Rebalance Mod - test 1

[Mart]

This is to test new rules for rebalance of SMAX. Not many changes, but mostly: higher cost of colony pods, research down to 50%, crawlers made less prosperous and Cloudbase Academy moved later in the tech tree.
Discussion is here: Link

Installation:
Unzip the content, and then:
1) place "smacxscen" folder in your C:\ folder.
* You may already have that folder, so files will be added to it.
* Mac users may not be able to play it, unless they can have access to a C:\ folder, that SMAX would recognize.
2) The sav file can be placed anywhere (any place you keep saved games). Then load the game from it.
* Notice, if the welcome screen at game load has additional information.

Special rule:
1) You cannot reverse-engineer the supply crawler before Industrial Robotics.
Once you have Industrial Robotics, you can do it, as supply is enabled in this tech (it is moved from IndAuto)
This is similar, as you cannot use probe team chassis before Doc Mobility, like e.g. with Data Angels.

[Mart]

Started this scenario for the second time. It is 2216, secured 6 SP and lost lost 2 to Morgans (Command Nexus) and Gaians (PEG). And Gaians being close, built their SP in the closest base to our mutual borders.
Started offensive, after Gaians became seething for social choices, but with time their defenses thickened to the point I have to withdraw. We have both Attack 4 and armor 3. Gaians make good use of artillery.

This game is challenging, having 7 bases I find myself in need of selecting in larger extent what to build in those bases. Production places count more.
Hive 12 bases
Morgan 9 bases
AI definitely has advantage with those high colony pod costs.

I reached IndAuto some time ago. Getting a crawler now is quite a building item. Naturally, I cannot spam them that often. So their use is in really needed points. They are more likeable, not so much tedious numerous crawlers rearrangement. Since they cost 12 rows, and SPs are 20 and 30, it is not so much fitting in instabuild. So one has to plan better in order not to loose minerals. Practically those 20 rows SPs can be helped by one crawler only, otherwise you loose 4 rows of minerals. So typically you could make 7-8 rows first, then hurry with a crawler.

[Mart]

Played now few times, but only till mid game:

This game is with Blind Research and also it is 50% slower research.
B-line to Industrial Automation is mostly gone.
1) Initially, as PK, you want Centauri Ecology. This tech is just too important. Formers must be working. So Explore is the first objective. It is like always, Cent. Ecology is obtained in this way. Game selects this tech.
2) Then I found, selecting Build and Discover does not help much in getting Industrial Automation. IndAuto or its required techs are not selected for long. And there is this whole set of SPs, that one would like to get. How to do it, if not always you get the tech first. Not to mention, without crawlers it is more difficult to get them all before AI.
3) One can consider, that Planetary Networks for probe teams is more important in order to probe for needed techs. Then selecting Discover is the way to go before Industrial Automation.
4) Once having Pla. Networks, Ind Auto can be attempted. But the thing is, Adaptive Economics and Intellectual Integrity can be sooner than that. Often Gaians make Empath Guild quite soon. All this before Industrial Automation.

Strategy for early game must be then different. Consider many turns without crawlers and adjust for it.
Regarding slower tech rate, a good thing. Tech trading is more important. Also there is more time for developing probe teams actions.
Having more turns in an MP may be questionable, but gameplay is probably more like what was intended by game developers (if one can guess).