Lost Eden development thread

[vyeh]

Here's the GotM version:

Nice.

EDIT: Merry Christmas!

2nd EDIT: Happy New Year!

 

[Kilkakon]

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you too vyehman! Hope that you had a great holiday period time.

I was (predictably) engaged in socialisation over the last week, but am ready for getting on with things soon. I've finished the GotM story, just need to whip up a scenario now.

 

[vyeh]

Hope that you had a great holiday period time.

I did.

I've finished the GotM story, just need to whip up a scenario now.

Is there anything else that needs to be done?

 

[Kilkakon]

For LE or the scenario? As for the scenario, I have completed a prototype which I assume that the other GOTM people will have a go at to see that everything is working properly.

Jordan has arrived back from Sydney, we were able to have a game when he came over recently. Naturally I spotted a good 5 or 6 little typos and so on, small things that one can only spot by playing the game.

 

[vyeh]

For LE or the scenario?

For LE.

Jordan has arrived back from Sydney, we were able to have a game when he came over recently. Naturally I spotted a good 5 or 6 little typos and so on, small things that one can only spot by playing the game.

That's good. Did Jordan enjoy the game?

 

[Kilkakon]

For LE.

Ah right, in that case, the same todo list from 2 weeks or so ago.

That's good. Did Jordan enjoy the game?

Oh yeah he did. He didn't do very well though as he harassed too much with not enough units, so not really taking any cities. The game did make me decide to allow raising and lowering of land though.

 

[vyeh]

The game did make me decide to allow raising and lowering of land though.

Why?

 

[Kilkakon]

I think that it's an interesting tactical opportunity. In the game with Jordan I mentioned, he could have saved himself if he was able to cut off a key land bridge.

The LEGotM is done by the way. I will probably be sent on posting duty on all the other forums once Dan is 100% happy with it.

EDIT: I seem to have been demoted to Moderator at CGN. Not sure if that was by design or not, just wondering.

 

[vyeh]

I think that it's an interesting tactical opportunity. In the game with Jordan I mentioned, he could have saved himself if he was able to cut off a key land bridge.

Does it fit with the LE story? Raising/lowering land is advance terraforming.

The LEGotM is done by the way. I will probably be sent on posting duty on all the other forums once Dan is 100% happy with it.

Congratulations.

EDIT: I seem to have been demoted to Moderator at CGN. Not sure if that was by design or not, just wondering.

I think you have always been moderator.

 

[Kilkakon]

Does it fit with the LE story? Raising/lowering land is advance terraforming.

I thought that raising and lowering of land could be done with a shovel. :O Possibly terracing or wooden supports for artifical cliffs.

Congratulations.

Thank you sir. At least one person has played it, another read the story and liked it.

I think you have always been moderator.

Okay. I thought that I was an Administrator, but oh well. It's no big deal, just something I noticed.

I'm in the new house now. Doing some housesitting for 2.5 weeks, it's been interesting so far. Learning skills such as cooking, doing household chores etc.

I'm going to try and cut back on forum posting and emails so I can get some work done over the next few days.

 

[vyeh]

I thought that raising and lowering of land could be done with a shovel. :O Possibly terracing or wooden supports for artifical cliffs.

Can the cost of raising/lowering land be increased? I know the time can be lengthened.

At least one person has played it, another read the story and liked it.

Hopefully, you will get some useful feedback.

I'm in the new house now. Doing some housesitting for 2.5 weeks, it's been interesting so far. Learning skills such as cooking, doing household chores etc.

Those are useful life skills.

I'm going to try and cut back on forum posting and emails so I can get some work done over the next few days.

Any of it for LE?

 

[Kilkakon]

Can the cost of raising/lowering land be increased? I know the time can be lengthened.

I don't think so. I am aware that income can be a lot lower than the normal game though, facility wise.

Hopefully, you will get some useful feedback.

Yeah! Imagine A Cool Name is also going to give the game a try. He's suggested that I have the workshop able to create a basic unit such as a Colony Pod to reduce crashes. What I've done is make every component in the game cost 999, so it's going to cost over 10000 minerals to make a Quantum Thorn Infantry even if people did try to reverse engineer things. AI seems clever enough to not use them, that's for sure, and yeah it's just something to prevent crashing. Seems good to me.

Any of it for LE?

Thanks to GeoModder, who posted a list of all the caviar files with descriptions, the caviar units look a bit better now. The Rifleboy no longer has giant spikes coming out of his back, the Ballista looks like it has something vaguely crossbow bolty on it, clockwork supertanks now have missile launchers as their cannon, the pirate ship flamethrower is now orange, everybody doesn't have that little thing in front of them because they have SAM ability, etc.

 

[vyeh]

Imagine A Cool Name is also going to give the game a try. He's suggested that I have the workshop able to create a basic unit such as a Colony Pod to reduce crashes. What I've done is make every component in the game cost 999, so it's going to cost over 10000 minerals to make a Quantum Thorn Infantry even if people did try to reverse engineer things. AI seems clever enough to not use them, that's for sure, and yeah it's just something to prevent crashing. Seems good to me.

