Updated Borg Variant, Klingons, Romulans and Shadows
 

Have been working on a major revamp of my Borg Variant, the Klingons, Romulans and Shadows for sometime now. Have been doing several play tests and tinkers and think that its worth releasing for general consumption. The updates are labelled V141a and are different from the mod-pack Version posted yesterday (didnt realise that an update was due).
Will be interested to hear your thoughts.
Regards,

God Emperor

Re: Updated Borg Variant, Klingons, Romulans and Shadows
 

I can see that you was doing different Colony Ships too! http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif
But I can see a little problem with your solution: the AI will be unable to colonize until research the DS hull.
I did a test with one starting planet, and it was a problem for the Klingon. Also, the AI built several "Colony" ships with FG size, with only engines.

Honestly, still I like more what Atraikius did with the Orks, or myself with the Aquilaeian.

Re: Updated Borg Variant, Klingons, Romulans and Shadows
 

MB,
Thanks for that. In my play tests, I thought that I had eradicated that problem. Will take another look.
Regards,

GE

PS: What did you do with your Aquilaeian race?


[This message has been edited by God Emperor (edited 20 August 2001).]

Re: Updated Borg Variant, Klingons, Romulans and Shadows
 

GE, do you enjoy making AI? (If so, I have some projects for ya. http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif )

Re: Updated Borg Variant, Klingons, Romulans and Shadows
 

I kept the old colony ship design, because the AI can use the standard colony ship in the beginning of the game. But also, have included a new colony ship design, based on the Light Cruiser hull.
The idea was to create a more fast colony ship, with extended fuel range, self-destruction device, an small weapon to kill ships without weapons, and cloak capabilities (when the technology is available of course). Also, I wanted to keep the colony ship with an small size, because if not, a biggest ship _ in my view _ could take a long time to be constructed, and _ in my view again _ could be very expensive.
After research the LC, the AI stop to use the standard colony ship, and start to use the new colony ship design.

Re: Updated Borg Variant, Klingons, Romulans and Shadows
 

MB,
To get it to work, did you set Colony Ships as size 0-300kT and Light Cruiser Colony Ships as 400+ ?

Atrocities,
Do you have a specific race idea in mind? I could be interested!

Regards,
GE

Re: Updated Borg Variant, Klingons, Romulans and Shadows
 

God Emporer - that what I had done, except I allow them to use up to BC hulls.

Re: Updated Borg Variant, Klingons, Romulans and Shadows
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by God Emperor:
MB,
To get it to work, did you set Colony Ships as size 0-300kT and Light Cruiser Colony Ships as 400+ ?
GE<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

As you said, I did the standard Colony ships with size 10-300Kt. But about the new colony ship, the size is only LC: 400-400 Kt.

Re: Updated Borg Variant, Klingons, Romulans and Shadows
 

MB, Atraikus,
Thanks for the confirmation. I'll make the necessary modifications. Definately the simplest and cleanest way to go.

Regards,
GE

Re: Updated Borg Variant, Klingons, Romulans and Shadows
 

God Emperor: No problem!

Tampa: thanks for the advice, and I will check again.
I can remember the message once saying "A cloaked ship can't colonize a planet", but at the next turn the planet was colonized. But the AI usually had not problems colonizing with cloaked ships: seems to be that this was fixed.

Re: Updated Borg Variant, Klingons, Romulans and Shadows
 

Have just posted V141b of the Borg variant, Klingons, Romulans and Shadows.

I have modified the DesignCreation files to allow the use of ColonyShip hulls upto 300kT and have removed Cloaking until my play tests confirm no problems.
Regards,
GE

Re: Updated Borg Variant, Klingons, Romulans and Shadows
 

The new Version can replace the ones that come with tdm, or must be a new directory ?

Re: Updated Borg Variant, Klingons, Romulans and Shadows
 

Crazy_Dog,
This Version includes "Filler Tech's" which improve the AI's researching efficiency. Essentially this means that two new techs (Filler tech 1 and Filler Tech 2) have been added to the TechAreas file and to the racial Research files. If modifying your TechAreas file will not cause you a problem (ie you havent modified it with some other mod) I suggest that you use this Version rather than the mod pack one.
The mod pack Version does not include the Filler Techs and is about to be replaced by an update - just mailed the mod pack Version to Tampa_Gamer Last night.

