Thinker mod attempt 10

[bvanevery]

Details March Thinker mod development version

March Thinker mod development version

Induktio released a new development version of Thinker mod in March.  I have been testing it in combination with my own SMACX AI Growth mod.  His AI abuses Condensers, Supply Crawlers, and Boreholes to the hilt.  I've been working on various cost increases and technology delays to curb this abuse in the game.

I think I can only curb it, not end it.  I believe he's on a development trajectory where he adds new and better AI capabilities, but never removes the buffs that were given to the "fairly stupid" stock AI.  This becomes impossible to balance because it's like playing against an expert player, who gets to use 4 hands like Siva, and you get 1 hand tied behind your back.  To me as a game design that's not interesting.  I hope Induktio eventually has enough confidence in his work, that he sees no further need for the various "crutch" resource buffs that pumped up the stock AI.  I think such buffs are the bane of 4X TBS players everywhere.

Things I am testing this time:

• using stock binary faction placement, not Thinker mod's new version
• Peackeepers in my mod no longer get +2 GROWTH.  No easy pop booming.
• Pirates in my mod get -1 INDUSTRY and -1 SUPPORT to offset their +1 sea minerals.
• Inherent base defense lowered to +25%, same as the stock game.
• Perimeter Defense available at tech Tier 3, not the beginning of the game.
• Skunkworks available with C3 Applied Physics.
• 2 unit abilities available with C4 Organic Superlubricant.
• Weather Paradigm 1.33X cost, increased to 400 minerals.
• Soil Enricher 0.75X cost.  I've always hated waiting for those to complete.
• Advanced Ecological Engineering is now a Build 5 tech.
  
• Condenser 2X cost and moved to Advanced Ecological Engineering.
• Raise/Lower Terrain 2X cost.
• Industrial Automation is now a Build 6 tech.  It gives Supply Crawlers and Thermal Boreholes.
  
• Supply Crawler on infantry chassis: 80 minerals for Fission reactor, 50 minerals for Fusion reactor.
• Thermal Borehole 2X cost.
• Bio-Engineering is now a Build 6 tech.  It gives Genejack Factories.

In short, this is a fairly serious retooling of the Build portion of the tree.  Minerals won't become plentiful until late midgame at least.

Those who have read my previous threads, might wonder why I've jumped to game #10.  This is because my first 3 games were not numbered.  If I actually numbered everything, this is game 10.  None of these games have been completed.  They have all demonstrated various things about Thinker mod and its combination with my own SMACX AI Growth mod.

If there is a game #11, I suspect I will set cost_factor=10 on Transcend, so that Thinker mod has to fight without the traditional "crutch" resource buffs awarded to the AI.  It would still have the complete eco-damage giveaway where the AI only gets the slightest slap on the wrist.  If a human player made Condensers and Boreholes the way this AI does, Planet would be thousands of feet underwater, and all those terrain improvements would be gone.

[bvanevery]

Huge map, 30%..50% land mass with my large continents and large oceans, average settings.  Transcend difficulty, default Thinker mod cost_factor.  Thinker mod's faction placement algorithm disabled by setting faction_placement=0, as it has been unfair in every test game I've played. Random factions.  I draw Morgan again, whose main ability is to make money.  The Usurpers, Pirates, Cult of Planet, Cybernetic Consciousness, Believers, and University are in the game.  I am so sick of the Pirates showing up in every game, but as I just nerfed them, it will be a valuable test.

MY 2125.  I gain Industrial Base, which gives Recycling Tanks and Democratic.  Maybe I should go Democratic earlier this time since it makes money, but I'm wary of losing the ability to use police early on.

