Planetfall

[self biased]

fungal blooms are rather intense. if you don't have the base to send someone back in to get it, you're going to get screwed. i'd be in favor of having some kind of graded curve as to a bases negative impact depending on technology level, industry, etc. there ought to be a way to offset any sort of negative impact by the use of tiled improvements: maybe make the 'centauri preserve' upgrade over time and provide greater benefits? perhaps include a 'planet' slider?

i would make fungal blooms rarer, but they can appear anywhere. should there be a minor bloom and a major bloom? one could make the minor obey the current rules and be largely an inconvenience; the major one could be rare, but savage.

i like how the borders work in this and the influence of a base isn't really that much, and is modestly difficult to raise. i like how the tech tree progresses, and the mechanics of said tech tree appear to be different enough from regular Civ.

i have some other ideas, but i'll try to get to the datalinks and we'll go from there.

[Maniac]

[i]fungal blooms are rather intense.

Do you perhaps have a save of your latest game? I'm wondering how you develop your bases, what their Planet value is.

'd be in favor of having some kind of graded curve as to a bases negative impact depending on technology level, industry, etc.

Not sure what you mean. Fungal blooms get more vicious the more negative your base's Planet value is.

perhaps include a 'planet' slider?

I was thinking the culture slider coul give +1 Planet per 10%.

[Maniac]

Patch v7g has been released. This patch needs to be installed on top of the version 7 main file.
It will break savegames from earlier patches.

Changelog:

1. Algae nif graphics, by Teodosio.
2. Edited gamefont, by Teodosio.
3. Mag Tube graphics, by The_J.
4. Various edited building graphics by GeoModder, including the Unity Observation Bay.
5. Unit Away Supply Costs have been removed.
6. Blockading units are always visible.
7. Pillaging makes the pillager visible for a turn.
8. Submarines can pillage.
9. Sealurks have inherent Stealth, that is, they are invisible when at full health.
10. Native Life spawns due to eco-damage (negative Planet) will be immobile for a turn.
11. Native Life spawns due to eco-damage can only spawn on fungus. So no fungus => no spawns.
12. Xenobiology required to work plots with fungus.
13. Defense Logistics re-added as the first tech of the Terraforming theme. Enables the 'Remove Fungus' build order and the Flamethrower unit.
14. Flamethrower now strength 2, cost 25, +25% vs the Infantry unit.
15. Soil Enrichment now has Defense Logistics instead of Ultraponics as a tech prerequisite.
16. Social Psych now a level 2 tech. Requires Defense Logistics.
17. Factionalism now has Social Psych instead of Secrets of the Human Brain as a tech prerequisite.
18. Secrets of the Human Brain renamed to Archeology. Prereqs: Xenobiology or Doctrine: Mobility.
19. Alien Artifact enabled by Archeology.
20. Peacekeeper starting tech is now Biogenetics.
21. Believer starting tech is now Defense Logistics.
22. Voice of Planet shrine now gives +1 Planet instead of +1 Credit per base with the Voice religion.
23. With Centauri Hydrology, units can (in non-enemy territory) move along rivers at a speed of 2 plots per turn. 3 plots per turn with Pressure Dome.
24. With Centauri Hydrology, land units can (in non-blockaded team territory) walk on water at a speed of 2 plots per turn. 3 plots per turn with Pressure Dome. Can't defend while on water.
25. Aquaformer has flat movement costs.
26. Plasma Thrower gets +30% attack versus mind worm and spore launcher.
27. Helion gets +35% attack versus mind worm and spore launcher.

[self biased]

i've an idea, but i don't know how difficult it would be to impliment.

the believers start with the only religion, and found it upon settling. as alternative faiths arise (with different bonuses and values), miriam would become increasingly irate that other factions shun hers. her faction could be bootstrapped to having only the 'conclave' faith.

example: the conclave faith has spread throughout most of alpha centauri. the spartans found 'homo superior,' spreads it to all its bases, and mirriam takes issue to this. OR, with deirdre, founding the cult of planet. this may require making some religions mutually exclusive, but would provide an interesting mechanic for the believers: a bonus in combat against 'infidels.'

also, i've slowly but surely been working on the tech tree civilopaedia. i don't have much to show for it at the moment, but often have a singlemindedness, and may appear with a suddenly finished document at some point.

[Maniac]

i've an idea, but i don't know how difficult it would be to impliment.

It's very easy. You can let the religion founding tech be the Believer starting tech, or even better, let the Believers start with a free Missionary unit. (That way you avoid problems if the Believers aren't in the game)

In fact, some time ago the Edenism religion was called the Lord's Conclave, and the Believers did start with it.

