Proportions mod 1.5.2 released (and web page)
 

Proportions 1.5.2 is now available from the new Proportions web page at www.latibulum.com/pvk/proportions.

Like 1.4.2 did for 1.4, 1.5.2 corrects some issues with 1.5, without changing much else, for players who have started a game with 1.5 and who don't want things to change much, but would like to fix some problems with certain components.

The next Version will be 1.6, and will change some more things, but it should still be possible to upgrade any game started with an earlier Version to a later Version. Just some abilities of existing things may be adjusted around.

Below are the changes introduced with 1.5.2:

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

Version 1.5.2:

* This Version mainly fixes things in 1.5, without making major changes
to balance or function.
* Fixed problem with upgrading sensors turning into platform fire control
centers.
* Added small supply generation and storage to solar sails to allow them
to drive ships without other supply components, and because it's
appropriate for them to do some of this.
* Fixed lower-tech quantum generators.
* Adjusted cultural maintenance modifiers to compensate for shift to the
new relative scale it uses. Also tweaked a couple of other cultural
modifiers.
* Adjusted ground combat damage multiplier to extend ground combat times.
* Added small supply and tiny to-hit modifiers to gravitic drives.
* Changed graphics, names, and descriptions for Armors IV through VII.
* Added cargo ability to shipyards, repair bays, remote miners, cobalt
warheads, and mine sweepers, to allow them to use non-military hull
types (e.g. transport hulls).
* Reduced damage resistance of cobalt warheads.
* Made supply compartment and niche appear even with "show latest."
* Added a -10 bad event chance to homeworld cultural centers, to decrease
the chance of game-upsetting catastrophic events.
* Made minor adjustments to system type abilities. Organic infestations
and forming stars now do something, and nebulae effects are more varied.
* Reduced size of self-defense cannon slightly.

PvK

Re: Proportions mod 1.5.2 released (and web page)
 

Hey man, I would just like to say thanks for the mod, it is one of my Favorites, right next to the Pirates & Nomads mod, it makes SEIV a lot more like what I want it o be.

I was wondering about ship construction though, this is something that has bothered me from the beginning. Shouldn't it be quicker to build ships at an orbital spaceyard?

Re: Proportions mod 1.5.2 released (and web page)
 

Thanks for the feedback, ZeroAdunn!

Do you mean faster, in absolute terms, or "faster than on a planet"?

If you mean the latter, then I can see arguments from both sides. In Proportions, you do have to have 100 million people (and a spaceyard) on a planet before the planetary rate reaches the rate of an orbital yard (and 100M people can take some effort to achieve on a colony).

In a yard in space, you wouldn't have to get the completed ship into orbit, but you would have to get the materials there, probably work in a weightless vaccuum (which has both pros and cons), and are isolated from planetary infrastructure support, and so on. I'd say it was up to a lot of technical details and could go either way.

I figure a developed planet like a homeworld should have a higher rate than a single orbital yard.

So in Proportions, the planetary rate, once the planet is developed (represented semi-abstractly by population), includes being able to multi-task the construction in a way that has to be abstracted since there can only be one planetary queue in the game. Meanwhile, you can build as many orbital shipyards as you want, so in that sense, orbital can always out-produce planetary, even if not in a one-on-one comparison.

PvK

Re: Proportions mod 1.5.2 released (and web page)
 

PvK,

there is something I'm missing about Self-Defense cannons. It looks like they require the same tech as Point-Defense cannons, cost only marginally less (e.g. 15 vs 20 tons) and are almost useless against fighters (at least in multiplayer). And if that's not enough, they lack the 70% bonus PD cannons have.

What is the reason to install them then? It looks like I'm better off with the original point-defense cannons!

Now what did I miss? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

Aub

Re: Proportions mod 1.5.2 released (and web page)
 

That's about right, Aub. They also cost half as much, and I will likely be adjusting the to-hit mods and size (probably to 10kt) more for 1.6.

The idea is that sometimes you want an important ship, base, or planet to protect only itself. The short range in this case is something you want, because it prevents non-essential targets from drawing your defenses away. Even with the +70 PDC, fighters in Proportions will often be missed.

