Need help/ideas
 

I've created a number of new techs for use as ruins techs, 13 new ones in all. They are basically enchaced Versions of existing techs/components, extra damage, extended range, smaller space etc.
The AI will use these items if they find them and would normally build with the standard type.
My problem is this. I have only created standard tech improvements. I don't play any of the special races, organic/crystal/etc, so I don't know what all the special components do or which are the most useful.
If anyone plays these type of races would you mind telling me which special techs/components you use the most?
If I were to develop improved Version of a special component which one should it be?
As a special race which would be more valuable, reducing the resource cost or improving the component stats?
Thanks

Re: Need help/ideas
 

The only problem with providing ruins techs that expand on racial techs is that races without that racial trait would probably get no benefit from the ruin, either because they don't have the racial trait or because the components are not specified in the build files.

Of course, if you intend that the new ruins will provide two sets of components, one for races WITHOUT the appropriate racial tech and one for races WITH the appropriate racial tech, then it might just work.

As for items that should be considered, I can provide some ideas under Temporal tech (in order of preference):

Temporal Space Yard Component
Faster/cheaper Temporal Space Yard facility
Temporal cloaking device
New Version of the Temporal weapon that does 4x damage to shields/normal damage to internals (as above: a low-level Version that non-Temporal races can & will use, and an improved Version for Temporal races; improvements would be better damage or more range, as you prefer)
New Version of Tachyon Cannon (again, low-level Version for non-Temporal races or improved Version for Temporal races)

Re: Need help/ideas
 

I am well into making this, I have 21 bumped up tech Versions.
One thing I found out is if you make a unique tech a racial tech it becomes available to any race with that trait automatically. One other thing is the more unique techs you have the more ruins are available. Guess that will put a practicle limit on how many to add.
Thanks for the ideas, I never played Temporal. I think they are do-able.
Any ideas for Religious?

Re: Need help/ideas
 

I you need component ideas, I'm your man.

How about a

Religous Sheath: armor w/slight regeneration.
Shield of Faith: Shield that self-regenerates slightly.
Holy Protection: A PDC weapon with range one; 65 damage; 0 reload rate. Makes you impervious to missiles.

Re: Need help/ideas
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Baal:
Holy Protection: A PDC weapon with range one; 65 damage; 0 reload rate. Makes you impervious to missiles.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Can you make a weapon with 0 reload rate. I have heard it suggested before, but has it been tested to see if it works? And if you could, would you want to? This one seems a bit unbalancing in my mind.

I like the other two though. It has always seemed a little off to me that the religous ship components all seem to be offensive in nature.

Geo


[This message has been edited by geoschmo (edited 18 June 2001).]

Re: Need help/ideas
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Holy Protection: A PDC weapon with range one; 65 damage; 0 reload rate. Makes you impervious to missiles.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

If you're gonna have a reload rate of zero, make the damage 999, so you don't have to wait as long when a stack of 50 fighters comes by.
The zero-reload PDC will continuously fire until all targets are dead, so you might as well speed up the death part http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/ima...ons/icon12.gif

Re: Need help/ideas
 

Good idea with the 999 dmaage. I haven't tried giving a weapon o reload rate. As for balancing it would be pretty bad. How about a smaller PDC, maybe 10 kt, that does 65 damage at 1 range, so you can pack more PDC on. OR you could make the zero reload rate weapon huge, like 200 kt.

Godspeed Engine: 2 movements per engine, 15 kt, requires twice as many supply per engine per movement so as to keep it balanced.

Re: Need help/ideas
 

In order to make a racial AND unique tech, try making the unique levels require have prerequisites that are the unique tech. That way, all races won't get the unique/racial techs.

For religious, slightly better but much more expensive Versions of their best facilities would be good. A religious planetary shield might be good too. Also, I can't believe that no one has yet suggested the religious troop weapon: Holy Hand Grenade... &lt;bg&gt;

Oh, and the Armageddon Invocation Facility - greatly _increases_ the chance of bad events - start a small colony in your enemy's system, build one and wait...

PvK

Re: Need help/ideas
 

I also suggest for the "Holy Protection" give it the ability to target missiles ONLY, also give it no sound and add a new beam graphic... one that is all black, thus the weapon will not display any effect, missiles just explode harmlessly around the ship.

Re: Need help/ideas
 

I think it is impossible at the moment, but it would be nice if we could get something like omnipresent view or a super-obscuration facility/component from ruins. Also I would like to find ships in ruins, which are maybe restricted to changes/repair/upgrades, one of these godly ships should be omnipresent/absolute invisible with one engine which doesn't need fuel and which has unlimited (or almost unlimited) movement. But this ship shouldn't have any weapons, maybe some stellar manipulation stuff.

Re: Need help/ideas
 

Some other ideas --

Psychic:
An improved happiness generator. +4 or +5 for psy, reduced for non-psy.

Given the existing unique tech, a smaller Neural Net device that includes a small combat bonus. Would only provide the combat bonus for non-psy.


Organic:
Nasty, nasty parasites. In Organic hands, usable as both boarding parties and plague bombs; in non-organic hands, only plague bombs since they don't have quite the same level of control.

Maybe a MC that has some repair ability but a HUGE organic cost. Not sure what it might do with non-orgs, 'tho, except eat them.


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-- The thing that goes bump in the night

Re: Need help/ideas
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by PsychoTechFreak:
Also I would like to find ships in ruins, which are maybe restricted to changes/repair/upgrades<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I like this find a ship idea!

Maybe they could make it so u could find a high tech specialist ship such as a high level organic ship or crystal tech ship, dreadnaught size or something. With a crew that is cryogenically frozen and awoken when u find it, they are from a long lost empire and vow to serve u instead, they would have the highest possible crew experience bonus as well.

The advantage in making it have a racial tech is that even if u try to analyse it u cant unless u are that tech. so a temporal player for example, cant get a super advanced organic ship and be able to produce them.

So at best u may be able to analyse a somewhat more advanced engine design on the ship but in doing so would lose a valuable ship with a very experienced crew

Re: Need help/ideas
 

Put all the amazing abilities (extra movement tc) on th hull, and have that as a racial trait which cannot be accessed by any player. That way you can fly the ship & fix the components but you can't retrofit it.

Perhaps have the ship "ruined" as well - some of the low tech components (bridge etc) could require repair- why else would they be hibernating on some dead planet?

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"Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?"
"Uh, I think so, Brain, but balancing a family and a career ... oooh, it's all too much for me. "

Re: Need help/ideas
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by dogscoff:
Perhaps have the ship "ruined" as well - some of the low tech components (bridge etc) could require repair- why else would they be hibernating on some dead planet?

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Good point, but maybe mothballed would be more appropriate, lost relic with a forgotten crew...

Re: Need help/ideas
 

The "resurrected" ship idea is AWESOME!

Kinda reminds me of Robotech anime when Earth recovered the SDF-1... in SEIV it could be a huge Baseship with advanced tech.

It would be neat to recover (in the early stages of the game) the StarBlazers "Argo" or "Yamato" (sorry if I messed up the name). It could be a Dreadnaught with Large mounted WMCs. How cool would that be to add a one-of-a-kind ship to your fleet of destroyers?!?

Just a cool idea all around! I would love to see this added.