Details support this

support this

MY 2128.  I meet the Believers and we sign a Treaty.  For version 1.29 of my mod I'm changing them around.  Now they are the only faction in the game that gets a SUPPORT bonus.  You might say I had religion about not doing that, but it's an available axis of diversification that I haven't used since the earliest days of my mod.  Having exhausted all other options, now I take it.  At least it fits the traditional lore of the Believers.  I also got rid of the MORALE bonus I gave them, reinstated the Fanatic Attack bonus, and changed their personality from Aggressive to Erratic.  Their default research foci are Explore, Conquer but a human player could use them as a Build faction if they wanted to.  In the stock game I often did that in concert with the Weather Paradigm, but that's not so easy to do now as the Weather Paradigm comes later.

[bvanevery]

MY 2131.  I gain the comm frequency of the Pirates from a sea pod.  We sign a Treaty.  He sells me the comm frequency of the Cult of Planet, and High Energy Chemistry for 100 credits.  The Cult is useless, nothing gets done.  The Believers don't want to talk to me about any of this.

MY 2133.  The Cult contacts me wanting the comm frequency of the Believers.  I sell it to them.  I think both are too pathetic to trouble me.  The Cult has been a weak performer in recent games and might also need some kind of faction adjustment.

Details academic jerks

academic jerks

MY 2135.  I meet the University to the southeast.  They want to kill me.  I contact the Pirates and sign a Pact.  I do not ask him for war with the University.  I'm hoping he obtains a map first.

Details they don't believe in colonizing

they don't believe in colonizing

MY 2136.  Svensgaard obtains maps.  What is going on with the Believers?  Why don't they colonize?  Is it something wrong with Thinker mod specifically?  In the stock binary, an Explore, Conquer research focus is a pretty strong stimulus to spread out and grow.

Details the modest University

the modest University

The University does a bit better.  What's the difference?

Details the smallish Cult

the smallish Cult

Only 3 cities in 36 turns is not what I'd call a healthy spread.  Granted it's a few turns less than that because it's the Cult.

Details Pirate beginnings

Pirate beginnings

The Pirates are like a "normal" faction right now, or at least they're not going nuts.  I wonder if my new settings were enough?

[bvanevery]

MY 2145.  I learn Synthetic Fossil Fuels, which makes Capitalist available.  I switch to it.

MY 2147.  I complete a Foil probe team prototype by popping a supply pod at sea.

MY 2155.  I learn Centauri Empathy, which gives Trance.  For a Capitalist, that's important for fending off mindworm scum!  I don't need Explore techs anymore, or at least, I need Build and Conquer techs more.  I switch to pure Build because I don't think Zhakarov is a real threat, and Svensgaard will probably research additional Conquer techs.  I can already advance towards Zhakarov with what I've got.

Details vote for my wallet

vote for my wallet

MY 2156.  I have 8 cities and have built 8 Recreation Commons.  I switch to Democratic to make more money.  I have a complete rail network connecting all my cities.  I have 4 inland bases with Command Centers that are putting out Synthmetal Skirmishers.  I've also made a few 1-1-1 probe teams for defense.  My coastal cities are putting out Foil probe teams to infiltrate other factions.

[bvanevery]

MY 2159.  I now have 2 Synthmetal Skirmishers departing to mess with the University.  All cities are garrisoned with them.

MY 2161.  Make that 4.  Switching to defensive probe team production.

MY 2164.  Miriam contacts me out of the blue to sell me the frequency for the Cyborgs.  They sign a Treaty and we exchange techs and maps.  I've got all the human comm frequencies now.  Only the Usurpers remain unaccounted for.

Details my pet pirate

my pet pirate

MY 2165.  Svensgaard wants to be Governor so we elect him.

MY 2168.  I sign a Pact with the Cyborgs.

[bvanevery]

MY 2174.  I get tired of drone riots and change my budget to 40-20-40.

MY 2176.  I join Svensgaard's war against the Usurpers.  I have no map info yet.

Details academically gifted defense

academically gifted defense

MY 2179.  We are in sunspots.  I destroyed a University city that was left with only a Colony Pod in it.  I've stolen a number of techs.

