Population modifier idea -- penalty for low population
 

This probably has been covered already, but I can't seem to find it quite yet.

I'm working on a mod that makes a penalty for populations lower than 50m. Mostly, it's to give me a handicap since I tend to build colony ships with a supply pod instead of a cargo bay so my colonies start with 4m people instead of 34m w/cargo bay I.

Playtesting it right now, and it's a rather nasty penalty, but it makes the game -very- interesting. http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

Number Of Population Modifiers := 27
Pop Modifier 1 Population Amount := 4
Pop Modifier 1 Production Modifier Percent := 10
Pop Modifier 1 SY Rate Modifier Percent := 10
Pop Modifier 2 Population Amount := 9
Pop Modifier 2 Production Modifier Percent := 20
Pop Modifier 2 SY Rate Modifier Percent := 20
Pop Modifier 3 Population Amount := 14
Pop Modifier 3 Production Modifier Percent := 30
Pop Modifier 3 SY Rate Modifier Percent := 30
Pop Modifier 4 Population Amount := 19
Pop Modifier 4 Production Modifier Percent := 40
Pop Modifier 4 SY Rate Modifier Percent := 40
Pop Modifier 5 Population Amount := 24
Pop Modifier 5 Production Modifier Percent := 50
Pop Modifier 5 SY Rate Modifier Percent := 50
Pop Modifier 6 Population Amount := 29
Pop Modifier 6 Production Modifier Percent := 60
Pop Modifier 6 SY Rate Modifier Percent := 60
Pop Modifier 7 Population Amount := 34
Pop Modifier 7 Production Modifier Percent := 70
Pop Modifier 7 SY Rate Modifier Percent := 70
Pop Modifier 8 Population Amount := 39
Pop Modifier 8 Production Modifier Percent := 80
Pop Modifier 8 SY Rate Modifier Percent := 80
Pop Modifier 9 Population Amount := 49
Pop Modifier 9 Production Modifier Percent := 90
Pop Modifier 9 SY Rate Modifier Percent := 90
Pop Modifier 10 Population Amount := 99
Pop Modifier 10 Production Modifier Percent := 100
Pop Modifier 10 SY Rate Modifier Percent := 100
Pop Modifier 11 Population Amount := 199
Pop Modifier 11 Production Modifier Percent := 105
Pop Modifier 11 SY Rate Modifier Percent := 105
Pop Modifier 12 Population Amount := 499
Pop Modifier 12 Production Modifier Percent := 110
Pop Modifier 12 SY Rate Modifier Percent := 110
Pop Modifier 13 Population Amount := 999
Pop Modifier 13 Production Modifier Percent := 115
Pop Modifier 13 SY Rate Modifier Percent := 115
Pop Modifier 14 Population Amount := 1999
Pop Modifier 14 Production Modifier Percent := 120
Pop Modifier 14 SY Rate Modifier Percent := 120
Pop Modifier 15 Population Amount := 2999
Pop Modifier 15 Production Modifier Percent := 130
Pop Modifier 15 SY Rate Modifier Percent := 130
Pop Modifier 16 Population Amount := 3999
Pop Modifier 16 Production Modifier Percent := 140
Pop Modifier 16 SY Rate Modifier Percent := 140
Pop Modifier 17 Population Amount := 4999
Pop Modifier 17 Production Modifier Percent := 150
Pop Modifier 17 SY Rate Modifier Percent := 150
Pop Modifier 18 Population Amount := 5999
Pop Modifier 18 Production Modifier Percent := 160
Pop Modifier 18 SY Rate Modifier Percent := 160
Pop Modifier 19 Population Amount := 6999
Pop Modifier 19 Production Modifier Percent := 170
Pop Modifier 19 SY Rate Modifier Percent := 170
Pop Modifier 20 Population Amount := 7999
Pop Modifier 20 Production Modifier Percent := 180
Pop Modifier 20 SY Rate Modifier Percent := 180
Pop Modifier 21 Population Amount := 9999
Pop Modifier 21 Production Modifier Percent := 190
Pop Modifier 21 SY Rate Modifier Percent := 190
Pop Modifier 22 Population Amount := 14999
Pop Modifier 22 Production Modifier Percent := 200
Pop Modifier 22 SY Rate Modifier Percent := 200
Pop Modifier 23 Population Amount := 24999
Pop Modifier 23 Production Modifier Percent := 225
Pop Modifier 23 SY Rate Modifier Percent := 225
Pop Modifier 24 Population Amount := 34999
Pop Modifier 24 Production Modifier Percent := 250
Pop Modifier 24 SY Rate Modifier Percent := 250
Pop Modifier 25 Population Amount := 44999
Pop Modifier 25 Production Modifier Percent := 275
Pop Modifier 25 SY Rate Modifier Percent := 275
Pop Modifier 26 Population Amount := 59999
Pop Modifier 26 Production Modifier Percent := 300
Pop Modifier 26 SY Rate Modifier Percent := 300
Pop Modifier 27 Population Amount := 2000000
Pop Modifier 27 Production Modifier Percent := 300
Pop Modifier 27 SY Rate Modifier Percent := 300

