Proportions mod Version 2.2 released

[Derek]

Been thinking about that, as I have also noticed research is incedibly slow. Probably will be changed in next release, but not drastically so.

Derek

[PvK]

Originally posted by oleg:
PvK,

Add "Ancient Ruins" and "Planet - Change Ground Defense" to small scaners and ECM, AI makes fighters with extra engines.

Oh ya I remember that now - will do, thanks.

[PvK]

Originally posted by oleg:
Yes, it is an overlap in weapon family numbers that drives AI crazy.

Thanks Oleg - will fix!

[PvK]

PDF, Proportions is designed to try to be realistically slow, and to make research and colony development take so long that they require long-term strategic thinking.

For research speed, I am also trying to address what I see as two major issues with the standard set:

1) Research is way too fast in the standard set, which tends to reduce the usefulness of a large part of the tech tree. Low and intermediate tech levels are often not used by humans because it only takes a very short time to max out a tech, and so on. In Proportions, for most of the techs, you aren't even really expected to reach the highest level of very many of them in the course of an entire game. That way, in theory and hopefully in practive, research remains interesting and varied throughout the game.

2) The basic system where research labs ADD progress directly, and where an empire can focus ALL of its research on any project from month to month, is not at all accurate. Also, adding some research facilities on colony worlds just isn't going to multiply the rate of a civilization's tech progress. It may give it an important advantage, but it's not going to multiply it. This is why Proportions research facilities only produce small amounts of additive speed (per turn) compared to the entire homeworld.

While I think the pace is pretty close to realistic, it does also make the game advance pretty slowly, and there are some ways to change the pace of play without breaking the desired effects.

More powerful and expensive research facilities are probably in order. Foundations mod had those, but I took them out for simplicity and because they had interesting new tech requirements which weren't completely developed enough to add for Proportions. I'll look at adding something back in.

For faster-progressing games without breaking the basic Proportions model, I recommend:

1) Go to settings.txt and multiple the planet and homeworld value lines by up to 2.5 (the max that currently works for Homeworlds). i.e.:

Planet Value High Percent := 250
...
Plr Planet Value Low := 150
Plr Planet Value Medium Percent := 200
Plr Planet Value High Percent := 250

(this will only affect newly-started quadrants)

2) Set research cost to Low in game settings.

Those are a couple of easy ways. You can also of course also do multiple-homeworld starts, which directly multiplies the production and research rate, of course, but is also kind of weird having so many homeworlds.

PvK

[PDF]

PvK,
In fact I have two issues :
* While slow progress is perhaps more realistic it is also just plain boring ... 100 turns ahead research progress some 20%, while research costs rise fourfold, so tech goes slower and slower. I just NEED something to go faster
* But the main point is "facility space usage" in Proportions. My colonies often have only 5 to 10 spaces, my HW are full of CC since start, so what can I do ? I just cannot specialize any planet in anything : either I put "general purpose" settlements/cities etc that produce a little of everything, and the specialized ones are pure crap, even 10 of them doesn't produce much !

Additionnaly the facilities limit comes weird : I can put only 5 small research labs, but (supposing I can produce them) 5 Col CC on the same world will take the same space !

So I really think that bigger specialized facilities, for colonies as well as HW. These should be on an "upgradable" path to the smaller ones to speed up the process (and let AI handle them).
/rant

One idea :I'm thinking of using "multiplier" facilities for "cultural" simulation (CCs): what about some expensive facilities that would set production, research or Intel to 200-500% instead of producing a (big) flat resource output ? That would give a comparable result (HW will produce much more than colonies for long) but be simpler to handle for AI (no need of bogus abilitie !), and closer to original SEIV design as well.

[Tenryu]

PVK,
You could ask MM to add an EVENT Type or Types such as: "Research - Complete project" or "Research - Add Points" or "Research - Multiply(labs) by n" ,then scatter a few of these around the Events file with different values. That might well simulate sudden unexpected breakthroughs and such.

[oleg]

PvK, drones need some balancing.

As it is now, large drone is completely and utterly useless ! With max. speed 7 it can not catch up with same tech level cruiser !!!

Why not make 2,3 and 4 engines for small, medium and large drones ? They will have the same speed.
In normal SE IV, drones are fastest space ships and I do not see any reason why it should be different in Proportions. If you think it is way too much, add at least one engine to large drone. Right now I can see no reasons whatsoever to build even medium drones.

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Regarding to research, I think the best way is to add one or two levels to research facilities. And may be increas a little the output of RC-2 and RC-3. But not too much of course, or it will spoil the whole idea of Proportions mod.