Ok, it's posted
at this site.
================
Mod Description:
================
PvK Balance mod changes the point costs when an empire is created, to be
more fairly balanced between the available choices. It makes no other
changes to the basic game.
The effect on empire design, and on the competitiveness of newly-designed
empires, should be fairly large, however. Choices which were considered
"the best" or "not worth the points" should now be more or less at the
right value. This should mean that many more empire designs will be
competitve with others, assuming their strengths are played well against
opponents' weaknesses.
The specific cost changes, and their reasoning, is described in detail
below. Please let me know if you feel anything is overvalued or undervalued.
=======
Traits:
=======
Advanced Power Conservation:
============================
* Cost lowered from 1000 to 500.
This trait was rarely used, and while helpful, was not nearly as useful
as other 1000-point traits.
Mechanoids:
===========
* Cost lowered from 1000 to 250.
This trait was probably never used by a skilled player in a competitive
game. I have played many unmodded games, and have never been attacked by
a plague bomb, and the few natural and espionage plagues have been easily
cured for little cost and little effect. Moreover, empires with this
advantage are immediately identified as such, so only an unobservant
player would ever try to use a plague attack on a Mechanoid player.
250 points seems about right for this minor advantage, and removes the
"balance penalty" for roleplaying mechanoid races.
Lucky:
======
* Cost lowered from 1000 to 250.
The practical value of this varies depending on the game settings for
random events. In many games, it will not be worth very much. In games
with catastrophic events, at 250 points it becomes a kind of dare to risk
not taking it. Since the effects vary, and if multiple empires take it,
they counteract each other, and since frequently this has little effect,
it seemed to make sense to reduce it to a minor cost, which removes the
amount of "wasted points" for empires which take Lucky in games where it
won't have much or any effect.
Natural Merchants, Propulsion Experts, Ancient Race and Hardy Industrialists:
================================================== ===========================
* All left at 1000 points.
These all seem of roughly equivalent value to me. Ancient Race can be
abused in some gamey ways, but gives no advantage beyond knowledge, so
opponents can get more permanent advantages. Hardy Industrialists may be
more or less efficient compared to construction aptitude, depending on
how it's used, but it can be combined with it to reach the highest levels
of construction rate, which some players use in their grand strategies.
Advanced Storage Techniques:
============================
* Cost increased from 1000 to 2000 points.
This one was pretty much universally accepted as the best 1000-point
unmodded advantage, for its many effects and side-effects on facilities,
starting strength, population, and cargo space. 2000 points seems about
right to me compared to the other adjusted values.
Emotionless:
============
* Cost reduced from 3000 to 1750 (net 2200 to net 1000 when minimizing Happiness).
This is a very useful ability for lazy or new players, as well as for
large empires that suffer damage that would otherwise make the entire
empire riot and fall. Almost no competitive players were thinking twice
about paying 2200 points for it, however. At 1000 net points, I'd say
it's a good deal, and a valid choice for roleplayers.
Racial Technologies:
====================
* Most remain at 1500 points.
After the many discussions over the years, it seems to me that these are
all fairly well balanced and rated at 1500 points. They can all seem too
powerful or too expensive if one doesn't appreciate all of their abilities
and counter-tactics.
Deeply Religious:
=================
* Cost increased to 2000 points.
This is because the compensation for reducing Aggressiveness by a small
amount has been greatly increased. Essentially, an average Religious
player is expected to take a -5 in Aggressiveness, for a net cost of 1500
points.
===========
Attributes:
===========
Physical Strength:
==================
* Basic cost lowered from 25 to 3.
* Threshold lowered from 20 to 10.
* Positive Threshold cost lowered from 100 to 5.
* Negative Threshold cost lowered from 10 to 3.
Minimizing troop strength to 50 now only provides 150 points.
Maximizing troop strength to 150 now only costs 230 points.
Intelligence:
=============
* Basic cost increased from 25 to 50.
* Threshold lowered from 20 to 10.
* Positive Threshold cost lowered from 100 to 75.
* Negative Threshold cost increased from 10 to 40.
This means "the cheap bonus" is +10 for 500 points, instead of +20 for 500 points.
+20 costs 1250 points, and +50 would cost 3500.
Playing a "dumb" race is now more viable - a 90% race gets 500 points,
while a 50% race gets 2100.
Cunning:
========
* Threshold lowered from 20 to 10.
* Positive Threshold cost lowered from 100 to 40.
This means less can be gained by lowering cunning, and raising it is more
expensive between 110% and 122%, but less expensive for a heavy spymaster
race over 122%. Maximum 150% Cunning costs 1850 points. Minimum 50% gains
650 points.
