Feedback thread

[GeoModder]

Being on land would certainly affect tech choices. I've also changed the Archeology tech to be part of the Expansion era. I assume else pretty much every faction would aim immediately for Centauri Meditation and the Voice of Planet.

Talking about religion techs: I noticed that when the "Free Religion" option is enabled at the start of a game, ingame those techs who still haven't been researched, thus who still hold a religion, use the civ4 Philosophy techbutton. Once a religion tech is discovered they switch to the proper tech button, but not before.

 

[Pickly]

The Matrix works correctly for me. I'd need a save of just before the Telepathic Matrix is built in your game to see what's going on.

Dangit, I'm missing that partiaulr save (did not expect things to go wrong.)

Here's a save from afterward, though, in case that might be useful.

Edit: Never mind, missed that the telepathic matrix no longer gives its +2 planet to all bases.

 

[Idem]

This mod is absolutely amazing. I got v13 a few days ago and haven't been able to tear myself away since. I was expecting a simple remake - but this is much, much more. It is all very nicely balanced and each faction I've played so far feels different when you play them. The only parts that seemed somewhat unfinished were sea colonies, splinter factions, and some of the pedia.

I adored the idea of having the splinter factions appear at different points of the game, however. One of the things I hated about the SMAC alien crossfire expansion was how they just *appeared* at planetfall and replaced other factions, like it was just taking place in some alternate universe. Are you guys planning on keeping them like that when you make them playable (assuming you end up making them playable)?

Anyway, this is really like playing a whole new game. Also, the graphics are beautiful - especially on the premade planet map. The rightmost continent was especially striking, with that lush monsoon jungle to the west, a windswept desert to the east, and a frozen wasteland northernmost.

THANKS, you guys! This mod is wonderful.

 

[Pfeffersack]

I adored the idea of having the splinter factions appear at different points of the game, however. One of the things I hated about the SMAC alien crossfire expansion was how they just *appeared* at planetfall and replaced other factions, like it was just taking place in some alternate universe.Are you guys planning on keeping them like that when you make them playable (assuming you end up making them playable)?

They will become playable in the (near?) future, if you start in the "Expansion era". So in that case all factions start right at the beginning (but with no limit to 7 and with all the stuff from the first era). If you start the game in the "Arrival era", everthing will work as it does now (and you will not be able to play the expansion factions). Though Maniac could still decide to borrow FFH's code, which allows you to take control of the later-starting Infernals there

 

[Idem]

Though Maniac could still decide to borrow FFH's code, which allows you to take control of the later-starting Infernals there

Yeah I was thinking something similar. Doing this would also balance out how the aliens (supposedly) would be starting out with more inherent advantage than the human players.

 

[King Flevance]

Is there a way to make a good first impression on anybody? I have been playing the Hive since I got v13a and everybody gives me the -1 first impression bonus. I don't know if it is always -1 or if Yang is just an ass to new people. What factors in on this?

 

[GeoModder]

Is there a way to make a good first impression on anybody?

"You have a lower score then us!" = +1.

 

[Pfeffersack]

"You have a lower score then us!" = +1.

Or a higher for the "nicer" leaders out there

The -1 for a "bad impression" is related to playing on higher difficulties, IIRC. I see no reason to keep it (just an oversight, because it isn't accesible over the leaderhead.xml as all the other modifiers, but instead in the handicap.xml), as higher difficulty should result in more powerful and aggressive AIs, but not in ones just hating you for being a human player.
Currently this penalty kicks in at Noble (!) with -1 (and stays at that value up to Deity), Warlords have 0, while Chieftain and Settler players enjoy even a bonus to AI attitude (+1/+2)

I will put up a corrected file in the XML tags thread.

 

[Maniac]

Talking about religion techs: I noticed that when the "Free Religion" option is enabled at the start of a game, ingame those techs who still haven't been researched, thus who still hold a religion, use the civ4 Philosophy techbutton. Once a religion tech is discovered they switch to the proper tech button, but not before.

