Latest V. of Proportions?
 

What is the latest Version of the proportions mod, and where is it d/l'able at? From what I can tell the Version on the Gold CD is Version 1.3...

Derek

Re: Latest V. of Proportions?
 

That's correct. The latest Version is 2.1, but is about to become 2.2. Downloads are available at the Proportions web page.

PvK

Re: Latest V. of Proportions?
 

Pvk, your web site doesn't really make it clear if
the patch (2.1 patch) will upgrade a Gold 1.3 to a full 2.1 Version. or do you have to install all the between patches?

Re: Latest V. of Proportions?
 

You need 2.1 only. No need for older patches.

Re: Latest V. of Proportions?
 

Ok, I'll try to make that clearer. oleg is correct - you can just load the one small patch file and it will upgrade 1.3 to 2.1.

The only issue is if you have a game in progress - then those specific games will have problems if they were started before 2.0 and you try to play them using Version to 2.0 or higher.

PvK

Re: Latest V. of Proportions?
 

PvK, will 2.2 be compatible with 2.1 savegames ?
Else I have to stop some games and wait a little http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

Re: Latest V. of Proportions?
 

Yes 2.2 should work with 2.0-2.1 saved games without weirdness. I'm thinking Thursday night release now, maybe, or wait till the weekend and do more AI work.

PvK

Re: Latest V. of Proportions?
 

Anyone know when 2.2 is possibly coming out, And what it might possibly contain? I'm designing a map for myself, and am just wondering if things might get all turned inside out, and hours of trying to figure out the map editor for failure. Thanks.

Re: Latest V. of Proportions?
 

I'm hoping to release 2.2 today - obstacles keep coming up. Here's my current list of changes - nothing involving maps, I don't think. Old games should be upgradable without problems (besides a few ability level variations).

---------
Gameplay:
---------
* Changed drone Anti-Ship Warheads to only be usable against ships and
bases (not fighters/satellites/planets/etc).
* Extended Temporal Shifters three tech levels with diminishing results,
to fall in with null space boost to adapt to Proportions armor. Note
that Temporal Shifters are easier to research and to build but shorter
ranged and somewhat less destructive than null space projectors.
* Control and life support components will no longer upgrade to more
expensive types when a design is upgraded.
* Adjusted speed of Light Missile System IV to originally intended speed.
* Increased research cost of Neural Computer Interface and added several
levels of development to it with different cost/size shifts and new
side-effects.
* Decreased research cost of Massive ancient techs, and increased their
maximums so they could actually be developed.
* Increased cargo & supply storage tech branch to level 5, and added
a new cargo component type, Starliner Module, that makes some larger
population transport capacities possible with advanced research, and
makes population transports a little easier to design and also to
maintain.
* Doubled organics costs of (racial tech) Organic Generation Facilities.
* Rearranged (racial tech) Solar Generator facilities. The more advanced
ones now cost more to build, and they now produce more rads, fewer
organics, and fewer still minerals.
* Added new non-racial-tech Solar Power Plant facilities. These are
inexpensive but produce only rads, not organics or minerals.
* Increased costs of higher-level Monolith facilities.
* Added four new cultural facilities below the previous "City" facility,
and re-named "City" to "Major City". See Major City, City, Minor City,
Colonial Community, and Settlement.
* Added Psychic Intelligence Centers.
---------
Cosmetic:
---------
* Expanded descriptions of cultural facilities to better explain what
these represent.
* Corrected cosmetic typo in "Spatial Rupture 2".
* Fixed cosmetic duplicate Rad Storage III.
* Removed some bogus warnings for system-wide ability duplication from
some urban facilities.
---
AI:
---
* Added ability to have AI use efficient engines.
* Added ability to have AI choose between light and capital missiles.
* Added ability of AI to deploy Mental Flailers after Allegiance
Subverters have been developed.
* Implemented planned method for AI to build intel centers.
* Stopped AI loading some AFV weapons on fighters.
* Enhanced Amon'krie AI.
* Enhanced Neutral AI's.
* Modified Drushocka AI.
* Enhanced Terran AI.

