Balance Mod v1.02 Available! |
Greetings.
The next version of the Balance Mod is available. This version makes some fixes and adjustments, as well as lots of little AI upgrades. The AI shouldn't be spamming you anymore with treaty requests, but let me know if they ever propose a new treaty when an existing one is in place.
As usual, grab the update here:
http://www.captainkwok.net/balancemod.php
Version 1.02 (07 January 2007) ------------------------------ 1. Fixed - Error in allowable vehicle types for Ionic Pulse Missile 2. Fixed - Error in number of abilities for Massive Ship Mount 3. Fixed - Error in tech requirements for all Medium Freighters 4. Fixed - Error in exchange of trade items 5. Fixed - AI designs will no longer have 5kT of space remaining on some designs 6. Changed - AI designs will only add enough Life Support or Crew Quarters to fulfill requirements 7. Changed - AI will no longer retrofit Colonizers 8. Fixed - Occasional error for AI that sometimes resulted in a long delay during processing 9. Changed - Increased planet's population, supply, and ordnance amounts, but decreased cargo storage 10. Fixed - Error in ability amount description for Plague Bombs 11. Fixed - Error in Psychic Weapons tech area 12. Changed - Telekinetic Projectors increased to 11 tech levels 13. Changed - Tech requirement levels for Psychic Whiplash 14. Changed - Tech requirement levels for Stupifier 15. Changed - Increased damage amounts for Time Distortion Burst and Small Time Distortion Burst 16. Changed - Slightly reduced Organic regeneration rates 17. Fixed - Racial trait Drone hulls did not have the correct maintenance reduction 18. Fixed - AI flags and shipsets no longer listed in duplicate 19. Added - Additional mini flags (Thanks to Wayne W.) 20. Changed - AI players should occasionally offer new treaties in place of old ones 21. Changed - AI players should no longer spam other players with treaties 22. Changed - AI will no longer retrofit colony ships and will properly retrofit bases 23. Changed - AI will now issue attack orders against valid targets for attack ships 24. Added - Modifiers to tweak AI colony type selection based on available facility space 25. Updated - AI Scripts
Compatible with v1.0x saved games
Yes, v1.02 is compatible with all v1.0x games. Usually I'll step up the version number (ie v1.10) when I make a save-game breaking update.
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Awesome, thx
Awesome, thx 
nice
very nice, new brains for the ai
danke
danke 
bugreport
as posted on se.net
this and 1.01 build have bug with spaceships crystaline and organic one get only 3 lvl tech
Error in tech level for Baseships
Thanks for the catch. It's a typo on both the Organic and Crystalline Baseships. Both ships should have 6 as their maximum level. 
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so what so we change
so what do we need to change in whatever txt file to fix that
My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.
Do-it Yourself Fix
You just need to change the "Maximum Level" for Crystalline and Organic Baseships in VehicleSizes.txt to 6 instead of 3.
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tnx
see subject
My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.
question
teching to lvl 2 in light/med hulls gives med but others are lvl 3 or 4 for next
possible typo?
It's ok.
It's not a typo. It should be level 4 for all the hull tech areas that have 6 levels and level 2 for ship hulls with just 3 levels. One exception is Medium Light Hulls requiring Light Hulls level 3.
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I see...
In the tree you have medium/heavy hulls requiring 3 from medium hulls(which is a 3 lvl tech) so the jump from light/medium to medium costing just 2 lvls in light/medium leaves that one tech out of the 3/4 ratio...just seemed odd to me
lol...stupifier
lmao theres a building called a stupifier?
My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.
...So it is a typo
Turns out it's one typo. Medium-Heavy Hulls should require level 2 of Medium Hulls and not 3.
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Great Job
Makes SEV even better.
Expect me when you see me.
sorry..
yes...forgot my manners...awsome mod!!
small rocket pods
small rocket pods do not really store 20 ord. due to the word small being left out in the ability line...adding "small" resolves
Not really
That's just a description line. You could put "stores 30 small pink unicorns" there and it'd still store 20 ordinance.
Re: Balance Mod v1.02 Available!
Kwok,
I am in a position where bandwidth precludes me from access to most stuff. I am attempting to get your BM mod. On the population adjustment, did you edit the planetsize.txt file or did you crack the code with scripting? My experiments so far seem to indicate that the planetsize txt file can be loaded through script using load_datafile just like the program does the External_Events txts. The problem I am attempting to solve now is how to edit the fields and then rewrite the txt file. It is trickier than I first thought because there needs to be a globalvar that tracks changes to keep you from continuously changing the max pop or planet's facility allowance. These globalvars cannot be placed in the txt file either since if you start a new game it will impact the play immediately. Your thoughts?
Another Homer moment gone by...
Ok, realized on further thought that editing the planetsize.txt file is universal and provides benefit to all players, computer or otherwise. Kind of like the stars alignment in Master of Magic provided increased power to all wizards.
The alternative then would be to increase the planetsize.txt file values to your desired end state...i.e. double or triple current values. Then inside the game utilize a limiting function linked to tech area & level. This precludes a call outside the game and may be feasible via current functions. A call to a modified version of the population adjustment in external events that says if tech area/level less than X adjust planet population if at max to max - 2xmax etc. I know each space object has planet.owner embedded that should allow you to do just that. The other hurdle would be adjusting the planet pop back should ownership reverse or perhaps the conquering empire gains the tech at whatever level you posses. An interesting puzzle....
Re: Balance Mod v1.02 Available!
