universal colonization race advantage

wilcoxon · #1 March 2nd, 2001, 01:03 AM

How many points should an advanced trait allowing a "universal colony module" (eg a single module that can colonize rock, ice, and gas) be worth?

I don't think you can give tech for free, so I was thinking of setting it up as a trait tech area with only 1 level costing 5000 points (so that almost anybody can get it in 1 turn).

I was thinking this would be worth 2500 or 3000 points. What do you think?

terrycloth · #2 March 2nd, 2001, 03:21 AM

I think you're high on crack. That's 1,000,000 points of research you're dodging, there... and stealing a second colonization tech early basically guarantees victory, so starting with all 3 would be unbeatable.

Just going by the research points... how many points do you think it'd be worth to start out with Antiproton Beam XII? (the best weapon in the game)

Marty Ward · #3 March 2nd, 2001, 03:47 AM

I would guess it should be a third or fourth level colonization tech. At least one empty tech to get to it. It does come in handy, especially later in the game, when you have more than one colony capability though.

raynor · #4 March 2nd, 2001, 05:54 AM

You might consider making this a racial tech so it can't be stolen. Make it worth 6000 to 7000 points so that the race that picks it has to take some pretty hefty decreases somewhere else.

This would require some hefty decreases to other stuff in order to still get this. For example, I think setting research plus all three minerals to 90% will get you an extra 1000 points.

Spyder · #5 March 2nd, 2001, 03:06 PM

Make it researchable, but, only after researching all three (two actually) colonization techs & resource manipulation 4. This would make it available only to those who could already colonize all three planet types, and, would happen later in the game due to the amount of research required. You'd also have to ensure that it'd NEVER be found in ruins.

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Spyder, Chairman of the Arachnid Consortium

Windborne · #6 March 3rd, 2001, 02:52 AM

I think this mod would give someone way too big an advantage, if I could colonize everything with a single ship I would just send ships in every direction looking for the best worlds, alien ruins, my atmosphere, high mining, especially if I combined it with being an "ancient race" so I knew exactly where to go. I'd blow up so big, so quickly, no other player would have a chance.

Nitram Draw · #7 March 3rd, 2001, 02:57 AM

It might not be to bad if you do as raynor suggests, make it so expensive that it is the only improvement you can choose and you must reduce other areas to get the necessary points.
The other alternative is to make it researchable at an extremely high cost.
It is great to have in the middle/end game when you have all the colonizing techs anyway. It makes life a little easier for something you have already.