New SE4 Total ConVersion Mod "SMod" open on PBW

[Suicide Junkie]

I've uploaded a lighter copy of the mod to shrapnel:

Part 1 (24 Megs, RAR)
http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/thr...?Number=309066
Part 2 (20 Megs, RAR)
http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/thr...?Number=309074

You may need the all 5 imagemod packs installed.
Component and facility packs for sure.
You will also need to copy your existing races (minus graphics) to the mod's race folder, and use the AI files (appropriately renamed) which are provided.

[Snorky]

First I want to thank you for your analysis and your opinion.

Your tool looks helpful even if I don't understand it completely (what does these funny numbers mean? and why does your tool count any vacuum/gas giant or other planets even if there are none of them in the secttype.txt???), but you are right I should fix the Vacuum Breather advantage. The problem with the quadrant add-up will also be fixed with the next patch and before the game starts. The other things will be fixed for game round 2, at least I will consider doing that.

My english isn't good enough to understand everything what you said, so can you please explain the problems with the combat and maintenance modifiers again? Do you say that I should increase the costs for ship attack+defense and maintenance, because they are more valuable than the other traits?

A +7 speed bonus is extreme, but who pays 3500 Racial Points for that? 500 Points for 1 movement is too cheap? What are more balanced costs for the Storage, Power and Propulsion Techniques? Maybe I should also limit the speed bonus via racial traits to +5? I will see what happens in the SMod game round 1 and tweak these settings for the next match. Patching these things now will only make the seven waiting players angry, because they have to wait again for the game start. This will give me time to think about it and your suggestions are always welcome.

And thank you, too, for the smaller mod Version without the image packs, but whoever uses this "light" Version should remember, that I reworked some of the images in the packs and without the included races you don't have the reworked portraits. So I recommend to download the huge "full" Version, but for testing the mod. Maybe there can be a third part file with the ripped images for those who already have the light Version and want to upgrade to the full?

[Suicide Junkie]

The Vaccuum/Gas stats are for vaccuum races with gas colonization tech.
While stock SE4 only starts you with that combination on High Tech settings, your mod does allow it as a starting setup, and Vaccuum races can always research it sometime during the game.

Don't hold up the test game.
I'm just saying that the speed racial traits are quite probably too cheap, and that the storage traits are much too expensive for the effect they give. (Taking a second colony tech gives you 4x more effect per point spent)

For the images, try only including the changed portraits in your mod. SE4 will look to the default folders (IE the regular imagemod) for the missing images.
You may also want to send your new images in to be included in the imagemod directly.

-----

The "agressiveness" and "defensiveness" traits are underpriced in stock, and are almost always maxxed out for competitive games.
You've made them even cheaper, so that it is possible to get +40% to attack and defense.

That means, at a distance of 5, a player with the maximum attack/defense stats will hit over 90% of the time against a plain player.
The plain player will hit back with only 10% accuracy.

-----

As for maintenance:
in settings.txt - "Empire Starting Percent Maint Cost := 25"
So, when you take engineers for a 10% bonus, you only pay only (25-10 = 15% of the build cost per turn)

Even if you take the politicians culture and +30 to maintenence reduction in the characteristics window:
25+10-30 = 5% of build cost per turn for maintenance.
For only 875 racial points.
Maintenance at this point can't go below 5% (hardcoded)

--
What I suggest is you set:
"Empire Starting Percent Maint Cost := 100"
That way, it costs 1875 points to buy +50 maintenance reduction.
100 - 50 = half maintenance

In other words, this change makes +10% to maintenance reduction actually mean "10% cheaper ships", instead of 40% cheaper

Now, since as a side effect of the above, everything costs 4 times more in maintenance, you need to do the following:
In your ships, add:
Ability 3 Type := Modified Maintenance Cost
Ability 3 Descr :=
Ability 3 Val 1 := -75

This multiplies with the racial maintenance; 75% off here means 1/4 the price, negating the 4x side effect above.

--

Alternatively, you could divide your culture maintenance modifiers by 4, quadruple the price of maintenance reduction, and reduce the "Characteristic Maintenance Aptitude Max Pct" to taste.