I only modified PlanetSize.txt for the latest update. I've been bugging MM on and off for an ability add additional population space. Cross your fingers.
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Re: Balance Mod v1.02 Available!
For modding planetsize.... could you create a list of Large(Increased) planet sizes next to the existing ones and rather than mod the existing planet size, change what the planet size is?
Re: Balance Mod v1.02 Available!
Not sure if its a bug or intentional but in 1.01 (I see no change in 1.02 patch notes so I assume its the same(sorry too lazy to download the 1.02 update :/)) the Organic Base ship can only handle 18 engines while the standard and crystaline Baseships can handle 20.
Re: Balance Mod v1.02 Available!
There were a few typos in engine amounts that are corrected in the upcoming v1.03...
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Re: Balance Mod v1.02 Available!
To Captain Kwok
I have been enjoying your Balance Mod V1.02 imensly and look forward to the next update.
It is definately a vast improvement over the standard game. Thanks for all your hard work.
Re: Balance Mod v1.02 Available!
You get Small Depleted Uranium Cannons at every odd level of Projectile Weapons.
The Capital Ship Missile can only target ships, planets, and bases - which is what the data files have. Perhaps you're looking at which vehicles it can be placed on?
In regular sequential games, changes to values in existing entries can be made easily. Although note that inserting items in between existing entries does mess up a save game. If you want to add entries, place them at the end of the file. Simultaneous games will give an error message if you change certain files (to prevent cheating in PBEM/PBW games) and will need the host to run a turn with the new files before changes will be ok. The same rules apply for adding items in a data files as with sequential.
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Bugs?
1. I researched Projectile Weapons 2, and I can use lv.2 DUC on ships, but Small DUC remains at lv.1 in design window. It says lv.1, and damage is same 6-6 as at lv.1.
2. [Resolved below - me dumb] Capital Ship Missile description says it can target sattelites, while in reality it can't.
Also, about Components.txt in BM folder - will changing it affect already-started game?
Love that Kwok! a useful suggestion to for an old discussion?
WHAT MISSILE CRISIS?
And having some little difficulty with the AI making silly ships again(not always by any means, but occaisionally.. missile ships with no pd..cannon ships with just cannon)
And i wondered if a great solution to some of the ...Issuesthat have gotten discussed is maybe to just SUBSTITUTE F-Angel's "Depleted Uranium AutoCannon" for the DUC the AI loves, ALTOGETHER.
Not only does it make more sense as a weapon ANYWAY, AND have more flavor, the fact that it is dual-purpose should give the AI a little assissance.
DUC this, DUC that - FH making it targetable against more types of targets, as far as i'm concerned, solves the whole issue.
Is it perfect? No! that's the point - un-specialized weapons AREN'T. But the AI doesn't handle "specialized" all that well anyway. It's all about "general Purpose" when yr talking about a mediocre planner.
(so, Badger, why do YOu use Gen Purpose weapons AND "utility ships" that do 3 things at once?...Uh.. SHUT UP!)
Anyway, it just seems me that "expanded use" is a little easier than changing the balance of the various weapons as was so much tossed around...
Except missiles should only have 120 range at first 
Troll? No, Sir, I am a BADGER!
Re: Balance Mod v1.02 Available!
" Maniacal Laughter!"
So i went and checked - if i read it right, they therefore range from 100, up to 300 range?
i think that's HILARIOUS because all this time i thought you were OPPOSED to my suggestion that starting CSM's at such long range(in stock) was a bad idea!..
Then , I kept reading.. you give them ALOT less HP. So- still tougher than SOLID ARMOR but by nowhere near as much...
i THOUGHT CSM's were easier to shoot down in balanced...
Anyway, sorry, between stock, balanced, IRm, and what i'm working on (alot less ambitious, I'm afraid), i think i lost track of who did what to which-
but i find it... hmmn... it keeps turning out that i think you DISAGREE with my observations when it turns out you've already corrected the problem (perhaps a different way than i would)that i think you are arguing AGAINST.
Kwok, I could hug ya! But i won't 'cos i need a shower.
Troll? No, Sir, I am a BADGER!
Re: Balance Mod v1.02 Available!
Another thing I like about Balance Mod...
Is that shipyards are IN SPACE
and vulnerable to being shot up(w/out screwing up the planet, that's SO HARD on the Tourism trade, y'know?)
,boarded, etc.
after all, if ships- not just units-
can be built "planetside", I'm going to have to assume they are atmosphere-ships...
FINE> I want my ships as close-support in the next ground combat..
We're going to do this STARCRAFT style... terran Battlecruisers and all...
Troll? No, Sir, I am a BADGER!
Re: Balance Mod v1.02 Available!
Uh, I can't say I've found my shipyards in space..... Though the AI does often build space station shipyards to supplement it's production, but to build those the way the game works, you have to be able to build ships....
Just because the main facilities are planetside doesn't mean there aren't negligible space facilities which assemble the components together though, just the component factories are all ground based. Just like trade happens without needing any actual freighters of your own, and spaceports work without needing ships to transport from A to B.
Re: Balance Mod
On the other side, joking is just for fun...
darn tootin'...
i do believe we siad its nOT a crisis of balance mod-
but rather that even Kwok has trouble getting the Ai in shape...
I said it b4 - it is the AI -fixers that kept me - and surely others - from quitting SE5 Altogether.
I hope that is seen as the sincerest flattery we can give.
Troll? No, Sir, I am a BADGER!
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Can I load a current BM game after applying this new version? or do I have to start a new one?