Polycrates
Emperor
- Joined
- Dec 15, 2006
- Messages
- 1,288
Rising Tide, for all its many good points, is not the greatest in the balance department. A lot of mechanics in the release version are veeeeery wonky. I'm hoping to start trying to address that balance with this mod. Of course it's very early days, and I'm sure there are plenty of nuances for everyone to work out before any of us can consider ourselves experts on the balance, so this is to test out a bunch of changes to see if they start pointing things in the right direction.
In making this mod, the main thing that stood out was the obscene snowball effect provided by internal trade routes. Toning this down a bit has honestly probably made 90% of the difference with this mod - a lot of the problems really go away when they're not fed by stupidly strong trade routes.
The other major thing was slowing down early game colonist spam. I've removed the free settler from Prosperity, and made settlers a little bit more expensive (and quite a bit more expensive to rush buy).
There's a bunch more changes in the changelog below.
I've tried to err on the side of caution with the magnitude of these changes, at least for this first version, but to me it does still feel like a lot less of a breakneck snowball pace. It's possible others may even find the early game too slow now.
And there are loads of areas I haven't touched (at least not yet). I want to see how things play out with the current changes before trying to tweak too many things. Energy is still too easy to come by, units may still not be balanced, I'm letting Firaxis handle the bugfixes, buildings are still the same, apart from the free settler the virtues are the same, etc etc. In the next version, I'm hoping to address buildings and energy.
Version 0.21 (hotfix of v0.2) is HERE
Version 0.2 changelog is HERE
Combined changelog:
General:
Buildings (ring 1 and 2):
Buildings (ring 3):
OLD VERSION: Version 0.1 file is HERE
In making this mod, the main thing that stood out was the obscene snowball effect provided by internal trade routes. Toning this down a bit has honestly probably made 90% of the difference with this mod - a lot of the problems really go away when they're not fed by stupidly strong trade routes.
The other major thing was slowing down early game colonist spam. I've removed the free settler from Prosperity, and made settlers a little bit more expensive (and quite a bit more expensive to rush buy).
There's a bunch more changes in the changelog below.
I've tried to err on the side of caution with the magnitude of these changes, at least for this first version, but to me it does still feel like a lot less of a breakneck snowball pace. It's possible others may even find the early game too slow now.
And there are loads of areas I haven't touched (at least not yet). I want to see how things play out with the current changes before trying to tweak too many things. Energy is still too easy to come by, units may still not be balanced, I'm letting Firaxis handle the bugfixes, buildings are still the same, apart from the free settler the virtues are the same, etc etc. In the next version, I'm hoping to address buildings and energy.
Version 0.21 (hotfix of v0.2) is HERE
Version 0.2 changelog is HERE
Combined changelog:
General:
Spoiler :
Known issues:
Beyond Earth UI bug: This mod now suffers from the ongoing UI bug in BE that screws up the Unit Panel if you don’t load-unload-reload mods. This is due to the changes to workers and the new promotion from the Organ Printer. Nothing I can do on this end except hope Firaxis do something about it.
Hover-over help text for technologies has not yet been updated to reflect changes in unit/building/improvement location.
Core (CoreUpdates.xml):
Virtues (VirtueUpdates.xml)
Flavour (FlavourUpdates.xml):
AI Handicaps (AIHandicaps.xml):
Technology (Tech/TechCosts_updated.xml):
Currently:
Affinity perks (AffinityTree.xml):
Hybrid Units (Units/HybridUnits.xml):
Unit locations (Units/UnitLocations.xml): (NOTE – still need to fix tech help descriptions for these)
Pure:
Workers (Units/WorkerActions.xml):
Beyond Earth UI bug: This mod now suffers from the ongoing UI bug in BE that screws up the Unit Panel if you don’t load-unload-reload mods. This is due to the changes to workers and the new promotion from the Organ Printer. Nothing I can do on this end except hope Firaxis do something about it.
Hover-over help text for technologies has not yet been updated to reflect changes in unit/building/improvement location.
