[MGM] Scenario with the first ruleset of the mod

[Mart]

MGM - Minimal Gameplay Mod
or with more description:
Minimal change for significant Gameplay improvement Mod

This is scenario - challenge, for testing of MGM.
Uses Yitzi 3.5d exe mod.

One of the things of Mods is that they are not having standard ruleset for the game. Mostly, when someone wants to play, looks for standard game rules, something most common for the game, for majority of players, and for veteran players the reason would be: the most known. Then the fewer changes to the ruleset the more likely this will give gameplay feel, that "nothing" changed, but at the same time we would like to have solved problems with gameplay.

When considering what changes could be applied, I thought about something easy to use. So decided:
- only changes to alphax.txt file would be made.
- modifications would be easy to use for regular game installation when using in a scenario, as when having an additional alphax.txt in played scenario folder, it takes precedence over main folder one.

Minimal changes, the fewer the better, and also the ones, that are the least noticable when possible.

Attached is a testing scenario of MGM version 0.01.

- unpack zip file to the scenario folder (Yitzi 3.5d folder), it alredy has a folder inside, so you can use option "unzip here"
- Start the scenario inside, you still have option to choose difficulty and faction, but only PK is scheduled for human player, so:
- Choose difficulty you prefer.
- Start as Peacekeepers
- Check if modifications are in the game, check costs of Secret Projects (F1) e.g. Ascent to Transcendence is 9000 (not 2k) and Weather Paradigm is 1000 (not 200).

Please write about you experience with gameplay. AAR is also a good option.
Any proposed changes after testing?

[Mart]

Changes in the MGM ver.0.01

#RULES

50,     ; Technology discovery rate as a percentage of standard
- this is to slow down research in late game, as it is possible to have more lab points in a turn than needed for a single tech. Cutting the rate to 50% is not much in fact. It is slightly noticeable, something that would be present in standard game when you are slow developing research.

35,      ; Combat % -> intrinsic base defense {-100 to 32767}
- it will give early bases more defense (from 25%), what would make factions a bit more difficult to eliminate in early game. Should be not noticeable, especially when a player does not read post-combat stats. The effect would be like in std. rules you had less lucky "dice roll"

120,     ; Combat % -> AAA bonus vs. air units {-100 to 32767}
- this is to decrease "chop'n'drop" strategy. It will influence all air units, but will give land units more power, which for games on smaller maps would give impression, that we play on larger maps. Should be hardly noticeable, similarly as in 'intrinsic base defense'.


3600     ; Normal ending year for lowest 3 difficulty levels {under -2 billion to over 2 billion}
3500     ; Normal ending year for highest 3 difficulty levels {under -2 billion to over 2 billion}
- needed when slowing down research, it is here by 1000 years. Almost unnoticeable at all.

#CHASSIS

Copter,M1,    Chopper,M1,    Rotor,M1,       Lifter,M1,    8, 2, 1, 0, 1,12, MindMac,  Gunship,M1, Warbird,M1,
- increased cost of chassis from 8 to 12. To decrease "chop'n'drop" strategy. Not very noticeable, unless someone remembers exact costs.

#FACILITIES

Energy Bank,                   8, 2, IndEcon, QuanMac,  Economy Bonus
Tree Farm,                    12, 6, EnvEcon, Disable,  Econ/Psych/Forest
Hybrid Forest,                24, 8, PlaEcon, Disable,  Econ/Psych/Forest
Fusion Lab,                   12,12, Fusion,  Disable,  Econ and Labs Bonus
Quantum Lab,                  24,16, Quantum, Disable,  Econ and Labs Bonus
- these five facilities have increased upkeep (2x and 4x), since they are economic, this should decrease energy "snowball effect". Building costs stayed the same.

Aerospace Complex,             4, 1, DocAir,  Disable,  +2 Morale:Air, Air Def +100%
- decreased cost of both building and upkeep to 50%. To decrease "chop'n'drop" strategy, as it gives defense by 100% and bases would have ot easier to build and maintain.

The Weather Paradigm,        100, 0, Ecology, Disable,  Terraform Rate +50%,             0, 0, 0, 2, 1,
The Empath Guild,            200, 0, CentEmp, Disable,  Commlink For Every Faction,     -2, 0, 0, 0, 0,
The Planetary Transit System, 50, 0, IndAuto, Disable,  New Bases Begin At Size 3,       0, 0, 0, 1, 2,
The Ascent to Transcendence, 900, 0, None,    Disable,  End of Singular Sentience Era,   0, 0, 2, 2, 2,
The Cloudbase Academy,       300, 0, MindMac, Disable,  Faster/Stronger Air Units,       1, 1, 0, 0, 0,
The Planetary Energy Grid,   100, 0, AdapEco, Disable,  Energy Bank At Every Base,      -1, 0, 1, 2, 1,
- these Secret Projects have increased costs of building. Moderately noticeable, since some of them have several times increased cost. The reasoning is to "move up the tech tree" in this artificial way. Larger cost will give the effect, that SP would be built later in some way as if it was in fact later in the tech tree. For human players it may be increasing micromanagement, as using crawlers one can still get them not much later, but still it is larger cost and time of building. The thing to test. The good is, that Sps are not moved in the tech tree, so everything else in the rules stays the same.

[Mart]

Playing in 2267 now. Technologies are between 40-45% discovered.
Not pushing for many bases, this is standard size map, so factions quicker cover large portions of it anyway.
Interesting thing, that as PK I was able to win Planetary Governorship initially after all commlinks were discovered, but later...

(click to show/hide)

Deirdre won one time and was able to be reelected like 3 times already. Not that she has more votes always than Lal, but was able to win support of several other large factions.

Zakharov still is very good at techs, just in these recent turns when in vendetta I was able to probe 5 technologies from Zak. Including Fusion Power!

So the most thoughts on the modifications so far are on those higher SP costs. It looks to me, that AI suffers from them more than it would be acceptable. But I am curious findings of other players.
For now, I consider lowering them somewhat. PEG, PTS, WP are already made. Now AI attempts Empath Guild in multiple bases, but turns to completion are often between 100 and 200 turns.
I have seen AI building crawlers, but in this game, so far I do not see that. I could get it in other mods, but standard ruleset seems difficult to get AI crawlers.

[Geo]

So the most thoughts on the modifications so far are on those higher SP costs. It looks to me, that AI suffers from them more than it would be acceptable.

That was my initial thought as well when reading your SP cost changes this morning.

[Mart]

Larger costs are 10x (EG, CA), 5x (WP),  definitely too large, although I got WP, PTS, PEG using crawlers still, although needed many of them. It was no longer instabuild, as making many crawlers in few bases they got ecodamage quickly. So after some time I cashed in part of the crawlers. With over 50 ecodamage I was getting fungal blooms often. But when making 1 crawler a turn in several bases it was possible for human player to build these SPs quite quickly. AI does not do it, so hence the drawback. But overall, larger cost is ok with slower technology rate. When I was not able to probe AI for needed tech, AI was competing ok for many turns. With tuned-up cost, this should give good result and make some SPs to be harder to get.
Still, I think EG and CA should be the most expensive, maybe not as much as Ascent to Transcendence, but the most expensive SPs in the game after it.

[Mart]

MY 2408

All technologies are discovered. For the last turns it was 2 turns per technology, going closer to 1 tech/turn.
Still Voice of Planet to be build + 3 other SP.

Despite research rate down to 50%, still it feels too fast in late game. Many advances are not used at all.
The best solution would be more steep research cost curve. With larger changes to the rules, it is possible to achieve this, but I am not sure what can be done with changes being minimal and having as small effect to gameplay experience as possible.