Part of the reason for the overall reduction is that defensive intelligence
projects have multipliers to their effectiveness, so even a 50% Cunning
empire can build up fairly effective defenses against a single antagonist
without a lot of effort. The other reason is that concentrating in
intelligence seemed very expensive for the amount of advantage gained.
150% Cunning in the unmodded game costs 3500 points, which is way more
than it was worth compared to other advantages.
Environmental Resistance:
=========================
* Basic cost lowered from 25 to 12.
* Threshold lowered from 20 to 1.
* Positive Threshold cost lowered from 100 to 12.
* Negative Threshold cost increased from 10 to 18.
This follows Imperator Fyron's information that 5% in this is like 1% in
Happiness and 1% in Reproduction. Threshold reduced to one since this
effect is divided by 5 so the actual range is -10 to +10, and minimal
threshold allows different rates for low-level increases versus decreases,
which need to be balanced differently to avoid "free points" schemes with
offsetting choices for Reproduction or Happiness. Since it requires
raising both at once and thus offers less flexibility, I devalued it 2
per point (almost insignifigant).
Reproduction:
=============
* Basic cost raised from 25 to 50.
Basic cost is raised because although population isn't a huge factor in
unmodded games, a 1% change is about a 10% change relative to the base
rate, and low rates can cut reproduction to 0% or a few % under bad
circumstances, which becomes a relevant effect. The minimum setting will
only earn 450 points, and is a meaningful disadvantage.
Happiness:
==========
* Basic cost lowered from 25 to 15.
* Threshold lowered from 20 to 1.
* Positive Threshold cost lowered from 100 to 40.
* Negative Threshold cost increased from 10 to 15.
Threshold lowered to one in order to reduce reward for lowering happiness
a small amount, since in the unmodded game a little unhappiness is easy
to counter with troops. A lot of unhappiness can be a problem however, so
the Negative Threshold cost was increased. Positive Threshold can be low,
because for the most part, a high value gives diminishing benefits which
can be accomplished by others using troops. Minimum setting of -50 gives
750 points (and would be hard to survive long enough to develop troops
before riots took over). Maximum setting of +50 costs 1975 points.
Aggressiveness:
===============
* Basic cost raised from 25 to 100.
* Threshold lowered from 20 to 5.
* Positive Threshold cost increased from 100 to 175.
* Negative Threshold cost increased from 10 to 50.
The pre-threshold increase to +5% costs 500 points. Maxing to +25% costs
4000 points. Dropping to -5% gains 500 points, and minimizing to -25%
gains 1500 points. Because of the way to-hit modifiers stack in SE4, this
seems to me a fairly accurate valuation. I would increase the Negative
Threshold value a bit, except that Racial techologies such as Talisman or
Event Predictor can compensate for minimized Aggressiveness.
Defensiveness:
==============
* Basic cost raised from 25 to 100.
* Threshold lowered from 20 to 5.
* Positive Threshold cost increased from 100 to 225.
* Negative Threshold cost increased from 10 to 40.
The pre-threshold increase to +5% costs 500 points. Maxing to +25% costs
5000 points. Dropping to -5% gains 500 points, and minimizing to -25%
gains 1300 points. Because of the way to-hit modifiers stack in SE4, this
seems to me a fairly accurate valuation. Defensiveness is of slightly
more value than Aggressiveness at the high end (because enemies start to
become nearly incapable of hitting), and less valuable at the low end
(because enemies start to always hit, and shields and armor can also
protect).
Political Savvy:
================
* Basic cost increased from 25 to 50.
* Negative Threshold cost increased from 10 to 20.
This attribute's value depends on the number of trade partners, their
Savvy, the player's goals, and game circumstances such as they player's
relative size, and intelligence attacks which disrupt trade. One benchmark
and not uncommon example is five established trade partners of equal size.
In this case the player with average Savvy will double his income in
resources, likely research, and potentially, intelligence. On the other
hand, the player also gives the same to his trade partners (many or all
of who may be eventual opponents), and without trade partners, this
attribute has no value at all. An interesting side-effect is that an
informed player may prefer low-Savvy trade partners to high-Savvy trade
partners. The value thus cannot be absolutely evaluated, but is somewhere
between the value of increasing all of the resource aptitudes and
intelligence and cunning, and zero.
I first estimated it by adding the values for Mining Aptitude to the
values for Intelligence. Then I noticed the large values this generated,
and considered that warlike races who don't plan to trade much, probably
should not get much more than 1500 points. I also considered that powerful
empires may choose not to trade in order to avoid sharing their success,
so devaluing Savvy may tend to slightly reduce the runaway success of
large empires. In almost any game however, it still seems more valuable
than simple Mining Aptitude, so I compromised at double the value of
Mining Aptitude.
