PvK Balance Mod Version 1.1 posted (for SE4 Gold Version 1.91 - Patch 4)

Ran-Taro · #1 October 12th, 2003, 05:24 AM

This is excellent work, and exactly what I needed. Thank you very much.

deccan · #2 October 12th, 2003, 10:17 AM

You know what would make this even better? Modify the AI files so that they create empires taking into account the adjusted costs.

PvK · #3 October 12th, 2003, 09:34 PM

Thanks Ran-Taro!

Yes Deccan, that would be good. Anyone feel like doing the work? It's a fairly time-consuming project which I won't have time for until maybe February of next year, so if anyone wants to supply the AI files, I'll include them in a patch to the mod once they're ready.

PvK

PvK · #4 October 13th, 2003, 10:53 PM

Actually, what would be even better would be to do this for the TDM modpack Version AI's...

PvK

primitive · #5 October 13th, 2003, 11:28 PM

PBW Anyone

Ran-Taro · #6 October 14th, 2003, 02:07 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by PvK:
Actually, what would be even better would be to do this for the TDM modpack Version AI's...

PvK

Wouldn't the re-balancing of relative values mean the whole AI's would need to be remade, not just the general files?

I guess just the general files would do in a pinch, but I'm guessing this mod would make for a greater variety of effective AI tactics in research etc...

PvK · #7 October 14th, 2003, 08:18 AM

Hmm, a difficult question. You'd of course want to be sure to keep any racial tech areas. I don't think you'd want to change the research order, or the ship designs. Offhand I'd think the main issue outside the AI_General file would be the design construction AI file, which determines how many of a ship to build, because if the AI has lower resource or maintenance reduction values, it may not be able to afford as many as it could before. I'd only expect that to be an issue for TDM modpack races which were highly tweaked in that regard, and/or that took heavy advantage of the cheap maintenance reduction in the unmodded game.

I'd actually think the unmodded AI's would tend to be better off in Balance mod than the TDM ones, inasmuch as the unmodded ones weren't very well optimized, so they'll benefit from the Balance mod giving them balanced value for points. I expect the existing TDM races take a lot of advantage of the unbalanced unmodded empire costs, so they'll be in worse shape, relatively speaking. All the more reason to work with those files if one were to make custom AI's for the balance mod.

PvK