SMAniaC: custom factions

[Maniac]

I'll create a seperate thread for this. No I won't after all. Here's the general thread for SMAniaC. Or check my sig for the full set.

The first custom faction are the Bree, an aquatic green faction.

I'm thinking about a couple other factions as well.

One would have the characteristics: 75% of normal hurry costs, -1 Industry, -1 Commerce. Preference for Private/Protectionist economics and aversion for Private/Free Trade. This creates a faction who will like you running Private/Protectionist. This is currently missing. The ideology of the faction would be around factional independence and souverainity. This includes on the economic level, which is the explanation of their protectionist policies.

Besides that I have two factions with a psionic theme in mind.

[Maniac]

The Bree

LEADER: Daughter Bre Ata - the Hybrid
BACKGROUND: Usurper experiment escapee
AGENDA: Fungal Harmony, Green Society
TECH: Xenobiology

Aquatic faction
+2 PLANET: Fungal Sisterhood
+2 Nutrients in fungus squares: Fungal harvesting
-1 Growth: Inability to use Exowomb technology
May not use Private/Protectionist economics
Starts the game with an Isle of the Deep

Download it!

[#endgame]

Just by reading it, it seems like they'd be able to get a lot of IoDs captured early and pop out most of the ocean, but with less risk of running foul of the natives that the Pirates can have. Sounds rather powerful. Perhaps there is another in-character negative you can add?

(Yes, that post was constructed from conjecture, feel free to pick it apart)

[Maniac]

It seems to vary judging from my (limited) playing experience with them. Sometimes they get a second IoD very soon and there's indeed somewhat of a snowball effect. Other times it takes long to get the second IoD.

But since the faction doesn't start with transport foils it has to use Isles of the Deep for its transporting purposes as well, and won't be able to have them all IoD-hunting. This is a big damper on the accumulation of IoDs IMHO. You could of course breed them yourself, but that still comes at a steep cost for the early game, despite their cost being reduced compared to standard SMAC.

So for now I'd say the IoD effect is under control, but only further playtesting can say for sure of course.

[#endgame]

Oh, I didn't notice you didn't give them Doc:Flex or Doc:Mob, that's going to make a big difference.

Does aquatic faction mean:
Free pressure dome in each base.
Start with Sea CP and Sea Former prototyped?

[Maniac]

Originally posted by #endgame
Does aquatic faction mean:
Free pressure dome in each base.
Start with Sea CP and Sea Former prototyped?

Nope. (Don't you have SMAX?)
Copied from pirates.txt:

^Enhancements may be built in ocean and trench squares with the discovery of Advanced Ecological Engineering: {Trained for life at sea}
^Sea colony pod & sea former prototypes FREE: {Advanced oceanic technology}
^Bonus mineral from ocean shelf squares: {Culture and technology adapted for the ocean}

Sea colony pods and sea formers are in fact prototyped for ALL factions (they're in the basic unit list after all), not just the aquatic ones. Pressure domes only appear in sea bases, too the case for all factions.

And since fungus is very productive for the Bree, I wouldn't think they have much use of that extra ocean mineral. So the reason for giving them the aquatic trait is just so they start in the sea, to give a different game experience.

[#endgame]

I do have SMAX, but some flags have a lot depending on them. "Alien Faction" springs to mind. I was wondering how much of the different parts of the Pirates' water abilities depended on the aquatic faction flag.

[Maniac]

What do you guys think of these new factions for SMAniaC? Balanced? Do some abilities, bonuses, penalties... need to be added, changed or removed?

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The Atlanteans

Politics, Unitary Democracy, PROBE
Ruling Elite, Junta, nil

#DATALINKS1
^LEADER: {Queen Elevea}
^BACKGROUND: {Former Gaian protesting the use of mind worm terror}
^AGENDA: {A life of peace and tranquillity}
^TECH: {Centauri Hydrology}

#DATALINKS2
^Aquatic based faction: {The ocean is the best place to hide from unwanted eyes}
^Free AQUAFARM with discovery of Gene Splicing
^Deep Pressure Hull FREE for all naval units upon discovery of Nanometallurgy
^Need HAB COMPLEX for bases to exceed size 4: {Small bases are most likely to remain undetected}
^{May not choose a Junta Ruling Elite in social engineering.}
^

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The Empath Collective

Psionic armour is available earlier in the tech tree than in the standard game, so I thought it would be cool to have some psionic-centered - but not Green Planet-centered - factions. Hence the Empaths and the Templar. A defensive builder and an offensive warmonger version.

Ruling Elite, Empath, TALENT,
Society, Green, POLICE,

#DATALINKS1
^LEADER: {Phena Leatt}
^BACKGROUND: {Unity Medic}
^AGENDA: {A society guided by benevolent and responsible empaths}
^TECH: {Social Psych}

#DATALINKS2
^Extra TALENT for every five citizens: {Empaths encourage people to develop their full potential}
^Hypnotic Trance ability FREE to all units upon discovery of the Secrets of the Human Brain
^+15% Psi combat strength: {People's psionic abilities are strongly developed}
^Impunity to EMPATH growth penalty: {The focus lies on harmony between humans}
^-2 PLANET: {Following on above, the focus does not lie on harmony with Planet}
^-1 POLICE: {Telepaths abhor hard ways of persuasion}
^{May not choose for a Green society}
^

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The Genesis Project

A popboom faction with some anti-ICS penalties...

