Technology Research Suggestions

[Suicide Junkie]

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All the suggestions in the previous email are excellent, however some require hard code changes and can't just be done from the research tree files.

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If you happen to be referring to my post, they are all completely possible... in fact most of them I have already implemented in P&N
The ones that are not, are quite easy, and I've already done them, just not in P&N.

The ones that are not in P&N are:
-Size vs price/durability for non weapons
-Mines should have LOTS of warhead damage types.
-Modify engines so speed is based on thrust/mass. (engines per move is proportional to mass)
The first two are obvious, and minor variations on things I've done, while the Thrust/Mass thing is easy too.

ShipSize.txt:
-Modify engines per move to be proportional to mass.
-To prevent overflows, use 2% of the hull mass as the "engines per move" setting.

Components.txt
-Edit all engines to provide 4 to 6 standard movement. Leave bonus movement alone.
-Optionally create larger, heavier engines for larger ships, so you don't have to put 40 engines on a DN (just four 100kT massive engines).

With these settings, your escort (150kT, 3 EPM) with 6 ion engines (10kT, 4 MP) gets 8 movement, while a DS (300kT, 6 EPM) which is twice as heavy moves 4.
A DN (1000kT, 20 EPM) requires five ion engines to get 1 movement point.

quote:

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Aint it possible to modularize the different new techareas ?
In that way that anyone can submit a techarea to you and you pack them all ?

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Totally fine, the only problem is keeping the components balanced with other submissions, but that's the job of the guy putting it together

[This message has been edited by suicide_junkie (edited 07 June 2001).]

[Wolverine]

We're not worthy. We're not worthy

Seriously though. Thrust to mass ratio was the one I thought needed hard coding. Your solution sounds excellent. I hope the other modders consider implementing it because it would add a far greater level of reality to the game.

[Sinapus]

quote:

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Originally posted by DirectorTsaarx:
Hmmm... "Asteroid Sling"... is that anything like "Butt in a Sling"? Or maybe a "Highland Fling"? Or even "Static Cling"?

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Think 'mass drivers' as in

"Mass Drivers have been outlawed by every civilized species!"
"These are uncivilized times!"
"We have treaties!"
"EENK on a PAGE!"


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"What do -you- want?" "I'd like to live -just- long enough to be there when they cut off your head and stick it on a pike as a warning to the next ten generations that some favors come with too high a price. I would look up into your lifeless eyes and wave like this..." *waggle* "...can you and your associates arrange that for me, Mr. Morden?"

[ZeroAdunn]

Along the lines of new tech here are some ideas I had:

Rail Guns: Early incredibly cheap tech.
Size: 20
Damage: 20 20 20 20
Increaed chance to hit 50
Standard Everything else

Increase the damage done by fighter kamikaze warheads.

Mod weapons engines and supply storage (maybe armor too) to require more radioactives.

Mod life support and crew quarters to require more organics.

Extend current tech areas.

Just some thoughts

[PurpleRhino]

Not sure if anybody is intersted, but I have most of these suggestions in place in a MOD that I'm tweaking. I've done a lot of things... More mine warheads, some changes to shields, armor, remote mining, engines (not based on size, but I might try this.), couple more missile types, another planetary weapon, another point-defense weapon, a couple tweak to some of the ships, bunches more systems types, another quadrant type, and a bunch of other tweaks that I thought were needed. If people are interested, I'll put it up in the download area. BUT it IS a beta right now. I'm currently working on changing the AI to use all the new equipment.
Later,
-PR

[Sinapus]

I'm making a few mods myself. One I recently finished, but haven't had a chance to playtest much is something I did to phase shields. Basically, I just made their strength 315, 330, 345, 360 and 375 instead of the usual progression. I felt the old method was crippling to an AI player (or at least that's my story and I'm sticking to it)
when facing me since I don't tend to use PPB very much and if they reach lvl 6 in shields they suddenly get weaker ships.

Another thing I've done is make the fighter equipment require lvl 1 fighter tech and left the other tech requirements unchanged so the races I have that stay at fighter lvl 1 for awhile can build fighters with better engines, ECM and sensors to make life more painful.

I'm also working on some heavier missiles for missile lvl 6-8 since I've noticed the default AI research is showing the Norak and other missile-using races researching that far. Why not give them even more painful missiles that take multiple hits from a PDC V cannon to kill?

I'm thinking of modifying the massive planetary shield generator so that it gains strength with higher levels of shield tech (including phase shields at lvl 6) but don't know how far to go and if you can make a facility that requires two tech levels to build.

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"What do -you- want?" "I'd like to live -just- long enough to be there when they cut off your head and stick it on a pike as a warning to the next ten generations that some favors come with too high a price. I would look up into your lifeless eyes and wave like this..." *waggle* "...can you and your associates arrange that for me, Mr. Morden?"

[This message has been edited by Sinapus (edited 07 June 2001).]

[Suicide Junkie]

quote:

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Basically, I just made their strength 315, 330, 345, 360 and 375 instead of the usual progression. I felt the old method was crippling to an AI player (or at least that's my story and I'm sticking to it)

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Same reason I had
The only difference between our two methods is that my shield improvements happen linearly with tech level, while yours rise faster at first, then suddenly slow down as the technology matures.
Also, I have phased available earlier (lev2 vs lev6)