Turning SMAX back into strategy game

[Alpha Centauri Bear]

Tools in the game that did give me an ability to react, like Launch Solar Shade, you took away from me.

Sorry. I am not following what did I do and how.

[Alpha Centauri Bear]

"flooded river plain" bug.

Is it a known bug? I've never heard of it before. Is it a new type of terrain?

[Alpha Centauri Bear]

Regarding the flooding and INDUSTRY.

I didn't do anything purposefully to induce flooding in my mod. Even if it happens inherently due to some changes it is easier to fix by tuning frequency of global warming in txt.

I don't think INDUSTRY affects global warming directly if at all. It only lets you build things faster.

[Geo]

"flooded river plain" bug.

Is it a known bug? I've never heard of it before. Is it a new type of terrain?

It is a known bug.

[bvanevery]

I didn't say it is unwinnable. It is hard to the level where you call it a drag and constant thinking every turn.

There's a big difference between constant thinking, and constant pickiness and tedium.  Global flooding for this long is a drag.  I am certain of that.  I'm not exactly certain how your mod caused it, but I think it did, and that the answer is in your SE table.  You have some awfully big numbers in there.

I don't think INDUSTRY affects global warming directly if at all. It only lets you build things faster.

I suspect that you are giving egregiously large INDUSTRY bonuses, that the upper end of the dynamic range of this in the SE table is way too high.  Transcend already gives the equivalent of a +5 INDUSTRY bonus IIRC.  Add Domai's inherent +2 INDUSTRY bonus, and I think you get a faction that just steamrollers everything into oblivion, nothing anyone can do about it.  He's incapable of going Green, so he goes Free Market and builds whatever factory gewgaws, poisoning Planet.  He does all of this so fast, so overpowered, that the game just melts.

Morgan has also been noted as a contributor to Global Warming, but he didn't have anywhere near the empire size.

This is not unwinnable like Civ 3 on Deity.

BTW I've beaten Civ3 on Deity plenty of times.  I didn't rage quit and destroy my copy of Civ3 because of AI difficulty.  It was because of having to conquer the same @#$# cities twice, due to never ending revolts.  The game did nothing but exacerbate the tedium of the genre, making piles of units in all the continents, pretty much punishing you any time you had the temerity to want to actually win the game.

Sorry. I am not following what did I do and how.

As far as "taking away tools", what you did is make space flight come very, very late in the game.   I still have not learned Advanced Space Flight, which is what lets you propose Launch Solar Shade. You bottlenecked it with Centauri Genetics, which I only just learned in yesterday's play sessions.   I am the RESEARCH faction with every kind of Lab built in my cities!

A secondary thing you did, is make mag tubes come really really late.  By the time I actually got a land bridge connected to Domai, he had already taken over half of the largest land mass in the game.  He had already built incredible piles of stuff, various factories presumed among them.  Substantial global flooding happened mere turns after I got the rail done and actually broke the link I'd made to his continent.  I did not have the production to pursue an offensive in the face of all the global warming stuff, I had to buoy my lands.

[bvanevery]

9:30 AM.  The struggle resumes.

I realize that the Manifold Nexus is actually a water square now.  I bet I have to actually control the ocean square it rests on, to get the +1 PLANET.  Nobody currently controls that ocean square.  I believe I can do it from land adjacent to the square, but I also think that land is going to sink soon.  I need it to remain a land base so that I can pour troops in via orbital insertions.  This would be an excellent place to use a Tectonic Missile, if only they weren't so prohibitively expensive.  17 turns to make one of those.  Not remotely worth it compared to orbital insertion of Formers.

A Drop Stasis AAA Garrison is way too expensive to make, 180 minerals.  The minimum I need is a colony pod, an AAA to protect the new city, a Former to raise land, an AAA to protect that, and enough Drop to get over there.  A Drop Colony Pod isn't that expensive of a unit, only 81 minerals.  However it takes 3 turns instead of 2 to complete.  An infantry chassis Drop Former isn't so bad, only 63 minerals.  I don't need all of my Drop Transports to be armored, just the ones that initially land in a bad place.  I will just bring a "tough" unit along for a garrison, as I don't have time to wait for the AAA to get done.  In fact, I think I'm better off stacking the place with more units at first, rather than an AAA unit, so I

Details production for orbital warfare

production for orbital warfare

I change my production around and decide upon a Stasis Drop Transport already in production, 3 unarmored Drop Transports, and an ordinary Colony Pod.  These will all take 2 turns to complete.  I'm realizing that this might also be a better tactic in general than bothering to bring Formers to make an Airbase somewhere.  Drop a Colony Pod with defensive units, build a new city, go back into orbit immediately.  It's going to be about how many units I can drop on a given turn.  A Psi Gate might help at this point too, but I forget what the rules are on sending or receiving through a gate.  You're either limited to 1 unit sent out, or 1 sent in, or both.

MY 2398.  My rail network is all broken up once again, inhibiting my ability to react to a Spartan Sealurk that has shown up near my Sea Former.  This is a secondary motivation for Psi Gates.  I will start building them everywhere.  I want as strong a linkage to the Manifold Nexus as I can get.

