Colony ships, for sale cheap! - Page 4

PvK · #31 January 29th, 2002, 10:06 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Val:
Just started catching up on this thread, can't wait to try the proportions Mod on Gold, sounds incredible! Have you seen the pop curve that SJ had modded for the B5 mod?

Thanks Val!

I don't think I've seen SJ's B5 pop curve. The Proportions one has 59 categories, 37 of which are below 1 billion.

PvK

eorg · #32 January 30th, 2002, 12:43 AM

quote:
Originally posted by PvK:
Hmmmm, worth trying to see if it can work - have you tested it yet?

Even if it does work, master computers obviate the need for crew quarters, so some fiddling might need to be done, at least, to compensate.

PvK

no this was first thing that come to my... hmmm... brain (this was unusable thing inside my skull right?) when i see your idea

Rlaney · #33 March 14th, 2002, 11:25 AM

I love all the ideas for adjusted populations and reproduction etc... But has anyone figured out how to add maintenance costs to facilities so that a larger empire can't necessarily overpower a smaller empire in research and intel? A maintenace cost would force them to be more selective about what they build and would prevent large empires from filling up 20 planets with research facilities and running up the tech tree then wiping out smaller empires. Tech leakage would be another concept but I think that would have to be hardcoded.

dmm · #34 March 14th, 2002, 11:34 PM

Maintenance costs for facilities: They need power and water and periodic upkeep. And the workers like to be paid for their efforts. Even scientists.

Rlaney · #35 March 15th, 2002, 02:08 AM

How about this, Home planet generally starts at 2000m pop. Assume that that is the base 100% production setting then modify down 2% per 50 pop and up 1% per 50 to maximum of 500%. This works out to a maximum pop on huge world being at 220%(if my math is right). Now the question. Am I correct in assuming that the pop modifiers in setting are % values? So if I set one to 10 then they will build at ten percent....correct?

geoschmo · #36 March 15th, 2002, 02:09 AM

True maintenance costs for facilities would also have to be hardcoded, but it might be possible for the research and intel facilities to generate negative resources each turn without a hardcode change. If the game engine will accept negative values for those abilities as it does for others. I have never tried it. It would take some tweaking to get the numbers right, but that would reflect ongoing costs of research and intel, beyond just building of the buildings.

Geoschmo

PvK · #37 March 15th, 2002, 02:25 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Rlaney:
How about this, Home planet generally starts at 2000m pop. Assume that that is the base 100% production setting then modify down 2% per 50 pop and up 1% per 50 to maximum of 500%. This works out to a maximum pop on huge world being at 220%(if my math is right). Now the question. Am I correct in assuming that the pop modifiers in setting are % values? So if I set one to 10 then they will build at ten percent....correct?

Yes, you can mod it to work this way if you like. Yes, that is how the pop modifiers work - they are in percentages.

PvK

Rlaney · #38 March 15th, 2002, 05:42 AM

Hey Pvk, you're the one who made the proportions mod right? I love it but I've made a few changes to it. I lowered the cost of cities a bit and added a negative resource cost per turn to research and intel facilities to make it more efficient to actually build up a colonies infrastructure than just slappin down r&d buildings. How do you think the AI will handle this? I can mod almost everything BUT the AIs. everytime I try the do funky things.

Actually after looking more closely at the way you set up cities, cultural centers, etc. I wonder if maybe there shouldn't be a negative cost on ALL facilities other than these to simulate subsidization of a colony as opposed to a planet with a thriving city economy. Specialized military buildings should almost definately have a cost associated with them, imho.

[ 15 March 2002: Message edited by: Rlaney ]

Rlaney · #39 March 15th, 2002, 08:32 AM

Ok, I addded the maintenance cost for research and intel. No problem worked great. Suddenly an asteroid struck my home planet and wiped out 2 of the cultural centers there. Suddenly I can't support my research colonies and my fleet...what to do... Just a couple more turns and I'll have destroyers but will my fleet survive till then? This sucks...it's great!! Bad luck can just tear you up in this mod.

PvK · #40 March 15th, 2002, 08:56 AM

Yes, several of the events become more interesting in Proportions, because things take more effort to build up. A couple of times I've found myself doing all I can to evacuate populations with large fleets of transports.

The maintenance costs is a good idea and I'm glad it works. I agree that military installations should cost maintenance, although it will need to be balanced carefully and tested to see what good values are. In the early game there is an abundance of resources, but fleet maintenance is already pretty expensive. If facilities cost too much, it might be really hard to make much net forward progress at all. Take your game a bit further into the "mid game," and see if you're able to develop a helpful infrastructure.

Another neat thing might be to make pre-arcology urban developments consume more organics than they produce.

Have you been using fleets of transports to increase build rates? Cities can take forever if you don't, but if you can get enough population, then they become more practical investments. Of course, if you have enemies, those parades of transports should probably be guarded...

PvK