Insectoids
 

Version 0.14

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

Amos, would it be possible in your mods by any chance to have a "preview.tga" file with all the pictures on it? It doesn't really matter, it'd just be nice to see at a glance what's in the mod, rather than what I currently do with your mods, which is click on the tgas one at a time (no dominions where I am at the mo).

I'll have a look at this one now, sounds exciting...

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

Wow, they are _really_ creepy.

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

No holiness error.

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

When I tested it I didnt get the error. I dont know why you should. I'll check again though.

I checked again and there was no error. Did you choose Regina or some other pretender? For some reason, some people get "no holy" error when pretender has holy magic. If thats the case with you, then remove those two lines from "Primordia Regina":
#magicskill 8 1
#holy

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

I have to say, I'm impressed with all of the modders for this game thus far. Amos, your units are practically works
of art. I don't know enough about this game to say if I think something is unbalanced or not but I generally don't even bother recruiting anything besides your nations units when I SP with them. And it's really just because your units look so much better than the games graphics.

I've said it before but it bears repeating, I really like Zepaths mods as well. Part of that is because I'm a big Warhammer geek and his Warhammer inspired armies are fantastic.

Dr. Praetorious(sp?) has some great ideas for nations as well. I don't even really mind that he recycles unit graphics, they still play differently.

I'm sure I'm forgetting some people, but I like everything I've found here thus far. You guys are all awesome. Keeps it up.

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

Yeah, Zepath and Amos are the two main mod masters around here. They've both made really great looking nations with a lot of flavour. Amos' are more distinctive looking and contain some more innovative gameplay twists, but Zepath's are balanced for vanilla play and are very modding newb friendly.

Without them the rest of us would have a lot less to play with and probably feel a lot less inspired to make our own nations.

Check out the modlist for more non nation mods and stuff being added ;]

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

I could not agree more. I am amazed by the industrious nature of these two. It takes quite of effort to put out a good mod, but Amos and Zepath turn them out like its nothing.

Keep up the good work http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...es/biggrin.gif

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

Ive gotten the error trying to host a turn both with and without Regina. Im fully patched with no others mods running and the only thing i can manually get into on your mod is the folder with all the pictures so i cant make the changes you suggested.

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

Just use notepad (or another text editor) to edit the .dm file named,.. insectoids I suppose.

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

Open the Insectoid.dm file with notepad as Sombre suggested.



#newmonster 2525
#name "Primordia Regina"
#descr "Oldest living Nest queen, she is the epicenter of the Insectoid superorganism. While other species may view her as a god, the Insectoids don't possess religious philosophies. Their devotion to their Prime Queen is unquestioning and is akin to religious devotion of other races."
#spr1 "./Insect/Regina1.tga"
#spr2 "./Insect/Regina1a.tga"
#ap 2
#mapmove 0
#hp 17
#prot 11
#size 5
#str 14
#enc 1
#att 10
#def 5
#prec 7
#mr 10
#mor 14
#weapon 750
#weapon 750
#gcost 70
#rcost 0
#maxage 500
#pathcost 40
#restrictedgod 77
#startdom 3
<font color="red">#magicskill 8 1</font>
#magicskill 7 1
#magicskill 6 1
#magicskill 3 1
#immobile
#domsummon 2500
#domsummon2 2501
#domsummon20 2502
#female
<font color="red">#holy</font>
#blind
#forestsurvival
#swampsurvival
#heal
#superiorleader
#itemslots 12550
#nametype 117
#end



Remove the parts that are shown in bold here.

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

Version 0.05

Added "Scarab" and it's spell.

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

Did suggested changes, still same problem.

edit: ok, after making the suggested changes, the third time i created a game it worked and is still working. I have one question though: are the spawns from creatures dom dependant?

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

Very nice mod. I like all the summons but i feel the swarms/swarm mother may be a bit strong. While not very damaging a 1 slave creature with 6 attacks at attack level 13(with each attack reducing the enemies defence by 2 iirc) and some fear seems pretty evil http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

The spawns from Queen and Hive Queen are dominion dependent.

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

Version 0.06

-Second defense commander changed to Queen (didn't make sense that insects would retreat from their nest)
-Removed Drone's castledef bonus.

