Factions Mod

[Puke]

Long, long ago, I was working on a mod based on one of Lord Kodos's ideas. It was back burnered because I had allowed it to become far to large and complicated, and I was entirely incapable of finishing it.

I am pleased to announce its return, in a much more streamlined form. You will note some similarities to P&N, but the differences make it a unique gameplay experience. The premise is simple:

Players will belong to one or more "Factions," each with its own area of specialization. Each Faction gives access to a specific area of technology, such as ship construction or colonization, research or construction. Currently there are two Factions, but seveal more are planned.

CURRENTLY EXISTING:

Spaceborne - This Faction grants access to Advanced Spaceflight technology, which is required for any ship construction above level 1. All races may research ship construction to any level (valueable for trading technology) but only a Spaceborne Faction may construct ships besides level 1 hulls (escorts and small transports).

Colonial - This Faction grants access to Colonization Fundamentals technology. Any race may research Rock, Ice, or Gas colonization, but only Colonial faction members may construct colony ships or colony modules.

PLANNED:

Industrialist - Will grant access to resource extraction above level 1, and some computer technology (such as robotoid facilities, and planet/system resource scanners)

Builder - Will grant access to orbital and planetary spaceyards above level 1. there may be a basic or less powerfull spaceyard created for general use, or level 2 and 3 spaceyards may be given increased capacity.

Technologist - Will grant access to Research and Intel facilities above level one, similar to the Industrialist Faction

Currently Spaceborne Factions are at a disadvantage and unable to significantly expand, until they meet a colonial faction. One possible solution to this, is to combine the Factions Mod with the Imperialism Mod, so that Spaceborne (and non-colonial) empires can take advantage of any Neutral AI empires they meet.

Another possible solution is the addition of resource and research generating components, but this will create the problem of limitless exponential growth as soon as they are obtained (unless there is a ship limit of a couple hundred) and will make the Colonial Faction obsolete.

Any and all input is welcome. A beta test Version will be posted soon.

[Ragnarok-X]

it looks like tech trading or espionage is very important in this mod, did i miss something or do you have pick several "factions" for your race ?

[Krsqk]

I assume (dangerous, I know) that the point of this would be a PBW game. You could only expand a certain minimal amount without help from other factions. Sure, the Spaceborne faction could build tons of ships--except they couldn't research bigger ones very quickly or pay for them. The Colonials could expand quickly, but they couldn't defend themselves very well.

The way I see it right now, colonial factions have the early game advantage (first pick of all planets), technologist factions would have the mid-game advantage (high-tech ships, although quite small), and spaceborne factions have the late game advantage (big ships can hammer dozens of small ones, although they would probably take some beatings from the technologists).

In the same light, the colonials seem to have the most desireable product until the various factions are established; whereas the technologists would the most valuable to everyone else afterward (research your own advantages faster). Facility-building factions (industrialist and technologist, mainly) also would get the bonus of additional production while building their high-tech facs on other people's planets.

You could also consider an engineering faction, with improved maintenance (those Crystalline facs) and repair. Maybe even reserve the quantum engines for them.

All in all, sounds like a great time, and carries a slight resemblance to SE4 Play by Committee. Speaking of which, let me insert my shameless promotion to come join us! Multitudes of governor positions are open, and our war seems it will soon open an additional front or two! See sig for link.

[ April 26, 2004, 22:27: Message edited by: Krsqk ]

[Puke]

you have to include your sig, for the link to show up.

se4 play by committee at http://www.invirtuo.cc/se4/index.php

Krsqk, you undertand the purpose of the mod perfectly. Perhaps colonials and industrialists will be bankers. rather than selling planets to other races, they might sell resources. to take advantage of this, maybe non-colonials will fill their planets with storage facilities instead of resource extractors.

technologists would obviously be in the business of selling technology. since anyone can research colony tech and ship construction, they can even sell levels of technology to other factions - though they might not be able to use them themselves.

Ragnarok-X: yes, you should be able to pick multiple factions. they will be racial traits like "organic manipulation" and each will cost a number of points. They will be priced so that each race can afford maybe two of them. Currently I had planned on Colonial=4000, Spaceborne=3500, and the others=2500. That way it would be hard to be both Colonial AND Spaceborne (unless you were in a 5000 point game)

[Krsqk]

you have to include your sig, for the link to show up.

*blush*

Duh.

[Puke]

So beta-1 is about ready to roll. The factions are all as described below, and all of the planned factions now exist.

Engineer Factions (renamed from builder) are required for access to planetary shipyards of level 2 or greater (regular and temporal), all space shipyards, and repair bays of level 2 or greater. so without being a member of the Engineer faction, you can only construct Planetary Shipyard I, Temporal Shipyard I, and Repair Bay I.

Religious and Crystaline resource improvement and generation facilities are not limited by faction.

[narf poit chez BOOM]

I wanna play! but I got no time.

[QuarianRex]

Sign me up. I already have too many games on the go but this one is just too interesting to pass up. Just a thought on balancing the spaceborne though. They will have a massive advantage as it is. Why not allow the other factions to research up to level3 ship construction? While they will be denied mounts (the greatest advantage of larger hulls) they will not be absolutely impotent fodder for the big dogs. Just a thought.

[Alneyan]

On the other hand, you may want to remove the Light Carriers (and the following hulls) from the other Factions, since this hull packs quite a lot of punch for its low research cost, and doesn't require any kind of Ship Construction research.

The Light Carrier is about as strong as the Light Cruiser, with slightly less free space, but more hitpoints (leaky armour anyone?) and basic transport abilities, so it would make a rather good hull until the endgame when Battleships and above become the norm.

[Puke]

i failed to mention it, but carriers are out for non-spaceborne factions.

as for SB being at an advantage, im not sure i agree. I am imagining that if there was no diplomacy and nothing but war, colonials would win out over any other faction. the simple ability to expand to other planets makes them a shoe-in for victory.

the game would be all about fleets of small transports ferrying loads of fighters between systems. maybe some drone wars.

WITH diplomacy and trade, who can say what will happen? should be interesting. And if it turns out to be too unballanced, we can always adjust it for the second game.