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--
"What do -you- want?" "I'd like to live -just- long enough to be there when they cut off your head and stick it on a pike as a warning to the next ten generations that some favors come with too high a price. I would look up into your lifeless eyes and wave like this..." *waggle* "...can you and your associates arrange that for me, Mr. Morden?"

Re: Population modifier idea -- penalty for low population
 

Hum, looks like something fun to try. Thanks. http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

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"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!" -- Patrick Stewart as Captain Picard
New Age Ship Yards

Re: Population modifier idea -- penalty for low population
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Atrocities:
Hum, looks like something fun to try. Thanks. http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Those facilities that usually take one turn to build now take a few turns until the population grows. Started a research colony and had a build time of .9 years. (After a few turns of growth it reduced to about .4 years, though.)

Also, one population transport wipes out the loss in production and construction rate. However, there are only so many transports available. http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

[This message has been edited by Sinapus (edited 30 June 2001).]

Re: Population modifier idea -- penalty for low population
 

A simpler solution is to just reduce the basic planetary spaceyard rate. It's in the SETTINGS.TXT file. There are three seperate settings for a planet just as for a component spaceyard.

Empire Base Planet Mineral Usage Rate := 2000
Empire Base Planet Organic Usage Rate := 2000
Empire Base Planet Radioactive Usage Rate := 2000

Just set these to 1000 and then adjust your bonuses accordingly. Just be aware that this will have a SERIOUS affect on the construction of new spaceyards -- the default build time would go from 5 turns to 10 - and htis might hurt the AI considrably if it is not smart enough to dump extra population on new colonies very quickly.

Re: Population modifier idea -- penalty for low population
 

Sinapus I like your idea and think it will be very nice for a game with human players only. However Baron has made an important point: the AI will have a major problem with it, as the population minister is not very efficient.

Re: Population modifier idea -- penalty for low population
 

I like the idea, too. In other threads people have written about how thay dislike a tiny population being able to operate 30 facilities on a planet. Perhaps taking your idea a step further: we don't seem to be able to get a min pop to operate facility to work in se4. So make the builds slower. Reduce the producction bonuses all the way up to, say 200 million, etc. You ge the idea. One may be able to operate many fac with a tiny pop, buty you wont be able to build many with out a large pop. What do you think?

Re: Population modifier idea -- penalty for low population
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Q:
Sinapus I like your idea and think it will be very nice for a game with human players only. However Baron has made an important point: the AI will have a major problem with it, as the population minister is not very efficient.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Actually, since the AI usually puts a cargo module on each colony ship, it won't be as affected. It will only suffer at 70% on the first turn, then go up to 80% on the next turn and steadily grow for awhile.

If you mean bombardments or that annoying cosmic firestorm that hits from time to time, you are probably right. As it is, in a game I'm playing all the AIs seem to be doing fine so far in a High Difficulty, no bonus game.


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--
"What do -you- want?" "I'd like to live -just- long enough to be there when they cut off your head and stick it on a pike as a warning to the next ten generations that some favors come with too high a price. I would look up into your lifeless eyes and wave like this..." *waggle* "...can you and your associates arrange that for me, Mr. Morden?"

Re: Population modifier idea -- penalty for low population
 

One BIG problem with using "negative" modifiers for low population: The modifiers for happiness and racial traits are cummalitive! That means if you have only a 10% production rate, and are sufferring -20% due to unhappiness and another -10% due to racial traits... you'll be producing at -20%, that means the more facilities you have the greater it will COST you. I tried this, but had to alter the values to make sure that the combintaion of lowest Population modifer + worst happiness penalty + lowest Racial trait = 0%