NEW Handicap's

[AIAndy]

Though for me to fully understand the XML: What is
<Percents>
<Percent>
<ID>ADAPT_DEFAULT</ID>
<iValue>1250</iValue>
</Percent>
</Percents>
and what does it do?

It defines a custom scaling similar to the other percent stuff in the file. You can have such percents definitions in handicap info, world info and game speed info and all of them take effect. So if for some ADAPT_MY_SPECIAL_SCALING there is a 200 in the currently active world info, game speed info and handicap info then the number this is applied to would be scaled by 200% * 200% * 200% = 800%.

XML (or DLL) can then make use of that scaling like this:

									<Adapt>
										<ID>ADAPT_MY_SPECIAL_SCALING</ID>
										<Constant>5</Constant>
									</Adapt>

The 5 in this case is the number that is scaled. The Adapt tag can be used wherever an integer expression can be used.

ADAPT_DEFAULT is the default scaling for game speed and it is used to scale a number of rewards of outcome missions of subdued animals or the merchant line.

 

[BlueGenie]

Ok, thanks.
So it is not used in any of the "normal" things, like research, build, train, construct, and so on, only in those things requiring scaling that do not have their own nice tag to use to balance it nicely?

Cheers

 

[AIAndy]

Ok, thanks.
So it is not used in any of the "normal" things, like research, build, train, construct, and so on, only in those things requiring scaling that do not have their own nice tag to use to balance it nicely?

Cheers

Correct.

 

[BlueGenie]

@SO, Alberts, who set base free units in Global Defines to 4? I had it at 10 for a reason. With the new maintenance settings a slight leeway is needed across the board with units, even if not having +1 per military unit in Anarchism. It's for after Tribalism and Chiefdom too. (and after monarchy 10 or 4 make barely any difference at all so for easier gameplay in the beginning 10 is, in my opinion, better).

Cheers

 

[strategyonly]

@ alberts2

How soon do you think now you are going to make some of your changes??

 

[alberts8]

@ alberts2

How soon do you think now you are going to make some of your changes??

Not sure i'am busy at work and i got lost in numbers and code because while trying to rebalance Research i noticed what looks like a huge concurrency bug..............

 

[strategyonly]

Not sure i'am busy at work and i got lost in numbers and code because while trying to rebalance Research i noticed what looks like a huge concurrency bug..............

But at least do you have "some" turn time improvements that can be made? And by non-currency bug, what exactly is that?

 

[Thunderbrd]

Not sure i'am busy at work and i got lost in numbers and code because while trying to rebalance Research i noticed what looks like a huge concurrency bug..............

A while back I found a spot where I felt we had the right balance, at least for the first few eras, between research and production rates. I took note of a quick formula that could assist us in getting things back to that balance that could be determined from round 1 and thus the rest of the game extrapolating outward from there.

The formula is pretty basic. The first two techs should take as long as it takes to build at least 3 Brutes, assuming that Brutes are all that are built along the way. Assumes 2 hammers for the first workable plot, Noble difficulty setting, as well as no starting traits.

Currently, on Snail, it takes 4 rounds for each of the first techs. It takes 4 rounds to build a Brute. I would say this shows we're about 50% off on our research rate and that costs for research should be enhanced via whatever modifiers apply by about 50% in total to get us back to where I believe the majority of us were quite content.

Just a guideline to go off of and it's really based on opinion to some extent. SGT Slick's Extended Build stuff should be about where our main core is right now.

I'm not horribly familiar with the files and settings that should be adjusted to get this back around so having thus performed this basic analysis I was waiting a bit for a clean SVN update to perform, I'm just mentioning it in hopes that either I might be guided to where to adjust these values or someone who's more familiar may take some responsibility to manipulate them.

Thanks in advance!

 

[alberts8]

Finding the right balance is not possible with all the different settings, playstyles and so on. But you are right it looks like snail is about 50% to fast.

I reduced the new iResearch values a bit because i'am certain some people will be furious about this change. I would make them a bit higher and maybe the Prehistoric era 10% slower.

Gamespeed iConstruct now iResearch now iCon/iRes Ratio now iResearchPercent new iCon/iRes Ratio new
GAMESPEED_NORMAL 135 220 0,61 220 0,61
GAMESPEED_EPIC 180 400 0,45 400 0,45
GAMESPEED_MARATHON 370 500 0,74 588 0,62
GAMESPEED_SNAIL 500 750 0,67 1035 0,48
GAMESPEED_EONS 1000 1500 0,67 2070 0,48
GAMESPEED_ETERNITY 1000 2250 0,44 2941 0,34

 

[Thunderbrd]

Finding the right balance is not possible with all the different settings, playstyles and so on. But you are right it looks like snail is about 50% to fast.

I reduced the new iResearch values a bit because i'am certain some people will be furious about this change. I would make them a bit higher and maybe the Prehistoric era 10% slower.

