Balance Mod v0.96 Available... |
Greetings.
I've posted another update for the Balance Mod (v0.96):
http://www.captainkwok.net/balancemod.php
It's a small update to fix a couple of items, sort of addresses long AI turn times, and increases the AI's design flexibility a bit.
Version 0.96 (09 November 2006) ------------------------------- 1. Fixed - Scattering Armor and Stealth Armor did not add their combat to hit bonuses 2. Added - AI Defense Ships implemented with se 3. Fixed - AI was using more Point-Defense than they needed 4. Changed - Reduced maximum combat time to 180 seconds 5. Changed - Space Combat Map Radius to 1500 6. Changed - Tweak AI Colony Type selection some more 7. Updated - AI Scripts
Kwok... your new AI may be a little too good for me... :)
Thanks for the update Kwok. I can't wait to give it a try!
I played the 0.95 balance mod last night... and your changes to the AI ship design have resulted in me shifting away from the use of missiles in the early game. The AI is definately using point defense to good effect... My missile recon ship died without scoring a single hit because of YOU!!!! 
I love the new AI ship designs. They're dramatically improved... way to go!!!
Also, some AI empires are colonizing faster than me, while others have way more research or resources then me. The AI is doing everything better... and I'm growing a bit concerned. I think I'm going to get trounced when I finally run into these guys. Fortunately, this is a rare game when I have no AI near me... I've got my own little sector of the galaxy... which I'm going to have to turn into a fortress to defend from Kwok's marauding AI.
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The goggles... they do nothing!
Thanks. It's is improving
Thanks. It's is improving but still lots to do... 
Let me know how the new AI "Defense Ship" designs work out in v0.96 if you encounter them. They are like the attack ships but feature a different weapons loadout - usually longer range or heavier weapons if they are available. The Attack Ships should also be adding a bit more weapons than before as well.
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Starting a game with all
Starting a game with all technology and no unique racial traits gives me access to some (but not all) components/facilities/hulls normally only available with Organic, Crystalline etc traits. Also some of the components normally only found in Ruins. Interestingly, however, starting with no technology and using the ALLTECH cheat doesn't give me these things.
New type of ship
Kwok,
I did run into one new particularly nasty AI ship design. This carried three meson blasters, a long range torpedo weapon, and point defense. All of this was on a frigate. I'm not sure if this is one of your "defense ships", but it was pretty well armed.
I can take those ships in one-on-one combat primarily because my frigates carry a similar beam armament with more sheilds instead of missiles. My point defense is adequate to handle one torpedo at a time.... I dread fighting ten of these things at the same time though. Fortunately, I have not had to yet. I finally ran into some of the AI players in my game, but they're still too far away to have the supplies to reach me in bulk. Thus far I've been taking on scout ships.
I have managed to pull ahead of the AI on research and resources, but not by bunch. And a few of the players still have more planets than me. I'm looking forward to the full scale war when it comes... The AI still has WAY more ships than I do... that could be problem as the AI only needs 2-1 odds to beat me using my current ship designs.
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The goggles... they do nothing!
Cool
Im going to have to try this mod, I just started playing this and so far the AI seems to be about the equivalent to pond scum in the basic game. It would be nice though to have a mod that allows me to research things like the Huge Hull past 11 or wherever it stopped at, its kinda stupid to have all those slots on the ship and never be able to research a high enough lvl to get the tonage required to use those slots up in my opinion. But maybe there is a mod that does that if not this one.
Anyways im going to have to try this one since the AI is so pathetic I could crush them all at any time I please.
Note...
There are actually fewer tech levels of ships in the mod. And there are lots of extra slots for flexibility in design and/or for other mods with smaller components and stuff of that sort.
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AI Mod
Captain Kwok would you be prepared to do an AI Mod as the thing I really want to try out of the Balance Mod is your tweaks to the AI which is a bit wimpish in stock. I am also getting to the point where I can see a win coming in my present game
Nice
Thanks for yet ANOTHER update to the balance mod, lol...
You've gone to a lot of effort, and I thank you on behalf of everyone who enjoys the mod
There are 10 types of people in the world:
Those that understand binary, and those that don't.