PvK

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Aub:
PvK,

there is something I'm missing about Self-Defense cannons. It looks like they require the same tech as Point-Defense cannons, cost only marginally less (e.g. 15 vs 20 tons) and are almost useless against fighters (at least in multiplayer). And if that's not enough, they lack the 70% bonus PD cannons have.

What is the reason to install them then? It looks like I'm better off with the original point-defense cannons!

Now what did I miss? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

Aub<hr></blockquote>

Re: Proportions mod 1.5.2 released (and web page)
 

Hey, love the mod. I have one question though. How did you get the default facilities changed to use your culture centers instead of the normal facilities

Re: Proportions mod 1.5.2 released (and web page)
 

Thanks travislp!

If you look at the AI files for facility construction, you will find a table I made in the help section at the top. What I did was to take a list of components that had little or no effect when added to facilities (and are not used on existing facilities), and then use them as identifying abilities that tell the AI what to build on planets. That way, it doesn't decide that cultural centers are the best for everything, and embark on 400-year development projects that consume all their resources, like in Version 1.4 and earlier.

PvK

Re: Proportions mod 1.5.2 released (and web page)
 

PvK, thank you very much for this mod !

I tried the mod first time yesterday and I am now totally enchanted by it !

This is indeed how SEIV should be made in the first place, IMHO.

The mod is so good and so revolutionary that I want to suggest to change the mod name to something more catchy, like "real universe mod", "SEIV as it should be", etc.

Other mods, like P&N or Devnulmod, have nice and inventive ship components and facilities but none comes even close to the fantastic change in game play provided by Proportions mod.

You mentioned in mod info that this mod is not good for single player because AI is not adapted to it. However, I think that with some AI tweaks it can be actually made much more chalenging than even TDM-Modpac.

Just consider what happens in "normal" SEIV when you play against, for example, medium-bonus AI.
At first, AI has an edge due to the 3X bonus to production, science and constraction. But soon enough, more efficient expansion and build up by human player eradicates this advantage. This is may not be true in "propotions". Home worlds are extremely important. Even after human player colonize dozens or so worlds, homeworld still provide you the major chunk of production and science. It means that even after many years and frantic build-up by human player, 3X AI bus applied to its homeworld, should still gives AI a big edge. I like it, I really, really like it.

The only problem is how to make AI to protect homeworld at all cost. There was a thread some time ago about planetary defence and how to beef it up. There were some very good ideas posted, as I remember.

There are some good weapon changes in this mod. I certainly welcome better torpedoes. However, it made some nice racial weapons next to useless. For exapmle, temporal canons and high-energy magnifiers are completely inferior to improved quantum torpedoes and WMG.

Overall, crystalline trait needs either decrease in cost or ehhanced weapons/facilities. The planetary development is now much more important and while organic (replicant center), temporal (temporal space yard) and religious (nature shrine) help you, crystalline gives you nothing in this respect. Psychic may need some adjustments too.

Cheers and thank you very much again for this mod.

[ 25 March 2002: Message edited by: oleg ]

[ 25 March 2002: Message edited by: oleg ]</p>

Re: Proportions mod 1.5.2 released (and web page)
 

Oleg, I'm really glad you and others are enjoying Proportions so much! Thanks for writing in about it!


<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by oleg:
PvK, thank you very much for this mod !

I tried the mod first time yesterday and I am now totally enchanted by it !

This is indeed how SEIV should be made in the first place, IMHO.

The mod is so good and so revolutionary that I want to suggest to change the mod name to something more catchy, like "real universe mod", "SEIV as it should be", etc.

Other mods, like P&N or Devnulmod, have nice and inventive ship components and facilities but none comes even close to the fantastic change in game play provided by Proportions mod.
<hr></blockquote>

That's nice to hear. However I don't think everyone would prefer it to regular SE4 or other mods. Mainly if you're interested in more realistic and steady scale and proportions (in several senses), that's what it does. It makes for a slower game, though, in terms of how long it takes to develop colonies and technology. Personally, I like the slower game because there is much less micromanagement to do to colonies each turn, and because game situations are more stable (a planet is never going to be built up from a lifeless rock to fully developed in a year or two, the way it can be in the unmodded game). However, the unmodded game offers the ability to get results a lot faster.