Core (CoreUpdates.xml):
- Internal trade routes: Reduced the scalar from 3 to 2. International/station routes kept as before. This is probably the biggest change, and I’m still experimenting with values. But this cuts them down from being quite so absurd, while keeping them still a viable option.
- City growth formula – flattened very slightly. Cities take slightly longer to grow at first, don’t slow down quite as much at larger sizes. It’s still way more brutal than Civ V’s growth curve.
Flat cost up from 15 to 20
Size multiplier kept at 8
Size exponent reduced from 2 to 1.8 - Extra trade route slot size threshold: Increased to 12 (was 10)
- HQ: HQ gives +1 science. Gives the early days a little kick start, slightly less dependent on the luck of high-food tiles.
- Colonists cost 120 (was 95), and have +50% hurry cost. Still pretty cheap to build, but considerably harder to rush buy with all the energy from popping pods. And honestly, they slow your city down when you build them, you ought to have to pay a premium to bypass that.
- Trade units: Hurry cost increased by 50%.
- ALL UNITS embark speed increased to 3 at Biochemistry.
- Vertical Farming gives +1 food to farms, not +1 food +1 energy. There’s way too much energy floating around anyway, there’s absolutely no reason to add more from farms.
- +1 Production from Farms at Industrial Ecology changed to +1 Production from Mines
- City processes: Base conversion for science/culture/food reduced to 20%, 30% for energy (was 25% for all)
- Insightful trait: Down to 3/6/9 per agreement. Would love if this could be a percentage of capital spent, because it’s currently way too easy to get +60 science really early from just having a bunch of 3 capital agreements.
- Ambitious trait: Reduced to +10/15/20% conversion (was +10/20/30%)
- Market Deregulation agreement: Size threshold for extra trade routes reduced to 10/20/30% (was 30/40/50)
- Tax Haven agreement (extra trade routes in the capital): Cost increased to 15 (was 9)
- Engineering Corps agreement (free workers): Cost increased to 9 (was 3)
- Dimension Folding Complex – Reduced to 25% unhealth reduction from population (was 50)
- International trade: multipliers for lesser and greater yield partners increased to 1.5 and 2.5 respectively (was 1 and 2). The system is still just as completely stupid as it ever was though, nothing I can do about that
- International trade: Strategic resource trading changed to 0 (cooperative) and 2 (allied). Was 1 and 3 respectively.
Virtues (VirtueUpdates.xml)
- Prosperity 5: No longer provides a free settler. Provides +3 food in the capital instead.
Flavour (FlavourUpdates.xml):
- Affinity resources: Xenomass revealed by Genetics, Floatstone revealed by Physics, Firaxite revealed by Engineering. To stop you picking an affinity on turn 1, and to stop cities border popping resources they won’t be able to work for ages. I’ve actually grown to really really like this change. Can still be shown on turn 1 by choosing tectonic scanner in loadout.
- Artifacts: Slightly lowered the discovery rate for old earth and alien artifacts. Should be impossible to get an artefact from the first pod popped.
- Specialists: +1 of the appropriate yield for all specialists. Hopefully might make the useful for more than just when you run out of tiles.
- Marvels: All marvels give additional yields (unfortunately this only applies to the small marvels, doesn’t seem to be possible with the big ones). Currently this applies regardless of whether you’ve completed the quest, but appears that it could be made contingent. This is just to make them a bit more Natural-Wondery
Primordial (meteor crater): +5 production, +5 energy
Arid (Abandoned alien city): +5 science, +5 culture
Fungal (giant fungus): +3 food (surrounding food on quest completion retained)
Frigid (ancient alien structure): +5 science, +5 energy
Water (hydrocoral brain): +5 food, +5 science
- Work boats improve algae with +1 food, not +1 energy. You’re gonna build a farm there anyway.
- Beds improve eggs with +1 food, +1 culture. Ditto.
- +2 production from titanium mines (was +3). It gets enough boost from the alloy foundry.
- Floatstone quarry gives +2 production (was +3 energy)
- Patrol boats have move 3 (was 4) to slow down sea exploration slightly. Regains 4 move at affinity 1 (cutter).