Don't use the Choose Religion option.

Though Maniac could still decide to borrow FFH's code, which allows you to take control of the later-starting Infernals there

What would be the point? In Fall from Heaven you can pave the way and make things easier for your intended civ by weakening the good/evil players. In Planetfall there would be no connection between the "summoner" and the summoned.

 

[GeoModder]

Don't use the Choose Religion option.

Aye aye!

 

[Pfeffersack]

What would be the point? In Fall from Heaven you can pave the way and make things easier for your intended civ by weakening the good/evil players. In Planetfall there would be no connection between the "summoner" and the summoned.

I merely suggested it as a technical option for someone desperately wanting to fight his way back into the game with a new faction.

But apart from that, isn't the struggle between the two progenitor races related to the development of the planet? Reading the profiles of the two alien factions and their leaders again, it seems that Judaa Marr's intention is to cause the Planetmind to "bloom" (reach a FC of 100?), while H'minee will try to prevent that. The only question is how to tie that storyline into the gameplay mechanics of Planetfall.

Just taking the FC as measurement would lead to the situation that the a Aliens just enter the preset struggle between Terraformers and Hybrids. Very simplified - Marr would fight with Deidre, H'minee with Miriam. Somehow I think this doesn't grasp the whole picture, but I'm not deep enough into that part of the story to say why.

 

[Telefontratt]

I just wanted to show my appreciation for the greatness that this mod is. I have played it for several months, and enjoyt it more than any other Civ-mod or game, hell, even more than the original Alpha Centauri. I recognize the hard work that has put in to this masterpiece, and wish to thank the creator of the mod. The newest version, 13, is amazing.

Long live the University!

 

[Pfeffersack]

The presumed code change to let Material Supplies instabuild Unity Bays under construction didn't work unfortunately. No idea why.

Just in case a(nother) save of it helps... its from a fresh started game with 13b.
The currently selected GP in Sparta Kommando is the Unity Cyromodul, the Supply crawler would give +70 minerals to it. The Mining Laser at 120 minerals could be completed at once. Set the ML to be produced and it goes the other way round...

I had a look in the unitinfo.xml and found those lines:

<iBaseHurry>50</iBaseHurry>
<iHurryMultiplier>20</iHurryMultiplier>

It looks like both get added in some way, because then you get the 70 from above as result.Changing the values to something giving 120 in addition could perhaps solve the problem. Of course that would mean that you can use the unit to add 120 minerals to any building/GP...

 

[AnotherPacifist]

The Hydroponics wonder is too strong, because it allows early terraforming (with its own 50% worker speed AND free clearing of fungus). I would suggest cutting back worker speed to +25%. (If I don't build it I usually have to restart, because I would never clear fungus quick enough)

 

[Idem]

What would be the point? In Fall from Heaven you can pave the way and make things easier for your intended civ by weakening the good/evil players. In Planetfall there would be no connection between the "summoner" and the summoned.

I haven't played FFH, but have played rhye's and fall, in which you would just "wait" several turns for your civ to pop up (historical accuracy reasons). Are the two codes one and the same?

 

[Lord Tirian]

Reading the profiles of the two alien factions and their leaders again, it seems that Judaa Marr's intention is to cause the Planetmind to "bloom" (reach a FC of 100?), while H'minee will try to prevent that. The only question is how to tie that storyline into the gameplay mechanics of Planetfall.

Just taking the FC as measurement would lead to the situation that the a Aliens just enter the preset struggle between Terraformers and Hybrids. Very simplified - Marr would fight with Deidre, H'minee with Miriam. Somehow I think this doesn't grasp the whole picture, but I'm not deep enough into that part of the story to say why.

Warning! Big info-dump ahead:

Spoiler :

In short: Marr wants to achieve transcendence (which requires Planetmind to bloom), whereas H'minee wants to avoid all meddling, allowing Planet to evolve on its own, fearing a repeat of the rather mysterious Tau Ceti incident (apparently another Planetmind-style project that blew up in the Progenitors' faces).