[ 05 May 2002: Message edited by: PvK ]</p>

Re: Latest V. of Proportions?
 

Pvk, I'm curious about a few questions, and hoping you might be able answer them. I'm building a large tri-polar map with a network of hidden warp points and a warp hub hidden in a nebulae. Also, I'm scattering a few ring and sphere worlds here and there, mostly in these unlinked warp networks. I received some great advice from Taz in Space about playing all of the ai players by my self for several turns so that i can build up a few empires, keep a few as freshly emerging wolflings, and perhaps a have few planets that contain facilities, but are now free of any population (good prizes for later discovery).

I'm trying to get some of the ai to be advanced with 10-20 tech levels and a few colonized worlds while at the same time holding back a few to entry level, and maybe one neutral race that is really advanced on a hidden shpere world. Is the Ai going to freak out when I set them loose and really upset game balance? Thanks.

Also should I wait for 2.2 to begin setting all of this up?

Re: Latest V. of Proportions?
 

I don't think the AI will freak out, depending on your definition of the term. It should just go about its usual business, although I haven't tested hidden warp points or sphere worlds. I would expect it to be completely ignorant of planets with abandoned facilities. I don't know if the AI respects hidden warp point visibility or not.

The only thing that might throw the AI off a little is if you give it tech that it isn't programmed to use well, but that could be adjusted.

You could start in 2.1 and upgradee to 2.1 without problems, I think, though I am still meaning to release 2.2 tonight.

PvK

Re: Latest V. of Proportions?
 

Swell. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif , can't wait.

I guess what I meant by freak out was will game balance really, really be thrown off.

I'm trying to simulate a galaxy in which not all aliens are considered equal in the beginning. You know a few older races, much more intelligent and have been around for a while colonizing a system or two; One or two really intelligent ones (preferably neutrals that don't leave their system but are super intelligent); and the rest as wolflings or the folk that are just begging to explore the cosmos and are still newbies. However; with careful manipulation of treaties, and the aquistion of a few choice technologies, and real estate - a wolfling race that is fully capable of becoming a galactic power ie: the United States just before WWII, "Star Treks" Federation, "Infinity Shores" Terran Wolfling Race, "Babylon 5's" Terran Race.
Blah, Blah, I'm sure you get the idea.

Thanks.

Re: Latest V. of Proportions?
 

I think it's quite possible to do that in Proportions, especially to have some empires who have developed colonies for a long time, with others who haven't. The main reason is that colony development and research take a lot longer time to develop to excessively high levels, while ship and construction are still relatively quick, though capped by maintenance costs (though, it could be interesting to have one of your older empires have a large stockpile of mothballed ships, if a human were going to play them).

A big research advantage could lead to some balance issues, I suppose, depending on what the older races researched, and whether they were going to be a player race or an AI race. However, since in Proportions the tech tree is steeped AND it isn't possbile to multiply your research rate they way the default set allows, the head start races will only get so far ahead, unless you set research cost to Low or do a ten-homeworld start. I think I'd recommend single-planet start with high tech cost - this should naturally keep anyone from getting really high tech stuff even after a long time head start.

Another concept is to have one or a few empires that have fairly large widespead colonies, but who aren't in a good position to defend them all.

Anyway, it sounds like it could be a really interesting scenario, and I'd hope it would work well. The more human players, the better, though, as always.

PvK

Re: Latest V. of Proportions?
 

One way to do something sort of like this is to set Racial Points for New Player (Set Up/Player Settings) to 5000, then under Players/Add Existing use races without all their points spent for the younger races. You can Edit the added races to fine tune them to whatever strength you want. This won't give you large differences in tech levels, though you could tweak the Intelligence Ratings to make some races research faster or slower.

Re: Latest V. of Proportions?
 

Another idea would be to tweak the AI on the "new" races to not build or research anything. Then you could use the auto-turn generator to advance the game. Well, there are lots of approaches. Sounds like tnarg is doing a lot by hand, to get his scenario set up in a specific way.

PvK