Frontier, None,
Police State, DocLoy, ++SUPPORT, ++POLICE, --TALENT
Democratic, EthCalc, ++EFFIC, ++GROWTH, --SUPPORT
Fundamentalist, Brain, ++PROBE, +MORALE, +INDUSTRY, --RESEARCH
Simple, None,
Free Market, IndEcon, ++ECONOMY, ----POLICE, --PLANET, -INDUSTRY
Planned, PlaNets, ++GROWTH, +INDUSTRY, --ECONOMY
Green, CentEmp, ++EFFIC, ++PLANET, --GROWTH, +TALENT
Survival, None,
Power, MilAlg, ++SUPPORT, ++MORALE, -INDUSTRY, +TALENT
Knowledge, Cyber, +EFFIC, ++RESEARCH, --PROBE, -POLICE
Wealth, AdapEco, +ECONOMY, +INDUSTRY, --MORALE, -PLANET
None, None,
Cybernetic, DigSent, ++EFFIC, ++RESEARCH, +PLANET, ---POLICE
Eudaimonic, Eudaim, ++ECONOMY, ++GROWTH, +SUPPORT, ---MORALE
Thought Control, WillPow, ++POLICE, ++INDUSTRY, +MORALE, ---SUPPORT#DATALINKS1
^LEADER: {Director Mira Grant}
^BACKGROUND: {Sovereign Kingdom of Great Britain, Unity Administrator}
^AGENDA: {Homogenize humanity}
^TECH: {Doctrine: Mobility}
^
#DATALINKS2
^-1 SUPPORT: {Strict standards for military recruitment}
^+2 MORALE: {Uniformity amongst soldiers improves coordination}
^-2 PLANET: {Homogenization efforts extend to ecosystems}
^+1 INDUSTRY: {Unified production standards enable economies of scale}
^Halved costs to raise and lower terrain: {Aggressive terraforming programs}
^150% hurry costs: {Onerous bureaucratic procedures discourage fast-tracking}
^{May not use Democratic politics.}
Aggressive; Conquer, Explore; Pro-Thought ControlOne of the star factions of the set, it was supposed to feature an "angry turtle" sort of playstyle: they'd like going to war, but would have to wage it using small numbers of elite troops.#DATALINKS1
^LEADER: {Galactic Empress Doctor Strangelove}
^BACKGROUND: {Western States Pact, Unity Neurosurgeon}
^AGENDA: {Galactic domination}
^TECH: {Applied Physics}
^
#DATALINKS2
^-1 ECONOMY: {Budget diverted to leader's pet projects}
^-2 GROWTH: {Anti-natalist stance}
^+2 RESEARCH: {Mad scientist leader}
^Free PSI GATE at every base: {Bases constructed over dimensional rifts}
^+1 labs per base
^{May not use Fundamentalist politics.}
Erratic; Conquer, Discover; Pro-CyberneticMy favourite pet faction of the set, and the one with the most unique playstyle. A sort of techno-guerrilla faction, their penalties are harsh, but it's all worth it for the dark powers they possess at their fingertips.#DATALINKS1
^LEADER: {Prime Minister James Hector}
^BACKGROUND: {Republic of Australia, Unity Financial Controller}
^AGENDA: {Spread freedom and democracy}
^TECH: {Industrial Base}
^
#DATALINKS2
^+2 ECONOMY: {Free flow of capital}
^+2 SUPPORT: {Just-in-time supply chains}
^-1 MORALE: {Privatized military}
^-2 INDUSTRY: {Excessive contractor bloat}
^Immunity to negative POLICE: {Morally righteous}
^Extra DRONE for every four citizens: {Deregulation and austerity}
^25% hurry costs: {Angel investors}
^{May not use Power values.}
Aggressive; Conquer, Build; Pro-Free MarketHeavily channeling the End of History and Responsibility to Protect, this faction harks back to those years when free speech walked hand-in-hand with free markets. Their intended playstyle is a sort of super-Morgan that floods the world with cheap units, with ample reserves of cash to grease the wheels.#DATALINKS1
^LEADER: {Representative Aleksander Reznikov}
^BACKGROUND: {Caucasian Federation, Unity Survival Expert}
^AGENDA: {Total self-reliance}
^TECH: {Select 1}
^
#DATALINKS2
^-3 POLICE: {Rejects all forms of authority; limited power projection}
^+2 PROBE: {Extreme distrust of outsiders}
^+4 COMMERCE for Economic Victory purposes: {Sudden energy market disruption}
^Extra TALENT for every six citizens: {Omnidisciplinary culture}
^+15% defensive combat: {Dispersed formations are hard to find}
^No Planetary Council membership: {Does not recognize international organizations}
^{May not use Police State politics.}
Pacifist; Discover, Explore; Pro-PowerTaking autarkic ideals to their logical conclusion, this faction was built with one concept in mind: super-turtle.#DATALINKS1
^LEADER: {Counsellor Katharine Solares}
^BACKGROUND: {People's Republic of Colombia, Unity Counsellor}
