Next ACDG: alphax.txt modifications

[Maniac]

One of Jamski's previous polls indicated that people don't want a heavily modded alphax.txt, however some minor modifications wouldn't be bad. Therefore I'd like to propose these two modifications. The goal is to make the game somewhat more balanced by making Mind/Machine Interface not such a game-breaking tech, and thus hopefully making the game a bit longer and more fun.

First suggestion: Change the Cloudbase Academy tech prerequisite to N-Space Compression. Delaying that SP will hopefully make it less overpowering.

Second suggestion: Reduce the movement points (MPs) of choppers from 8 to 5 or 6 in the alphax.txt. In-game, the result would be that SAM choppers have 5/6 MPs, while non-SAM choppers have 7/8 MPs. Thus a reduction of 2 or 3 MPs is my suggestion. Hopefully this will make choppers no longer the weapons of mass destruction they currently are due to their long range and ability to perform multiple attacks in the same turn, while still keeping them very useful for shorter-range combat.
Of course when Fusion Power is discovered they'll get a movement boost of +2 and they'll be able to fly about as far as they could previously, but by the time Fusion Power is discovered, most likely or hopefully all factions will already have D:AP, MMI and AdvMilAlg, and thus have had the time to create an effective defence against the chop-and-drop tactic. Now a faction researching MMI only a few years before everyone else can already give a decisive difference which will result in that faction easily winning the game by using the chop-and-drop tactic before anyone has had the chance to create a defence against it.

[Nubclear]

I assume fixing the Angels is also a modification that needs to be made?

[GeoModder]

I'm in favour of both chances, but think that Orbital Spaceflight is a better tech to place the CA in.

[Jamski]

I remain AGAINST adjusting the basic rules of the game, faction bonuses, tech trees, unit stats etc.

For the same reasons as before.

Is it perhaps possible to keep this simple? The fun of the game is in the playing, not in the endless tinkering and discussions...

-Jam

[buster]

Just a couple of tips from experience.

1) Seriously modifying rules is generally a bad idea unless you are having the game exacctly to test out the mods. Even minor modifications can change the way things develop drastically. I believe most players are not here to take part in experimentation but because they like the team activity and the roleplay around the game as they know - not some variant that in practice may turn out to play radically different.

2) The best weapon against drop & chop is distance. Being able to drop in does not help much if the opponent is too far away to drop to. Thus one way to counter the overpowering effect of choppers without radically changing their properties is simply to play on a very large map with islands that are well over 8 squares apart each faction starting on a seperate island. You cannot drop into seabases so such a setup will effectively disable the usual pattern of everyone rushing for choppers & then having a showdown. Such a setup will however also make it hard on factions best played agressively as any kind of early attack gets hard. Besides that in my opinion it is more the drop than the chop factor that makes drop & chop so succesful. Doing drop & chop with needlejets only is not much different from doing it with choppers you just need some more. If you want to limit something that really will change playstyle - limit the drop range.

3) Still though there will be no way to space opponents close without some tech suddenly making a major shift in relative power. Personally I believe you have to accept that the terms of game are that if you play an agressive faction you have to go on the offensive very early & if youre playing a builder you just need to ensure you do not fall behind and that you are toast if you do.

4) Any kind of modding will advantage one playstyle or faction over others thus generally you should either play with a mix of factions using standard settings or particular factions (say all builder factions) using a setup favoring builders or say a small spaced closely packed setup populated by believer and Hive style factions.

In short - one cannot have it all. You should decide first:

a) Do you want to play a standard game or experiment with mods. (ie: are you playing because you like the ganme as you know it or because you wan't to try out something different).

b) Do you want a mix of styles or to favor a certain playstyle (say "fast paced slug it out" or "were all going for transcend").

c) Once this is decided - decide on mods/map size etc. Suggesting mods before you know what kind of map, how many & what kind of factions makes no real sense.

Personally I prefer vanilla settings & a mix of factions. That you are toast if you are an egghead next to a couple of industrial factions and they get MMI before you do should come as no surprise and is not something to be fixed. What needs to be fixed is the fact that you managed to be an egghead and be late anyway. Not being so is what the game is all about.

What can be done that will not make it into playing a different game is:
Disabling cooperate or diplo victory. Essentially you win by transcending or killing everyone else off. This keeps the game alive. There will still be plenty of cooperation but nothing is settled until the end. Disabling SPs also won't change the game significantly. In my opinion it is not really needed though - not even empath guild.

Other than that it comes down to decide what kind of game you want (build, conquest or mixed) - create a map that matches - decide what mods to use (if any) in that sequence.

[Method]

change the angels to +1 probe, that'll squash the bug. And cloudbase i think is too late in N-space, and too early in orbital spaceflight. Advanced spaceflight maybe?

[Mart]

How about enabling heavy transport ability?
I think it is turned off in the tandard alphax.txt version.

