Proportions Mod version 3.0.3 posted
 

For those interested, here is my change list for the next version so far. I almost got it ready to post today, but not quite.

Changes Log:
============


Version 3.0.3:

--------------
New Additions:
--------------
* Added Anti-Matter Warheads, a powerful branch of Anti-Matter Technology
which after much research can multiply the effect of explosive warheads.
* Re-added Anti-Matter Torpedoes, now as an advanced weapon requiring both
torpedo technology and anti-matter warheads.
* Re-added Quantum Torpedoes, now as a very advanced weapon.
* Added Quantum Beam weapons.
* Added religious zealot and holy infantry types.
* Added three levels of AFV Emissive Armor.
* Added Minefield Scanner Jammers.
* Added Single Satellite Launchers.
* Added laser fighter weapons.
* Added charged particle blaster fighter weapons.
* Added laser AFV weapons.
-----------------
Gameplay Changes:
-----------------
* Renamed Small Anti-Matter Torpedoes to Small Explosive Torpedoes and
changed the tech requirements for levels II and III to make them
available in the 3.x research tree. They now come with various
combinations of research in Small Weapons, Torpedo Weapons, Advanced
Explosive Torpedoes and Explosive Warheads.
* Re-set crew quarter requirement for Scouts back from 0 to 1, since
building Scouts without crew quarters halved their speed in practice,
though not on the design screen.
------
Fixes:
------
* Corrected supply ability of Anti-Matter Reactors IV and V.
* Removed supply use requirements from ring & sphere world generators,
because a bug was causing them to fail even with enough supplies. (4)(5)
* Corrected supply use of Small Ion Engine II x 2. (4)
* Corrected actual mine laying rate of Mine Layer III. (4)
* Corrected number of tech areas required for Elite Infantry.
* Removed scale mount trick for Minefield Signature Suppressors. (2)
* Multiple elite Weapons Platform Command Centers no longer stack. (2)
* Emissive armor effects for AFV's removed and added to structure, because
I believe they did not have any effect. (2)
* Balanced (increased) costs of AFV shields, because they had been balanced
for shield depleters, which were removed from ground units in Proportions
version 3 for strong suspicion of not working right. (2)
* Corrected (added) radioactives cost of Small Arms IV.
---------
Cosmetic:
---------
* Added Advanced Explosive Torpedoes to the changes log for version 3.0.2,
where they were added.
* Corrected Sphere World Placement Generator requirement description to
read GT instead of MT. (5)

((2) Thanks to Alneyan for reporting these!)
((4) Thanks to MishimaYukio for reporting these!)
((5) Thanks to Mylon for reporting these!)

PvK

Re: Proportions Mod version 3.0.3 in the works...
 

AFV emissive armor? I thought that ability doesn't work on troops - or did you just not use the ability but called it that anyway? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif

Re: Proportions Mod version 3.0.3 in the works...
 

Just a cosmetic suggestion, but I'd called plain old explosive torpedoes, spatial torpedoes or something like that. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif

Re: Proportions Mod version 3.0.3 in the works...
 

Up to now, Proportions used emissive abilities on troops out of hope that it either worked or would be patched. The costs were balanced as if they worked.

Now, abandoning that idea, they've been rebalanced, mainly by just adding the emissive ability to the structure, and fiddling with the costs a little. So there is still an AFV Emissive Armor component, for example, but it is just a way to spend more minerals and rads per kT to get more structure per kT than you can get with ordinary AFV armor.

PvK

Re: Proportions Mod version 3.0.3 in the works...
 

Very nice!
PvK, I am still using 3.0.1:
observed something about the research facilities, it looks like the later (and greater) research facs are cheaper to build than the earlier ones?

PsychoTechFreak
(who has not managed to find the old account password, and the board does not reply...)

Re: Proportions Mod version 3.0.3 in the works...
 

Assuming that by "earlier ones" you mean Conventional Research Complexes, yes, that's true and intentional.

PvK

Re: Proportions Mod version 3.0.3 in the works...
 

is it impossible to build artificial worlds in 3.0.1 ? [img]/threads/images/Graemlins/Cold.gif[/img]

Re: Proportions Mod version 3.0.3 in the works...
 

It is impossible to build them in 3.02 (the current version), due to a nasty bug. It should be possible again with the 3.03 patch, comptabible with the 3.XX versions. Of course, it will be *possible*, and certainly not easy. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

Re: Proportions Mod version 3.0.3 in the works...
 

What are you talking about? I have a Ringworld in Proportions #3 just about done...

Just kidding.

Re: Proportions Mod version 3.0.3 in the works...
 

Someone actually did try, in a single-player game, which is how we found out that world-building components don't work if they list any supply requirements.