^AGENDA: {Maximize happiness}
^TECH: {Social Psych}
^
#DATALINKS2
^-1 EFFICIENCY: {Loose accounting standards}
^+1 GROWTH: {Free time facilitates procreation}
^-1 INDUSTRY: {Strictly limited working hours}
^75% hurry costs: {Untapped productivity can be called on in times of need}
^Free HOLOGRAM THEATRE at every base upon discovery of tech: {Workers motivated by pursuit of pleasure}
^Impunity to Planned penalties: {Universal income fosters creativity}
^{May not use Free Market economics.}
Erratic; Discover, Build; Pro-EudaimonicA faction that embraces stereotypes about socialism and welfare queens, though it soon ended up taking on a major Brave New World vibe.#DATALINKS1
^LEADER: {Superintendent Pierre Levasseur}
^BACKGROUND: {French Sixth Republic, Unity Planetary Surveyor}
^AGENDA: {Dominate free trade}
^TECH: {Doctrine: Flexibility, Information Networks}
^
#DATALINKS2
^+2 EFFICIENCY: {Regular audits eliminate inefficiencies}
^-1 PLANET: {Views Planet as resources to be exploited}
^+2 COMMERCE: {Seasoned traders}
^75% probe costs: {Spies in every port}
^-2 standard population: {Elitist cultural tendencies}
^Free NAVAL YARD at every base: {Strong maritime heritage}
^Prototype units do not cost extra minerals: {Skilled draftsmen}
^Starts with a free Unity Scout Chopper.
^{May not use Knowledge values.}
Pacifist; Conquer, Build; Pro-WealthA faction that yearns for the good old days of European colonialism, a more enlightened age, where merchants ruled the waves and held sway over the markets of entire continents. Prideful to a fault.#DATALINKS1
^LEADER: {Caliph Sarya Rivin}
^BACKGROUND: {Greater Kurdistan, Unity Cultural Officer}
^AGENDA: {Environmental syncretism}
^TECH: {Centauri Ecology}
^
#DATALINKS2
^+2 PLANET: {Responsible stewardship of their holy land}
^-2 PROBE: {Cultural assimilation goes both ways}
^+1 mineral, +1 energy in fungus: {Followers taught to live off the land}
^x2 votes in Planetary Council elections: {Mind Worms vote too!}
^Mind Worms act as double police: {Local ecosystem integrated into society}
^{May not use Wealth values.}
Erratic; Build, Explore; Pro-GreenAn attempt at a more Islamic interpretation of a religious faction, compared to Miriam's Christianity. I tried to differentiate them from the Planet Cult and Sigma's Advent Pilgrimage, eventually settling on this idea after asking some more knowledgeable people on the subject.#DATALINKS1
^LEADER: {Colonel Fedmahn Kassad}
^BACKGROUND: {Syrian Democratic Republic, Unity Quartermaster}
^AGENDA: {Balance competitors}
^TECH: {Doctrine: Loyalty}
^
#DATALINKS2
^-1 MORALE: {Troops unmotivated and subject to coup-proofing}
^+1 POLICE: {Well-funded enforcement apparatus}
^+1 PROBE: {Paranoid and obsessed with security}
^-2 RESEARCH: {Initiative discouraged among lower ranks}
^Free GENEJACK FACTORY at every base: {Exploitative working conditions}
^Doubled Democratic penalties: {Attempts to liberalize risk military coups}
^{May not use Green economics.}
Pacifist; Conquer, Explore; Pro-Police StateThe embodiment of the classic Arab dictatorship seen during the Cold War, with a delicate balance of power masking the irreconcilable social tensions beneath. They are supposed to live it up on their minerals income, but suffer from weak troops, drone problems, poor research, and all that eco-damage eventually coming back to haunt them.Well that looks like it was a fair amount of work! Of course balancing such work, is even more work. And it can be hard for the lay player to see why one's changes are working or not working, as it takes extensive playtesting and iteration to get to the point of balance. My own faction balancing stuff has dragged on for 2.5 years, and even though it mostly works, it isn't quite perfectly balanced. The expectation that the AI factions are going to challenge you, when you're so good at the game... well, my challenge is to win the game faster or more efficiently. I know I'm always going to beat the AIs, that's inevitable.Tell me about it. Even writing the OP for this topic took the better part of a day.
