Random mod idea

[Lemmy]

Tired of playing each game with the same tech tree and components, or at least with components of which you know that they are the best in that particular mod?
Well, worry no more, cos i got the solution !!! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon6.gif
(i think)

Here's the idea, it involves one program, one base mod, and one random mod.
Before you start a game you would run the program on the base mod, and from that base mod, a new random mod would be created.

In the new mod, there would be changes to the weapons in damage range, total damage, modifier, fire rate, seeker speed etc., and changes in all components to cost, tonnage. Also the tech level requirements could be randomly raised or lowered by one.
In the tech tree there would be changes in cost and in level requirements, but also not more than one level.

As a result you would get a mod with the same components names, but maybe this time a DUC is actually very good weapon, and a PPB could be useless.

Now it would be best if you played this game without being able to view the tech tree, and without knowing if the next level APB is much better, or just slightly better, you would have to divide your research, cos one level a DUC could be better, and the next a APB is better.

[Lemmy]

you could off course change everything, including vehicle sizes, facilities etc..

[ June 18, 2002, 09:42: Message edited by: Lemmy ]

[Lemmy]

did someone try this earlier?

[Deathstalker]

I believe Geo tried something to this effect, with PBW and manually uploading different Components.txt etc throughout the game (every 10-20 turns or somesuch). I don't know if it ever got off the ground or if the 'cheat protection' made it impossible to play in multi. (ie your data files must match the hosts files when the game was created??).

Not sure of much else in the way of details http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/rolleyes.gif wish I could help more.

[mac5732]

The randomness would ab interesting, I would also make the races racil traits and tech random as well, ie; example Phong are say pshchic one game, maybe they would be religious the next, temporal the next etc, but restricting the info on their race profile if you get a treaty, or some way that you wouldn't know right away what they had in regards to special tech...

just some ideas mac

[geoschmo]

Originally posted by Deathstalker:
I believe Geo tried something to this effect, with PBW and manually uploading different Components.txt etc throughout the game (every 10-20 turns or somesuch). I don't know if it ever got off the ground or if the 'cheat protection' made it impossible to play in multi. (ie your data files must match the hosts files when the game was created??).<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">It never happened. Somebody suggested they would like to do a game like this I told them I would give it a try if they wanted to make all the mods, but then I never heard anything else back. The problem is obviously it takes some time for me to update a mod for use on PBW.

Geoschmo

[Lemmy]

so a program to randomize these things for you would be usefull...good, this and my techviewer should keep me busy during summer vacation http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

adding to list for stuff to randomize: Racial traits http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

[Suicide Junkie]

I had an idea along those lines, where there would be a shift in the physics of the universe every now and then.

For the first year, it might be "normal", but in the second year, explosives would triple in strength.
The third year, shields would become impenetrable.
The fourth year, all technology with a requirement exceeding level 3 would lose its abilities.
The fifth year, the tech would extend up to level 6, but beam weapons might all suffer power loss at range of 1/r.

And so on...
There could be facilities that can forecast the future physics... Just edit the facility description to say what you want.

The problem I've run into is lack of free time.