The mod was called Proportions because it started as just the size and scale adjustments (and a few tweaks) from a larger mod called Foundations which I didn't manage to complete in time for the Gold disk (and which I hope to finish some time after I'm satisfied with Proportions). Foundations, if I ever do finish it, is like Proportions but it also revises and develops the tech tree a lot.

For some players, SE4 is already very strategic and the pace is right for them. I'm really glad to see there are quite a few players interested in playing at this different pace and scale.


<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>
You mentioned in mod info that this mod is not good for single player because AI is not adapted to it. However, I think that with some AI tweaks it can be actually made much more chalenging than even TDM-Modpac.

Just consider what happens in "normal" SEIV when you play against, for example, medium-bonus AI.
At first, AI has an edge due to the 3X bonus to production, science and constraction. But soon enough, more efficient expansion and build up by human player eradicates this advantage. This is may not be true in "propotions". Home worlds are extremely important. Even after human player colonize dozens or so worlds, homeworld still provide you the major chunk of production and science. It means that even after many years and frantic build-up by human player, 3X AI bus applied to its homeworld, should still gives AI a big edge. I like it, I really, really like it.
<hr></blockquote>

Yes, you're right about that. That's one of the major points of the mod - to greatly reduce the tendency for the widest-expanding player to completely dominate the game very quickly. Even if an AI is a neutral or is stuck in a corner of the map behind black holes or something, it will at least have reasonable tech and a developed fleet even if players find them later in the game.

Important advantages can still be built by developing colonies, but it takes a lot of time and effort to do so.

The AI is getting better, and will improve more in later Versions. The original Version 1.3 wasn't very good because it would only try to build cultural centers on its colonies. The 1.5 AI is pretty good (especially Amon'krie) but has two main weaknesses - it rarely builds long-ranged ships, and in theory its planets could use more defense (although, it does tend to build some good powerful defenses, but not TONS of defenses, like a human can). The first problem is important in quadrants with very many planetless systems, because the AI will often not explore past them because its ships are too short-ranged.

I will work on improving these. I know how to fix the range problem, and I think the first Gold patch might let me fix the second problem too, but it is a fairly large amount of work so I just haven't gotten to it yet.


<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>
The only problem is how to make AI to protect homeworld at all cost. There was a thread some time ago about planetary defence and how to beef it up. There were some very good ideas posted, as I remember.

There are some good weapon changes in this mod. I certainly welcome better torpedoes. However, it made some nice racial weapons next to useless. For exapmle, temporal canons and high-energy magnifiers are completely inferior to improved quantum torpedoes and WMG.

Overall, crystalline trait needs either decrease in cost or ehhanced weapons/facilities. The planetary development is now much more important and while organic (replicant center), temporal (temporal space yard) and religious (nature shrine) help you, crystalline gives you nothing in this respect. Psychic may need some adjustments too.
<hr></blockquote>

I will look at these and make some adjustments for 1.6.

(1.5 did increase the shard cannon damage and some other things, so it's at least good against organic armor. I'll take another look at the other weapons, though.)

PvK

[ 25 March 2002: Message edited by: PvK ]</p>

Re: Proportions mod 1.5.2 released (and web page)
 

Please, take into account also the time which is necessary until you get these good racial techs.

In proportions it will be hard to exceed your research points much beyond 30,000.
It would take about:
Replicant I 2.8 years
Replicant III 7.8 years
Nature Shrine III 1.4 years
BTW the good old talisman would be hard to research, more than 30 years!

Edit: I guess the war shrine 7% attack bonus and the temporal I-don't-know-foreseers facilitie 15% attack bonus are of interest also, because of the changes in Proportions warfare.

[ 26 March 2002: Message edited by: PsychoTechFreak ]</p>

Re: Proportions mod 1.5.2 released (and web page)
 

Some notes:

It is possible to ameliorate the problem with short range AI ships : use "warp points can be located anywhere" in quadrant set up. In general, it reduces the travel across the system by 40% and should help AI a lot.

Black holes are a problem for AI even in normal game. Here, with speed 2 colony ships, they are a real death trap. Either reduce the gravity pull to 1 or remove them completely.