I don't see why anyone would choose Police State? +2 SUPPORT is not that valuable. In exchange, you get a POLICE ability that is watered down by 2 unrestful drones. Your police could make up to 6 drones happy if you use Non-Lethal-Methods, which makes the police more expensive to produce. Ok granted, in my mod a police unit is going to cost you 30 minerals. You don't get to do the Police Scout trick for 10 minerals. Anyways with my usual expectations, you have 2 drones when you first make a base. For 30 minerals you get to break even with the other Politics choices. For 60 minerals you get to make 2 people content. For 90 minerals you get to make 4 people content. Well just how much did a Rec Commons and Hologram Theater cost? There's no benefit here.It mostly synergizes with Clean Scouts being available from the start, letting you crank out a lot of formers without getting slugged by support costs, at the point in the game when they hurt the most. The effects of -2 TALENT are not very noticeable when you're playing on Transcend and every citizen is a drone anyway due to Bureaucracy. Three Clean Scouts cost 30 minerals and suppress 3 drones, quite affordable when compared to 40 minerals for 2 drones (RecCommons) and another 60 minerals for 2 more (HoloTheatre). Combine all those and your bases will be practically drone-free!
My personal opinion is that POLICE is only useful in the real world if you jack it to +3. Then you get double police enforcement. That's why my Chairman Yang gets a +1 POLICE rating, so he can immediately go to +3 when he figures out Police State.
I tend to forget that +2 ECONOMY is how Free Market worked in the original game. I only do +1. To build up an ECONOMY, you have to make choices between Democratic, Free Market, Wealth, and Cybernetic. The penalties are spread out among those as well.Yeah, I noticed you did that in your mod, interesting and probably sensible idea to split the ECON and POLICE penalties across different levels.
Trading off money for industry is interesting. The opposite doesn't work, giving both at the same time! Been there done that. I don't have any INDUSTRY bonuses or penalties in my SE table at all. Domai gets it as his faction ability and that's it. I don't miss having to reshuffle my SE choices, just to get some Secret Projects done faster. Less wear on the fingers.
Why should Power make people more talented? That doesn't make any narrative sense to me at all. And game mechanically, it just makes Power a giveaway choice.There are arguments to be made for it narratively. The Orwellian line of thought is that military conflict forces polities to remain in touch with reality, providing a means with which to purge incompetents and allow talent to rise to the top. The US military is known for its "up or out" policies, which in theory encourages a steady turnover of fresh talent within the organization - though it can be argued that this also leads to personnel who are merely competent in their position being unnecessarily forced out, effectively an inversion of the Peter principle.
Monoculture
(https://i.imgur.com/KN8MEb7.png)
^BACKGROUND: {Sovereign Kingdom of Great Britain, Unity Administrator}
^Halved costs to raise and lower terrain: {Aggressive terraforming programs}
Omega Foundation
(https://i.imgur.com/AEEsrnx.png)
Edenist Republics
^+2 ECONOMY: {Free flow of capital}
^25% hurry costs: {Angel investors}
^-2 standard population: {Elitist cultural tendencies}
Amazing work. Have you published it in the AC2 faction gallery?I have not. How does one go about doing that?
Unbelievable! Someone at last iconized Natalia Polonskaya as faction leader. I give you my both thumbs up just for that. 👍👍Heh, I wondered when somebody was going to recognize her. I trawled awhile for women in military uniforms before remembering Prosecutor (now Deputy) Poklonskaya's gloriously memetic existence.
