v6 feedback

[Maniac]

Thanks!

In CivilizationIV.ini you can change the frequency of autosaving btw, so you don't have to remember to save all the time. Eg these values could work:

; The maximum number of autosaves kept in the directory before being deleted.
MaxAutoSaves = 10

; Specify the number of turns between autoSaves. 0 means no autosave.
AutoSaveInterval = 1

Btw, because of your game I realized there are a bunch of functions and probabilities, both old ones and new ones added by myself, that don't take gamespeed into account. Eg a big one is feature growth. On epic gamespeed this means fungus expands much faster than intended, and in your games already covers half the map while you only have a handful bases! This has been changed for the next patch. But for the moment I wouldn't recommend playing on anything else but Normal gamespeed.

 

[JosEPh_II]

Sure, can do.

Although it was a good challenge to overcome the local fauna and flora expansion early game. Made me scramble a bit harder to keep the worms and launchers in check. And getting a foothold on the sea has been extremely rough. The early foils really struggle to take out a spawning area. I even had one try to take "root" right in front of New Jerusalem!

I havn't played a game on normal speed for over a year now. That will be a system shock.

JosEPh

 

[Maniac]

I'll put adapting probabilities to gamespeed on the to-do list.

Good news btw! I found the cause of the crash thanks to your second save. There was a possibility for division by zero (= instant crash) left open in some of Firaxis' code, a possibility which can't occur in vanilla civ, but can occur in Planetfall if barbarians capture a base with a Maintenance Bay in it. It's fixed now. The fix will be present in the next patch, hopefully soon.

 

[JosEPh_II]

Great! :happy: :joy: :joy:

Always glad to be of assistance.

Waiting patiently for new patch. :whistle: :twiddle thumbs:

JosEPh

 

[Pfeffersack]

Some observations with Version 6 Patch e (on the positive side I have the impression that the AI plays much better now):

- After someone building the White Pines Wonder, "Apostolic Palace Elections" take place - beside the relict in the name, there was only Deidre eligible (see attached save, just press turn end). I know that this happens in some situations in Civ4 as well, but IIRC the rules for planetary council elections in AC are more simple anyway so maybe this can be fixed.

- Having exactly the same name for Windmills on Land and Sea is confusing - on the first glance you might e.g. assume that the Enclosed Biospheres give a bonus to both, but it works only with the ones Sea. Why not rename the sea ones to Offshore-Windmills or something?

 

[Maniac]

The elections code looked rather complex, last time I had a quick look at it.
Perhaps Deirdre was the only one running Hybrid Ecology?

I prefer short names. Otherwise they don't fit in the interface in many places. I guess I'll rename them Sea Mills.

 

[The_J]

First: Great work .
The last time, when i looked in here, you did't have a real tech-tree, but now it's looking good .

For me, it's a little bit confusing, that no roads are needed, but that's not a bad thing .
The SDK-Work seems very complex, incredible that such things like the fungus can be done .


1 Bug: I entered a unity-pod on a land-field, and a isle of the deep appeared.


And: Damn! I also choosed the windmills in my mod to produce commerce.
Now it'll look like i've had stolen this idea .


Sad, that i can't play more, modding and rl are very time-consuming .


edit: Had a crash after loading a auto-save, but seems to be a random one.

And: you should delete the unused resources, the resources-civilopedia-entry is a little bit confusing.

2. edit: i've seen the lots of good sci-fi-units, why aren't you using more of them? Is it a matter of time?

 

[GeoModder]

I prefer short names. Otherwise they don't fit in the interface in many places. I guess I'll rename them Sea Mills.

Hydromills?

 

[Maniac]

And: you should delete the unused resources, the resources-civilopedia-entry is a little bit confusing.

Already done for the next patch. Well, they're not deleted (that would require messing with the PlotLSystem ), but I've made it so they don't appear in the Datalinks.

2. edit: i've seen the lots of good sci-fi-units, why aren't you using more of them? Is it a matter of time?

If you have suggestions for specific fits of available graphics with a specific Planetfall unit, I'd be interested to hear them!

