Proportions mod 1.5.3 released

[oleg]

This is in fact reply to 1.52 thread, but anyway:

I raised a question about very odd AI planetary constraction in Proportions mod. Namely, every single colony builds spaceport firstly. Even if it is a colony in home system with fully operational home world spaceport.

In standard SE IV, AI does not do it even though space port ability is the first line in planetary type description. The explanation is of course simple- "space port" is system wide ability. If we have one, AI skips this line and build next item in the list. The Proportin's problem is, IMHO, in diffferent coding of space ports on home worlds (it is "space port") and on other colonies (is is "emergency energy", IIRC). I understand why it was made this way - to code unique Proportion's facilities like cities and cultural centers.
May be this dual coding must remain as it is, but still, we must do something about erratic AI constraction. NO ONE expects 8 space ports in one system !

The best way IMHO is to assign some, however small, production/reserch values to spaceports and call them villages or something. Alternatively, make all AI players Natural Merchants.


Another note: It is certainly nice to have more system types. Unfortunately, it produces even more disparity in players staring locations: It is usually better to start in 9 planets system than in say one or two planets system. I suggest to set the "Empire can start" to False for most sparse systems. This way, we can average (slightly) the playing field but still have the wide variaty of systems.

[ 28 March 2002: Message edited by: oleg ]

[ 28 March 2002: Message edited by: oleg ]