PvK

Re: Proportions Mod version 3.0.3 in the works...
 

...restarted with 3.0.3 now, thanks for this.

another one:
I recall a bug with the events.txt, something about the severities (low/med/high/catastrophic) and they should better be listed in the right order (low events first, catastrophic last), otherwise some events would never appear. Isn't this still an issue? Probably not, because proportions events.txt is in mixed-order.

regards, PTF

Re: Proportions Mod version 3.0.3 in the works...
 

This thread seems to have overshadowed the Proportions Mod 3.03 Released thread. Oh well... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Still, great work. Just wish the AI wasn't utterly confused... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

Re: Proportions Mod version 3.0.3 in the works...
 

Thanks Shoe!

Ya, I probably should have just renamed this thread. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

And yes, it's too bad about the AI, but it's too much work for me to spend the time it would require to educate it, with my other more pressing projects.

PvK

Re: Proportions Mod version 3.0.3 in the works...
 

PvK

My homeworld has a cultural center that says it provides a spaceport with unlimited supplies. Does that mean that I can get rid of the resupply depot and space port on my home world?

Re: Proportions Mod version 3.0.3 in the works...
 

Yep.

Re: Proportions Mod version 3.0.3 in the works...
 

Thanks, just wanted to make sure.

Proportions Mod version 3.0.3 posted
 

Glad to help!

Re: Proportions Mod version 3.0.3 posted
 

Ok, I decided to rename the thread and put the release announcement here.

Version 3.0.3 of Proportions Mod has been posted to the Proportions mod web page. (Was posted on Saturday and announced to PBW players already, but I couldn't reach the forum on Saturday.)

<font class="small">Code:</font><hr /><pre>
Changes Log:
============


Version 3.0.3:

--------------
New Additions:
--------------
* Added Anti-Matter Warheads, a powerful branch of Anti-Matter Technology
which after much research can multiply the effect of explosive warheads.
* Re-added Anti-Matter Torpedoes, now as an advanced weapon requiring both
torpedo technology and anti-matter warheads.
* Re-added Quantum Torpedoes, now as a very advanced weapon.
* Added Quantum Beam weapons.
* Added religious zealot and holy infantry types.
* Added three levels of AFV Emissive Armor.
* Added Minefield Scanner Jammers.
* Added Single Satellite Launchers.
* Added laser fighter weapons.
* Added charged particle blaster fighter weapons.
* Added laser AFV weapons.
-----------------
Gameplay Changes:
-----------------
* Renamed Small Anti-Matter Torpedoes to Small Explosive Torpedoes and
changed the tech requirements for levels II and III to make them
available in the 3.x research tree. They now come with various
combinations of research in Small Weapons, Torpedo Weapons, Advanced
Explosive Torpedoes and Explosive Warheads.
* Changed damage and cost of AFV Phased Polaron Beams to counter-balance
lack of support for shield penetration by the game engine.
* Rebalanced troops' High Explosive Missiles, increasing firepower but
decreasing accuracy.
* Added a small to-hit bonus to Surface Electric Discharges for balance.
* Changed non-working AFV Time Distortion Burst quad shield effect into a
to-hit bonus.
* Re-set crew quarter requirement for Scouts back from 0 to 1, since
building Scouts without crew quarters halved their speed in practice,
though not on the design screen.
------
Fixes:
------
* Corrected supply ability of Anti-Matter Reactors IV and V.
* Corrected (added) radioactives cost of Small Arms IV.
* Corrected number of tech areas required for Elite Infantry.
* Removed supply use requirements from ring &amp; sphere world generators,
because a bug was causing them to fail even with enough supplies. (4)(5)
* Corrected supply use of Small Ion Engine II x 2. (4)
* Corrected actual mine laying rate of Mine Layer III. (4)
* Removed scale mount trick for Minefield Signature Suppressors. (2)
* Multiple elite Weapons Platform Command Centers no longer stack. (2)
* Emissive armor effects for AFV's removed and added to structure, because
I believe they did not have any effect. (2)
* Balanced (increased) costs of AFV shields, because they had been balanced
for shield depleters, which were removed from ground units in Proportions
version 3 for strong suspicion of not working right. (2)
* Changed damage from Cargo Maintenance Problems from 1 to 250. (2)

---------
Cosmetic:
---------
* Added Advanced Explosive Torpedoes to the changes log for version 3.0.2,
where they were added.
* Corrected Sphere World Placement Generator requirement description to
read GT instead of MT. (5)

((2) Thanks to Alneyan for reporting these!)
((4) Thanks to MishimaYukio for reporting these!)
((5) Thanks to Mylon for reporting these!)
</pre><hr />

PvK

Re: Proportions Mod version 3.0.3 in the works...
 

