Balanced Systems for KOTH games and other

[Slynky]

Parabolize and I are playing our game (starting tomorrow, I suppose) on it.

Another comment I havent seen: for all the people who think their chance for a win was marred by their position...now is the time to see how you REALLY measure up (i.e., no real excuses now!). I fall into that Category, thinking some positions have been bad for me. I've won some games and maybe thought it was more my skill than realizing how bad the map was for the other guy (sometimes, we humans overlooks stuff like that... ).

So, I'm ready to see what it's like when there isn't a lot of luck to favor one or the other.

[Roanon]

Balanced maps take away some elements of chance from the game. If you think it is good or bad depends on what game types you prefer.
As 1:1 already has very few options when it comes to setup and strategy, balanced maps force players even more to do the standard optimum strategy, and the luck - which is finally the only deciding factor between equal opponents - is reduced to the outcome of one or two battles, i.e. most often how the AI doing the combats decides to follow the set strategies (or not).
I like SE IV for variety, not for the need to follow a clear narrow path of known optimal decisions as precise as possible. For me, KOTH got boring after I roughly have figured out this optimum. And with totally balanced starting conditions, I would find it even more boring. But it really depends - I also dislike chess for similar reasons, and a lot of people do like it

[Slynky]

Wow, Roanon, must be tough being from Germany and not liking chess much ( ). Would only be worse if you were from Russia and didn't like the game .

I played on a German chess team for the town of Gogginggen (ulaut in there somewhere) during my one of my stays in Germany.

Of course, these days, younger people like games with 3D graphics and kewl effects .

[geoschmo]

New Version of Balanced System Mod available.

Version 1.2 available here.

This mod is only needed on the first turn by the game owner, so if you are only a player in the game you don't need it.

Version 1.91 has some data file changes unrelated to the Balanced system mod. Components file, facilities file, and Fyron's "Smooth pop Modifiers" were added to settings.txt. Because of this games created with Balanced Mod Version 1.1 will not work in "Host only" mode for Version 1.91 games.

This new Version 1.2 corrects the problem by incorporating the 1.91 data file changes into the mod. Version 1.2 is otherwise identical to Version 1.1

As long as the proper Version is used by the game owner when creating the first turn, the mod will be useable as a host only mod, that is, only needed to setup the map on the first turn and not needed by the players at all.

For games started with Version 1.84, use Balanced System Mod Version 1.1

For games started with Version 1.91, use Balanced System Mod Version 1.2

As long as the game owner follows this protocol, the players will not need to have the mod and should notice no difference from a stock game, other then having a balanced map.

[Baron Grazic]

I'm using V1.1 in my Challenge game against Fire and it seems to work well (after a false start where I selected Rock,None).
The only thing I can say, is everytime I warp into a new system I'm wishing for a different system type.
Having plenty of money in a 1-on-1 game is certainly a change.

[geoschmo]

If your challange game started on Version 1.84 and then was upgraded to 1.91 you won't have a problem at all. The only time the mod is used is for the first turn.

Eventually I will put out a Version of teh mod that has a little more variety in system types. I have some ideas how to do it, it's jsut a little complicated and I don't have time right now.

Geoschmo