That is a clever solution!

 

[Kilkakon]

More suggestions and minor fixes have hit home. Primarily minor errors in the interludes that we managed to miss.

I had a friend over yesterday, and he was able to provide a solid three seperate voices for the game. I'll edit them up shortly and then put them ingame. All good progress!

 

[vyeh]

More suggestions and minor fixes have hit home. Primarily minor errors in the interludes that we managed to miss.

That's great! Who gets the credit?

I had a friend over yesterday, and he was able to provide a solid three seperate voices for the game. I'll edit them up shortly and then put them ingame. All good progress!

 

[Kilkakon]

Imagine A Cool Name gets the credit there again. Just having somebody play it reveals a lot of little things that are hard to spot otherwise. I know this from playing it myself, I usually find a few tweaks to make. It's been a while since I've played singleplayer though, hence missing the interludes. Still, Imagine's doing a good job.

Chuck's voices are ingame. I'll probably edit the other two up today.

 

[vyeh]

Imagine A Cool Name gets the credit there again. Just having somebody play it reveals a lot of little things that are hard to spot otherwise. I know this from playing it myself, I usually find a few tweaks to make. It's been a while since I've played singleplayer though, hence missing the interludes. Still, Imagine's doing a good job.

It is nice to finally get a play tester!

Chuck's voices are ingame. I'll probably edit the other two up today.

 

[Kilkakon]

Speaking of playtesting, here's my suggestions and improvements based off his first game:

• Trade has been suggested as very good, perhaps too good. I am not sure if I should make it just +1 ECONOMY rather than +2 ECONOMY.
• Power "seems a little overpowered" as well. I could increase the penalty or add an extra one of a different type, like SUPPORT. It's mainly there to act as a police booster and of course, morale booster.
• Demonism seems weak. Suggestions? I could make it +2 GROWTH I suppose.
• Athiesm is crazy good. I am actively considering making the penalty -2 RESEARCH (from -1).
• I will reduce the attack of the Rose of Destruction from 10 to 7. Currently the endgame is dominated by Roses of Destruction.
• I am actively considering allowing Covert Ops Centres to be built (with a different name of course). I would reduce the PROBE bonus of We Must Be Free by 1, and eliminate the PROBE bonus from the Assassins and give them a reduction in espionage mission costs.

What are your thoughts?

 

[vyeh]

Speaking of playtesting, here's my suggestions and improvements based off his first game:

• Trade has been suggested as very good, perhaps too good. I am not sure if I should make it just +1 ECONOMY rather than +2 ECONOMY.

There is a big difference between +1 ECONOMY and +2 ECONOMY (much larger than between +0 ECONOMY and + 1 ECONOMY or between +2 ECONOMY and +3 ECONOMY).

• Power "seems a little overpowered" as well. I could increase the penalty or add an extra one of a different type, like SUPPORT. It's mainly there to act as a police booster and of course, morale booster.

The SUPPORT penalty would work. What is the current penalty?

• Demonism seems weak. Suggestions? I could make it +2 GROWTH I suppose.

That would work.

• Athiesm is crazy good. I am actively considering making the penalty -2 RESEARCH (from -1).

OK.

• I will reduce the attack of the Rose of Destruction from 10 to 7. Currently the endgame is dominated by Roses of Destruction.

Good idea.

• I am actively considering allowing Covert Ops Centres to be built (with a different name of course). I would reduce the PROBE bonus of We Must Be Free by 1, and eliminate the PROBE bonus from the Assassins and give them a reduction in espionage mission costs.

Could you explain why you are considering cover opts centres? Do recall the pesky probe rollover bug, which exists in (vanilla) SMAX.

What are your thoughts?

It is great to see some changes resulting from another play tester!

 

[Kilkakon]

The SUPPORT penalty would work. What is the current penalty?

The current penalty is -1 Planet. I'm currently thinking that -2 Planet is the way to go.

Could you explain why you are considering cover opts centres? Do recall the pesky probe rollover bug, which exists in (vanilla) SMAX.

The playtester complained that not having +3 Probe was getting annoying for him.

It is great to see some changes resulting from another play tester!

Yeah! It's great to have somebody finally playing the game who knows SMAX enough to make informed comments.

Currently this is what I have done:

• Rose of Destruction attack reduced to 7
• Charmander Defender now has Comm Jammer
• Weeping Idol now has Pulse Defence benefits
• Charmander Explorer and Superior and Dark Rose now a grav-strut infantry to dodge Pulse/Jammer
• Power: -1 Planet --> -2 Planet
• Industry: +2 Industry --> +3 Industry
• Athiesm: -1 Research --> -2 Research
• We Must Be Free: +1 Police --> +2 Police; +2 Probe --> +1 Probe
• Assassins lose their +1 Probe. Now they have -40% spy actions cost
• Covert Ops Centres added

Will do a bit of AI testing and of course hear back from the guy about how this works. Of course, your opinions are still very much valued. I've currently gone with making Industry more powerful in that line, so that should make it more attractive.