Two frustrating things:
1. The AI starts building cultural centers around turn twenty on newly colonized worlds with only 4 slots out of 15 or 20 used.

2. The AI builds tons of Orbital Ship Yards but when I go check them out they just sit dormant while their cargo holds are maxed out full.

How can this be corrected so that a pleasent and hopefully challenging solo game can be played. I know that the AI has not been fully developed for this mod, but to at least correct the cultural center problem would be a boon.

Thanks

Re: Proportions Mod version 3.0.3 in the works...
 

I tried fiddling with it myself when 3.0.1 came out, but it's difficult to script a good AI when you arn't too good at the game yourself. *g*

Re: Proportions Mod version 3.0.3 in the works...
 

1. It looks like several of the AI(s) are missing colonial development in their research tree. Hence when they get to a stage that the planets are supposed to build a mineral/organic/research/etc modifier such as minor city, the only thing to build is a Cultural Center.

One AI with this problem for example is:
XiChung_AI_Research.txt
XiChung_AI_Construction_Facilities.txt

I'll test this later to see if it fixes the problem.

Re: Proportions Mod version 3.0.3 in the works...
 

anyone got any bright ideas to force the AI not to build colony ships till it has colony tech?

*EDIT*

The various advanced Radioactives extraction buildings do not have the "Drop Troops" ability. On purpose or bug?

Re: Proportions Mod version 3.0.3 in the works...
 

Is the AI set up to play well in the mod? I have never checked and was wondering.

Re: Proportions Mod version 3.0.3 in the works...
 

You could do what I did to solve this problem in Adamant. Add a new set of 0 kT, 1 hit point components, one for each colony type. Give them each a unique AI tag (NOT the colony ability). Make these AI tags "Must Have" abilities for each colony ship design, as appropriate. Now, the AI can not design a colony ship until it has these components available, which incidentally require exactly the same technology as the colony modules. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Proportions Mod version 3.0.3 in the works...
 

Fyron: That sure would help, although I'm not sure there's any ability tags left in Proportions!

Atrocities: No, the AI is Craptacular at least in 3.0+; I never tried the previous versions, though.

*EDIT*

The AI I'm working on uses Crystal tech. I required Shield Generation From Damage, and that did the trick. (The way it's layed out, Crystalline Technology researches directly after the tenth level of Rock Planet Colonizers, which finishes at about turn 15-16.) Obviously not universal, but it works for now.

Re: Proportions Mod version 3.0.3 in the works...
 

Eh, adding colonial development did not help the cultural center oddity. I differ to more seasoned AI modders on fixing it, but it has to do with the Cultural Center still being the "better" choice when an AI has to choose on Resource Generation Modifiers.

Adding Colonial development instead made somethings worse, as the AI in several cases decided to start building Minor Spaceport Cities instead of Spaceports.

Atrocities: Minus this Cultural Center bug, some AI's are good, some not so. In my game even with 4 planets stuck on Cultural Centers, the CueCappa are expanding fast enough to be a good challenge.

Re: Proportions Mod version 3.0.3 in the works...
 

Toryin;

Be careful. If the AI researches Space Yards 2, it will retrofit all of its Space Station SYs into useless hulks. I've required Large Space Stations for AI station construction to get around this, but it hugely slows down their early game. No better ideas, though.

As for the Cultural Centers, there's nothing particularly wrong with Minor Spaceport Cities, even if they take a while!

*EDIT*

I am utterly confused as to why my Mining Colonies are building Energy Transmission Lens. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...s/confused.gif

Re: Proportions Mod version 3.0.3 in the works...
 

Well I've gotten around the cultural center problem on some levels, by changining the (Resource Gen Modifier System - Minerals) in the various AI_construction_facilties.txt files to (Component Destroyed On Use) which is only on the various settlements and cities, but not on the Cultural Centers. This is allowing the colonies to progress farther, however I expect that they will trip to Cultural Centers sooner or later on some other modifier.

Minus a whole lot AI tagging to tell them to go different paths, I'm not quite sure. If we could just tell them not to build one specific thing, that would be great.

Re: Proportions Mod version 3.0.3 in the works...
 

I think just dumping the Resource Gen Modifier Minerals and Radioactives priorities from the facilities constructions files is the way to go. The way I've got it set up, the AI will for the most part build 3 facilities of the appropriate type, then a colonial development-type structure (using Component Destroyed On Use).. That seems to work out decently, although I can't figure out why military installations will fill up their entire facilities list with resupply depots.

Also, I can-NOT get the AI to design a fighter? Any ideas?

edit:

PvK, I should think the Orbital Space Yard problem could be worked around were normal space yards given a ability- if there's none available, perhaps one the AI is unlikely to use, like Destroy Storm.