Why she is from Britain, though? 🤔
Is this something configurable in faction.txt? Never knew.Not very well, but yes. Adding the parameter TERRAFORM, 1 results in halving credit costs to raise and lower terrain. Can't configure it other than that, and I'm not sure if it actually works.
Did you borrow image from this faction for your avatar or other way around?The faction leaderhead came first. It was a real struggle finding something that fit the female mad scientist aesthetic I wanted.
Do I understand correctly this is 1/4 of normal hurry cost? If so it is exceptionally cheap to buy everything. This faction should speed build its infrastructure with +2 ECONOMY. For the same reason any INDUSTRY penalty is irrelevant to them. Isn't it the most OP one?That is correct.
What's that, I'm sorry?Are you asking what the penalty means, or why they have it?
Amazing work. Have you published it in the AC2 faction gallery?I have not. How does one go about doing that?
Heh, I wondered when somebody was going to recognize her. I trawled awhile for women in military uniforms before remembering Prosecutor (now Deputy) Poklonskaya's gloriously memetic existence.
Did you borrow image from this faction for your avatar or other way around?The faction leaderhead came first. It was a real struggle finding something that fit the female mad scientist aesthetic I wanted.
I reused the image as my avatar here because I decided I needed one with how much I was posting, and this forum seemed too highbrow for anime girls.
What's that, I'm sorry?Are you asking what the penalty means, or why they have it?
It means they can only grow up to size 5 before building a Hab Complex. It's supposed to encourage sprawling to take advantage of +2 EFFIC, but I feel like this may be a bit punitive. Like I said, open to suggestions on this faction.
Do I understand correctly this is 1/4 of normal hurry cost? If so it is exceptionally cheap to buy everything. This faction should speed build its infrastructure with +2 ECONOMY. For the same reason any INDUSTRY penalty is irrelevant to them. Isn't it the most OP one?
That is correct.
Nevill suggested this buff after he struggled hard to develop the faction with -2 INDUSTRY; apparently, +2 ECON was not sufficient to overcome such a penalty. I had it at 50% for a while, then decided at the last minute that it would be better to make the faction too strong than too weak. If it really is OP I can always just change it back.
No idea. Never did myself. I just noticed the large collection of them there and thought yours should be there too. Ask Buster's Uncle around.
Cool. Didn't recognize the person/hero, though. Is there a prototype for it or is it just a random art?
Overall this is well thought out and good art. They all feel different from each other and from the originals.
Omega Foundation: This one certainly has character but feels a bit too "silly" to me in a way that feels out of place with the rest. I also have a personal preference against the unused faction bonuses like labs that seem like beta versions of the social engineering system, but that's just me. How about this: If you want a "mad science" theme and also extra labs, give them free Biology Labs? Mind worms are very mad science.
Edenist Republics: Why the plural? I like the liberal interventionist theme of the faction. I think it's a bit too strong to give them +2 ECONOMY right off the bat, though, that I don't think the industry rating compensates for. I don't think the AI would be able to handle its SE, either.
Metastate Alliance: Love the idea of a super-isolationist, don't like the gimmicky way to achieve it in this form. You could give them a voting malus so they won't win governor elections. They probably need some kind of brake on military expansion, too, or they will become Hive-like in the hands of the AI.
Planet Trading Company: This one is tough. The hab limits hurts this faction much more than Morgan since commerce income is going to be harder to come by early on and when all your bases are tiny. And yeah there's the AI aggression issue. Free Naval Yards isn't much of a perk. Changing the faction to Aquatic might save it, but then require balancing in another direction.
The Lord's Stewards: Doesn't feel right for Kurdistan to produce a "Caliph", especially if there's some syncreticism going on here. I like the idea here, though. No other faction would accept mind worm votes!
Custodians: Good faction. Not sure about the name or precise details in the flavor text, though.
It's a Poison Ivy cosplay someone did. A friend suggested using Uma Thurman as she appeared in the infamous Batman and Robin, and while I wasn't so hot on that, it led me on the right track to find this photo. Best female mad scientist cosplay I've seen.
Yep, that's the one. A great picture, but it did not want to cooperate in being wrangled into the SMAC-friendly format.It's a Poison Ivy cosplay someone did. A friend suggested using Uma Thurman as she appeared in the infamous Batman and Robin, and while I wasn't so hot on that, it led me on the right track to find this photo. Best female mad scientist cosplay I've seen.