Details planetfall at the Nexus

planetfall at the Nexus

MY 2399.  My rails are so chopped up, that I can't bring my strongest defensive units with me to the landing site.  That one Drop Stasis unit is going to have to do as the primary defense.  Almost all my cities are making Psi Gates.  Never thought those were useful... but I've never been through global flooding this late in the game before either.  When a flood is self-inflicted, usually other bad things are happening.  Like Locusts and Isles overrunning your bases, or nukes getting dropped on your head.

[bvanevery]

Details linking to civilization

linking to civilization

MY 2400.  I don't remember a game going this many turns in, well, forever.  Must be due to global flooding, only having 9 cities, and the stupendous cost of the Secret Projects I've built.  If the default end of game year is in effect, then I don't have that long to wrap this up.  I think in the worst case, if I can still stand to keep going, I will just change the end year.  I think that's only fair considering how expensive all the Secret Projects have been.

Details linking to civilization

linking to civilization

Domai flew a Tachyon Penetrator up to my stack, but declined to attack.  He may have not had more planes to do more damage.  I will try to take root faster than he can do anything about it.

Details why not Isles and Sealurks

why not Isles and Sealurks

Unfortunately, controlling a submerged Manifold Nexus is worthless.  I hope it reconstitutes when I raise the land.  If it's actually destroyed, well that would be disappointing.

I rush all Psi Gates.  Domai has completed the Singularity Inductor and is starting on the Bulk Matter Transmitter.  I expect worse flooding.  Bases that don't have Pressure Domes will soon build them.

MY 2401.  2 bases became sea bases.  Fortunately, they had Pressure Domes from awhile back.  I note that even at this late point in the game, I still don't know Advanced Spaceflight and cannot propose to Launch Solar Shade.  That's messed up.

[bvanevery]

Details swimming or crawling

swimming or crawling

MY 2402.  I'm made to notice that Sealurks basically don't cost anything.  They're cheaper than Mindworms, and I'm made to wonder why.  The difference in cost is noticeable even in a high production city, 27 minerals.  No wonder all the factions are making so many Sealurks, it's a bargain basement.  Well I'm following suit, using my Temple of Planet cities.  They come out as Demon Boils!  If it weren't for the Neural Amplifier, this would be an antidote to Domai on the water.  At least I can clear my waters of anyone else.  Unfortunately they're also darned slow, so controlling my own waters is all that's likely to get done.

Details Stargate Atlantis

Stargate Atlantis

Both the sending and receiving gate get blocked up.  This means I can only send 1 unit per turn to the Nexus.  That can be a Cruiser Transport carrying 4 units however.

Details groan

groan

MY 2403.  Here I am, subjected to mindworms.  Haven't done anything new, haven't built any factories since the stone ages.  That city has a Tree Farm, a Hybrid Forest, a Centauri Preserve, and a Temple of Planet in it.  It's doing 0 eco-damage!  Meanwhile Domai sits around building Singularity Inductors and Bulk Matter Transmitters and does almost no eco-damage.  I think he's cheating.  Although, he hasn't actually completed the BMT yet.  Maybe that will finally be his undoing?  I've experienced hordes of mindworms when the BMT spikes one's minerals.  But he'll probably cheat and not be affected by it.

Details reinforcements

reinforcements

Well that's interesting, I just captured 8 mindworms.  Unfortunately they're all supported by my city, but that's still a lot of free production.  I'll stash them in various other cities for a rainy day.

Details wants to drown us all

wants to drown us all

I finally learn Advanced Spaceflight.  I propose to Launch Solar Shade.  Domai vetoes it.  Some other factions are surprisingly opposed as well.  Maybe they're all Republicans with holdings in fossil fuel companies.  Couldn't you see Mr. [Sleezebag] in this world?  "It's all a conspiracy invented by the Chinese."

I could make Orbital Power Transmitters now.  I could forget about invasion and just try to outgrow Domai.  I bet he doesn't have a clue about how to pop boom, since it's so difficult in this mod.  Problem: I'd have to go Democratic Planned.  I'd lose some of my Manifold Harmonics bonus, and I'd be reduced to -1 POLICE.  I guess those aren't dealbreakers, but I'll wait until I see whether raising the Manifold Nexus makes it functional again or not.

Also what about the Cloning Vats?  Are they even in this game?  Yes, with Biomachinery.  I have the prereqs, Advanced Spaceflight was one of them.  This might even be the next tech I discover.  Best to wait 7 years then build the crap out of it.  Meanwhile, Domai has got a tech I don't have, Sentient Econometrics.  Time to steal.  I'm also belatedly remembering I have 1 Artifact from the stone ages.  After I steal, it's time to use it.

[bvanevery]

Details so sad

so sad

MY 2405.  The Manifold Nexus, best I can tell, has been destroyed by flooding.  I'll check another saved game to see if the label for the Nexus is just positioned somewhere I wouldn't have expected.  I don't think I'm willing to go to +0 PLANET in these difficult times.  I will try to beat Domai to the Cloning Vats.  Meanwhile I am starting to build Orbital Power Transmitters.