Lowering to 80% gains 1000 points. Minimizing to 50% gains 1600 points.
Raising to 120% costs 1000 points and maximizing to 150 costs 4000 points.
Mining Aptitude:
================
* Positive Threshold cost reduced from 100 to 50.
Everyone needs minerals. This seemed like a good baseline ability to
remain unchanged, but the cost of maximizing seemed too high (3500 points
for 150% minerals seemed excessive). Dropping to 80% gains 500 points.
Minimizing to 50% gains 800 points. Raising to 120% costs 500 points and
maximizing to 150 costs 2000 points.
Farming Aptitude:
=================
* Basic cost lowered from 25 to 22.
* Positive Threshold cost lowered from 100 to 45.
* Negative Threshold cost lowered from 10 to 8.
Even Organic races need fewer organic resources than minerals, so these
values are slightly less than Mining Aptitude. Dropping to 80% gains 440
points. Minimizing to 50% gains 680 points. Raising to 120% costs 440
points and maximizing to 150 costs 1790 points.
Refining Aptitude:
==================
* Basic cost lowered from 25 to 22.
* Positive Threshold cost lowered from 100 to 45.
* Negative Threshold cost lowered from 10 to 8.
Radioactives are about as needed as organics in the unmodded game, taking
racial and high-tech costs into account. Organic races will naturally
prefer Farming Aptitude to Refining Aptitude, and Crystalline races the
opposite, which is natural and not really a balance issue. Costs are identical.
Construction Aptitude:
======================
* Basic cost increased from 25 to 50.
* Threshold lowered from 20 to 10.
* Negative Threshold cost increased from 10 to 40.
Construction rate is one of the more important attributes. One can compare
to the Hardy Industrialists trait, which gives +25% to planetary spaceyards
only, for 1000 points. The limitation to planetary yards is important,
because many more shipyards can be built in space. Realize too that the
two can be combined for cumulative effect. Reducing to half would be quite
a significant disadvantage. Dropping to 90% gains 500 points. Minimizing
to 50% gains 2100 points. Raising to 110% costs 500 points and maximizing
to 150 costs 4500 points.
Repair Aptitude:
================
* Basic cost lowered from 25 to 10.
* Threshold lowered from 20 to 1.
* Positive Threshold cost lowered from 100 to 10.
Repair aptitude is slightly odd because it works on round numbers. A one-
percent reduction will reduce rates by an entire component per turn, while
a one-percent increase won't do anything until repair capacity reaches
100 components/sector/turn. It can also be combined with Cultural modifiers.
I leave it as exercise for players to experiment and see where the specific
relevant numbers are. Some players consider this attribute's value low
because repair components are cheap, so just build more. That makes some
sense, although there are some counter-arguments. Some players may still
choose to minimize it, but I don't want to lower its value any more, partly
because gameplay is more interesting if players are using more repair ships
and battle damage Lasts longer. Dropping by 1% reduces all sector rates by
1 component/turn and gains 10 points. Minimizing to 50% gains 500 points.
Raising to 1% does about nothing but costs 10 points. Maximizing to 150%
costs 500 points.
Maintenance Aptitude:
=====================
* Basic cost increased from 50 to 150.
* Threshold lowered from 10 to 5.
* Positive Threshold cost increased from 200 to 300.
* Negative Threshold cost increased from 5 to 100.
The counterintuitive way this works has not been changed, to maintain
compatibility with the unmodded game, and with many mods. It is a very
important attribute, paticularly at high levels. Lowering it was undervalued.
No change ("100") gives maintenance costs of 25% of build cost per ship
per turn.
Dropping to "95" results in 30% maintenance costs and gains 750 points.
Minimizing to "80" results in 45% maintenance costs and gains 2250 points.
Raising to "105" results in 20% maintenance costs and costs 750 points.
Maximizing to "120" results in 5% maintenance costs and costs 5250 points.
=========
Cultures:
=========
The Culture choices have all been balanced to be worth approximately net
zero points. This is because the program never charges points for them,
and one option is Neutral Culture, which has no effect. The primary positive
effect of each culture has been left unmodified, and the negative effects
adjusted to compensate for their value under the new system. In some cases
the positive effects may be deemed to be worth more or less than they would
cost as traits, because they may be used to increase the maximum possible
value in a particular area where that is important (e.g. Berzerker), or
because they limit the empire's options in important abilities.
Neutral Culture:
================
No change.
Berzerkers Culture:
===================
Advantages unchanged.
