SE4 Stock Balance Mod

[Suicide Junkie]

Remember the Point of this:
1) Do not affect AIs with your changes... Requiring re-written AIs means this won't become stock rules.

3) Least changes possible. Meson bLasters don't need to be changed from a moderately powered medium-range gun to a sniper rifle, for example.

[geoschmo]

Originally posted by Suicide Junkie:
Remember the Point of this:
1) Do not affect AIs with your changes... Requiring re-written AIs means this won't become stock rules.

Of course this is all conjecture anyway, but we might be able to get away with minor AI affecting changes. Like if someone wants to tweak the characteristic and racial trait costs a little bit. Because we can also modify the AI_general files to accomodate the changes and include those with the mod. But anything that is going to require serious rework of research and design files is gonna be a problem. And major changes to the characteristic and racial traits that would totally break everybodies favorite custom AI should probably be avoided as well.

Just my opinion of course.

Geoschmo

[TerranC]

Originally posted by spoon:
- Quantum Reactor (increase cost by a factor of 10 +, and increase size*)

What would that do? The AIs will still use it on all ships, and players will still use it, albeit with less frequency.

IMHO the right way to balance Quantum reactors is to get rid of the infinite supplies ability and make it generate a specific amount of supplies, like in the P&N Mod.

[Krsqk]

I would like to see all of the damage types used. I don't think Skips All Shields is used; the Double/Half/Quarter Damage to Shields aren't either. Maybe there are more that I don't remember off hand. Anyway, it's a shame to see them unused in the stock game.

[Pax]

My thoughts:

The Talisman
Making this a mount would be the best fix, however I doubt it could be done w/o screwing existing AIs. So, how about this: instead of "always hits", why not let it give a +100-ish to hit? That's still VERY significant, without being brokenly powerful IMO.

Torpedoes
These are silly, ludicrous wastes of time at present. They might bebetter, if their "oomf" were upped. IOW, consider a bonus to hit and increased damage (they shoudl do about as much damage per kT as a comparable-tech/cost Beam weapon (or maybe a bit less), be slightly more accurate, and retain a 1/2 to 1/3 fire rate).

Meson BLaster
There's little reason to use these, compared to APBs. Give them a range advantage (say, 50% more range than comparable-level APBs) while decreasing their damage slightly (say, 80% as much as an APB's max-range hit) and that may change; the choice owudl be close-range high-damage, or, long-range low(ish)-damage.

Ship and Fleet Training Facilities
Make these one-per-system, please. Then 1%/turn, to a maximum of 5% times the level of the facility (iow, 5%/10%/15%).

Cargo Facilities
These need to be greatly improved. I suggest increasing storage capacity by an order of magnitude.

Single-resource Production-Boost facilities
Compared to the all-resource facilities, these are a waste of space. Consider adding +5% to their effects at all levels, and lowering their costs somewhat. Or keep the costs the same, and outright DOUBLE their benefits.

Tractor beams
The higher-tech Tractor Beams should be able to reach out and grab someone further and further away. I suggest a maximum range of damage squared (so a Tractor Beam with 4 damage has an absolute range of 16).

Repulsor Beams
As the base damage of the Repulsor gets higher, it's range should extend; however, as the target starts further and further away, the "damage" should drop off.

PDC
Simply too damned effective. Halve the cost/size, but halve or quarter the damage and remove some or all of the bonus to hit. Only "nerfing" the things will mean people won't use them much; making the cost and size attractive for every ship to sport a couple PDC tucked away here and there, despite the reduced efficacy, would probably work best, IMO.

Storage Components
Should count as cargo space. Even adding a single 1kT of cargo to each would work wonders.

Quantum Reactor
Should be VASTLY more expensive for it's size. Should, by rights, mass 1,000kT (thus fitting only in baseships), but either of those would throw off the AI.
NFC how to fix it without screwing the AI over, but it definitely NEEDS to be changed. At the LEAST, double it's price!

Fighters
While not a balance issue, per se, it'd be a nice change if the Small Rocket Pods were actually a fighter-launched Seeker-type weapon.
For further improvement to survivability, you can simply increase the benefits of Fighter-scale armor; if one slab of Fighter Armor III (or whatever) weighed 1kT but absorbed 50hp of damage, that'd help immensely.
Another not-really-a-balance-issue-but-it'd-be-nice-anyway idea, would be a Master Computer style control component for fighters; 1kT with a +1 bonus movement in combat (higher G-tolerances?). Frankly, those'd make more sense than the full-capital-ship-scale MCs, anyway.

[Suicide Junkie]

Only "nerfing" the things will mean people won't use them much

Not really. There is no alternative to PDC besides taking the hit and dying.
Reducing the accuracy could improve the statistics for missiles.

In addition, if we went back to the unlimited range missiles from SE3, it could help too... no more missile dancing. With mounts we can keep the launch ranges the same as unmodded, so there won't be any difference for the AIs.

There's little reason to use these, compared to APBs. Give them a range advantage (say, 50% more range than comparable-level APBs) while decreasing their damage slightly (say, 80% as much as an APB's max-range hit) and that may change; the choice owudl be close-range high-damage, or, long-range low(ish)-damage.

What about leaving the same range as APB, but with APB decreasing over distance, and MB doing the same damage everywhere as the APB does at its mid-point?

[General Woundwort]

Originally posted by Suicide Junkie:
In addition, if we went back to the unlimited range missiles from SE3, it could help too... no more missile dancing.

Makes sense. After all, in space, once you apply intertia to an object, barring other applications of inertia it stays in motion. A missile in space, once launched, only needs maneuvering and homing sensors, and those shouldn't decay with distance enough to matter in game terms.