I think it would be a good idea to separate engines and efficient engines into separate Groups. As it is now, every time I upgrade design, all egines are set to "efficient" and I have to reset them manually. Very annoing. Also, it may help AI to design long-range ships

IMHO, the cost of Natural merchants should be increased even more. To start with extra homeworld cultural center instead of useless spaceport is very nice.

Does "cursed" racial trait works ? I want to try it but I am scary for my homeworld.

Re: Proportions mod 1.5.2 released (and web page)
 

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by oleg:
Does "cursed" racial trait works ? I want to try it but I am scary for my homeworld.<hr></blockquote>

Well, this is a trial of faith. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif Even if it is not working, PvK should leave it in. At least it would give you goosepimples from time to time, "it could be... maybe..."

I will do some further checks on this question tonight, but from what I have observed so far, neither lucky nor cursed does work, but maybe ? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/shock.gif

Re: Proportions mod 1.5.2 released (and web page)
 

Oh, cursed works. Believe me, cursed works...

Re: Proportions mod 1.5.2 released (and web page)
 

Yes! This is the mod I'm waiting to play once I feel my experience level is worthy. I've been playing for almost 2 weeks now, getting my wife hooked to it (she was upset that another two races were bombing her colonies so she built better ships armed with whup-***. Hell hath no fury...)

After MOO2, I felt that the planet development was too fast in SE4G and the effect of population or lack thereof, is understated in the unmodded Version. Yes, this would likely make the game longer, but the value placed on good planets (med to large; breathable) is greater and makes for more realism in development.

Re: Proportions mod 1.5.2 released (and web page)
 

wr8th, thanks for the feedback! Yes, that's what I intended and it seems to work rather well. In single-player, anyway, I think it actually doesn't play that much slower because although more turns pass before things get developed, there is less production management to do on those turns. Multi-player will probably get off to a noticeably slower start, though. Although, players can send out interesting ships from the early game to duel for rights to undeveloped space, rather than it just being a colony-ship race.


<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by oleg:
Some notes:
It is possible to ameliorate the problem with short range AI ships : use "warp points can be located anywhere" in quadrant set up. In general, it reduces the travel across the system by 40% and should help AI a lot.
<hr></blockquote>

Actually, all I think I need to do is give the AI some designs that use efficient engines (and possibly supply storage), and they should be fine unless they get stuck behind a wall of black hole systems (in which case, they won't get through until they can build faster colony ships).

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>
Black holes are a problem for AI even in normal game. Here, with speed 2 colony ships, they are a real death trap. Either reduce the gravity pull to 1 or remove them completely.
<hr></blockquote>

Yes. What I'll do is make some more system types that are more AI-friendly, by removing black holes. I'll make one the default system type, and add a note to the setup tips.


<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>
I think it would be a good idea to separate engines and efficient engines into separate Groups. As it is now, every time I upgrade design, all egines are set to "efficient" and I have to reset them manually. Very annoing. Also, it may help AI to design long-range ships
<hr></blockquote>

Absolutely - this is coming in 1.5.3 and 1.6, hopefully tonight or tomorrow.


<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>
IMHO, the cost of Natural merchants should be increased even more. To start with extra homeworld cultural center instead of useless spaceport is very nice.
<hr></blockquote>

Yes, the cost overlooked the cultural center increase. I'm a little surprised it even does that, since cultural centers include space ports. It makes for a way to start with an extra cultural center. I'll adjust the cost - thanks for pointing that out.


<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>
Does "cursed" racial trait works ? I want to try it but I am scary for my homeworld.<hr></blockquote>

PsychoTechFreak has been testing this. Indications are that nothing actually affects event likelihood, but the tests need to be refined a bit to make sure.

I was thinking I'd remove the advantages if they weren't working, but then it occurred to me that once we're sure, we can tell Malfador, who will probably patch it at some point, at which point all opportunistic players who took "Cursed", thinking it would have no effect, will get their due... muahahaha! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

PvK

[ 26 March 2002: Message edited by: PvK ]</p>

Re: Proportions mod 1.5.2 released (and web page)
 

But cursed *does* work, I'm sure of it. I'm currently playing solo proportions with a cursed race, and I've been having ships explode and warp to other systems all over the place. Some of it might have been intel I suppose... Maybe I'll just blame those pesky Phong.