Disadvantages changed from -5 to -20 and from -2 to -10.
Space and ground combat remain at +10, which would cost 3030 points as
traits. Happiness remains at +5 for 200 points. Unmodded disadvantages
would be worth 1090 points, so this would have been worth 1940 points,
or 2940 if Aggressiveness and Defensiveness are +5 or higher. Since this
Culture offers the highest possible space combat bonuses, it should be
charged at the threshold rate. Essentially, the disadvantages should be
quadrupled. Changing the -5's to -20's and the -2's to -10's EXACTLY comes
to 0 points, so that seems perfect.
Warriors Culture:
=================
Advantages unchanged.
Disadvantages changed from -2 to -10.
-5 disadvatages added in Trade, SY Rate, and Maintenance.
Space and ground combat remain at +5, which would cost 1015 points as
traits, or 2025 at threshold levels. The unmodded disadvantages are only
worth 150 points. Rather than raise the two disadvantages to -20 to -30
each, making them more severe than for Berserkers, I increased them by the
same proportion (-2 becoming -10), and then added some different disadvantages
at -5 to make up the remaining points, creating a different sort of trade-
off compared to Berserkers. It seems fitting that Warriors would take longer
to build their ships, and that they would be more expensive to maintain,
because they spare no expense to improve combat abilities. This results in
a net worth of 15-30 points, assuming Aggressiveness and Defensiveness are
at +5 or more.
Traders Culture:
================
Advantage unchanged.
Disadvantages added -1 to Space Combat and -5 to Ground Combat.
Trade remains at +5, which would cost 250 points, or 500 at threshold
levels. Since the goal of a trader culture is to maximize its wealth and
other trade values, I decided not to reduce Production, Research,
Intelligence, or Maintenance. It also seems a natural choice for an empire
with high Political Savvy, and it offers no bonuses to the most-desired
areas of combat, maintenance, and construction, so it makes sense to
balance against it at the non-threshold rate. Combat, particularly ground
conquest, seemed appropriate weak areas for a Trader culture, so I gave
it a -1 to Space combat (-200 points), and a -5 to ground combat (-15
points), for a net worth of 15 points (or 265 if Political Savvy is at
threshold levels), but slightly limits the choice of maximizing combat
abilities.
Politicians Culture:
====================
Advantage unchanged.
Disadvantage increased from -5 to -16 Production.
Trade and Happiness remain at +5, and Space Combat at +2, which would cost
825 points, or 1500 at threshold levels. Of these, only Space Combat should
be balanced at threshold levels, for a needed balance of about 1225. The
unmodded Production -5 is worth 345 points. I increased this to -16 for
1200 points. This allows a number of interesting trade-offs for net savings,
depending on the empire's other values. In general this culture is worth
25 points, but limits the choice of maximizing Production.
Artisans Culture:
=================
Advantage unchanged.
Disadvantage added -7 to SY Rate.
Happiness remains at +10, which would cost 375 points, or 400 at threshold
levels. Maximizing Happiness is not a particularly great advantage, so this
is balanced at slightly below non-threshold value. Reducing SY Rate seems
appropriate; the artisans take longer to build things, because they take
the time to apply the artful touches (or engage in their other "leisure and
cultural pursuits" that keep them happy. So I added a -7 to SY Rate, which
is worth 350 points. In general this culture is worth net 25 points, but
limits the choice of maximizing SY Rate.
Scientists Culture:
===================
Advantage unchanged.
Disadvantage added -4 to Production.
Research remains at +5, which would cost 250 points, or 375 at threshold
levels. It seems to me the most natural disadvantage would be Production,
and that it should be balanced between but closer to the non-threshold value.
Production -4 is generally worth 276 points (less if a resource aptitude
is at negative threshold), giving this culture a net -26 point value for
an average empire, but allowing high-Intelligence empires, and those who
reduce resource aptitudes, to gain 99 or more net points.
Workers Culture:
================
Advantage unchanged.
Disadvantages added -1 to Research, Intelligence, Trade and Combat.
Production remains at +5, which would cost 345 points, or 700 if all three
resource aptitudes are at threshold levels. Since "industry is given
precedence above all other tasks", it seems appropriate to reduce the
unrelated values of Research, Intelligence, Trade and Combat by a small
amount, to balance the non-threshold value. At -1 to each of these areas
is worth 328 points, for a net 17 point value.
Schemers Culture:
=================
Advantage increased from Intel +5 to Intel +7.
Disadvantages added -2 to Trade and -5 to Happiness.
