I also put this all up on unfocus.com, but I thought I'd post the whole thing here just for convenience sake (and because my ISP has issues with their webserver from time to time). First I'll appologize for not putting this in the "creation" section, but it's still a "help" thing, and you know, nobody reads that section .
I'm currently making new factions with all new art, cities, and diplomacy. I want factions with the balance of the original seven. I want the builder factions to have something that gives them a chance in the early game without needing a huge map, and I want the militaristic factions to have something that gives them a chance in the late game.
These factions are no doubt overpowered in relation to the original seven, but I don't know if it would be practical to put enough negative aspects into each one to try and balance the groups with each other. I think the fact that they are overpowered should make the AI more difficult. That is, one overpowered player facing six overpowered AI factions should be more difficult, as everybody will be able to come at you faster with better units.
The only downloadable faction is the Victorians so far... I have given the stats of other factions just so I can bug people to help me with balance issues.
If you want installation instructions or my real email address, go to unfocus.com. The link to the downloadable faction is below. I really just want some tips in balancing these guys out before I build the rest of them and spend days testing them. It would be easy to just change some of the "-1" negatives into "-2" negatives, or remove some bonuses. I really want to know if people think it's totally absurd having a faction with +2 growth, a faction with +2 economy, and a faction with a free tree farm ... and I'm not sure if the harsh population penalty somehow balances the tree farm bonus, or if it just makes the entire faction awkward.
I don't want factions that are too weird, but I like the idea of being able to explore aspects that you never do normally, such as having a faction with a free Psi Gate. Nobody ever builds Psi Gates--they're just not that useful, especially by the time you get the tech--but they're kind of fun, and could be really useful in the early game, so it seems like a nice little bonus to give one of the less powerful factions.
VERSION 0.2a CHANGES:
Social changes
Victorians: like Green, can't use Planned (now only a 1-way hate of the Zaibatsu)
Drifters: like Power, can't use Knowledge (no longer hate or are hated by anybody)
Zaibatsu: like Planned, can't use Democracy (will be more agressive with human players)
Other factions stay the same...
Objective: like Free Market, can't use Fundy
Dianetics: like Fundy, can't use Free Market
Rollers: like Wealth, can't use Police State
Banditos: like Police State, can't use Wealth
Victorians get Planned as their anti-ideology, keeping them from pop-booming (until Eudamonia). -1 INDUSTRY penalty is imposed, and probe cost is up to a more reasonable -25%. This lets me raise population restricions to +2 (need hab complex to exceed size 5) and maintain a hopefully balanced faction. They should now have more of the simplistic spirit I was going for in making a faction that doesn't need to do much terraforming besides planting forests, without making them ridiculously overpowered or harshly restricted.
Drifters are now anti-Knowledge instead of anti-Planned, allowing them to pop-boom. No more -1 INDUSTRY penalty. Hopefully this will give them a better chance in the mid-game without making them too overpowered in the early game.
Zaibatsu is now anti-Democracy and therefore can't pop-boom (until Eudamonia). Gave them another -1 PLANET.
Objective has no changes and still cannot pop-boom. -1 GROWTH is pretty harsh, but impunity to Free Market means you'll probably be perfectly happy using the "+2 ECONOMY with no penalties" social setting, combined with a double support penalty for Democracy. The -1 EFFIC half-negates the Police State penalty, so the average player would probably be very content to run Police State / Free Market with these guys.
Dianetics get +1 ECONOMY instead of +1 POLICE, which allows them to run Wealth/Demo/Planned and get +2 ECON AND pop-boom simultaneously. I therefore took away their free Blink Displacer, took away their +200 credits, and added another -1 RESEARCH. I still think they're significantly stronger.
Rollers had the ability to get +2 ECON while pop-booming all along. Also, the impunity to Wealth is no big deal, as they have +2 econ without it, and the only penalty for Wealth is -2 MORALE anyway. Therefore, I took the free scouts, increased the POLICE penalty, and took away the +1 SUPPORT. They should still be plenty powerful, because while they have the option of any values (Power/Knowledge/Wealth) while they are booming with +2 econ, which is about as good as having +2 research.