However a problem was, even with drastically reduced spreading rates, by the time a second religion was founded, half the world had already converted (and stayed converted) to the Lord's Conclave. So there would need to be a solution for that to reimplement this idea.

a bonus in combat against 'infidels.'

I haven't given the Believers a combat bonus like in SMAC before because it would make them too similar to the Spartans, especially since Civ4 has no seperate attack and defend strength values (which I like about Civ4). However your idea to ONLY give the Believers a combat bonus against infidels is AWESOME. I'm not sure when (that one is a little more complicated...) but I will definitely implement it.

also, i've slowly but surely been working on the tech tree civilopaedia. i don't have much to show for it at the moment, but often have a singlemindedness, and may appear with a suddenly finished document at some point.[/i]

Partial updates are always fine. That way I know you're still alive.

Btw, in case you didn't know, there's also a Planetfall forum on CFC, which gets a little more activity than here. I'd prefer to draw CFCers to Apolyton instead of the other way around, but it doesn't seem that's ever gonna happen...

[self biased]

us polytubbies are rather dyed-in-the-wool.

is there any way to bootstrap the believers to their religion, and provide them with a bonus to make up for the fact that they wouldn't get access to any others? whereas the other factions would strive to 'collect them all,' to gain the differing bonuses. or provide some sort of incentive to select a different religion from the beleivers' as the state religion?

if it were, 'edenism' spreads throughout the globe at first, but the popularity wanes as the cult of planet, homo superior, &c., becomes popular in non-believer bases. edenisim would never really go away, per se, giving the believers some infiltration as well, which is in character.

[self biased]

double post!

[Maniac]

I don't want Edenism to be less valuable a religion than the others.

Version 8 of Planetfall has been released. This will break savegames from the previous version.

Changelog:

1. Edited gamefont, by Teodosio.
2. Edited native life texture, by The_Coyote.
3. Locust of Chiron and Spore Launcher graphics, by The_Coyote.
4. Building graphics added, by GeoModder and JustATourist.
5. A 'fungal bloom' event on sea only creates a spawning spot and some units. Only the turn after Sea Fungus is created, if the spawning spot is still there. => benefit for fast reaction.
6. Edenism now gives +2 culture.
7. Sealurk starts with the 'Walk with Planet' promotion.
8. Marine Lab provides one extra energy.
9. Changed borehole yields a little. See Datalinks.
10. The Dropship has double movement speed on all water, including plots with features (sea fungus, ice, kelp).
11. Dropship doesn't gain extra speed from magtubes anymore.
12. Organic Fuels tech renamed to Biofuel.

[self biased]

downloading. i'll give it a try later.

[self biased]

are ground units supposed to be able to traverse shoals/coast?

[GeoModder]

Do they show because they're able to move to a nearby landplot?

[self biased]

they did, but they went over the water, rather than the more laborious route of going overland.

not that i'm complaining.

[Maniac]

What you see is intentional. An extract from the 7g changelog:

23. With Centauri Hydrology, units can (in non-enemy territory) move along rivers at a speed of 2 plots per turn. 3 plots per turn with Pressure Dome.
24. With Centauri Hydrology, land units can (in non-blockaded team territory) walk on water at a speed of 2 plots per turn. 3 plots per turn with Pressure Dome. Can't defend while on water.

[self biased]

i see. so far i'm enjoying this more than the previous version. it may be because i'm very actively trying to keep my planet rating positive, and not getting Rochambeau'ed by native life.

that being said, i'm now nearing MY 2300, and things are running a little slow.

[self biased]

a few observations:

it bothers me that the 'upgrades' are the same colors as the 'experience skills.' if i could find the damn things, i'd photoshop them myself, but after fifteen minutes of blind searching i'm ready to give up.

progress on the tech tree is going slowly. i may be able to knock out the religions in their entireity.

during the course my current game, the peacekeepers shot ahead rather dramatically, only to get completely hosed by native life. i was able to recapture the capital and an additional city and there was no focus to even remotely achieve a reasonable planet score. at the moment, i'm gearing up to take over the peacekeeper's territory because they're continuing to grossly mismanage it, and i'm tired of the constant mindworm incursions. i'll attach a save as well. just take a look at the former UN headquarters.

the children's creche and the cloning vats need something extra. i've been using the 'avoid growth' button religiously, and the food storing ability isn't really a factor. perhaps have the creche provide another specialist slot? contribute something to great people? i'm not sure. the cloning vats could provide experience or speed infantry production.

i'd also like to see the nutrient, mineral, and energy resources used for something. nothing major, mind you, but something to make them a little more than what they are.