- Gunboat upgrades have reduced defensive combat strength to make patrol boat line more of a match. +4/+6/+10 (was +4/+10/+16)
- Hydracoral: Strength reduced (to 2/4/8 – was 10/18/32) but 300-400% defense modifiers added to compensate. To give reduced science from the Might virtue.
- Paean (health satellite): Added 1 petroleum maintenance (was 0)
- Cities connected to the Capital produce 0.5 energy per population (was 1)
- Roads cost 0 maintenance (was 1). Magrails cost 1 maintenance (was 2).
- Unlocked the additional starting options because why not
AI Handicaps (AIHandicaps.xml):
- AI players get +1 explorer expedition modules on Soyuz level, +2 expedition modules on Apollo. An attempt to make AI players compete more for expedition sites.
Technology (Tech/TechCosts_updated.xml):
- Tier 2, 3 and 4 (i.e. mostly ring 2) branch and leaf tech cost increased by 20%. Tiers 0, 1 and 5 kept the same.
Currently:
- Tier 1: stem 4/leaf 12
- Tier 2: stem 5/ leaf 15
- Tier 3: stem 6/leaf 18
- Tier 4: stem 7/leaf 21
- Tier 5: stem 8/leaf 24
- Field Theory/Exotic Matter changed from Harmony to Purity.
- Augmentation/Surrogacy changed from Purity to Supremacy
- Bioengineering/Industrial Ecology – added Harmony
- Social Dynamics/Human Idealism – added Harmony
- Astrodynamics/Dark Networks – added Purity
Affinity perks (AffinityTree.xml):
- Purity/Supremacy and Purity/Harmony level 5 health perks reduced to -15% unhealth (was -25%)
- Purity lvl 5 perk changed to +1 food from Domes (was bonus to floatstone)
- Purity lvl 8 perk changed to bonus to floatstone (was bonus to terrascapes)
- Purity lvl 12 perk changed to bonus to terrascapes (was bonus to dome)
Hybrid Units (Units/HybridUnits.xml):
- +1 to affinity requirements for final hybrid upgrades for basic units. I.e. Marines require 7/7 (was 6/6). Changed for all basic unit types with current hybrids (Marines, Gunners, Patrol Boats, Gunboats, Rovers).
Unit locations (Units/UnitLocations.xml): (NOTE – still need to fix tech help descriptions for these)
Pure:
- Aegis moved to Civil Support (was Surrogacy)
- SABR moved to Autogyros (was Synthetic Thought)
- CARVR moved to Synthetic Thought (was Autogyros)
- Immortal moved to Alien Genetics (was Organics)
- Autosled moved to Ballistic Lev (was Bionics)
- Architect moved to Tissue Engineering (was Alien Hybridisation)
- Geliopod moved to Alien Hybridisation (was Transgenics)
- Golem moved to Surrogacy (was Bioengineering)
- -All unique units should be on leaf techs
- -Unique units should be on leaf techs under branch techs with one or both of the unit’s affinities. It should NOT be under a branch that gives a different dual affinity (e.g. a S/P unit under a H/P branch), though it can be under a branch that gives all three (e.g. transgenics).
- -Unique units should be on a leaf that gives points in one of its affinities.
- -Unique units should be positioned in a location whose path most closely rewards that affinity/affinities. E.g. a P/S unit on a leaf of a supremacy branch, whose prerequisite branch is Purity. Gain for each affinity along the way should be reasonably balanced. On the other hand, the locations of an affinity’s units should be reasonably well spread-out.
- -Tier 1 uniques (battlesuit/xenoswarm/cndr/immortal/nanohive/drone cage) should be on the leaf of a tier 2 or 3 tech.
- -Tier 2 uniques (xeno cav/aegis/carvr/architect/autosled/geliopod) should be on the leaf of a tier 3 or 4 tech. If tier 4, it should be close to techs unlocking its required resources, if tier 3 it should be distant.
- -Tier 3 and 4 uniques should be on the leaf of tier 5 techs.
Workers (Units/WorkerActions.xml):
- Build Magrail – moved to Mechatronics (was Civil Support) – to move from leaf to branch and to compensate new Aegis location. Magrails still obsolete roads (not sure how to change this).