Details songs I used to know

songs I used to know

Here's what it looked like in MY 2286.  I got the right place, it's just been destroyed by flooding.  No recovery.  Just to be sure, I march a land unit into the Nexus square to see if I get any message about it.  Nope, nothing.  It's toast.

It's 1 PM.  I'm going to go do other things with my life.

[Alpha Centauri Bear]

I don't think INDUSTRY affects global warming directly if at all. It only lets you build things faster.

I suspect that you are giving egregiously large INDUSTRY bonuses, that the upper end of the dynamic range of this in the SE table is way too high.  Transcend already gives the equivalent of a +5 INDUSTRY bonus IIRC.  Add Domai's inherent +2 INDUSTRY bonus, and I think you get a faction that just steamrollers everything into oblivion, nothing anyone can do about it.  He's incapable of going Green, so he goes Free Market and builds whatever factory gewgaws, poisoning Planet.  He does all of this so fast, so overpowered, that the game just melts.

Few game facts. Transcend gives the equivalent of +3 INDUSTRY to AI but with quirk. The quirk is that their first +1 INDUSTRY doesn't apply! I checked this in scenario editor not in the game but I believe it should work identical. Next thing is that bonus are capped at whatever listed in game help. That is -3 to +5 INDUSTRY. I.e. AI never gets more than +5 INDUSTRY = twice as fast production. And they need at least +3 INDUSTRY to get there. That is fast all right but not infinitely fast.

Once more the industry bonus itself does not affect global warming at all. It just allow more things to have. The only tiny connection could be building factories faster and thus having them a little bit earlier. You still cannot have them until you discover them. I disagree that INDUSTRY or anything in SE at all affects global warming.

Your drones may have huge negative PLANET bonus and boost their ecology damage by that. However, this is not a SE dependent. It is their choice.

[Alpha Centauri Bear]

Sorry. I am not following what did I do and how.

As far as "taking away tools", what you did is make space flight come very, very late in the game.   I still have not learned Advanced Space Flight, which is what lets you propose Launch Solar Shade.

Ah, this one! Yes, I didn't pay attention to proposals appearance time yet. Can as well do now. Thank you for noting.

By the way, I am not talking about technology appearance only about feature appearance as technologies and features can be easily reassigned. Main Advanced Space Flight association is Orbital power transmitter and I moved it at the very end as you did too.

[Alpha Centauri Bear]

A secondary thing you did, is make mag tubes come really really late.

Hmm. They come at ~60% through research tree. You think it's late? I can move them, of course, easily. But where do you want to put them? At 40%?

[Alpha Centauri Bear]

I am changing my SE models. This is to keep them closer to original configuration and preserve their most famous effects. I.e. Police State's +2 POLICE or Free Market's +2 ECONOMY, etc.

These models have additional +1 TALENT that is not visible on a SE screen:
Fundamentalist
Planned
Thought Control

Other than that I tried to do minimal modification to make choices in category beneficial in different time periods or in different situations. So no two choices in same category give same effect always.

[bvanevery]

Hmm. They come at ~60% through research tree. You think it's late?

I know it is ridiculously late.  Past the 1st time of being challenged to not have them available, this is an extremely tedious, awful thing to do to the game.  You may play on Standard maps all the time, but anyone who plays on Huge or larger, needs to get units across the map somehow.  It is a complete drag to have to push them manually by roads or transports.  That's why I didn't even get into physical contact with Domai for so long.  He got to stomp the biggest land mass of the game before it was even reasonable for me to get to him.

The other exacerbating factor is the extreme cost of Secret Projects.  That didn't leave me with resources for troops.  Domai is stomping the big continent the whole time.  And if I had just let him build the SPs instead, I think it may have been worse.  He didn't get the Cloudbase Academy or the Cyborg Factory, for instance.  The Peacekeepers got the Maritime Control Center, couldn't do anything about it, and that's another disincentive to make an invasion.  Domai eventually took that from them.

I can move them, of course, easily. But where do you want to put them? At 40%?

I put them on Tier 2, the beginning of the game, because I'm pro rails.  That doesn't seem to be your style. 

[bvanevery]

These models have additional +1 TALENT that is not visible on a SE screen:
Fundamentalist
Planned
Thought Control

Why are you giving away so many benefits to these choices?

Take Planned for instance, you propose to give 4 benefits and 3 penalties.  That's assuming TALENT should even be counted as 1 benefit, I think it's really worth more like 2.  Regardless, Free Market has 2 benefits and 7 penalties, and Green has 4 benefits and 6 penalties.  This is not balanced.  Planned is clearly and obviously the best choice.  And why on Earth is Planned going to now become anti-RESEARCH?

I also don't get why Knowledge has to lose ECONOMY.  Or why Eudaimonia has to lose EFFICIENCY and be completely incapable of MORALE.

I am noticing that in my current game, the AI thinks your version of Eudaimonia is so bad, that the Drones refuse to choose it!  Even though it is their compulsion to choose it, the thing they lecture everyone else about doing.  They themselves are preferring to stay at None.  Think of the Drone Children!