Extra Choices in Social Engineering

[AstroBill]

Hi,
I was wondering if anyone else has replaced the default choices in the politics, economics, and values with something else that includes bonuses, penalities, and/or a tech requirement. I've found that you can do this without any major problems if you edit the default selections in teh alpha.txt or alphax.txt. The factions are not automatically given the default settings. The first blocks in the social engineering display will be empty if you do not have the required technology, just like the other advanced social eng. choices. The only drawback I have found is that the choice in the default slot will be displayed under the diplomatic profile, if no choice has been selected for a faction. For example, say I change the frontier politics choice to Plutocracy, which has a tech requirement of the Industrial Economics, a bonus of plus one Economy and plus one Industry, and a penality of minus one Planet and minus one Efficency. A starting faction ( disreguarding those starting with a tech that allows a political choice) will not have any of the four political choice highlighted in the Social Engineering screen and will not receive any bonuses or penalities from Politics. Yet, if another faction looks at the profile of this faction, his or her current form of politics will be shown as Plutocracy, as Plutocracy is in the default slot.

[Travathian]

Have you verified that you aren't affected as if you were under that first choice if you haven't got that tech yet. Secondly, what if you want to go back to frontier? how do you 'de-select' your choice so you're back at nothing again?

[AstroBill]

Yes, if you do not have the technology your can not select the first choice in SE. You can test it for yourself... add a modifier to Frontier and give a prerequisite technology. Start a new game and check the SE. No choice will be selected for Politics and your faction will not have the new modifiers of Frontier. To answer your second question, no you can not change back to no modifier default. Although realistically, a government would be hard pressed to change from a developed economic and political system to a survivalist, barter based system.

~Bill~