- Plant Forest – Enabled with Alien Ecology. Can plant on grassland, plains, tundra. Destroys improvements and resources.
- Advanced builds (array/node/biowell/academy/terrascape/dome/manufactory: construction time reduced by 25%
Buildings (ring 1 and 2):
Spoiler :
Ring 1:
Ring 2:
- Clinic: Unchanged
- Trade Depot: 2 maintenance
- Recycler: Unchanged
- Laboratory: 100 production cost (was 80), 1 scientist slot
- Rocket Battery: Unchanged
- Defence Perimeter: Unchanged
- Ultrasonic Fence: Broken. Unchanged until patched.
- Launch Complex: Unchanged
- Pharmalab: Maintenance 2. Quest changed to 2 science or 1 health (was 1 science or 1 health)
- Cytonursery: Maintenance 2. Gives 1 Health, 0 science (was 1 health, 1 science). No food from marshes. Grants +1 production from forests.
- Vivarium: Removed food bonus from non-flood-plain deserts. Now +1 food from flood plains.
- Thorium Reactor: +2 energy (was +3), 1 trader slot (was 2)
- Repair Facility: Added 1 engineer slot
- Observatory: Moved to Robotics (was Physics)
- Barracks: NEW building available at Physics. +15xp for land units. No quests. Frontier stadium changed to 15xp to go with this. Currently uses Augmentary icon as placeholder.
- Network: 3 maintenance. +33% science (was +3 science). +1 science from gold and copper (was copper). Quest changed to free maintenance or +1 Capital (was free maintenance or +1 culture).
- Alien Preserve: 2 maintenance. Quest changed to 5% heal rate or +3 culture from alien nests (was heal or +1science/+2 energy)
- Water Refinery: 2 maintenance. +1 production from sea resources, no production from non-resource water tiles.
- Tidal Turbine: 0 flat energy (was 3). +25% energy production in city, +1 energy from ocean tiles (not coast).
- Thermohaline Rudder: 150 production (was 205). No science (was 2). -35% move cost for water cities (was -30%). Quest gives +2 science or -15% move cost (was 1 science or 10% move cost).
- Petrochemical Plant: Gives +2 production from petroleum (was +1). However, quest gives only +1 production or +1 culture from petroleum (was +2 or +2).
Ring 2:
- Alloy Foundry: Maintenance 2. Titanium mine yield decreased by 1 elsewhere, building is unchanged.
- Autoplant: Maintenance 3. Quest changed to +1 production or free maintenance (was +1 production or +1 energy/-1 maintenance)
- Biofactory: Maintenance 3. Consumes 1 petroleum (was 0). No longer requires a local source of petroleum. Gives +3 production (as before), and +1 from chitin, resilin, coral and chelonia (was chitin only).
- Biofuel Plant: 0 flat energy (was 2). +2 energy from algae or plankton (was algae). Can be built with a local source of algae or plankton (was algae only).
- Bionics Lab: -25% unhealth in city (was +20% health). The difference is technical but this is a MUCH more useful bonus. +2 science from resililn, shell, silica (was +1 production from resilin). Can be built with local resilin, shell, silica (was resilin). Quest changed to +2 science or +1 health (was +1 science or +1 culture).
- CEL Cradle: Maintenance 3. Changed quest results to +10% culture in the city or 1 free spy (was +10% growth carryover or free spy).
- Cloning Plant: Maintenance 2. +1 food from xenomass (was +1 production).
- Command Centre: Maintenance 2.
- Feedsite Hub: Maintenance 2.
- Gaian Well: 0 flat yield (was 3). +3 energy from geothermal (was 0). +25% energy in city.
- Gene Garden: Maintenance 3. Requires 3 Purity (was 2). 0 science yield (was 1). Quest changed to +1 health or free maintenance (was +1 health or 4 energy).
- Growlab: Maintenance 2. Requires Harmony 2 (was 4). Flat food yield 2 (was 3). +1 food from fruit, fungus, tubers (was fungus only). Can be built with local fungus, fruit, tubers (was fungus only).
