EXTERMINATE! - Dalek Tyranny Development!

[AGRICOLA]

*I plan to double the movement of all the Dalek ground units,
and all the humanoid/timelord units will have +3 moves....

Good idea.

*I plan to make all units cost double too. To stop the useless massive troop buildups.

Overall, this should improve the odds for human players because they handle scarce resources much better than the AI.

However, this may significantly slow down the conquest of humanoid areas by AI controlled alien civs. In my game the Dark Pact managed to capture 11 areas by Turn 50, when they ran into both the Skaros and UNIT. The Skaros held a maximum of 16 on Turn 75 when UNIT started to recapture them. The Imperials held a max of 26 on Turn 110 when they started to lose some to UNIT. The AI didn't expand very quickly, considering that the game was Deity which gave them lowest possible unit building costs.

*I want to make Dalek pepperpot units only buildable on their home map.

So, both Dalek factions will fight on Earth using air units and Dalek Troopers? I assume that this does not apply to Dark Pact if and when they get Cyber Gunships.

I'm really interested in testing the Skaros with the new rules. The concept of a long-range air invasion of Imperial territory poses some interesting choices: to waste units in capturing and garrisoning Human areas en-route; to take one's chances with being shot down by Human opposition or fly IFW [I follow Walls] or IFH [I follow Houses]; head directly for IMPERIAL ZONE or nibble at outlying Imperial areas and so on. For those not familiar with Daleks, conquest by air units is possible in this scen because such units can stay in the air indefinitely and can capture enemy areas.

*The Doctor will no longer be able to build turrets, but the can build all the Human units on the Earth map only.

Does " all the Human units" include the 3 "good" units that Timelords gift to UNIT? In any case, the Timelords are in a b***h of a position. They either have to wait until aliens start capturing Human areas near Tardis or send strong forces into alien territory. They need the better units to carry out their intended mission.


I'm currently on Turn 134 and expect to eliminate the last 3 Imperial cities by Turn 138, thus ending the scen as far as UNIT is concerned. As I've been playing, I've been trying to figure out how you want the scen to play and the time/distance/power relationships for all the civs. My next post will cover what I've concluded about their ability to complete their missions within 200 turns.

P.S. Is there any way that you can arrange it so that all of the playable civs can get to at least one or, preferably, two of the other maps, even if this involves the use of portals and/or Transmat Beamers? Portals might be preferable because they may allow the transfer of air units [not sure]. I'm finding it frustrating that UNIT has wiped out the aliens on Earth and now has no employment for couple hundred superb vet units. Aaaargh!

P.P.S. In your posts, to avoid confusion, could you please use the same name for a civ as is used in the game.

[curtsibling]

Originally posted by AGRICOLA
However, this may significantly slow down the conquest of humanoid areas by AI controlled alien civs. In my game the Dark Pact managed to capture 11 areas by Turn 50, when they ran into both the Skaros and UNIT. The Skaros held a maximum of 16 on Turn 75 when UNIT started to recapture them. The Imperials held a max of 26 on Turn 110 when they started to lose some to UNIT. The AI didn't expand very quickly, considering that the game was Deity which gave them lowest possible unit building costs.

I might make certain units take longer to build, but I reckon giving
all units a speed boost and perhaps +2 to all Dalek attacks might help
the alien AI be more of a threat....

Originally posted by AGRICOLA So, both Dalek factions will fight on Earth using air units and Dalek Troopers? I assume that this does not apply to Dark Pact if and when they get Cyber Gunships.

About the build restrictions...It can be applied unit by unit.
It will still be possible for the Daleks to send their newly
built Dalek aircraft and pepperpots via the transmats.

Robomen and Duplicates can be built en-masse on Earth.
But heavy hitters will have sent from Skaro or the Saucer...

I hope the AI can handle that...

Originally posted by AGRICOLA I'm really interested in testing the Skaros with the new rules. The concept of a long-range air invasion of Imperial territory poses some interesting choices: to waste units in capturing and garrisoning Human areas en-route; to take one's chances with being shot down by Human opposition or fly IFW [I follow Walls] or IFH [I follow Houses]; head directly for IMPERIAL ZONE or nibble at outlying Imperial areas and so on. For those not familiar with Daleks, conquest by air units is possible in this scen because such units can stay in the air indefinitely and can capture enemy areas.

That is the advantage of Dalek anti-grav technology...
Time to press ahead with the new rules and fixing the events.

I will make sure that there is a way for the major combatants to jump
into the enemy maps via the Dalek/Imperial Zones and TARDIS area.

Originally posted by AGRICOLA Does " all the Human units" include the 3 "good" units that Timelords gift to UNIT? In any case, the Timelords are in a b***h of a position. They either have to wait until aliens start capturing Human areas near Tardis or send strong forces into alien territory. They need the better units to carry out their intended mission.

Indeed - I will give the Timelords the access to the following units:

Sharpshot,
Gun Runner,
Rifleman,
Grenadier,
Au-79 Gold Rifle,
Demat Cannon,
Vortex Launcher,

This should give the Timelords and UNIT a fighting chance against the Dalek civs and the Dark Pact.