 

[The_J]

Already done for the next patch. Well, they're not deleted (that would require messing with the PlotLSystem ), but I've made it so they don't appear in the Datalinks.

Yes, the plotlsystem.xml is the hell , i hate working with it.

If you have suggestions for specific fits of available graphics with a specific Planetfall unit, I'd be interested to hear them!

Haven't played SMAC, but i can't believe that there were no other infantry-units in it.

 

[soggy_amphibian]

Haven't played SMAC, but i can't believe that there were no other infantry-units in it.

There was a design workshop, you could select Chassis (including Infantry), Shields, Reactor, Weapon (or Equipment, so Former, Probe Team and Colony Pod were here too), and Special Ability (now incorporated somewhat in the promotions). So there were a thousand infantry units, or one, you could just mix and match.
I haven't found a definitive list of the approx 32000 possible units
The game designed some by default for you, but any unit you could make was given a name.
Planetfall's been made simpler in that regard by offering you standard units and cutting out that aspect of the game.
If you have ideas for units, it wouldn't hurt to suggest them, or if a design you've seen would work for an existing unit, suggestions there wouldn't hurt either

 

[Pfeffersack]

The elections code looked rather complex, last time I had a quick look at it. Perhaps Deirdre was the only one running Hybrid Ecology?

Indeed, that was the case.

Another thing about the elections I don't like is that ATM they are basically always about victory - because the other options just copied over from BTS don't work very well here (beisde they lack the atmosphere of original AC planetary council vote topics). We have less players in the game, so there is less chance that things like force peace or war vs. someone will work (even more because "non-members" as targets aren't there, all factions are at least voting members)

Beside having the Environmental Economics tech, is there anything you need to plant forests with your formers? The AIs (especially Miriam) seem to make great us of this option, but somehow it doesn't appear for my formers after having acquired said tech, despite trying on various terrains.

I noticed that there is no dipslay for generated espionage points inside cities in the left upper corner (probably because you aren't allowed to use the slider for generating espionage). Nonetheless a display would be helpful, as you still have specialists, buildings and civics influencing espionage point generation.

As a last point I runned into a crash in the year 2259 - save of the turn before is attached, just press turn end.

 

[Maniac]

1 Bug: I entered a unity-pod on a land-field, and a isle of the deep appeared.

Should be fixed now.

edit: Had a crash after loading a auto-save, but seems to be a random one.

I hope I fixed this one too now.

all factions are at least voting members

Yeah I don't want that (with the White Pines at least). On the To-Do list.
I hope to add Melt Polar Caps/Increase Solar Shade as a vote option in some undefined future. All the other ones are already present in Civ4 though.

Beside having the Environmental Economics tech, is there anything you need to plant forests with your formers?

You can't plant fungus or forest while using the Enclosed Biopshere civic. It mentions this now in the Civics screen.

I noticed that there is no dipslay for generated espionage points inside cities in the left upper corner (probably because you aren't allowed to use the slider for generating espionage). Nonetheless a display would be helpful, as you still have specialists, buildings and civics influencing espionage point generation.

I'll see if I can find where/how to change this.

As a last point I runned into a crash in the year 2259 - save of the turn before is attached, just press turn end.

That one is fixed in patch f.

 

[Pfeffersack]

Observations with v6f after playing around 180 turns as Gaians (with Raging Barbs):

- Frequency of Native Life was as expected - a tad higher as without the option checked, but neither I had problems (ok, playing Deidre surely helped abit, but the game wasn't about capturing tons of native life or so - I had to fight against them as the others) nor the AIs (Map Size was Standard BTW)

- Purely cosmetic, but you still find "Gold" inside pods, while the currency everywhere else in the game is already "Credits"

- I runned into an empty pod somehow (see attached save, just move the active Scout Patrol e tile SE into the tile with the pod)

- the text on the espionage screen overlaps badly (leader name and percentage with actual amount of points spent)

- the hoovertank (see attached pic) and the cruiser have strange animations - the former is in a strange cage and sometimes "falls out" of that cage if the unit sits around, while I saw the cruiser playing the sink animation while sitting on a tile