- Holosuite: Maintenance 3.
- Institute: Maintenance 2.
- Lev Plant: Maintenance 3. 3 flat production (was 4). +2 production from floatstone (was 0). Quest changed to +2 production or free maintenance (was +2 production or 3 energy).
- Mass Digester: Maintenance 2. 3 grower specialists (was 4).
- Neurolab: Maintenance 3. No science % increase, 0 science from firaxite (was 10% science, +1 from firaxite). Gives +1 science per 2 population. Still requires local firaxite.
- Optical Surgery: Maintenance 3. Gives +2 health from silica (was +1). Quest changed to +3 science or +1 unit sight range (was +2 science or +1 unit sight range).
- Xenofuel Plant: No flat yield (was 3). +3 energy from Xenomass (was +1).
- Xenonursery: Maintenance 3. Requires Harmony 4 (was 2). No science from xenomass (was 1). +15% science (was +10%). +1 science from forests. Still requires local xenomass.
Buildings (ring 3):
Spoiler :
Non-affinity: these have no affinity requirement and are generally somewhat weaker than other ring 3 buildings
Borehole: Maintenance 3. No affinity requirement (was Purity 8). +5 production (was +5), +2 production, +2 energy from canyons. Provides 2 engineers (was 0). Cost 400 (was 500). Updated quest reward to 5% energy and -3 maintenance (was 5% energy and -1 maintenance).
Notes: This took way too long to provide a return on investment, so this is shifted slightly (although the additional return is deliberately situational). And the game needed more engineers that are available to everyone. Hopefully not too much overlap with the canyon wonder.
Civil Creche: Maintenance 3. Otherwise unchanged.
Notes: It’s a bit on the weak side for tier 3 but it works fine and it’s in a spot with other buildings.
Field Reactor: Provides +33% energy (was +10%).
Notes: Space Stock Exchange.
Molecular Forge: Maintenance 3. No affinity requirement (was 8 Harmony).
Notes: This is the only building in a ring 3 leaf tech, and it’s pretty weak for it. I got rid of the affinity because that was insult to injury. Might boost later, might put the growers from civil crèche here because that makes more sense. On the other hand it has REALLY powerful quests (10% production or 10% science).
Mosaic Hull: Maintenance 2
Notes: The culture thing is weird but whatever. It’s a bit crap but I’m leaving it for now.
Neoplanetarium: Maintenance 3. +50% orbital production (was +40%). Quest gives +25% orbital production or +2 orbital range (was broken).
Notes: It’s well-placed (if you want the satellites you’ll get this on the way) and it’s a useful niche building. Upped the effect a bit and fixed the quest to make it a bit more worthwhile.
Soma Distillery: Maintenance 3. Otherwise unchanged.
Notes: This has a bit of a schizophrenic effect but I really like the flavour and the Huxley thing so I’m leaving it.
Affinity: These are intended to be VERY powerful buildings that are associated with one or more affinities. Some of them do look stupidly powerful, and they are, but there are significant costs associated as well. I haven’t touched the quest rewards yet.
Augmentary (SSSP): Maintenance 4. 4 firaxite cost (was 0). Maximum 3 can be constructed. Build cost increases by 100 per city in your empire. +1 of the primary yield from ALL specialists in the empire for each augmentary you have. Has a pretty gold border but is NOT classed as a wonder.
Notes: Completely removed its existing effect because it was stupid. This new effect only works globally and there’s no per-city equivalent, hence the somewhat kludgey effect. I really wanted something to benefit a specialist-heavy strategy, and I’ve also gone with a slightly ‘taller’ theme for the tier 3 supremacy buildings. Bummer about the gold border but no easy way to fix that.
Bioglass Furnace (SSSH): Maintenance 4. Requires 2 firaxite (was 2). +2 production, +25% production in this city (was +2/+15%). GLOBAL unhealth increased by 5% for each Bioglass Furnace in the empire.
Notes: It’s a big boost, but you’ll only want it in cities where you can make it count because that health penalty adds up (again, best for taller). Also wanted to emphasise the ‘more production, damn the environment’ theme for Supremacy. AI tends to have big health boosts, so hopefully shouldn’t screw with them too much. I can make this a local unhealth penalty if necessary.