Originally I left the advantage at +5, but spoon pointed out it was very
similar to Xenophobes, so:
Intelligence increases to +7, which would cost 175 points, or 280 at
threshold levels. Slightly reduced trade and happiness seem appropriate
for a suspicious and scheming culture, and -2/-5 balances to a net 0 point
value, but with +105 or more savings for empires which concentrate in
Cunning or reduce trade to threshold levels.
Zealots Culture:
================
Advantages unchanged.
Disadvantages changed from -5 to -20 and from -2 to -11.
Space Combat remains at +5, and Ground Combat at +10, which would cost 1030
points, or 2050 at threshold levels. The unmodded disadvantages to Production,
Research and Intelligence are generally worth 513 points. The Space Combat
bonus should be balanced as for Warriors and Berzerkers, increasing the
disadvantage value to 2009 points. This results in a net worth of 21-41
points, assuming Aggressiveness and Defensiveness are at +5 or more.
Engineers Culture:
==================
Advantages unchanged.
Trade and Space Combat reduced from -5 to -3.
Other disadvantages unchanged.
Maintenance remains at +2, and SY Rate and Repair remain at +5, which would
cost 600 points, or 1150 at threshold levels. The unmodded disadvantages
would generally give 1315 points, or at least 570. Reducing the penalties
to Trade and Space Combat from -5 to -3 reduces their value to 815, which
seems about right. Essentially, it saves points for empires which are at
positive threshold in Maintenance, or certain other combinations, and
increases the maximum possible values for Construction and Repair, while
lowering the maximum possible values for the disadvantages. The net value
for an average empire is -215, but it is possible to save up to 845 points
and reach the maximum construction rate of 180%.
Merchants Culture:
==================
Advantages unchanged.
Research and Intelligence disadvantages increased from -2 to -8.
Other disadvantages unchanged.
Trade and Maintenance remain at +5, which would cost 1000 points, or 2000
at threshold levels. The unmodded disadvantages would generally give 565
points. Increasing Research and Intelligence reductions from -2 to -8 brings
the net value to -15 points for an average empire. This culture allows
savings for empires wishing to increase Maintenance and Trade abilities
at the cost of more expense and reduced maximums in combat, Research and
Intelligence.
Renegades Culture:
==================
Advantages and disadvantages unchanged.
Trade and Happiness remain at +5, and Space Combat and Repair remain at
+2, which would cost 845 points, or 1520 at threshold levels, 1250 if only
Combat is at threshold. The unmodded disadvantages would generally give
1038 points, or 1788 with maintenance at positive threshold. This seems
like a good candidate for leaving alone. The value to an average empire
would be 193 points, but only if it accepts a relatively low Maintenance
Aptitude.
Xenophobes Culture:
===================
Advantage unchanged.
Happiness disadvantage removed.
The +5 Intelligence advantage is worth 125 to 375 points, and increases
the maximum possible value. The unmodded disadvantages would generally be
worth 425 points. However, one disadvantage is their -5 to Trade, which
if they are roleplaying properly, they shouldn't be using much. The
Happiness penalty seems inappropriate to me, and contributes to the
happiness problems of roleplayers using the appropriate "Neutral" happiness
type. Removing the Happiness penalty makes this Culture's value 125 points
to a player who roleplays by not trading (which has its own disadvantages),
and -125 or more points to a player who chooses to be a trading xenophobe
in order to get the Intelligence bonus.
============
Changes Log:
============
Version 1.0: This is the first released Version.
=======================
Applying To Other Mods:
=======================
To apply these balance changes to other mods, you should take the other
mod as the foundation, and then apply the changes from this mod to the
other mod's files. If the other mod makes important changes to the files
this mod changes, then you'll need to cut and paste and maybe make some
judgement calls.
The files which this mod changes are as follows. (The other files included
in this mod are just the stock 1.84 files, which are necessary for the mod
to load properly.)
* Settings.txt - only the section from "Characteristic Physical Strength
Max Pct" to "Characteristic Maintenance Aptitude Threshhold Pct Cost Neg"
is changed.
* Cultures.txt - most of file changed.
* RacialTraits.txt - most costs changed.
The following mods are known to already incorporate some or all of this
mod's changes, or to have made similar balance adjustments already, and
so it would generally be redundant to apply this mod to them:
Proportions
AI Campaign
Adamant
Pirates and Nomads
No doubt there are several others which also have balanced their starting
costs. Also, in some mods, the modded abilities will affect the usefulness
of various abilities. In general, check with the other mod's author for
advice about combining mods.
- PvK
Re: PvK Balance Mod Version 1.1 posted (for SE4 Gold Version 1.91 - Patch 4)
))
Linear Mode