- there seems to be no civilopedia entry for kelp farms

- the hoover help and civilopedia entry for the perimeter defense talk of "+50% defense except vs. Gunpowder" - probably a Civ4 relict, but I also wonder if they work vs. PSI then

- overall my games are far too peaceful...there are no inter-AI-wars (probably because the AI do not expand enough and the map script tends to place the factions rather on seperate islands then on a pangea), only Miriam extorted me in this and the last game (where she declared on me without being able to do a lot of damage)

 

[Maniac]

- Purely cosmetic, but you still find "Gold" inside pods, while the currency everywhere else in the game is already "Credits"

I don't understand this one. The gold unity pods point to the text:
"We have recovered a resupply pod from the Unity! It contains considerable energy supplies!"

I of course only quickly glaze over those messages, so not 100% sure, but IIRC this message shows up correctly.
What is the exact text you get?

- I runned into an empty pod somehow (see attached save, just move the active Scout Patrol e tile SE into the tile with the pod)

Well, that's kinda amusing. Because of sea unit pod popping results, some 25% of the available goodie results are invalid on land. The game tries ten times to get a valid goodie result. Unless I overlooked something, this means you have like one chance in a million to still end up without a valid result after ten tries. Congratulations! You managed to beat those odds.

Have you ever considered buying a lottery ticket?

- the text on the espionage screen overlaps badly (leader name and percentage with actual amount of points spent)

Yeah long names mess up the interface in many places. I've reduced the leader names to one word only. Was thinking about doing that for a while now.

- the hoovertank (see attached pic) and the cruiser have strange animations - the former is in a strange cage and sometimes "falls out" of that cage if the unit sits around, while I saw the cruiser playing the sink animation while sitting on a tile

Alas, I don't have the skills to change that.

- there seems to be no civilopedia entry for kelp farms

They're a feature.

- the hoover help and civilopedia entry for the perimeter defense talk of "+50% defense except vs. Gunpowder" - probably a Civ4 relict, but I also wonder if they work vs. PSI then

They do. Except fpr the changed base strengths, modifiers apply as usual.

- overall my games are far too peaceful...there are no inter-AI-wars (probably because the AI do not expand enough and the map script tends to place the factions rather on seperate islands then on a pangea), only Miriam extorted me in this and the last game (where she declared on me without being able to do a lot of damage)

That's not something that can be changed quickly unfortunately, especially if the causes are unknown.
In some future though I plan to add a "Landing Pod Scattering" game option. With this option On, the starting positions would be like now. With the option Off (default), all seven original factions would start close to each other. So that could cause more conflicts.

 

[Pfeffersack]

I don't understand this one. The gold unity pods point to the text:
"We have recovered a resupply pod from the Unity! It contains considerable energy supplies!"

I of course only quickly glaze over those messages, so not 100% sure, but IIRC this message shows up correctly.
What is the exact text you get?

It is the message you have quoted, but there is a third sentence:

"We have recovered a resupply pod from the unity! It contains considerable energy supplies! You have received 29 Gold!"

BTW, it wasn't easy to make it trigger again - from a certain point on, I runned into no more pods giving "Gold" to me. I had to start a new game to see it again...

Well, that's kinda amusing. Because of sea unit pod popping results, some 25% of the available goodie results are invalid on land. The game tries ten times to get a valid goodie result. Unless I overlooked something, this means you have like one chance in a million to still end up without a valid result after ten tries. Congratulations! You managed to beat those odds.

Have you ever considered buying a lottery ticket?

Likely it was that 1 in a million chance, because since you have corrected the pod results the last time, I never runned into an empty or invalid pod.
I will keep an eye on it and post it, if it should ever happen again, though

That's not something that can be changed quickly unfortunately, especially if the causes are unknown.
In some future though I plan to add a "Landing Pod Scattering" game option. With this option On, the starting positions would be like now. With the option Off (default), all seven original factions would start close to each other. So that could cause more conflicts.

In the new game I started, I choosed "Low Sea Level" and when I was defeated by natives (Playing Miriam, Monarch, Raging Barbs) around turn 40, the screens after defeat showed me, that in this game 6 factions started on a pangea-like continent (the map reminded me of the Big&Small map-script somehow) - maybe this is a key to more interaction for the moment.