Gene Smelter (HHHS): Maintenance 4. Provides 0 health (was 3). Provides 3 Transcend specialist slots. Transcendi give 2 energy, 3 science, 2 culture, 2 capital. Costs 2 xenomass (was 0). Location switched with Organ Printer.
Notes: Wanted another specialist building on the other side of the affinity spectrum. Obviously inspired by the specialists in SMAC, and gives a bit of Harmony flavour, I think. It’s the weakest of the tier 3 science-related buildings, but Harmony get a good science building early. Harmony also needs a bit of a water city boost, and specialists fit nicely. Perhaps looks stronger than it is, since 3 workers need to be taken from the field. Transcends currently use the blue scientist icon as a placeholder.
Hypercore (SSSS): Maintenance 5. Cost 1000 (was 470). Can only be built in the capital. Provides +100% science to the city. +2 science to all Networks.
Notes: Again with the taller Supremacy theme. Seemed like the sort of thing you might only build one of, but which feeds into other networks (hence the network bonus).
Mantle (PPPH): Maintenance 4. Requires 4 floatstone and local floatstone. Cost increases by 100 for each city in the empire. +10% science to ALL cities for each Mantle in the empire. Quest changed to 1 science or 2 energy (total, not per building) per purity level (was 1 science or 1 energy).
Notes: Kinda wanted to make this the opposite of the Hypercore. Potentially very powerful if you’ve prioritised settling near floatstone. Favours wide, but that production cost can REALLY add up if you’ve built a lot of cities, and it’ll cost a big chunk of floatstone to build them everywhere. Purity got a bit shafted with science buildings so this is to make it up to them a bit.
Microbial Mine (HHHP): Maintenance 4. +4 production, +15% production for this city (was +3, +10%). Still requires 2 xenomass. Quest updated to 1 science or 2 energy per harmony level (was 1 or 1).
Notes: I wanted to keep a slightly more default production building. These are already the strongest of the tier 3 buildings. Considering dropping the base effect somewhat and adding specialists.
Nanopasture (SSPP): Maintenance 4. 33% food kept after growth (was 15%). No specialists (was 2 scientists).
Notes: Was a very schizophrenic building. A late-game aqueduct needs to be a powerful aqueduct.
Node Bank (SSHH): Maintenance 4. Defensive role entirely removed. Production cost increases by 75 for each city in the empire. +10% energy and +10% Capital from ALL cities for each node bank in the empire.
Notes: Hands up anyone who even remembers what this thing did? Had the stupidest effects ever, so now it’s a node-based energy building. Powerful, but you have to invest pretty heavily in them before the returns outstrip the cost.
Organ Printer (HHPP): Maintenance 4. Requires 2 xenomass. No science bonus. Provides Enhanced Combat Organs promotion to Land Melee units trained in this city. Promotion gives +25% attack strength and units may attack twice per turn. Location switched with Gene Smelter.
Notes: I wanted to follow the Space Marine sort of vibe of the Battlesuit and Immortal, and Purity-Harmony in particular. It bugs me in Civ V and BE that melee units are primarily used as roadblocks, so this gives more incentive to attack with them, which fits the ‘reckless charge’ kinda vibe of space marines anyway. Works particularly well with the fast movement and healing of P/H upgrades, and combined with buffs from Architect/Throne.
Progenitor Garden (HHHH): Maintenance 4. -33% unhealth in this city. +2 food from forests. Requires 4 xenomass, local xenomass. Quest changed to -10% unhealth or 10% science (was 10% health or 5% science).
Notes: Powerful but specialised effects. With the full array of Harmony forest buildings, forests with biowells are really strong (Harmony can also have workers build forests).
Skycrane (PPPS): Maintenance 4. Requires 2 floatstone (was 4). Provides 4 engineer slots (was 0). +10% production (was +15%).
Notes: Weaker base effect than the other affinity production buildings, but allows for a LOT of engineers. Particularly powerful for sea cities.