[bvanevery]

MY 2183.  I rush the Merchant Exchange with 892 cash.  Svensgaard is working on the Weather Paradigm and needs 21 turns to complete.  I don't have the tech.

MY 2184.  I complete a Laser Artillery prototype.  Laser Speeders are coming.

MY 2190.  I steal Optical Computers from the University and begin the Planetary Datalinks.  I am beating them in the field but have not reached their cities yet.

MY 2192.  Sunspots have ended.  I'm getting ready to crush University Base.  They haven't seen the wisdom of surrendering yet.

MY 2193.  They have a lot of artillery in University Base so this isn't going to be a cakewalk.

MY 2194.  My artillery gets fried and wounds some of my other troops.  I cover my retreat with the Gun Jet.

I learn B3 Ecological Engineering on my own.  I change my project to the Weather Paradigm.  Production in that city is poor so I have to do this with money and Artifacts.  Svensgaard needs 10 turns to complete.  I have 718 cash, 2 Artifacts in my home territory, and 1 almost home.

MY 2197.  I cash 2 Artifacts to move the Weather Paradigm along.  I almost have enough money so I don't cash my 3rd Artifact.

MY 2198.  I rush the Weather Paradigm for 884 credits.

MY 2200.  At 13 cities I get my first Bureaucracy warning.  I change my budget to 40-30-30 to keep people happy.

MY 2205.  I don't really have a safe approach to University Base.  I really need Plasma units.  I'm deliberately letting them finish the Planetary Datalinks, so I can take it over later. 

MY 2207.  I can't control the territory between our empires anymore.  Zhakarov keeps using too much artillery.  It's better to let him come to my lead city and pick him off.  He completed the Planetary Datalinks at University Base.

I learn B4 Environmental Economics.  I change to Wealth.  It lowers my MORALE and doesn't actually make me any more money, but it does increase my INDUSTRY.  I switch my old Secret Project to the Planetary Energy Grid.

MY 2208.  My income has gone up, so perhaps there was a delayed effect.  I have +5 ECONOMY.

MY 2113.  I rush the Planetary Energy Grid with 920 cash.

MY 2214.  The Cyborgs want me to join their war against the Cult of Planet.  I comply.  I was planning to do it anyways and wish they would have waited until my Foil probe team was in position before bothering me about it.  Eventually it gets killed before reaching its target.

MY 2215.  I got a little excited last year and forgot to fight the University.  Most of their units died but they killed a probe team.

MY 2217.  Zhakarov is about to have a major breakthrough on the Human Genome Project.  I use my last Artifact and 496 cash to rush it.  Otherwise I'm just building Tree Farms and the occasional Thermocline Transducer.

[bvanevery]

MY 2226.  I rush the Citizens' Defense Force for 832 credits.

MY 2229.  I rush the Hunter-Seeker Algorithm for 1016 credits.  I guess money is power.

MY 2232.  I research Advanced Ecological Engineering.

MY 2240.  Strictly speaking I'm not playing well.  I've only just researched E2 Biogenetics.  I could have bought it from my allies since forever, but I stubbornly insisted on stealing it from Zhakarov.  It gives Children's Creche and I totally forgot about it.  I was wondering why my cities aren't pop booming despite being so happy.  It's 3 AM and my brain is pretty much fuzz.

Details what does it feel like

what does it feel like

This game has been strangely non-exciting.  The Pirates and the University are a fair number of techs ahead of me, but somehow I don't feel like I'm getting whipped.  The power graph has been much more even this game.  It shows me behind, but not ridiculously so like in other games.  Seeing the Cult of Planet do "as well as" the Pirates is weird.  Did my changes work?

I seem to have underestimated the difficulty of "closing the gap" to the University, thinking I was "right on top of them" when really I wasn't.  I found myself slowing down to take care of a lot of other concerns, and not really able to focus on an assault.  I've lacked military advantage, which is a byproduct of focusing on Build.  I think it's time to chuck this game and consider what I've been doing.