Society, Anthropocentric, GROWTH,
nil, nil, ECONOMY,

#DATALINKS1
^LEADER: {Johanna Chaue}
^BACKGROUND: {Argentina, Buenos Aires University genetics research team}
^AGENDA: {Improve the human genetic code for all}
^TECH: {Biogenetics}

#DATALINKS2
^Free HATCHERY with discovery of the Exowomb
^May exceed HAB COMPLEX population requirements by 2.
^-1 ECONOMY: {Universal eugenetic programs are a heavy economic burden}
^-1 SUPPORT: {Genetically boosted troops are expensive}
^

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The Shadow Ghosts

I wanted to have a couple more aquatic factions as I kinda like the naval aspect of SMAniaC. Another probe faction came to mind. Problem however is that the Data Angels already have about any bonus that you can possibly give to enhance the probe aspect, so at first sight it's hard to create another probe faction with a different feeling than the Angels. However from my (limited) experience the Angels actually suck quite bad as a probe faction. The problem is in multiplayer games you can't even infiltrate another faction without pissing off other players practically for the rest of the game. This is bad, because the Angels are actually a very good builder faction and thus cooperation (tech trades, commerce) with other factions is important. As a consequence hardly any probe faction happens. At most one might try to gain infiltration on at least three factions, but active tech theft etc us unlikely to happen.

So the idea came to make a second probe faction more warmonger-oriented, so they don't have to care as much about good relations and can go all the way with offensive probing. They only have to pay 50% for mind control actions (Perhaps it should be even further lowered to make it worthwhile? I don't know - I hardly ever use mind control due to very cost-ineffective.), gain a tech when capturing a base and have -3 Commerce. These three together can lead to an interesting tactic I think. Due to the lowered probe cost you can more easily mind control a base. This counts as capturing it, so if you use it on a technologically more advanced faction, you'll get a tech for free in addition! Lastly, you have -3 Commerce. Translated: just forget about commerce: use atrocities ad infinitum. So if you have mindcontrolled a base to gain a tech and a couple military units, you can without regret obliterate it to prevent being probed yourself. Could lead to some interesting guerilla tactics IMO.

nil, nil, PROBE,
nil, nil, nil,

^LEADER: {Shadow Hunter Delan}
^BACKGROUND: {Unknown}
^AGENDA: {Gather any necessary data with no regard for the consequences}
^TECH: {Centauri Hydrology, Information Networks}

#DATALINKS2
^Aquatic based faction: {The ocean is the best place to stay mobile and strike anywhere anytime}
^Algorithmic Enhancement FREE for all probe units upon development of Quantum Computers
^Can steal technology when capturing a base
^-2 RESEARCH & -3 Commerce: {The Ghosts steal what they want, not trade or research it}
^Just noticed I forgot to include the rather crucial PROBECOST, 50 in the datalinks info

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The Centauri Republic

With this faction, keep in mind the Maniacal Rush which basically reduces to hurry cost to 80% of normal when building something of 80 minerals or more. Also -1 Industry, so hurrying is 10% more expensive. This means that the hurry bonus is closer to 6/7 of normal than 2/3 of normal.

Economics, Private/Protectionist, ECONOMY,
Economics, Private/Free Trade, nil

#DATALINKS1
^LEADER: {Jacques Briens}
^BACKGROUND: {France, Unity Sociologist}
^AGENDA: {Establish a prosperous and independent Republic}
^TECH: {Renewable Energy Sources}

#DATALINKS2
^65% hurry costs: {Keynesian economic policy}
^-1 INDUSTRY: {Focus on consumption goods}
^-1 COMMERCE: {Protectionist trade policy}
^{May not use Private / Free Trade economics}

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The Order of the Templar

It's a pity it isn't possible to give this faction the psi attack weapon right from the start.

#DATALINKS1
^LEADER: {Eliana Silvera}
^BACKGROUND: {South Africa, Unity Security Force}
^AGENDA: {A society led by a psionic elite}
^TECH: {Field Modulation}

#DATALINKS2
^+25% Bonus when attacking enemies, from the military application of psionics.
^Empath Song ability FREE to all units upon discovery of Centauri Empathy
^+30% Psi combat strength: {The Order of the Templar develop their psionic talents for offensive use}
^-3 PLANET: {Disregard for Planet's native life - the Templar serve only their own interests}
^-1 EFFICIENCY: {Large empires harder to run by a small elite}
^Impunity to ANTHROPOCENTRIC penalty: {The Templar's disregard for Planet does not entail a disregard for psionic affinity}
^Aversion towards Empath elites: {Rival psionic talents form a threat to the Templar's domination}