Terra Vault (PPPP): Maintenance 4. +3% Culture in the city for every point of population.
Notes: Gives a LOT of culture bonus, but late culture isn’t terribly powerful so I’m okay with this. Purity really are supposed to be the culture-heavy ones anyway. Alternative plan was +33% culture in the city (was 15%), and additional +33% border growth speed, but this didn’t work.
Victory buildings:
Exodus Gate: Unchanged
Emancipation Gate: Unchanged
Mind Stem: Unchanged
Xeno Sanctuary: Maintenance 3.
Borehole: Maintenance 3. No affinity requirement (was Purity 8). +5 production (was +5), +2 production, +2 energy from canyons. Provides 2 engineers (was 0). Cost 400 (was 500). Updated quest reward to 5% energy and -3 maintenance (was 5% energy and -1 maintenance).
Notes: This took way too long to provide a return on investment, so this is shifted slightly (although the additional return is deliberately situational). And the game needed more engineers that are available to everyone. Hopefully not too much overlap with the canyon wonder.
Civil Creche: Maintenance 3. Otherwise unchanged.
Notes: It’s a bit on the weak side for tier 3 but it works fine and it’s in a spot with other buildings.
Field Reactor: Provides +33% energy (was +10%).
Notes: Space Stock Exchange.
Molecular Forge: Maintenance 3. No affinity requirement (was 8 Harmony).
Notes: This is the only building in a ring 3 leaf tech, and it’s pretty weak for it. I got rid of the affinity because that was insult to injury. Might boost later, might put the growers from civil crèche here because that makes more sense. On the other hand it has REALLY powerful quests (10% production or 10% science).
Mosaic Hull: Maintenance 2
Notes: The culture thing is weird but whatever. It’s a bit crap but I’m leaving it for now.
Neoplanetarium: Maintenance 3. +50% orbital production (was +40%). Quest gives +25% orbital production or +2 orbital range (was broken).
Notes: It’s well-placed (if you want the satellites you’ll get this on the way) and it’s a useful niche building. Upped the effect a bit and fixed the quest to make it a bit more worthwhile.
Soma Distillery: Maintenance 3. Otherwise unchanged.
Notes: This has a bit of a schizophrenic effect but I really like the flavour and the Huxley thing so I’m leaving it.
Affinity: These are intended to be VERY powerful buildings that are associated with one or more affinities. Some of them do look stupidly powerful, and they are, but there are significant costs associated as well. I haven’t touched the quest rewards yet.
Augmentary (SSSP): Maintenance 4. 4 firaxite cost (was 0). Maximum 3 can be constructed. Build cost increases by 100 per city in your empire. +1 of the primary yield from ALL specialists in the empire for each augmentary you have. Has a pretty gold border but is NOT classed as a wonder.
Notes: Completely removed its existing effect because it was stupid. This new effect only works globally and there’s no per-city equivalent, hence the somewhat kludgey effect. I really wanted something to benefit a specialist-heavy strategy, and I’ve also gone with a slightly ‘taller’ theme for the tier 3 supremacy buildings. Bummer about the gold border but no easy way to fix that.
Bioglass Furnace (SSSH): Maintenance 4. Requires 2 firaxite (was 2). +2 production, +25% production in this city (was +2/+15%). GLOBAL unhealth increased by 5% for each Bioglass Furnace in the empire.
Notes: It’s a big boost, but you’ll only want it in cities where you can make it count because that health penalty adds up (again, best for taller). Also wanted to emphasise the ‘more production, damn the environment’ theme for Supremacy. AI tends to have big health boosts, so hopefully shouldn’t screw with them too much. I can make this a local unhealth penalty if necessary.
Gene Smelter (HHHS): Maintenance 4. Provides 0 health (was 3). Provides 3 Transcend specialist slots. Transcendi give 2 energy, 3 science, 2 culture, 2 capital. Costs 2 xenomass (was 0). Location switched with Organ Printer.