[Nubclear]

Morganic bugfix:

;
; Sid Meier's ALPHA CENTAURI
;
; FACTION FILE: Morgan Industries
;
; Copyright (c) 1997, 1998 by Firaxis Games, Inc.
;
; ALPHA CENTAURI reads the rules of the game from this file at
; startup. Feel free, at your own risk, to experiment with editing
; this file. We recommend you make a backup copy of the original.
;

#MORGAN
Morgan Industries, The Mogul, Morganites, M, 2, Morgan, M, -1, 0, 0, 1, 0,
TECH, Indust, ENERGY, 100000, SOCIAL, +++ECONOMY, POPULATION, 10, COMMERCE, 1, SOCIAL, +++SUPPORT
Economics, Free Market, ECONOMY
Economics, Planned, nil
Morganic, Morgan,
Jeneba, Kai, The Jeneba Complex
CEO, shrewd, monopolistic, wealthy, bloated,
Filthy Money Grubber
dominate Planet's economy
to reap the rightful rewards of skillful investment and planning
achieving total monopolistic control of all of Planet's resources
achieving total monopolistic control of all of Planet's resources
grab every drop of Planet's wealth for yourself
counting his ill-gotten energy tokens
counting your ill-gotten energy tokens
monopolistic grasping
monopolistic grasping, M1
business plans, M2
corporate empire-building, M1
investment, M1
exploiting Planet's natural wealth
Corporate Security
Morgan Corporate Policy

#BASES
Morgan Industries
Morgan Metagenics
Morgan Bank
Morgan Trade Center
Morgan Biochemical
Morgan Data Systems
Morgan Hydroponics
Morgan Mines
Morgan Processing
Morgan Solarfex
Morgan Entertainment
Morgan Distribution
Morgan Pharmaceuticals
Morgan Metallurgy
Morgan Transport
Morgan Antimatter
Morgan Energy Monopoly
Morgan Collections
Morgan Construction
Morgan Interstellar
Morgan Aerodynamics
Morgan Robotics
Morgan Studios
Morgan Gravitonics
#END

#WATERBASES
Morgan Hydrochemical
Morgan Ocean Resources
Morgan Marine
Morgan Sea Platform
Morgan Dock
#END

#BLURB
^ Human behavior is economic behavior. The particulars may vary,
but competition for limited resources remains a constant. Need
as well as greed have followed us to the stars, and the rewards
of wealth still await those wise enough to recognize this deep
thrumming of our common pulse.
^
^ -- CEO Nwabudike Morgan,
^ "The Centauri Monopoly"

#DATALINKS1
^LEADER: {CEO Nwabudike Morgan}
^BACKGROUND: {Namibian Diamond Tycoon, Unity Franchise Holder}
^AGENDA: {Free Market Economics, Pro-Industry}
^TECH: {Industrial Base}
^

#DATALINKS2
^+1 ECONOMY: {Industrial conglomerate}
^-1 SUPPORT: {Followers have expensive tastes}
^COMMERCE: {bonus increases value of treaties, pacts, loans}
^Begins with 100 extra energy credits.
^Need HAB COMPLEX for bases to exceed size 4: {Creature comforts at a premium}
^{May not use Planned Economics.}

#FACTIONTRUCE
#xs 440
#caption $CAPTION7
"Vendetta is bad for business, $NAME1. I suggest
we pledge Blood Truce and get back to work."

"Fair enough. I shall order hostilities to cease."
"Sorry, $NAME3, but I plan to put you out of business."

#FACTIONTREATY
#xs 440
#caption $CAPTION7
"Friend $NAME1, I can offer lucrative trading arrangements
if you will agree to a Treaty of Friendship. Shall we
become business partners?"

"By all means. Let us prosper together in peace."
"No. All of the profit would find its way into your pocket."

#ALIENFACTIONTRUCE
#xs 440
#caption $CAPTION7
"Vendetta must be bad for Progenitor business as much as humans, $NAME1. I suggest
we pledge Blood Truce and get back to work."

"Economy: important. Death: to be avoided. Truce: agreed."
"$NAME3: believes money can save. Progenitor: disagree. War: continues!"

#ALIENFACTIONTREATY
#xs 440
#caption $CAPTION7
"$NAME1, your lack of interest in human commerce makes you a
natural ally, for we have no point of contention. Shall we
sign a Treaty of Friendship and work toward other common goals?"

"Commerce: not the only result. Friendship: valued. Treaty: agreed."
"Progenitor: no benefit: human treaty policies. Decline: politely."

# ; This line must remain at end of file

[Method]

Go away.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Originally posted by Comrade Tassadar
I assume fixing the Angels is also a modification that needs to be made?

I don't think nuetering the Angels is a viable answer. What do they get saddled with a -3 growth due to being fixed?

BOO ANGELS, EUNICH FREAKS!!!

GO SPARTANS, HAVE KIDS!!!

[MrWhereItsAt]

They look good to me, Maniac, but perhaps we could not neuter the Angels but instead drop the effects of the Covert Ops Centre.

[Mart]

Originally posted by MrWhereItsAt
...drop the effects of the Covert Ops Centre.

This will effect all factions then. But maybe it is good to make spying more difficult.

[Mart]

How about:
- sonar buoy
- undersea boreholes
- fixes of abilities and other described in SMAC Academy for example.
Were they considered already?

[Impaler[WrG]]

I like Advanced Space Flight as a home for the CBA (thats ware I put it in my Mod)

Reducing Drop range also makes sense, 7 or perhaps even 6 would be good. I still agree with Maniac that choppers need to have their movment reduced, their too powerfull.

Also I am wondering if we could agree on a place to move the Empath guild too like Centuari Meditation or Genetics ware it would no longer be so unbalancing in a PBEM game as it likly woundnt be discovered untill AFTER the first govenorship.

[Method]

Originally posted by mart7x5
How about:
- sonar buoy
- undersea boreholes

- maybe (i use them sometimes)
- too powerful.