Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

You liked that one huh? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...es/biggrin.gif Well, I'm sure you like this one then. The Shock http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/cool.gif :
http://www.pacifier.com/~gladmill/adamant/Shock.png



Its passable, but Version 15 doesn't have any ready-to-play AI Empires included Last time I checked. You'll have to set them up yourself. Make sure you use the right AI files or they won't do much of anything. The shipsets included with the mod should be setup with the mod's AI files already. If you have any questions ask Fyron.

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

Now that's a great looking weapon. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/eek.gif

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

Random AI empire generation works great... The AI is roughly on par with Stock, albiet a bit uniform... It is no TDM, but it works well enough for now... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

I agree. WOW.

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

I didn't realize it could figure out your complex racial traits. How does that work? Are there some kind of standard picks that you set up or something? Or am I completely off the wall? I've always manually picked my opponents. [img]/threads/images/Graemlins/Cold.gif[/img]

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

The AI_General file in each Race folder tells the game exactly what to select for each of the AI empires.

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

Ahh... I looked around, but didn't see anything anywhere. Didn't look there. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/smirk.gif Never really messed with the AI like I have with much of the rest of the stuff.

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

AI General files are a huge pain in the arse... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/Sick.gif

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

[img]/threads/images/Graemlins/icon09.gif[/img] [img]/threads/images/Graemlins/icon09.gif[/img] [img]/threads/images/Graemlins/icon09.gif[/img] [img]/threads/images/Graemlins/icon09.gif[/img] [img]/threads/images/Graemlins/icon09.gif[/img] [img]/threads/images/Graemlins/icon09.gif[/img]/5

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

Those are wonderful component pictures! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif
Those weapons look magical and at the same time, technological as well... excellent work! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

Magic really isn't all that different from science. A mage spends as much time theorizing and performing experiments as any scientist. The scientific method still holds true. The only difference is that magic doesn't care about the laws of physics and other standard scientific restrictions. It operates by a separate set of rules that cannot be reconciled with scientific laws.

Magical apparatus will take on a form similar to any device ever made, whether magical or technological. Energy must come from somewhere, in this case the crystals feed directly off of the Mana Shard Generators. The energy must then be converted and channeled into a useful form, this is done by the crystals and the "brass" tubing. And, Volia, instant lightning bolt or whatever else you need. [img]/threads/images/Graemlins/Lightning.gif[/img]

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

Of course, magic spells usually channel energy from other planes, such as the elemental planes and negative energy planes. So, it appears that the energy does indeed come from nowhere. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

Only from a scientist's point of view. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

And behold the Cone of Cold (Otherwise known as "The Snow Blower" http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...es/Penguin.gif ):
http://www.pacifier.com/~gladmill/ad...0of%20Cold.png

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

Isn't that a cylinder, not a cone? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

Picky, Picky, Picky... Lets just say the snow will fan out as it travels.

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

I have been fiddling around with nomads and pirates against the AI. I was playing a nomadic race and was trying to get a functional pirate AI working. The pirate AI isn't doing very well, but it will build pretty good boarding ships. The AI can capture ships right? I'm not mistaken am I? Never actually seen them do it yet. Anyways, I had some questions and suggestions regarding the nomads and pirates.

Nomads:
--Why are the research teams limited to 10 per vessel? I would like to be able to build dedicated research bases and ships, but with only being able to put 100kt of research teams on the vessel hinders this somewhat.

--Research teams should count as cargo on cargo vessels so that I can make dedicated research ships.

--You need to make a decision concerning the research outPosts, they are useless currently. Either make them large enough to put a maintenance reducer on them or remove them entirely.

Pirate:
--Pirates can capture colony ships and then colonize planets with them. They have nothing really useful to build on those planets though. Would it be terrible to give the pirates access to the forced labor production facilities to put those enslaved populations to use.

--Pirate are supposed to be hard to find right? I was wondering if it would be reasonable to give the pirates a system cloak component for their bases. It can be large (1000kt - 1500kt) and expensive. It would require a base just to house it. It doesn't need to be as high a level as the monster cloaks. A good set of sensors could see through it. This wouldn't be too powerful would it?

Please forgive any false assumptions I may have made and feel free to correct me.

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

The AI can never properly handle pirates or nomads...

To encourage spreading them out amongst different vessels.

That seems rather odd to me... why would a transport make a good research hull? You can just use a warship hull...

I already have, actually. Just not yet in a released Version... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

Possibly... pirates aren't really supposed to be generating their own resources to begin with. Perhaps a weakened Version...

Hmm... possibly.

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

Well it kind of works, they will never be a threat beyond their home system and any surrounding systems, their largest problem is that they lack the resources to maintain more than a dozen ships or so, that and the fact that they are being picked on by a neighboring AI. They will be little more than a flavorful nuisance like the neutral AIs. That is if the AI can capture ships. My test subject is in no condition to attempt it really.

I don't know, call it habit. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/smirk.gif I tend to put the non-combat ships in the cargo hulls because they are cheeper to maintain and larger, but I guess that doesn't matter here. To turn the tables; Why would a science vessel use a combat hull?

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

Because it is a generic hull, not necessarily a "combat hull." Transports are not the "civilian" hull, they are just ships specialized to carry cargo or supplies. They can be combat vessels as well, such as troop transports...

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

Remote miners count as cargo. Why is that? They are not related to cargo or supplies, infact they are closer related to the research teams as resource producers.

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

To allow remote mining with transport hulls early in the game, I think. It's the only logic I can see here.

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

Sure they do. They have to have massive cargo storage areas to store all of those resources mined... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif Research teams, not so much. Also, to allow them to be used on ships earlier in the game, as Aiken mentioned...

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

lol, http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif you have a point there.