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

Excellent work as always.

Some thoughts on the balance - when setting a province defense, the drones seem particularly tough compared to militia. Maybe consider setting some "susceptibles", or other balancing? In my test play, setting a province's defense to 20 pretty much took care of any AI attack thus far, particularly as it often provided a Female commander.

Also - maybe a flying SC pretender option? Just a thought.

I like this mod as a thematic break from most of the fantasy-based mods and nations.

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

I've lost provinces with the defense of 40, but the drone/soldier/male 20/15/5 setup possibly is too strong. I'll play with the numbers and try to balance it better. This mod is by far my most balanced mod.

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

Try this version: 1-15, 2-10, 2b-5. That way you will get only drones until defense hits 20.

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

Version 0.08

-Added Nectids (Underwater Insectoids, so you will have to capture an underwater province first to produce them. The Nectid queen is amphibian so she can live on land. She can also move);
-Other fixes and changes (ex. Hive queen and female inventory fixed).

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

Small changes to Nectid &amp; Queen Nectid sprites. Lowered Dreadnought's defense.

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

Version 0.09

Protector improved as a ranged unit (str 18, ap 5, def 5, prec 9).

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

Version 0.10

Inventory fixed.

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

Thx Amos, i love your mod http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

cool mod man http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/laugh.gif

except i dnt get exactly how th nation is supposed 2 work lol...

its obviously a blood nation thingy, but it seems i cant get any real units other than swarms and commanders? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/frown.gif

is there some way of getting drones n soldiers and the rest of the nations creatres?

and btw gfx r great http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/laugh.gif

did u draw them from scratch or photoshop somethin else?

great mod =D

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

You summon commanders (Females) then move them to a province you prefer and turn them into Queens that spawn units based on dominion in the province.

Half and half. I used my sprites from another mod as a base unit. When I have to draw something from scratch I get bored, quickly, so I prefer to work with layers.

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

ah kk, Ill try again, coz my females wernt spawnin sh*t lol http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif

but v. cool idea and doesnt seem overpowered as of yet...


and yeah i knw what you mean, did you create the original base thing for them? and yae I know what you mean by using layers because its pretty pointless starting from scratch if your trying to make a swordsman when you already have a maceman who looks exactly the same save having a different weapon.

so Im guessin I should take dom 8+ at the start and spam temples whenever I can

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

Is this an Insect Nation MOD? Or a MOD which adds insect units?

I wish I had the time to create some of mods.

Great work AMOS !! Some screenshots and a brief description on the first post of this thread would encourage more people to download the mod.

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

Its #dyingdom and #nopreach so the temples wont help you unless you sacrifice in them.

Also half and half. Half mine half concept art from some game I dont remember.

Its an Insect nation mod.

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

This mod is quite creative and interesting! I'm loving planning to equip the assassins, and having the queens be immobile upon planting is quite the twist. I'm aching to see them in combat, but that won't happen until the AI gets feisty.

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

Great mod http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Why should we have death 1 though?

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

The Insectoids eat people among other supplies. Also, they dont leave any food for local population.

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

ah, so its thematic "only"?

Sofar Im enjoying you're mod immensly.

Its quite strong, yet somehow ponderus in its expansion. That might be in part becouse I dont use food as soldiers.

It might also be becouse I script the females to shift shape in the first turn for divine blessing http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

I do that for sieges. I would advise you to use more than 1 Female to lead your troops (I use 3-4), and only change 1 for battle when you really need too.

I play with Death 3 so I'm out of money for most of the game. That makes the use of indy troops a non viable alternative to national summons.

The use of Death scales should also solve the problem of an extremely powerful local defense.

Oups, forgot to add #nodeathsupply. The download link has been updated.

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

I have a real life friend that loves this race Amos. Though
I have not had a chance to play it yet, I have seen him play it. No clue why some people are too shy to give feedback to the authors of the mods they play(:

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

Bringing this thread back from the dead......

I have been playing around with this nation for the last several days and I honestly feel it is much to strong compared to all other early era nations.