Notes: Wanted another specialist building on the other side of the affinity spectrum. Obviously inspired by the specialists in SMAC, and gives a bit of Harmony flavour, I think. It’s the weakest of the tier 3 science-related buildings, but Harmony get a good science building early. Harmony also needs a bit of a water city boost, and specialists fit nicely. Perhaps looks stronger than it is, since 3 workers need to be taken from the field. Transcends currently use the blue scientist icon as a placeholder.
Hypercore (SSSS): Maintenance 5. Cost 1000 (was 470). Can only be built in the capital. Provides +100% science to the city. +2 science to all Networks.
Notes: Again with the taller Supremacy theme. Seemed like the sort of thing you might only build one of, but which feeds into other networks (hence the network bonus).
Mantle (PPPH): Maintenance 4. Requires 4 floatstone and local floatstone. Cost increases by 100 for each city in the empire. +10% science to ALL cities for each Mantle in the empire. Quest changed to 1 science or 2 energy (total, not per building) per purity level (was 1 science or 1 energy).
Notes: Kinda wanted to make this the opposite of the Hypercore. Potentially very powerful if you’ve prioritised settling near floatstone. Favours wide, but that production cost can REALLY add up if you’ve built a lot of cities, and it’ll cost a big chunk of floatstone to build them everywhere. Purity got a bit shafted with science buildings so this is to make it up to them a bit.
Microbial Mine (HHHP): Maintenance 4. +4 production, +15% production for this city (was +3, +10%). Still requires 2 xenomass. Quest updated to 1 science or 2 energy per harmony level (was 1 or 1).
Notes: I wanted to keep a slightly more default production building. These are already the strongest of the tier 3 buildings. Considering dropping the base effect somewhat and adding specialists.
Nanopasture (SSPP): Maintenance 4. 33% food kept after growth (was 15%). No specialists (was 2 scientists).
Notes: Was a very schizophrenic building. A late-game aqueduct needs to be a powerful aqueduct.
Node Bank (SSHH): Maintenance 4. Defensive role entirely removed. Production cost increases by 75 for each city in the empire. +10% energy and +10% Capital from ALL cities for each node bank in the empire.
Notes: Hands up anyone who even remembers what this thing did? Had the stupidest effects ever, so now it’s a node-based energy building. Powerful, but you have to invest pretty heavily in them before the returns outstrip the cost.
Organ Printer (HHPP): Maintenance 4. Requires 2 xenomass. No science bonus. Provides Enhanced Combat Organs promotion to Land Melee units trained in this city. Promotion gives +25% attack strength and units may attack twice per turn. Location switched with Gene Smelter.
Notes: I wanted to follow the Space Marine sort of vibe of the Battlesuit and Immortal, and Purity-Harmony in particular. It bugs me in Civ V and BE that melee units are primarily used as roadblocks, so this gives more incentive to attack with them, which fits the ‘reckless charge’ kinda vibe of space marines anyway. Works particularly well with the fast movement and healing of P/H upgrades, and combined with buffs from Architect/Throne.
Progenitor Garden (HHHH): Maintenance 4. -33% unhealth in this city. +2 food from forests. Requires 4 xenomass, local xenomass. Quest changed to -10% unhealth or 10% science (was 10% health or 5% science).
Notes: Powerful but specialised effects. With the full array of Harmony forest buildings, forests with biowells are really strong (Harmony can also have workers build forests).
Skycrane (PPPS): Maintenance 4. Requires 2 floatstone (was 4). Provides 4 engineer slots (was 0). +10% production (was +15%).
Notes: Weaker base effect than the other affinity production buildings, but allows for a LOT of engineers. Particularly powerful for sea cities.
Terra Vault (PPPP): Maintenance 4. +3% Culture in the city for every point of population.
Notes: Gives a LOT of culture bonus, but late culture isn’t terribly powerful so I’m okay with this. Purity really are supposed to be the culture-heavy ones anyway. Alternative plan was +33% culture in the city (was 15%), and additional +33% border growth speed, but this didn’t work.
Victory buildings:
Exodus Gate: Unchanged
Emancipation Gate: Unchanged
Mind Stem: Unchanged
Xeno Sanctuary: Maintenance 3.
OLD VERSION: Version 0.1 file is HERE