Re: Proportions mod 1.5.2 released (and web page)
 

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by PvK:
muahahaha! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

PvK

[ 26 March 2002: Message edited by: PvK ]<hr></blockquote>

Second that.

I have refined my longterm simulation scenario, some interesting side results:
- galactic peace within the first 2 years, means no events from 2400.0 until 2401.9, never.
- the master planet is NEVER affected by high and catastrophic events, just by low and medium events
Definition "master planet": The planet that is selected at game start, first cursor, means in a one homeplanet game this would be the homeplanet. In a 10 planets game, the master planet would be immune from high/catastrophic events, the other 9 could be affected, this goes along also with system events, like star explosions.

Default setup: Proportions, high event frequency, three races Lucky, Neutral, Cursed. I have changed the proportions event.txt, changed the title of every event to low/medium/high/catastrophic according to its severity, this helps to evaluate the number of counts of the different severities, another change has been done to the effect amounts, I have set all of them to zero. I could post it, if someone is interested to do some experiments unless PvK disagrees with it.

BTW, PvK, do you think 1 year is enough time to evacuate a core instable planet in Proportions ?

Simulation status now : 30 years, some interesting results so far, but I will keep my secret for a while http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/tongue.gif

Re: Proportions mod 1.5.2 released (and web page)
 

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by oleg:
IMHO, the cost of Natural merchants should be increased even more. To start with extra homeworld cultural center instead of useless spaceport is very nice.<hr></blockquote> <blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Pvk:
Yes, the cost overlooked the cultural center increase. I'm a little surprised it even does that, since cultural centers include space ports. It makes for a way to start with an extra cultural center. I'll adjust the cost - thanks for pointing that out.<hr></blockquote>The reason for this is quite simple and predictable. The natrual merchant doesn't need a space port on the homeworld, so they get an extra facility determined by the facilities file. It ignores the fact that the cultural center has an ability it doesn't need (Space Port), it is only looking for abilities that it does need (Resource Production). This selects the available facilitiy that produces the most of the resource needed. Mineral, rad, organic, research. Since the Cultural center in Proportions produces more of these resources than any of the resource specific facilities, it is chosen in each case. In a non-proportions game, after a certain amount of each of the other resources are accounted for, the remainder of the homeworld is filled up with mineral miners. But in Proportions the cultural center is better at that too, so it gets selected.

Geoschmo
EDIT:Err, what I meant to say is that in proportions the standard production facilities have been removed entirely.

[ 26 March 2002: Message edited by: geoschmo ]</p>

Re: Proportions mod 1.5.2 released (and web page)
 

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by PsychoTechFreak:

BTW, PvK, do you think 1 year is enough time to evacuate a core instable planet in Proportions ?
<hr></blockquote>

No, generally not! Unless you are late in the game and have already built a number of large starliners with high-tech cargo bays, and/or you have someplace nearby to evacuate the population. I've played a couple of games where I tried to evacuate homeworlds to escape catastophic events (or even plagues), and even if you emergency-build dozens of transports, although you can save a lot of population, usually many more of them can't be saved. It helps if there are nearby colonies so you can ferry back and forth and re-use transports quickly. So, it's pretty interesting and worthwhile to try to do this, but even with a huge fleet of transports, it's really hard to move several billion people in a year.

Then afterwords, you end up feeling a little silly with a huge fleet of population transports... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif . Hmm, refit them into hybrid warships?

PvK

Re: Proportions mod 1.5.2 released (and web page)
 

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by PvK:


I was thinking I'd remove the advantages if they weren't working, but then it occurred to me that once we're sure, we can tell Malfador, who will probably patch it at some point, at which point all opportunistic players who took "Cursed", thinking it would have no effect, will get their due... muahahaha! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

PvK

<hr></blockquote>

Mmmmh, let's see, a proportions game might take about 3 years divided by
MM's patch frequency +666 http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...s/rolleyes.gif


50 year simulation displays the following, and I got enough of it for now:

Abbreviations for severities:
L= low
M= medium
H= high
C= catastrophic

Three races in one multiplayer game,
Lucky race:
L= 12
M= 8
H= 3
C= 5 , Four out of ten planets have blown up

Neutrals:
L= 8
M= 3
H= 0
C= 5 , Three out of ten planets have blown up

Cursed:
L= 15
M= 9
H= 4
C= 3 , One out of ten planets has blown up

Although I have set every amount effect to zero, some of the events still do something, like warp points are closed, ships are teleported through the quadrant, planets explode, stars explode and so forth.