The ability to expand and to do it quickly means you can start laying the foundation of a high dominion very early. This nation relies on dominion and only dominion. The fact you don't need to put any money into troop build up means lots and lots of temples. Even if you were to start at 1 dominion for your hive queen you would have no problem increasing that to 5-8 in under 100 turns.

Now the creator says to set it to 1 death at the start of the game. Now here is where we hit the double edged sword.
1 death is honestly not enough. I found myself with almost 10,000 gold almost 40 turns in. This was with me making a lab and a temple in each province I took over as well boosting the local defense of each province up to 20. Now if I do what the creator does and boost it up to 3 death I pretty much am setting up a death warrant for every other nation I am going up against. Being a nation that relies on its dominion I will have a easy time taking over the empty provinces vacated of population. To top it off since it costs me nothing to produce massive amount of troops I can simply turtle it with high defense and taking over the weak points.


Local defense is the last thing I want to touch upon. There are 2 reasons why I think local defense should be disabled with this nation. The first is with money being as plentiful as it is for this nation it isn't hard to have almost no weak points. As soon as you take a province you can boost the defense to 30-40 then work on getting a lab and temple up. The second thing is the troops used are much to powerful. It wasn't uncommon for a local defense of 30 to hold off a invading army of 60-70 and almost completely wiping them out.


I had some fun playing this nation but with what I see as imbalance I really can't see myself playing it much in the future.

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

I agree with you here. It doesnt make sense to pay money for insect defense. I'm going to make two units of weak Insect worshipers to act as a defense force.

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

insect groupies?

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

I liked this mod a lot as well, bit stingy in the beginning but a juggernaut once rolling. Does it have a starting site? Mine never did and I was wondering if there was a conflict somewhere.

Research and blood hunting are both difficult to get started in any large capacity, but once rolling both are significant.

I haven't played these guys with a bless yet, are they that much overpowered when doing so?

I really wanted that amosapocolpse game to go off to see how they did in an MP setting.

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

They are all sacred so high bless strategy would be prudent.

"amosapocolpse"?

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

bad spelling :p

Amoscalypse Now - FFA Mod game

http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/thr...o=&amp;fpart=1

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

Wow that was a pretty quick response. Now I am havn't dabbled much into the modding for this game but I have a few selections.

Make it so the queen unit is the only unit capable of constructing buildings. Then change then change the temple into something like the hive or something similiar since she can't create more units unless she has the dominion to do it. Then you can make the fortress into something that gives the tile a very high supply. The fortress needs a very long build time to help slow the advancement of just making super colonies of unit producers

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

Since the forts cant be modded any forts with long building time will give high admin as well, and we want to avoid that.

If only the Queen is capable of construction of temples (and thats the only building where we have any choice) then the Female cant bless in battle.

Temples cant be modded.

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

[quote]
Amos said:
If only the Queen is capable of construction of temples (and thats the only building where we have any choice) then the Female cant bless in battle.
[quote]


This is a bit of a long shot, but coudn't you make a national bless spell that uses the "normal" magic paths? Like Nature/Astral or something. Indie priests still would pose a problem though, being able to build temples. Damn buggers..

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

This is possible, but, as you correctly pointed out, there are very cheap indy priests.

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

Version 0.11

Changed local defense. Added a weak new human leader &amp; unit to act as local defense instead of insects.

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

Version 0.12

Changed most #blind to #darkvision.

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

All immobile units had their defense reduced to 0.

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

I have played this mod and it is a blood hunting nation that uses blood slaves instead of gold to "Buy" units. Normally I would use a positive growth scale to produce more population to harvest.

Where do you get the blood slaves from when the population is wiped out? With Ashen Empire a death scale is obvious, but here it is not. Do you get more insects for free when the population dies?

It took me several turns to get this nation going, but then it had swarms that were starving in low population areas. This nation rolled over other nations with their swarms of insects, but I needed some construction stuff to keep the hordes fed.

Tunneling helped with moving nested queens, and the nesting concept was an interesting and thematic twist.

Normally nations in the early era get 6 gems per turn, but this nation gets none (I was expecting 6 free blood slaves every month but it probably doesn't make a difference.

Re: New Mod: Insectoids
 

The higher your dominion the more insects you get in the province.