One Planet Challenge

[Lemmy]

Ok. I just signed up for PBW, and want to start that game.
But what will the setting be?
And will we mod the robo compononts to make remote resourcing more competetive?
And maybe we should also make it so that we get the ship capture thingies for free, to capture ships from the AI and analyze them.

[Nodachi]

Ok, I've started modding the data files. Let's figure out exactly what we want for this game. Lemmy this is your baby, tell me what you want.

As an aside, I found out that you can not remove the colony techs from the files, the game chokes when loading. I was, however, able to set them to removable during game set-up. Weird.

[ September 08, 2002, 13:16: Message edited by: Nodachi ]

[Lemmy]

Ok, since this would be the first OPC (One Planet Challenge) game, i would suggest making it easy for the human player.
I was thinking along the lines of a racial trait that doesn't have colonizing techs or troops.
To compensate for the research loss, they would get Boarding Parties for free, or maybe a stronger Version of them, or a combination of both.
I don't think we should remove the col. tech completely, the AI players would still be "normal" players.

[Nodachi]

If you allow the AI to colonize they're going to have a huge advantage over the humans.

There are a million things we could do to counter the research loss. I like the idea of having to capture ships for tech (kind of like P&N). Boarding parties at game start would probably be easiest to do. Then at higher levels change it over to a ranged attack based on the AS, commando torpedoes!

[Lemmy]

Originally posted by Nodachi:
If you allow the AI to colonize they're going to have a huge advantage over the humans.

True, but that is the challenge off course
And besides, someone has to do the researching, if everyone only has 1 planet, research would take forever.
And the advantage isn't that big, especially if we give the OPC-players better robo-miners.
I'm currently in a game, where robo-miners give 900 minerals instead of 600, and i also added 3 extra shipsizes called small, medium, and large resourcer, sizes 300kt, 600kt, 900kt.
I can colonize planets, but i don't have mining facilities, and my research centers only give 300 points. Currently i'm ranked first with the most ships, and i still have a 10k mineral surplus. I'm currently using the 600kt ships for resourcing.

There are a million things we could do to counter the research loss. I like the idea of having to capture ships for tech (kind of like P&N). Boarding parties at game start would probably be easiest to do. Then at higher levels change it over to a ranged attack based on the AS, commando torpedoes!

Yep, like that idea too of capturing tech.
We could also create a small analyzing component, to analyze tech on location, instead of having it bring to a spaceyard.
The component would technically be a spaceyard, but with zero production rate, and a lot smaller, maybe 50kt.

[Nodachi]

Lemmy, you're absolutely right. I've been testing it out against the AI and it's working out quite well.

What I did was make a zero point racial trait called Non-Expansion and then copied and linked a new set of Boarding Parties to it. They are twice as powerful and half the tonnage of normal and you get level 1 for free.

Now for the problem, the only way I can think of to restrict colonization techs would be to make them a racial tech. That means modding any AI that would be in the game. So it might be easier to just have humans on the honor system.

[Edit- Forgot to ask question.]

Do you want the analyzer to be availible from start or work for it?

[ September 08, 2002, 17:21: Message edited by: Nodachi ]

[geoschmo]

I am not even sure modding colony techs to be a racial trait would work. The game treats them differently. It might give you the colony tech even if you don't have the racial trait.

Geoschmo

[Nodachi]

Well, in testing I found out that you couldn't remove them from the files but you can set them to removable in the game set-up and that works- but that would be an all or nothing solution.

Too bad restricted techs wasn't in the Last patch.

[Lemmy]

That means modding any AI that would be in the game. So it might be easier to just have humans on the honor system.

that's easy, i can do that..

Do you want the analyzer to be availible from start or work for it?

dunno yet, if it has to be researched it must be cheap, since the AI will never research it.

I am not even sure modding colony techs to be a racial trait would work. The game treats them differently. It might give you the colony tech even if you don't have the racial trait.

it works, i tried it a few days ago with 1.79.

Well, in testing I found out that you couldn't remove them from the files but you can set them to removable in the game set-up and that works- but that would be an all or nothing solution.

I think the best way would be to use Racial Traits, since there will be OPC specific techs anyway, and i can change the AI files to use the "Normal" trait, it's not that much work.