Found it. It's Pamela Isley before she became Poison Ivy, I think?
http://alphacentauri2.info/index.php?action=downloads;cat=20
I am open to suggestions for alternative theme-appropriate titles.
I could give them a malus to offensive combat, maybe -20% or so? That would make it harder for them to take territory, compared to holding it - and it makes sense that they would have trouble concentrating the force needed for assaults. It also means they have a harder time proactively hunting for worms, which puts a brake on their early expansion efforts (though this only applies if planetpearls are enabled, of course).
What is it that you don't like about them? I will admit that "Custodians" was something of a placeholder name that I never came up with something better for. In its defense, it does pretty much encompass what they're about: casting themselves as essential caretakers of the status quo, their citizens, and most of all the minerals.
I'll also admit that the explanations for the stats might come across as somewhat judgmental compared to the other factions. Not that I think they're wrong, exactly, and I aim to give all factions roughly the same treatment.
That's a whole large collection from the (deceased) Network Node site...
http://alphacentauri2.info/index.php?action=downloads;cat=20
How about Qadi? It's some kind of Islamic religious judge, and it's kind of radical for a woman to have that title.
I have some ideas but I don't want to be a dick and rewrite a bunch of your stuff unless you're OK with it? What do you think?
Interesting, although it'd be preferable if one didn't have to look up its meaning. Judge? Magister? Overseer? Arbiter?
#DATALINKS1
^LEADER: {President for Life Fedmahn Kassad}
^BACKGROUND: {Maghrebi Federal Democratic Republic, Unity Quartermaster}
^AGENDA: {Hold the balance}
^TECH: {Doctrine: Loyalty}
^
#DATALINKS2
^-1 MORALE: {Troops unmotivated and subject to coup-proofing}
^+1 POLICE: {Well-funded enforcement apparatus}
^+1 PROBE: {Paranoid and obsessed with security}
^-2 RESEARCH: {Initiative discouraged among lower ranks}
^Free GENEJACK FACTORY at every base: {Exploitative working conditions}
^Doubled Democratic penalties: {Attempts to liberalize risk military coups}
^{May not use Green economics.}
Pacifist; Conquer, Explore; Pro-Police State
Might as well go with President for Life, which is made all the more amusing since faction leaders get longevity treatments. We already have a colonel.That sounds good, I can get behind that. Africa needed more representation anyway.
I changed his background to North Africa. Let's say that the Arab-dominated states of the Maghreb got together in the 21st century, but they still have to deal with keeping a substantial Berber minority under their thumb. That fits your conception of an oppressive paternalistic faction obsessed with keeping a lid on domestic issues.
Not sure about an alternative to morale.
>>> Version 4 <<<
- Edenist Republics: Hurry cost modifier reverted to 50% from 25%. (Potentially too cheap to rush projects.)
- Metastate Alliance: Added -20% offensive combat penalty. (Reins in military expansionism, emphasizes turtling further.)
- The Lord's Stewards: Removed +1 mineral in fungus tiles bonus. (Too strong in playtesting.)
- The Lord's Stewards: Flavour text changes. (Suggested by EmpathCrawler.)
- Custodians: Reduced SE MORALE to -2 from -1. (Further offsets minerals advantage; distinguishes it from the Edenists.)
- Custodians: Flavour text changes. (Suggested by EmpathCrawler.)
I assume you've seen the sets here? http://alphacentauri2.info/My%20Custom%20Factions/Custom%20Factions3.html#Bases -If you want something from one of the last five -unreleased- sets, I can hook you up...
- Source some custom base graphics, so they don't just use vanilla ones.
Interesting set of factions. Suppose I could add a link on Thinker's page. The readme is slightly incomplete though, no install instructions. :)
Not sure if this has been noted before, but it seems the faction selection dialog in game setup seems to have a limit of 24 factions. I had another custom faction set already installed and went over the limit, so the dialog doesn't let you select the newest ones.
I assume you've seen the sets here? http://alphacentauri2.info/My%20Custom%20Factions/Custom%20Factions3.html#Bases -If you want something from one of the last five -unreleased- sets, I can hook you up...
- Source some custom base graphics, so they don't just use vanilla ones.