Banditos are the same, except they get a free chopper instead of rover. This probably doesn't overpower them, but ridiculously simply pop-boom combined with a free Rec Commons certainly makes them good.
note: There are three factions (Objective, Dianetics, Rollers) that can get +2 ECON without the negative effects of Free Market. That's something that's important to keep in mind when balancing them. Also, there are three factions (Dianetics, Rollers, Banditos) which can simultaneously have +2 ECON and pop-boom. Note that none of the original SMAC or SMAX factions can do that, so these guys probably need little in the way of other bonuses.
Victoria's Chosen ___ CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD
High Plains Drifters
Zaibatsu Ichiban
The Objective
The Dianetic Assembly
High Rollers
Los Bandidos
[This message has been edited by Dimension (edited March 02, 2001).]
I'm currently making new factions with all new art, cities, and diplomacy. I want factions with the balance of the original seven. I want the builder factions to have something that gives them a chance in the early game without needing a huge map, and I want the militaristic factions to have something that gives them a chance in the late game.
These factions are no doubt overpowered in relation to the original seven, but I don't know if it would be practical to put enough negative aspects into each one to try and balance the groups with each other. I think the fact that they are overpowered should make the AI more difficult. That is, one overpowered player facing six overpowered AI factions should be more difficult, as everybody will be able to come at you faster with better units.
The only downloadable faction is the Victorians so far... I have given the stats of other factions just so I can bug people to help me with balance issues.
If you want installation instructions or my real email address, go to unfocus.com. The link to the downloadable faction is below. I really just want some tips in balancing these guys out before I build the rest of them and spend days testing them. It would be easy to just change some of the "-1" negatives into "-2" negatives, or remove some bonuses. I really want to know if people think it's totally absurd having a faction with +2 growth, a faction with +2 economy, and a faction with a free tree farm ... and I'm not sure if the harsh population penalty somehow balances the tree farm bonus, or if it just makes the entire faction awkward.
I don't want factions that are too weird, but I like the idea of being able to explore aspects that you never do normally, such as having a faction with a free Psi Gate. Nobody ever builds Psi Gates--they're just not that useful, especially by the time you get the tech--but they're kind of fun, and could be really useful in the early game, so it seems like a nice little bonus to give one of the less powerful factions.
VERSION 0.2a CHANGES:
Social changes
Victorians: like Green, can't use Planned (now only a 1-way hate of the Zaibatsu)
Drifters: like Power, can't use Knowledge (no longer hate or are hated by anybody)
Zaibatsu: like Planned, can't use Democracy (will be more agressive with human players)
Other factions stay the same...
Objective: like Free Market, can't use Fundy
Dianetics: like Fundy, can't use Free Market
Rollers: like Wealth, can't use Police State
Banditos: like Police State, can't use Wealth
Victorians get Planned as their anti-ideology, keeping them from pop-booming (until Eudamonia). -1 INDUSTRY penalty is imposed, and probe cost is up to a more reasonable -25%. This lets me raise population restricions to +2 (need hab complex to exceed size 5) and maintain a hopefully balanced faction. They should now have more of the simplistic spirit I was going for in making a faction that doesn't need to do much terraforming besides planting forests, without making them ridiculously overpowered or harshly restricted.
Drifters are now anti-Knowledge instead of anti-Planned, allowing them to pop-boom. No more -1 INDUSTRY penalty. Hopefully this will give them a better chance in the mid-game without making them too overpowered in the early game.
Zaibatsu is now anti-Democracy and therefore can't pop-boom (until Eudamonia). Gave them another -1 PLANET.
Objective has no changes and still cannot pop-boom. -1 GROWTH is pretty harsh, but impunity to Free Market means you'll probably be perfectly happy using the "+2 ECONOMY with no penalties" social setting, combined with a double support penalty for Democracy. The -1 EFFIC half-negates the Police State penalty, so the average player would probably be very content to run Police State / Free Market with these guys.
Dianetics get +1 ECONOMY instead of +1 POLICE, which allows them to run Wealth/Demo/Planned and get +2 ECON AND pop-boom simultaneously. I therefore took away their free Blink Displacer, took away their +200 credits, and added another -1 RESEARCH. I still think they're significantly stronger.