Re: Proportions mod 1.5.2 released (and web page)
 

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by PvK:


Then afterwords, you end up feeling a little silly with a huge fleet of population transports... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif . Hmm, refit them into hybrid warships?

PvK<hr></blockquote>

Unless you do not build them as hybrids from the beginning.

Fortunately, the homeplanet will not be affected by core instabilities.

Re: Proportions mod 1.5.2 released (and web page)
 

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by PvK:
...Absolutely - this is coming in 1.5.3 and 1.6, hopefully tonight or tomorrow...
<hr></blockquote>

Wow! That's great - I'll definitely wait for it before starting a new game.

This is the first mod I see that focuses on balance and improved gameplay (e.g. the "whoever expands faster usually wins" syndrome was bugging me for a long time... now something's done about it!) and I welcome it wholeheartedly http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Aub

[ 27 March 2002: Message edited by: Aub ]</p>

Re: Proportions mod 1.5.2 released (and web page)
 

Thanks Aub!

Yes, the immediate and decisive award for colonizing was a main target for this mod. (edit: i.e., something I wanted to change)

Oh, I should mention that the improved AI in 1.5 can't correct the mistakes make by the AI running an earlier Version. If you started a game versus the AI before 1.5 and then upgraded, and you want to continue the old game against the current AI, then someone (you or a friend, or even email it to me and I can do it) should go in and play all the AI empires for one turn, in order to simply clear all (or, almost all) of the cultural centers from the colony build queues.

PvK

[ 27 March 2002: Message edited by: PvK ]</p>

Re: Proportions mod 1.5.2 released (and web page)
 

I am little bit confussed by AI building of a new planets. Every single planet in a home system builds spaceports ! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon8.gif

As I understand it is somehow related to two separate entries for spaceport abilities: "spaceport" and "emergency energy". the first is listed in homeworld description, the second in all other colony types. PvK, can you please look on this problem ?

The easiest and fastest way to solve this is to give spaceport some small production/research, so AI won't waste this planetary slot completely.

Re: Proportions mod 1.5.2 released (and web page)
 

PvK can u check your PM, left a little bug report for u there

Re: Proportions mod 1.5.2 released (and web page)
 

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by oleg:
I am little bit confussed by AI building of a new planets. Every single planet in a home system builds spaceports ! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon8.gif

As I understand it is somehow related to two separate entries for spaceport abilities: "spaceport" and "emergency energy". the first is listed in homeworld description, the second in all other colony types. PvK, can you please look on this problem ?

The easiest and fastest way to solve this is to give spaceport some small production/research, so AI won't waste this planetary slot completely.<hr></blockquote>

The Emergency Energy is what the Proportions AI looks for to build the correct space port facility. The fact that most planet types include spaceports is perhaps inefficient, but I don't know of a way to tell the AI it needs only a certain number of spaceports per system, because the AI facility construction file is per planet, not per system. If I have some planet types not build spaceports, then there is a chance that the AI won't build any spaceports in a system, which would probably be worse than building redundant spaceports. After all, building only one spaceport per system is actually kind of dangerous, because if it gets destroyed by something, then the whole system's production, research, and intelligence, is suddenly lost. As far as I know, this is just a clumsiness of the AI and not something that can be tweaked by a modder. At least, I don't know of any trick that will get it to build only, say, two space ports per system, and never fail to build at least one per system.

PvK

Re: Proportions mod 1.5.2 released (and web page)
 

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by travislp:
Hey, love the mod. I have one question though. How did you get the default facilities changed to use your culture centers instead of the normal facilities<hr></blockquote>

Oh, I noticed I didn't answer your question the right way. As I think geoschmo later posted, the computer looks for facilities with the highest rating in certain abilities when it sets up homeworlds at the start of the game. Because Cultural Centers have the highest value for all types of resource generation, and research, they get used in all those slots.

PvK