Another thing I noticed is that it is very easy to grab Great Engineers - the Maintenance Bay and Assembly Hall give you two quite early slots for them, so all you need to fill them is enough food. And with GEs its easy to grab the Secret Projects...there are less then in Civ4, so it has more impact here (do you plan to bring the rest of them form AC over to Planetfall?)...also all of them I stumbed across so far are so cheap, that you can instantly get them with an GE without having to provide additional minerals

 

[Maniac]

"We have recovered a resupply pod from the unity! It contains considerable energy supplies! You have received 29 Gold!"

Thanks. I have changed the message for the next version.

maybe this is a key to more interaction for the moment.

I don't understand what is. Pangaea you mean?
The Planetfall mapscript uses Big&Small as base by the way.

Another thing I noticed is that it is very easy to grab Great Engineers - the Maintenance Bay and Assembly Hall give you two quite early slots for them

Once I get down on my to-do list to modifying that tech branch, Assembly Hall will come available later.
I could also remove the Engineer from Maintenance Bay, but then there would be no engineers at all until the mid-game. That might be overbalancing a little too far. Not sure yet what to do.

(do you plan to bring the rest of them form AC over to Planetfall?)

Only a few.
Some secret projects make more sense as a base facility or national project. Eg Virtual World.
Some can't really be thought of as an actual project. Eg Ascetic Virtues is a philosophy. Hunter-Seeker Algorithm is a piece of software. Kinda strange to keep those as 'buildings'.
Others just have ridiculous names in my opinion.
Also I'd like secret projects to have interesting effects as much as possible. Having six projects grant a free building isn't interesting IMO.
So I kinda don't have much inspiration.

I recently had the idea though to have Unity X Bays as early secret projects, reflecting the fact that each landing pod was specialized in something. Unity Hydroponics Bay, Cryobay, Observation Bay...

 

[The_J]

There was a design workshop, you could select Chassis (including Infantry), Shields, Reactor, Weapon (or Equipment, so Former, Probe Team and Colony Pod were here too), and Special Ability (now incorporated somewhat in the promotions). So there were a thousand infantry units, or one, you could just mix and match.
I haven't found a definitive list of the approx 32000 possible units
The game designed some by default for you, but any unit you could make was given a name.
Planetfall's been made simpler in that regard by offering you standard units and cutting out that aspect of the game.
If you have ideas for units, it wouldn't hurt to suggest them, or if a design you've seen would work for an existing unit, suggestions there wouldn't hurt either

I'm having also problems finding good names for my units, so i'm really not the best person to make suggestions .



Only one thing, if Maniac hasn't already seen it: Here, tried it out for my mod, and when i remember correctly the pictures, SMAC also had a missile, which tranforms the land.

 

[The_Coyote]

minor fix for the both units mentioned above (still not really finished, eg no weapon effect and explosion - no idea which weapon effect do you want for this units - also both units have no real weapon attached so far).

Is there a list saying which units have problems or which needs work? Depending on my time and mood (both will be problem in the next weeks) perhaps i can look at some of this (or somebody else)

 

[Maniac]

minor fix for the both units mentioned above

Thanks!

Is there a list saying which units have problems or which needs work? Depending on my time and mood (both will be problem in the next weeks) perhaps i can look at some of this (or somebody else)

I'd say most needed would be native life art. This may be rather complex though, requiring knowledge of how the Afterworld Entity works. A quote from a while back:

I'd prefer the locust, IoD and mind worm to look like an actual boil/swarm instead of a few individual worms. So those units would mainly be a texture job, a blob similar to the Afterworld Entiry, with changing textures (or however it is done) when the unit moves or attacks.

The exact model of the Afterworld Entity could be used for the mind worm and/or Isle of the Deep, but the textures would need a different colour.


Something else probably more simple is a model for a sea former.
Given that Planetfall does not have a unit workshop, it is not required for the aquaformer/sea former to look the same as in SMAC. But unless someone has inspiration for a better look, the SMAC look is of course great.

Do you have SMAC? Or would you need some example screenshots?
The already existing (land) former and foil models/textures might be useful for creating the aquaformer.