Proportions Version 2.4 released

[PvK]

By the way, I was just playing a game and got the population of my #1 colony up to 183 million after 5.3 years when a core instability is discovered... on that planet! Evacuation time!

PvK

[Fyron]

Hehe! Good luck!

I'd be willing to help you with that excel to text file thing.

[PvK]

Thanks Fyron. I'll start reviewing the Foundations materials with the idea of making a set of easy-to-understand Excel files so we could split up the large (immense?) task of doing all the data file creation. Having developed Proportions so far, it would probably make sense to revise most of Foundations. I do still want to do a Proportions 2.5 and then a 3.0 (and maybe a 2.6), though, and there's a bunch of work to do to get ready to start typing in Foundations 1.0, so it will probably still be a while, day job considered, etc.

PvK

edit: pronoun->noun clarification

[ July 21, 2002, 19:16: Message edited by: PvK ]

[Fyron]

No problem. With what Proportions is, I am sure Foundations will be awe-inspiring.

[Baron Munchausen]

Here again we see the need for automating the process of creating SE IV data files. Someone needs to build an editor with functions to write out entire classes of components or facilities based on formulas.

[dogscoff]

thinking about "exportable" racial techs for trade, here's another idea:

how about a set of components that *aren't* exportable. For example, you have shields V, which is ahead of your enemy and you so don't want him to capture your ship and analyse it. How cool would it be to have the option of an "Unanalysable" Version of the same tech. There would be a penalty (greater tonnage, or or more expensive or something) and probably would require you to research "Unanalysable technology" or something. This would be a really cool trade off, since the ship would be great at first, but as your opponent's tech progresses the Unanalysable components would start to get more and more pointless and you'd have to retrofit.

It could probably be modded (don't ask me how) and might add a cute twist. Opinions?

[PvK]

Yes, that's a good idea, Dogscoff. It could be done in a couple of ways (though it would be labor-intensive, unless the new mount abilities can be used to block analysis, which I bet they don't).

One is to add some racial traits that just give uniqueness. Another is to add several techs that can be researched to gain uniqueness. As long as your opponent doesn't take the same uniqueness traits or techs, they won't be able to analyze your components. It adds a bit of mystery to the thing, too.

The main problem is having to make more component models just to add uniqueness. Mounts would be a reasonable solution, except they probably don't block analysis, and they would bar combining with other mounts unless you made meta-mounts, which would could easily cause more interface hassle (and work for the modder) than it would be worth.

Perhaps a better solution is simply to add many variant tech branches and requirements throughout the tree, that actually do things, and so also reduce the likelihood that other empires will have the correct set of requirements to be able to take advantage of the captured tech. It's still a lot of work, but at least you can accomplish two effects at once.

PvK