Space Monsters!!!

[Baron Munchausen]

I don't think these 'crutch' measures will ever make an effective 'space monster'. You'll have to play by self-restricting rules to make it work. I think MM has to alter the hardcode with some new AI routines and some special powers to make space monsters feasible.

[geoschmo]

I would agree if your goal is to make a giant space-borne monster like what you see in many sci-fi shows, it would be tough without hard-code changes.

But I think a very acceptable and playable "swarm" monster race could be done with the suggestions in this thread.

Geoschmo

[Suicide Junkie]

Baron:
Are you saying that you would find a monster race, using invisible & invulnerable planets, and spawning loads of Bugships & fighters every turn, easy to defeat?
You can't cut them off at the source, and they will only expand ever larger until you start blowing up every infested starsystem.

[Growltigga]

quote:

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Originally posted by geoschmo:
But I think a very acceptable and playable "swarm" monster race could be done with the suggestions in this thread.
Geoschmo[/QB]

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Goody, can we call said beast Growltigga's revenge?

[Phoenix-D]

"I would agree if your goal is to make a giant space-borne monster like what you see in many sci-fi shows, it would be tough without hard-code changes."

You could do it; the tricky part is getting it to do anything! (or not die/be out-researched into oblivion)

Phoenix-D

[Rollo]

Hi everybody,
wanted to post here earlier, but couldn't get to the site .
I am currently working on a monster mod together with Puke.
I'll comment/answer to some of the earlier Posts.

Growltigga:
1 no diplomacy whatsoever
* the diplomacy part is done. The monsters simply declare war on everybody after first contact.

2 sole purpose to occupy and destroy planets.
* was there ever any other purpose?

3 gains resources by 'converting' population into more beasts, possibly can do the same thing with organics
* that cannot be done.

4 uses organic technology
* they will use any technology that our (and your) evil minds will come up with. Since we will make our own technologies and components anyway, we don't have to restrict ourselves to organics.

5 moves slowly, spreads slowly - for this to work it needs to be a creeping death style of thing
* don't have plans for expansion. they will just stick to their homeplanet(s)

6 basic cloaking abilities apply to the swarm
* some of them will have cloaks, some not

7 needs a swarm mother ie some kind of superbaseship able to create more little rampaging darlings
* we have considered that as well. Needs testing though, to check out how the AI handles that

8 needs to be tip top at ground combat
* no monster invasions at this time

Baron M.:
"I don't think these 'crutch' measures will ever make an effective 'space monster'. You'll have to play by self-restricting rules to make it work. I think MM has to alter the hardcode with some new AI routines and some special powers to make space monsters feasible."

I can see your point and I agree. The monsters will basically just behave like a normal AI. But with their special tech and some of their quirks (no colonization, huge single "ships", no resource problems, super fast build-rate, no plantes to attack) they will sure make a new and interesting challenge.

Geo: "I would agree if your goal is to make a giant space-borne monster like what you see in many sci-fi shows, it would be tough without hard-code changes."
Phoenix: "You could do it; the tricky part is getting it to do anything! (or not die/be out-researched into oblivion)"

The way I currently envision the monsters is not a swarm, but few huge beasts that operate mostly alone. The monsters will research and get stronger as the game progresses. For each level of "monster tech" there will be one or more monster(s)-of the-line that might have totally different weapons/abilities/tactics than the previous ones. If carefully tested/balanced the monsters should be a good challenge at any stage of the game. At the later stages the monsters could also "team up" in small fleets. Another good thing about the different tech levels is that you could have the monsters stay dormant for, say, the first 20 turns or so. This way you (or the other AI) don't get wiped out right away before you found your footing.

I was also wondering, if somebody else is working on making a monster mod. We could exchange ideas/concepts so we don't have to invent the wheel twice.

ROLL CALL: we need some cool monster pictures for the graphics. Anything goes from giant amoeba to space dragons. If somebody already has some pics or wants to do some, please let us know.
Question for Andres (if you read this): Can we use a few pics of the Cephalopeia?
I know there was a really nice picture of a dragon some time ago, but I cannot find it at the moment.

Okay, enough for now. Sorry about the lengthy post...

Rollo

[Egregius]

Rollo: yes I was busy making a spacemonster mod, as I posted earlier (I was the one who topped the thread out of oblivion after all).

I did some testing, ripping components from another mod and tweaking them, but I have the greatest difficulty getting the AI to design their own ships using the vastly superior monster components (like connective tissue that acts as life-support) and to get them to add to their own build cue correctly.

I am a total sputz in modding the designcreation file. I dont understand half the stuff there, like major weapon family etc.

Anyway for a picture set I advise using either species 8472 (some of their ships look like squiddly thingys with tentacles) or the Cephalopeian shipset which was basically meant as spacemonsters. Just ask permission I guess

Edit: my idea was also one planet which spawns the beasties (preferrable would be they didnt have a homeplanet but that doesnt work) which builds one starbase with a sector cloaking component (to avoid they get whiped out easily), and the planet keeps spawning them in various sizes, amongst which those able to harvest organics from asteroids (I hope the AI has some way of figuring this out), and a few sizes which can spawn new ships.

Their special shipsizes have -100% maintenance for obvious reasons.

[ 25 January 2002: Message edited by: Egregius ]