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

I have numbers this time. A 10 research team corvette (310kt) costs 3035, 5790, 3675 to build. It costs 103, 196, 124 to maintain. A 7 research team small transport (300kt) costs 3425, 4150, 3825 to build, but it only costs 23, 37, 24 to maintain. I can maintain at least 28 research labs using transports for a similar cost of maintaining 10 research labs with a combat hull. This is why I use transport hulls for research vessels. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/cool.gif

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

I have another suggestion for the nomads. They have no real access to training facilities. Would it be possible to get space-based training facilities to put in starbases. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/cool.gif

P.S. I'm still working on the pics if you were wondeing. I am working on a memphit model and it is taking a while. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/smirk.gif

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

Lovely Jubly! New piccys http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/cool.gif

Your & Fyrons 'upgrade' to the Magic Paradigm is much looked forward to!

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

Both pirates and nomads need some serious support in intel area. Intel points from bridges are not enough to resist severe intel attack.

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

A counter intel facility.

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

Note that I have fixed a number of issues regarding hull sizes and maintenance values for 0.16.00... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

Nomads have intelligence components that can be placed on ships and bases. Perhaps 10x counter intel projects for the pirates or something...

There is no such thing. The Fate Shrine ability is largely useless. If it succeeds, all it does is shift the project to a target in a different system of your empire. If you only have a single planet in your empire, it effectively does nothing at all against planet-based projects...

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

For reference, here is the information stating why a counter-intel facility using the Fate Shrine ability(s) is more or less useless:

*thread link*

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

What about the space-based training facilities in my Last post, Fyron?

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

That's what Modding tutorial says about this ability. So the only problem is to convince Fyron to add such component http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

Wouldn't component-based training be susceptible to sector stacking?

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

He could also make this into a unique facility type. Say like System Lord or System General. (IE you make the facility with the said ability, but use a Race Portrait as the image instead of a facility image.)

You give this Facility a new class, say System Government.

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

Only if it was sector training, which will never be used in Adamant...

I am rather leary of component-base training... Imagine what happens when the nomads start gifting these out to normal races... Perhaps a reduced efficiency training or something...

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

Make it starbases only. And make it large and spendy, so you have to build a base designed solely to house the training facility. How would this be any different that if you gifted a tiny planet with training facilities to another player. Its not like the normal races couldn't build their own training facilities on a planet, planetside facilities would be cheaper to maintain as well. Also a base is more susceptible to attack than a planet. Sure the nomads aren't limited by the number of facility slots available but that's not going to break anything is it? If a normal race deals for a spacebased facility in order to save one facility slot on a planet somewhere he is not going to win the game automatically because he did. It will not make planetside facilities obsolete. You aren't going to trade with your enemies. They will still have to build planetside facilities. Beside if a spacebased facility is destroyed you would have to deal for another from a nomadic race rather than just rebuild, which may take two to four times longer if the nomads have to build it first.


Both will have pluses and minuses:

Nomads:
-Plus:
--No facility slot required
--Can be built anywhere

-Minus:
--Has maintenance cost
--Would cost more to build
--Would take longer to build
--Cannot be defended with Weapons Platforms.



Normal Races:
-Plus:
--No maintenance cost
--Cheaper than a starbase
--Builds quicker
--Can be defended with planetary defenses

-Minus:
--Requires a planetside facility slot
--Limited to planetary locations



If you must penalize the nomads training facilities in some way make it require a higher tech level for the nomads rather than making them less effective. By the time the nomads were rolling them out the normal races could have already built their facilities and have no need for spacebased facilities.

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

Fyron, an idea that I just put into the STM that you might want to consider for Adamant.

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

What does this do, exactly? Just add more powerful research facilities?

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

It increase the research bonus for that race.

Mild would give that race a 25% boost to reseach
Medium would give 50%
Heavy 100%.

Its a racial trait so it does not require any new facilities or technology. It is done like a characteristic or culture bonus but is an advanced trait.

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

Ok I worked up an example using the STM.

For each setting I used the same race so there are no differances except in the Advanced Trait setting for each of the research traits.

Mild 25% - 25100
Medium 50% - 25725
Heavy 100% - 26975

And for stm PBW advanced Research Trait 5x
PBW AR - 26975

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

I plan to create a FAQ, and am looking to gather questions for it. *link to thread*

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

Time for a new pic. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/cool.gif

The Mephit:
http://www.pacifier.com/~gladmill/adamant/Mephit.png
And I thought the horse took a long time. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...s/rolleyes.gif I've been working on this since Thanksgiving. At least the rest of the mephits should go pretty fast now that I have a model. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...es/biggrin.gif So what do you think?

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

It looks like he's ready to go to the bathroom... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif

The model itself is nice though.

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

You people have your minds in the gutter, truely. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...s/rolleyes.gif I got that response for the first golems I posted, as well. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/fear.gif

Here is a new one, I hope you like this one better http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/smirk.gif :
http://www.pacifier.com/~gladmill/ad...%20-%20New.png

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

any chane of a new adamant verion before christmas?

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

The 1st one was good http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/smile.gif
The 2nd one is much better http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/cool.gif

keep up the good work!

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

First Version of the FAQ is uploaded:

http://adamant.spaceempires.net/help/FAQ.html

You never know.

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

Looks good, but..

... I'm sure 'Bn "official releBse"' is spelled incorrectly. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

Re: Adamant Mod Discussion Thread
 

I've got more pics. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...es/biggrin.gif

The Fire Mephit:
http://www.pacifier.com/~gladmill/ad...e%20Mephit.png

The Air Mephit:
http://www.pacifier.com/~gladmill/ad...r%20Mephit.png

The Shadow Mephit:
http://www.pacifier.com/~gladmill/ad...w%20Mephit.png