Originally posted by AGRICOLA I'm currently on Turn 134 and expect to eliminate the last 3 Imperial cities by Turn 138, thus ending the scen as far as UNIT is concerned. As I've been playing, I've been trying to figure out how you want the scen to play and the time/distance/power relationships for all the civs. My next post will cover what I've concluded about their ability to complete their missions within 200 turns.

Looking forward to that info...I reckon more movement is definitely needed by all units to speed things up.
One feature of units with a lot of moves is that combat damage could lead to a loss of unit movement.
But that would make 'Repairs/Medical'even more vital!

Originally posted by AGRICOLA P.S. Is there any way that you can arrange it so that all of the playable civs can get to at least one or, preferably, two of the other maps, even if this involves the use of portals and/or Transmat Beamers? Portals might be preferable because they may allow the transfer of air units [not sure]. I'm finding it frustrating that UNIT has wiped out the aliens on Earth and now has no employment for couple hundred superb vet units. Aaaargh!

Air units have no trouble coming through the transmat, as CIV2 treats helicopters as ground types.

I will try and arrange for all the major civs to travel, but the Human Resistance and Thals are not
meant to leave their homeworlds. I reckon the Dark Pact should be able to go to other maps for sure.

The Timelords and Dalek factions should be all fully capable of travel to other maps.

I will add events to enable UNIT to make invasions of Skaro and the Saucer proper!

Originally posted by AGRICOLA P.P.S. In your posts, to avoid confusion, could you please use the same name for a civ as is used in the game.

I am as confused as everyone else!

But of course, I'll keep my terminology on track!

[AGRICOLA]

I've been musing on how to enable a human-controlled civ to conquer 2+ (Timelords, UNIT), 3 (Imperials, Skaro) or 4 (Thals, Dark Pact) large maps within 200 turns. Increasing unit movement rates won't do it . . . . the maps are simply too large (150 x 150 squares). The best that I can come up with is the following, probably harebrained, scheme.

Unlike the main map, which covers a large section of London and a fair number of square km, the maps of the Tardis, the saucer and the Skaro compound can't be all that big, possibly a few tens of hectares but no more. On the main map, a turn seems to represents a day or, at most, a few days. In the interior maps, it shouldn't be much more than an hour or two. A non-AI unit should be able to cross the Tardis or the saucer in less than 24 hours.

I'm suggesting that in the Tardis, the Imperial Saucer and the interior of the Skaro compund, the floors could be 0 movement cost [0MC] tiles, effectively railroads.

I tried this on the Imperial Saucer by setting all floor tiles to 0MC to see if AI controlled units would keep moving indefinitely on 0MC squares. They don't. They stop after moving their normal number of squares.

The 0MC tiles could be used for the entire floor or deck or along specific paths, either made of distinctive tiles or looking normal and left for players to discover.

The movement of human controlled units could be limited by one or more XMC squares in all gaps in the walls and around defended areas, much like the Houses squares around Human areas on the main map. The high MC areas would represent defensive measures such as security doors, "unbreakable" glass partitions etc. Think James Bond movies.

If the speed of outdoors movement on the Skaro planet still proves to be a problem, "patches" of 0MC terrain could be introduced judiciously.

[curtsibling]

That is a very interesting idea!

As you'll notice there are various floor tile types on the Skaro, Saucer and TARDIS maps...

I will look into this idea, as it may help in a very tangible way!

Great work, AGRICOLA!

[curtsibling]

Hah!

AGRICOLA, you have served the Dalek Empire well!



The idea to give roads/floors 0 movement works a treat!
It really speeds up the conquering, and there is no more
worries about getting troops where they are meant to go...

Also, it has the knock-on effect of foes being able to meet
in combat quicker and by that, it will mean more casualties
and less 'too many units' messages!

I ask anyone testing to add these new rules to their folders
then try them out. this file won't mess with existing saves,
and should make a big boost to the excitement factor!

PS
I even spotted the Master getting involved in the fighting...Excellent!

[AGRICOLA]

Are you still working on fundamental things like Transmat Beamers, portals, events, maps etc. in DALEKS or is the scen now effectively finished?

I do want to play the Skaro Daleks, but not until things are finalized.

[Patine]

Say Curt, I know this is trivial, this not being a 'building' scen and all, but could you update the describe.txt so that the other maps' terrain types appear in the Civilopedia?

[curtsibling]

Guys, I will get things moving this weekend!

AGRICOLA - There are some tweaks/changes to be made to
the rules and events, but apart from that, things are done...

Only the readme and support text files are to be done.

If anyone is up for helping with the pedia files, I would be uber-grateful!

[curtsibling]

UPDATE!

AGRICOLA, Techumseh and myself have been chipping away to make the final and definitive version of Dalek and are now aiming
for a release by the end of this month...The current version will feature big improvements on all fronts, including the all-new
fully-working teleporters, (AGRICOLA, Techumseh - cheers!) revised unit and terrain stats...Giving an all-round better game.

Doctor Who's 2nd season may have finished, and the dust has settled after the TV battles...

But soon the Dalek and Cyberman conquest will begin anew in CIV2!

Stay tuned!

[curtsibling]

UPDATE!

After a long period of my painfully slow edits, I am now poised to release this huge pepperpot-shaped monster on the world!
Thanks to massive help from Tech and especially Agricola, I have the map travel system working a treat, and have just
finished the rather extensive Readme and CIV2 pedia tweaks...Soon the invasion begins...As soon as I can find web space!