Hence, H'minee wouldn't ally with Miriam, terraforming is just as bad as hybrid to her (probably minimally less, since it doesn't involve the risk of a Tau Ceti-repeat) - she just wants to preserve Planet in its current stage.

Marr, however, comes across as very war-like and aggressive, a permanent alliance with humans (even hybrids) would probably endanger the status of dominant personality in the ascended Planetmind once Planet blooms - so he'd probably tolerate hybrids for a while, since they're helping his goal, but ultimately... he shouldn't really side with them. Additionally, Deirdre at least, hybrids seem to view Planet as a partner - the usurper view is essentially using it as a big science project.

Besides, I think the alien factions shouldn't side with humans at all, apart from short-lived pragmatic ceasefires etc., because the whole theme is "Alien Crossfire" - they should be disconnected from the humans and should feel different.

By the way, would do you think of this mod component (gold on disband? It looks nice and might be a nice small faction-specific benefit (I wouldn't mind seeing it as general rule either).

Cheers, LT.

 

[Pfeffersack]

Thanks for providing the big picture in a rather small paragraph, LT

Taking that new info in account, I would keep Marr technically as Hybrid follower (and Terraforming-hater) - I just don't see a way to distinct gameplaywise between planet-loving Deidre and planet-experiementing Marr. I would rather suggest to bring in his intolerance vs. other powerful leaders by letting him hate stronger leaders a lot and allowing him to attack even at friendly relations quite often. That would mean any alliance with him would be a very dangerous business.

H'minee is more difficult. I see the flaw in comparing her with Miriam. The closest thing seems to be Biodomes as favourite civic - you are not allowed to plant features, especially no fungus, so no bloom-danger. Out of the head I would use a technically similar mechanism we have for Deidre and relations depending on your PV. But with the big difference that you gain a penalty as soon as you leave the (green or red) "0" - regardless if you have a positive or negative attitude...the more extrem your position gets, the more she will hate you. To represent her fear of the Planet blooming, add an extra penalty, when following the Hybrid civic.
She should be agressive as well, though more focussed on factions disturbing the "balance of planet".

 

[AnotherPacifist]

Stupid question here: I'm at war with Zakharov and have captured a former in his territory. If I chop the fungus there, will it be bad for my planet attitude or his? (After all, it's his fungus that's chopped, not mine)

I'm finding out more and more that to win in emperor, you have to have at least a chopper from a pod.

 

[AnotherPacifist]

It would be nice to allow a spy to either plant or destroy fungus in foreign territory. The former would allow you to destroy improvements and promote native life to spawn (if you're pro-planet) while the latter would allow you to chop fungus just outside your territory (so that it can't spread backwards in your nicely terraformed land). Other than taking out an enemy or expanding your culture it's close to impossible to defend against spawns just at your border, and if it happens you've vassalized that opponent, good luck with spawns.

 

[Pfeffersack]

Stupid question here: I'm at war with Zakharov and have captured a former in his territory. If I chop the fungus there, will it be bad for my planet attitude or his? (After all, it's his fungus that's chopped, not mine)

Only his attitude, because the PA gets calculated from fungus vs. terraformer former around bases - so as long as you don't capture the bases around the place where you do that, you only hurt him, as there is no direct penalty for being a "chopper"

It would be nice to allow a spy to either plant or destroy fungus in foreign territory. The former would allow you to destroy improvements and promote native life to spawn (if you're pro-planet) while the latter would allow you to chop fungus just outside your territory (so that it can't spread backwards in your nicely terraformed land). Other than taking out an enemy or expanding your culture it's close to impossible to defend against spawns just at your border, and if it happens you've vassalized that opponent, good luck with spawns.

At least planting fungus is already possible, though not with probe tema - you can use the Bloom promotion for NL for increased plunder and the ability to spread fungus on tiles they plunder (if fungus can spread there at all and if there is no more improvement left, so no fungus yet if you have just "downgraded" an Eden)