal to start near (fighting the Valhallans as a normal faction is worse than landing on top of Marr as Morgan on a tiny island, I've done both), and some become monstrous later on in the game. If you're using the CCs you should be okay, but even if you use them seriously don't let the Imperium get going. I had one game where they took out virtually everyone else while I was isolated, and only *just* held them off using a combination of chokepoint and air power, they were losing 5+ units for each of mine because terrible tactical AI but still pushing me back because of the massive SP, tech, and production advantage that comes from owning the planet with constant pop boom. I've never felt threatened that far into a game before.

[JarlWolf]

All the factions can be pretty mean if given the right circumstances- I had games where the Iron Regime, Richard Warrick just dominated an entire faction and was steamrolling right from the start. The fascists typically get lazers early on and just roll with it, even with blind research as I typically play as. And the Machine Mandate's productive power is frightening especially if they put it to secret projects.

[JarlWolf]

I realize how long I have left this unfinished, along with the long haitus with my AAR... but I will say this:

I am going to finish this and get the wanderers of Chiron in, and then I am going to consider either carrying on with my AAR or restarting it, having it with all of my factions.

[Flux]

Crimson Comrades? Bah.
My faction is the Reagan Republic.
"JarlWolf, tear down this wall!"
You should make an AAR of yourself fighting Reaganites.

[JarlWolf]

I'll tear down his wall and facade of capitalism, surely. Maybe for my next AAR I might feature the Reaganites... but I'll have to think of faction composition..