Regards,
GE

Re: Updated Borg Variant, Klingons, Romulans and Shadows
 

MB - you want to be careful with cloaking colony ships. I scripted the Darlok to do this and then learned that a cloaked colony ship cannot colonize while cloaked. I have not tested this in the latest SE4 Version, but I did not see it on the fixed list. Unfortunately, I have not seen the AI smart enough to "decloak" prior to colonizing.

Re: Updated Borg Variant, Klingons, Romulans and Shadows
 

100% confirmed: the AI have not problems with Cloaked Colonizers.

Re: Updated Borg Variant, Klingons, Romulans and Shadows
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Tampa_Gamer:
Excellent! I wonder if mine sweepers can sweep while cloaked too? (This was another problems prior to v 1.41 that caused a lot of Last minute headaches for people removing sweeps from their AI attack ship designs)

[This message has been edited by Tampa_Gamer (edited 22 August 2001).]<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Sadly, but no: cloaked ships can't remove a minefield.

About the Colonizers, the minister decloak the ship before colonize the planet, then, still cloaked ships can't colonize planets, but the AI know that need to decloak the ship first! http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Updated Borg Variant, Klingons, Romulans and Shadows
 

{Cloaked minesweping}

Do you think this is a bug or a feature? IE is it in becasue

A&gt;Aaron thinks that a minesweeper should not work while the ship is cloaked or because B&gt;the code isn't quite right?

If it is B then we should report it as a bug.

If it's A then I think we should request that sweeping and cloak/decloak orders be put into order Queues rather than executed immediately. (So you could tell your ship "move to "location", "decloak", "sweep", "cloak" and then watch it go execute those orders in that sequence.)

------------------
SE4 Code:
L Gd! $ Fr- C- Sd T!+ Sf-- Tcp-- A% M&gt;M+ MpD Pw RV Fq+ Nd- Rp+ G-
/SE4 Code
http://www.sandman43.fsnet.co.uk/se4main.htm

Re: Updated Borg Variant, Klingons, Romulans and Shadows
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by dogscoff:
{Cloaked minesweping}

Do you think this is a bug or a feature? IE is it in becasue

A&gt;Aaron thinks that a minesweeper should not work while the ship is cloaked or because B&gt;the code isn't quite right?

If it is B then we should report it as a bug.

If it's A then I think we should request that sweeping and cloak/decloak orders be put into order Queues rather than executed immediately. (So you could tell your ship "move to "location", "decloak", "sweep", "cloak" and then watch it go execute those orders in that sequence.)

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I can see your point. But, actually I belive that's a bug, because have reported several times this to Aaron, and their answer always was that he would try to include the fix for the next patch (I'm reporting this from some patches ago, hehehe).

BTW, if this is a feature, this only would work against already known minefields... and considering that the cloak in SE4 is a very weak option (comparing with SE3), in my view, would become an unusable option: to send an attack, you always will be forced to have decloaked your minesweepers in you fleets... ergo, the cloak would become useless. Specially for the AI, because an Human can suspect that some warp point should have mines, but the AI never guess anything.

Re: Updated Borg Variant, Klingons, Romulans and Shadows
 

Atcually, I have 4 races in mind. http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

8472
TOS
Breen
Dominion

I have fiddled a bit with the AI, but discovered that as much fun as it is, I really don't know jake about what I am doing, and my learning curve (time wise) is atrocious.

------------------
"We've made too many compromises already, too many retreats! They invade our space and we fall back -- they assimilate entire worlds and we fall back! Not again! The line must be drawn here -- this far, no further! And I will make them pay for what they've done!" -- Captain Picard STNG
New Age Ship Yards

Re: Updated Borg Variant, Klingons, Romulans and Shadows
 

Atrocities,
What are the key racial traits that you envisage for each of the races?

GE

Re: Updated Borg Variant, Klingons, Romulans and Shadows
 

Excellent! I wonder if mine sweepers can sweep while cloaked too? (This was another problems prior to v 1.41 that caused a lot of Last minute headaches for people removing sweeps from their AI attack ship designs)

[This message has been edited by Tampa_Gamer (edited 22 August 2001).]