Gamespeed iConstruct now iResearch now iCon/iRes Ratio now iResearchPercent new iCon/iRes Ratio new
GAMESPEED_NORMAL 135 220 0,61 220 0,61
GAMESPEED_EPIC 180 400 0,45 400 0,45
GAMESPEED_MARATHON 370 500 0,74 588 0,62
GAMESPEED_SNAIL 500 750 0,67 1035 0,48
GAMESPEED_EONS 1000 1500 0,67 2070 0,48
GAMESPEED_ETERNITY 1000 2250 0,44 2941 0,34

I'll be happy to retest as soon as that's adjusted.

Wouldn't it make sense if those ratios are the same on all settings?

 

[alberts8]

I'll be happy to retest as soon as that's adjusted.

Wouldn't it make sense if those ratios are the same on all settings?

In that case it would make sense to rework the iConstruct values because they seem to be a bit random compared with others like iImprovementPercent. As example Enos and Eternity have the same iConstruct value but the rest is different.

 

[Thunderbrd]

Agreed.

 

[alberts8]

The next big question is what is the correct ratio beetween them?
This would be values with a resulting ~0.48 ratio.

Gamespeed iConstruct now iResearch now iCon/iRes Ratio now iConstruct new iResearchPercent new iCon/iRes Ratio new
GAMESPEED_NORMAL 135 220 0,6136363636 96 200 0,48
GAMESPEED_EPIC 180 400 0,45 193 400 0,4825
GAMESPEED_MARATHON 370 500 0,74 284 588 0,4829931973
GAMESPEED_SNAIL 500 750 0,6666666667 500 1035 0,4830917874
GAMESPEED_EONS 1000 1500 0,6666666667 1000 2070 0,4830917874
GAMESPEED_ETERNITY 1000 2250 0,4444444444 1420 2941 0,4828289697

 

[strategyonly]

I would make them a bit higher and maybe the Prehistoric era 10% slower.

I have been asking that for a year now, thats what i wanted and sounds great, what do you think DH, because your a Snail guy, whereas i am NOT, i use Marathon and below for testing.

 

[Thunderbrd]

The next big question is what is the correct ratio beetween them?
This would be values with a resulting ~0.48 ratio.

Gamespeed iConstruct now iResearch now iCon/iRes Ratio now iConstruct now iResearchPercent new iCon/iRes Ratio new
GAMESPEED_NORMAL 135 220 0,6136363636 96 200 0,48
GAMESPEED_EPIC 180 400 0,45 193 400 0,4825
GAMESPEED_MARATHON 370 500 0,74 284 588 0,4829931973
GAMESPEED_SNAIL 500 750 0,6666666667 500 1035 0,4830917874
GAMESPEED_EONS 1000 1500 0,6666666667 1000 2070 0,4830917874
GAMESPEED_ETERNITY 1000 2250 0,4444444444 1420 2941 0,4828289697

Let's try it and we'll see. Tough to know for sure until its set and can be looked into ingame.

 

[alberts8]

Gamespeed iConstruct now iResearch now iCon/iRes Ratio now iConstruct new iResearchPercent new iCon/iRes Ratio new
GAMESPEED_NORMAL 135 220 0,6136363636 96 200 0,48
GAMESPEED_EPIC 180 400 0,45 193 400 0,4825
GAMESPEED_MARATHON 370 500 0,74 284 588 0,4829931973
GAMESPEED_SNAIL 500 750 0,6666666667 500 1035 0,4830917874
GAMESPEED_EONS 1000 1500 0,6666666667 1000 2070 0,4830917874
GAMESPEED_ETERNITY 1000 2250 0,4444444444 1420 2941 0,4828289697

I attached the changed files for everybody to test those changes.
They go into "Assets\XML\GameInfo".

 

[Thunderbrd]

Will look into that this week at some point.

 

[Dancing Hoskuld]

I attached the changed files for everybody to test those changes.
They go into "Assets\XML\GameInfo".

My initial test suggests that the techs are happening at about the correct rate but that buildings are a bit too fast to build. Units seem fine. edit noble/snail/huge

 

[alberts8]

My initial test suggests that the techs are happening at about the correct rate but that buildings are a bit too fast to build. Units seem fine. edit noble/snail/huge

How much do you think are Buildings to fast to Build?

I don't think we should make them much slower because as a player you should be able to keep up building them while new Techs enable other buildings.

 

[strategyonly]

How much do you think are Buildings to fast to Build?

I don't think we should make them much slower because as a player you should be able to keep up building them while new Techs enable other buildings.

For Marathon they are "ok" but i like them just a little faster(but will do if cohesive with the others), because once you hit Ren Era, they are slow anyways(too slow "for me". If they are over 5 turns in later years, i dont like it and usually stop my game playing to only 2 techs and quit the game for at least 3 hours, then again same thing 2 techs, 3 hour wait.
But again that was because of the looong turn times, that are over 30 seconds. And 30 seconds is usually as long as i can wait even in Modern Era.