Neutrals will probably be fine without a space yard change, but empires can really bog down.

Re: Proportions Mod version 3.0.3 in the works...
 

TheDeadlyshoe:
Military Installations are likely filling them up with resupply depots because of the cargo storage built into standard resupply bases and it's phased shields.

Re: Proportions Mod version 3.0.3 in the works...
 

Any good master mind AI builders out there? Someone please say that an AI can be developed for this great mod that will offer a bit of a challange and utilize the amazing degree of complexity to a degree of something comprehendable and rational.

This is one mod where micro management is something akin to creating a masterpiece civilization, I just want something to keep me in check everynow and then.

Re: Proportions Mod version 3.0.3 posted
 

Good feedback on the AI issues, guys. I really haven't taken time to look at the AI at all since 3.0.1, and then I just did basic tweaks to get them to research and build working colonizers.

Before 3.0, the AI was much better, although not really wonderful.

I do think it would probably be possible to make an AI that would work well in 3.x, but it would take a lot of time, which I'm not going to be able to devote myself. I do, however, know what can be done, and would be very happy to give tips to anyone who wants to try to fix it.

First, any AI needs to be based on (or at least import a whole lot of changes from) a Proportions 3.x AI, and not an AI from the unmodded game.

The worst problem is building Cultural Centers on colonies (as that won't get accomplished for 1000 turns or so). Which AI have people seen this with? The unmodded AI will do this because it is set to go for resource production or research abilities. The Proportions AI's are set to instead look for bogus AI tags which get them to build the right types of facilties. It's possible though that the changes to facility (especially homeworld) abilities in 3.0 have broken that solution, but it should be correctable.

The next worst problem is probably the Base Space Yard issue. The problem is probably from trying to fit an Orbital Space Yard on a 500kT base. In order to avoid having the AI try to upgrade and fail, we probably need to add a new bogus AI tag that allows the AI's to build two types of bases: ordinary spaceyards on 500kT bases, and OSY's on 1000kT bases.

Fighters should be do-able by the AI, but will require re-doing all of them, because the fighters are a lot different in 3.x.

Empires designed to use Meson Blasters and APB's will need to be adjusted to research and design for Lasers and Charged Particle Beams.

Probably the best overall approach is to try to get one AI working doing what it should, and once that's done, base the other AI's off of it.

The whole sequence of what makes sense to do, what ship designs work, and what economic strains come up first, is different in 3.x vs. 2.x, so there is probably a lot of work to do to get that right. The way I did it in 2.x was to watch the AI play a game, see what it was doing wrong, and make changes, then go back and watch it again, and repeat and repeat.

It's a lot of work. Other options to help are to give the AI a bonus, and/or to add some AI-only racial techs to give them advantages (as JLS did for AIC mod).

PvK

Re: Proportions Mod version 3.0.3 posted
 

Mine is far from good but it does work for a hundred (?) turns or so. (At least that's as far as I've taken it). It's a little off because I had wanted to use fighters for it, but..ah well. If I get time to work on it more, I will, but this one works decently well. So long as it can get a Refining colony, anyways- it may be a good idea for homeworlds to start with a radioactives facility, the AI isnt smart enough to scrap and build one, after all.

I haven't tested the latest research build but it should work.

http://www.deadlyshoe.com/lunar.zip

Can extract this to your SE IV directory, assuming your proportions directory is /proportions/, sorry for the mess and that it uses its own pic directory. I didn't want to screw anything up while I was messing around. It actually just usces the Praetorian set with a L pasted across it.

it typically tries to build 3 structures of the appropriate type and then a major facility. It uses OSY bases. The race is set up so it has crappy aggressiveness, so the base early warship is limited at 200kt to maximize to-hit bonus. It doesnt start bigger ships until cruisers, and prefers seekers on those. If you load the test savegame, the Bodroba States are next door and present quite a challenge since the race is crystal tech and the Bodroba use DUCs (skipping armor) and small fighting ships (v. hard to hit). The colony setup is pretty crappy, though.

Re: Proportions Mod version 3.0.3 posted
 

Thanks TheDeadlyShoe!

I imagine this will be a good start to getting other AI's to work.

PvK

Re: Proportions Mod version 3.0.3 in the works...
 

pvk, the porportions site (or at least the DNS for it, on g2.latibulum.com) is down. any alternate download mirrors?

Re: Proportions Mod version 3.0.3 in the works...
 

I only seem to have 3.0.2 on SE.net... Guess that doesn't help much if you want 3.0.3.

Re: Proportions Mod version 3.0.3 in the works...
 

http://www.latibulum.com/pvk/proportions/

seems to be up (again?).