Balance Mod Available for SE:V

[Q]

Not only. The large "normal" troops too. And depending on the race the heavy troops also. I guess you included too many weapons and there is no space left for the ecm and combat sensor. The same seems to happen for attack bases which too lack ecm and combat sensors.

[XTimServoX]

sorry if this has been asked, but can i install this update or even the normal game patches while in the middle of a game, or will i have to start a new one? thanks.

[Captain Kwok]

Most of the time, you can safely patch your copy of SE:V and have no problems continuing with saved games.

Specifically for the Balance Mod, most versions are save game compatible with earlier versions of the mod. A version that is not compatible with earlier versions, will install to a new folder within the GameTypes folder. For example, Balance Mod versions 1.05 to 1.09 were all compatible and installed to the folder "Balance Mod v105+", while v1.10 was not and installed to the folder "Balance Mod v110+".

[Saber Cherry]

Thanks for 1.11; I was looking forward to it. Some comments and questions:

1) As far as I can tell, mine maintenance reduction is not working, but I can't figure out why. I put maintenance reduction on the warheads, too, but it didn't help. It works fine on bases. Is there a hard-coded 5% minimal maintenance limit somewhere, regardless of any reductions?

2) Small mines are strictly better than medium (and etc): They are cheaper per unit damage, being less than 66% the cost; they are harder to detect (at least, they are at mine tech 4 and 5); and they are harder to sweep per kT. Since mine layers have no per-turn limit, I see no reason to go beyond small 3.

3) (as of 1.10) The computer may research advanced mines and warheads; I'm not really sure. But even late in the game, around turn 200, it still seems to build hordes of mines using the small mine 1 body, which I can easily see with basic scanners. So... either it never researches mines, or never upgrades the design, but essentially uncloaked mines are not very devious.

4) (as of 1.10) Most AI planets had mines in orbit. However, I attacked several AI planets that had mines in cargo, but none in orbit. Maybe they were waiting for a cargo ship to pick them up, but it certainly made my attacks easier. They launched the mines in combat, of course, but they don't do anything - you can fly right over them and they don't trigger.

5) The 1.11 AI seems very happy to make treaties now. TOO happy. Every turn I get bombarded with messages requesting some changes in my existing treaties, which is really tedious and annoying. Could you perhaps make the AI a little more content, so that a given empire won't try to renegotiate treaties more often than ever 20 turns or so? With 10 treaties, I get 1-3 renegotiation requests every turn.

6) The AI is VERY happy to propose and accept tech-sharing treaties. Unfortunately, I thought that disabling the "Allow exchange of technology through gifts and trade" would prevent this. It doesn't. So... is there any way to turn off tech-sharing treaties? Unlike 1.10, games now end up with a big blob of friendly empires, all at the same super-high tech level, and the unfriendly empires stagnating with relatively low tech. The player can either join the big happy tech alliance and coast along with no reason to research anything (since it will just be shared), or refuse to sign tech-trading treaties and get hopelessly far behind, despite spending 5x the research of anyone else. Which unfortunately makes the game very unfun for me.

7) Small Cluster Bombs and Rocket Pods are similar or identical in damage, cost, size, reload time, supply/ordnance. But Rocket Pods have a wide variety of targets, and Cluster Bombs don't... moreover, Rocket Pods are 10% the size and 50% the damage of Capital Ship Missiles, while Cluster Bombs are 25% the size of Planetary Napalm and 10% of the damage. So, Cluster Bombs have seemingly no reason to exist with their current stats (and those of the rocket pods).

8) Were you still planning to increase the price of colony modules?



Overall the AI in 1.11 seems better, in terms of initial expansion, building ships, and building research facilities... but I have a slow, old computer and not too much free time so I'm not too far along in testing it yet.

[Captain Kwok]

1. There's no limit I know of.

2. There's actually a 100 per sector limit (although it's not enforced for the AI, and maybe not humans). With the limit, the larger mines deliver more oomph.

3. They are probably older mines. There's not really anything in place to tell the AI to scrap old mines, unlike the other unit types.

4. Mines used to detonate in combat. But yes, planets will sometimes horde mines for Mine Layers to pick up.

5. It's actually set to a 1-in-15 chance to make changes to a treaty.

6. The tech option is not disabled by that setting, so there's not much that can be done. For most AIs, if there's not really to be angry, they don't get angry.

7. Cluster Bombs were supposed to get a boost last version as Planetary Napalm did (since damage versus facilities for damage types was cut to 50%) but I forget.

8. Not really. You can always make that change yourself if you want.

[Q]

Regarding mines and sats: The AI launches them around colonies which is good. However there seems to be no distinction between colonies in front systems and colonies that are far away from any enemies and therefore sats and mines are not useful in these places.

[Captain Kwok]

It's easier to be prepared than to try and prepare when an enemy starts attacking - at least for the AI.

[Saber Cherry]

Captain Kwok said:
1. There's no limit I know of.

So... since mine hulls declare a 50% maintenance reduction, but it actually does not work... would you mind passing that bug along to MM?

2. There's actually a 100 per sector limit (although it's not enforced for the AI, and maybe not humans). With the limit, the larger mines deliver more oomph.

OK, that makes sense. But of course, it is an entirely artificial and unrealistic limitation. Personally, I use medium mines to conserve processing power, but against a human opponent, I wouldn't.

3. They are probably older mines. There's not really anything in place to tell the AI to scrap old mines, unlike the other unit types.

Hmmm... let me rephrase that. All AIs were still ACTIVELY LAYING Small Mine 1 - class mines at turn 200. So I strongly suspect they were still building them. Personally... I never use Small Mine 1 technology, period, since they can become somewhat irrelevant so easily, and the next level is so cheap and so much more resistant to basic sensor tech advance.

5. It's actually set to a 1-in-15 chance to make changes to a treaty.

I hate to ask for individual attention, but would you please be so kind as to either tell me or point me to a link where I can learn where this number is located?

Q said:
Regarding mines and sats: The AI launches them around colonies which is good. However there seems to be no distinction between colonies in front systems and colonies that are far away from any enemies and therefore sats and mines are not useful in these places.

I have to differ. I launch defensive mines and satellites in ALL systems. The computer should, too - not just because it is easier to code, but because of timing... for example, a fleet with 15 movement can easily attack a major planet from two systems away, with only 1 or two turns warning. Leaving that planet undefended would be criminal negligence. Furthermore, stealth is always a possibility... and if only the borders are defended, it allows the destruction of every interior system, uncontested. Not to mention warp-point openers. A strong border defense strategy are useful ONLY for warp points, not planets, and mainly before warp point openers appear. Generally, I promote a strategy of planetary static defense proportional to planet value, regardless of location... and if the computer does not follow such a strategy, I will exploit its folly.

[Captain Kwok]

I check the maintenance on mines in a couple of my games and it looks roughly like the 2.5% I would expect.

The mines could be leftover ones in storage as well. Although I know that warhead/mine research after the first level lags a bit, depending on the overall situation.

The 100 mines limit is more of a game play thing, nothing would be worse than a player dropping thousands of mines at a location.

You'd have to edit Script_AI_Politics (line 2858) and re-compile the script files. The source files are available at my website.

Wiki reference for scripting:
http://wiki.spaceempires.net/index.p...ting_%28SEV%29

[MasterChiToes]

Is it normal for every last AI to cancel their treaties with you on the SAME turn?

Oh, for an AI that actually remembers a player has been an ally since the beginning of the game, and doesn't turn on the player for prospering.