Game mechanic question

[Litcube]

Sorry, just a few more questions as I try to re-figure this game. Questions revolve around colonies and planets.

Green stars (as opposed to red ones) mean that the planet is a breathable atmosphere, right? Which means that I don't need a domed colony. What are the benefits of this?

[DavidG]

Originally posted by Litcube:
Sorry, just a few more questions as I try to re-figure this game. Questions revolve around colonies and planets.

Green stars (as opposed to red ones) mean that the planet is a breathable atmosphere, right? Which means that I don't need a domed colony. What are the benefits of this? <font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Non domed can hold much more facilities and cargo. (its about 5 times I think)

[Fyron]

It is exactly 5. A domed colony has 1/5 the space for everything: facilities, pop and cargo.

[Litcube]

Ok, the benefits of facility space are obvious, but what does population do? I'm constantly transporting people from planet to planet, but now I'm wondering why.

[se5a]

more population means you can build things faster.

[Suicide Junkie]

If you also have "Advanced Storage Techniques", then the the tiny to large planets will have 6x the facility space when breathable.
(Due to rounding effects)

[Fyron]

At 100 M, 500 M, and each billion, you get a cumulative +10% increase in both resource production and space yard rates.

[Grandpa Kim]

Population gives you bonuses in both construction and production (resources, research and intel).

100 M 5% bonus
500 M 10%
1 B 20%
2 B 30%
etc.

I forget what the top end is, 7 or 8 billion nearly doubling what a typical new colony can produce.

[Captain Kwok]

And population helps with your score too!

[Litcube]

Yay for population!

[Fyron]

Originally posted by Captain Kwok:
And population helps with your score too! <font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Nope. Population counts for 0 in score. Its effect on resource production has an indirect effect on score, but the level of pop has no direct effect on score.

[Fyron]

Originally posted by Grandpa Kim:
Population gives you bonuses in both construction and production (resources, research and intel).

100 M 5% bonus
500 M 10%
1 B 20%
2 B 30%
etc.

I forget what the top end is, 7 or 8 billion nearly doubling what a typical new colony can produce. <font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Yeah... you are right. It was 5% at 100 M. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif The highest level is 200% at 10 billion. Only a ringworld or sphereworld can get that much on it.

[Litcube]

Actually, now that I think about it.. And again, I'm *SUCH* a newbie...

That system doesn't sound so cool. Seems a little... What's the word.. Narrow? I would think there should be smaller intervals.. Then again, I'm new, and not quite used to things yet.

100 M 5% bonus
200 M 6% bonus
etc.

[Fyron]

Don't worry, I (and at least a few others I have spoken with) agree with you. I think a better word would be clunky, or maybe rough. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif I sent in a file with those settings smoothed out to MM a while back, and they said they like it and would add it to the next patch! Though, I do not see it in the beta history files that were posted in that other thread, so I have resent the request... Check out my file at the link below, and feel free to make use of it! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif But make sure to do it in a mod folder, and not to your stock data files!

Smoothed Pop Settings 2.0 (http://www.spaceempires.net/home/modules.php?name=Downloads&d_op=viewdownloaddetails&lid=312&ttitle=Smoothed_Pop_Settings#dldetails)

[ January 25, 2004, 04:41: Message edited by: Imperator Fyron ]

[Litcube]

Very interesting. I'm using them now.

Any other strange math applications that would bother someone as anal as myself?

[Fyron]

How about to hit bonuses adding rather than stacking? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif Just look around, you will find them. Not all are possible to fix though.

[Litcube]

What's the difference between adding and stacking?

[Fyron]

Whoops! I meant to say adding instead of multiplying!

[Grandpa Kim]

I've often wondered why Aaron used thresholds instead of a smooth function for population effects. Isn't it actually less coding to do the math function instead of a series of plateaus? For us, it would remove a little micromanagment and that's a good thing.

[Fyron]

You get complete customization with threshholds in Settings.txt rather than some static formula.

[Paul1980au]

Id like to see more interesting maths formulas put into the game actually.

[Fyron]

I'd rather not have such... you can do the interesting math yourself and type them in for the settings. Adding in the ability to enter a mathematical formula for this stuff would take a lot of time, and I would prefer Aaron to not waste time on it and instead work on far more beneficial aspects of the game.

[Grandpa Kim]

Good point, Fyron, I must admit I never thought of that. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif