Stronger Planets mod idea

[skigrinder]

EC, I feel the same way about planetary defense and have made a small modification to the Components.txt file that has been pretty effective.

I like one-player games on 255-system maps with 8-10 AI’s.
The AI’s have been given special racial abilities and all bonuses available without modifying the AI files.
Team mode (all AI against the single human) is selected.
The role I like to play is one of non-aggression in a very aggressive universe.
My race builds colony ships and expands until running into the AI.
No warships are built. However, I do research and create boarding ships.
Planetary defense is left entirely up to the planets themselves.
Research and Intelligence are the focus for my race – not shipbuilding and warfare in space.
Eventually, I develop Puppet Political Parties and begin ‘persuading’ alien planets toward my philosophies.

This strategy would be impossible without some sort of planetary defense mechanism.
In order to accomplish this, I’ve created a new weapon type (with three levels) called ‘Planetary Defense Missile Spread’ that is researched as part of the ‘Missile Weapons’ tech branch.
Small weapons platforms are built on each planet and can, therefore only be used for defensive purposes.
Range, Damage, and Seeker Speed values for the ‘Planetary Defense Missile Spread’ are inflated so as to simulate a large number of individual missiles fired from a large number of positions on the planet.
Size of the ‘Planetary Defense Missile Spread’ component is small.
Reload Rate is set to 1.
Again, the theory is to simulate an overwhelming number of missiles coming from the planet.

The AI will create fleets large enough to get through the ‘Planetary Defense Missile Spread’.
I usually end up moving my population to Ringworlds which can hold a tremendous number of Weapon Platforms.

Here are the additions to the Components.txt file (you may want to modify some of these values to achieve your own balance):

Name := Planetary Defense Missile Spread I
Description := Group of missiles for planetary defense.
Pic Num := 67
Tonnage Space Taken := 20
Tonnage Structure := 20
Cost Minerals := 400
Cost Organics := 0
Cost Radioactives := 120
Vehicle Type := WeapPlatform
Supply Amount Used := 10
Restrictions := None
General Group := Weapons
Family := 2001
Roman Numeral := 1
Custom Group := 0
Number of Tech Req := 1
Tech Area Req 1 := Missile Weapons
Tech Level Req 1 := 3
Number of Abilities := 0
Weapon Type := Seeking
Weapon Target := Ships
Weapon Damage At Rng := 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200
Weapon Damage Type := Normal
Weapon Reload Rate := 1
Weapon Display Type := Seeker
Weapon Display := 1
Weapon Modifier := 0
Weapon Sound := capshpms.wav
Weapon Family := 2
Weapon Seeker Speed := 20
Weapon Seeker Dmg Res := 100

Name := Planetary Defense Missile Spread II
Description := Group of missiles for planetary defense.
Pic Num := 67
Tonnage Space Taken := 20
Tonnage Structure := 20
Cost Minerals := 400
Cost Organics := 0
Cost Radioactives := 80
Vehicle Type := WeapPlatform
Supply Amount Used := 10
Restrictions := None
General Group := Weapons
Family := 2001
Roman Numeral := 2
Custom Group := 0
Number of Tech Req := 1
Tech Area Req 1 := Missile Weapons
Tech Level Req 1 := 5
Number of Abilities := 0
Weapon Type := Seeking
Weapon Target := Ships
Weapon Damage At Rng := 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400
Weapon Damage Type := Normal
Weapon Reload Rate := 1
Weapon Display Type := Seeker
Weapon Display := 1
Weapon Modifier := 0
Weapon Sound := capshpms.wav
Weapon Family := 2
Weapon Seeker Speed := 20
Weapon Seeker Dmg Res := 200

Name := Planetary Defense Missile Spread III
Description := Group of missiles for planetary defense.
Pic Num := 67
Tonnage Space Taken := 20
Tonnage Structure := 20
Cost Minerals := 400
Cost Organics := 0
Cost Radioactives := 80
Vehicle Type := WeapPlatform
Supply Amount Used := 10
Restrictions := None
General Group := Weapons
Family := 2001
Roman Numeral := 3
Custom Group := 0
Number of Tech Req := 1
Tech Area Req 1 := Missile Weapons
Tech Level Req 1 := 7
Number of Abilities := 0
Weapon Type := Seeking
Weapon Target := Ships
Weapon Damage At Rng := 900 900 900 900 900 900 900 900 900 900 900 900 900 900 900 900 900 900 900 900
Weapon Damage Type := Normal
Weapon Reload Rate := 1
Weapon Display Type := Seeker
Weapon Display := 1
Weapon Modifier := 0
Weapon Sound := capshpms.wav
Weapon Family := 2
Weapon Seeker Speed := 20
Weapon Seeker Dmg Res := 500