Rollers had the ability to get +2 ECON while pop-booming all along. Also, the impunity to Wealth is no big deal, as they have +2 econ without it, and the only penalty for Wealth is -2 MORALE anyway. Therefore, I took the free scouts, increased the POLICE penalty, and took away the +1 SUPPORT. They should still be plenty powerful, because while they have the option of any values (Power/Knowledge/Wealth) while they are booming with +2 econ, which is about as good as having +2 research.
Banditos are the same, except they get a free chopper instead of rover. This probably doesn't overpower them, but ridiculously simply pop-boom combined with a free Rec Commons certainly makes them good.
note: There are three factions (Objective, Dianetics, Rollers) that can get +2 ECON without the negative effects of Free Market. That's something that's important to keep in mind when balancing them. Also, there are three factions (Dianetics, Rollers, Banditos) which can simultaneously have +2 ECON and pop-boom. Note that none of the original SMAC or SMAX factions can do that, so these guys probably need little in the way of other bonuses.
Victoria's Chosen ___ CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD
LEADER: Laetitia Casta BACKGROUND: France, Unity Communications Officer AGENDA: Nature-Friendly Self-Improvement TECH: Centauri Ecology, Ethical Calculus +2 PLANET: Environmentally conscious; skilled mindworm capture -1 INDUSTRY: Poor work ethic -1 MORALE: Disinterested in military training Free TREE FARM at every base: Concerned with making Planet beautiful -25% cost to PROBE TEAM actions: Naturally persuasive Receives DOUBLE votes in elections: Loved by all Need HAB COMPLEX for bases to exceed size 5: Need closet space May not use Planned economics. |
High Plains Drifters
LEADER: William Munny TECH: Applied Physics, Doctrine: Flexability +2 MORALE: Marksmen and survivalists from a young age +1 SUPPORT: Not ones to stay home -1 ECOMONY: Gunpoint diplomacy; seldom endeavor in trade Immune to negative effects of POLICE: No unrest with family members abroad Clean Reactor ability FREE to units upon discovery of Bio-Engineering: Live off the land May not use Knowledge value in Social Engineering. |
Zaibatsu Ichiban
LEADER: Shachoo Norika Fujiwara TECH: Industrial Base, Industrial Economics +2 INDUSTRY: Masters of manufacturing +1 EFFICIENCY: Focused workers -2 PLANET: High pollution Free HAB COMPLEX at every base: Optimized living space COMMERCE: Superior goods in high demand -15% HURRY cost: Overtime is not an option Extra DRONE for every four citizens: Discontent citizens cannot all be surpressed May not use Democratic politics. |
The Objective
LEADER: Hank Rearden TECH: Information Networks, Polymorphic Software +2 RESEARCH: Inspired scientists +1 EFFICIENCY: Superior dedication -1 GROWTH: Selective social habits Free GEOSYNCHRONOUS SURVEY POD at every base: State of the art facilities Impunity to FREE MARKET penalty: Economic freedom is their natural state Penalty for Democratic Politics: Trouble dealing with government bureaucracy May not use Fundamentalist politics. |
The Dianetic Assembly
LEADER: Reverend Vincent Vega TECH: Social Psychology, Planetary Networks +2 PROBE: Skillful manipulation +1 ECONOMY: Recruitment of the wealthy -2 RESEARCH: Inherent conflicts with logic Free PSI GATE at every base: Understanding of mystical forces May not use Free Market economics. |
High Rollers
LEADER: Queen Kim TECH: Biogenetics, High Energy Chemistry +2 ECONOMY: All work done for profit -2 POLICE: Disregard for the law -1 EFFICIENCY: Concern for personal gain means lack of teamwork Impunity to WEALTH penalty: Nothing demoralizing about cash May not use Police State politics. |
Los Bandidos
LEADER: Senor Fenster TECH: Doctrine: Mobility, Doctrine: Loyalty +2 GROWTH: Social freedom +1 POLICE: Respect for authorities -1 SUPPORT: Won't leave without party supplies -1 PROBE: Trouble keeping secrets Free RECREATION COMMONS at every base: Cantinas don't require city planning Can steal technology when capturing a base: Bandidos de aprender Begins with free Unity Scout Chopper May not use Wealth economics. |
[This message has been edited by Dimension (edited March 02, 2001).]
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