Alpha Centauri 2

Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri & Alien Crossfire => Modding => Topic started by: PoeticJumpshot on December 05, 2017, 03:24:52 am

Title: Base nutrient/mineral/solar values on squares editable?
Post by: PoeticJumpshot on December 05, 2017, 03:24:52 am

I know you can alter the "bonus" squares through variable mods but i was hoping there was a way to change the production from base arid and rocky structures somehow. I've been working on pushing the value numbers of the 3 resources to higher levels and cutting down on their efficiency with price hikes across the board. So I'm making bases take more nutrients to grow, but if i can alter the resources from base land squares it will give me a way to cut down on the "spikes" of improvement's and just naturally fertile land (especially in comparison to bonus squares). Right now I'm having a hard time balancing land locked lands because i can increase the values for ocean based squares but I can't alter the much more common arid and lightly green (idk the name) land spaces to give them equivalent value. I thought about just increasing the occurrence of rainy squares to just offset it, but I don't think I can really control that...? Maybe just give the modifier a ridiculously high number i guess.

I've decided to just run a full text overhaul and work my way through it. Haven't even tried a game yet because my initial #'s were a little extreme, but I'm excited!

Title: Re: Base nutrient/mineral/solar values on squares editable?
Post by: Mart on December 06, 2017, 06:53:08 am

SMACX has its own mechanism of weather, which is not very easy available for modding (recent Yitzi patches may have something now, but I would have to check).
For example, rising land may make some tiles increase moisture and other tiles loose moisture. This changes nutrients from tiles, trio is: arid-moist-rainy. And nutrients: 0-1-2. Drilling to aquifer, planting forests can do that too, cause game calculates moisture due to western winds (similar to Earth).

Title: Re: Base nutrient/mineral/solar values on squares editable?
Post by: Nexii on December 06, 2017, 04:24:28 pm

You could try with each citizen only requiring 1 nutrient per turn.  Or rainy maps as suggested

Title: Re: Base nutrient/mineral/solar values on squares editable?
Post by: PoeticJumpshot on December 09, 2017, 03:01:36 am

I've found a balance I kind of like so far... it places a big importance on premium resources to really grow a base, and because of the high requirements I've set on nutrient intake per turn and support costs having bases too close to each other is very detrimental. So far the early game is very extended, tech is pretty slow, considering you get about 10 cities deep (slowly) and most people are still working with 4-2 type units. Still haven't found a proper way to reduce overall cpu unit output though. I put a natural limit on the support SE option to cut down on free units, but computers just build themselves into 0 base production. I think the only other play I have is to spike unit costs even higher and maybe alter the cpu's natural build importance, if that's possible.

Title: Re: Base nutrient/mineral/solar values on squares editable?
Post by: Mart on December 09, 2017, 11:24:06 am

AI has its "cheats" like less minerals per row, switches between build items without penalty. For example, when AI looses SP race, accumulated minerals are not lost. This is good overall, but also can be used in game balancing when modding. I mean, that one can do some modification knowing it will have different effect on human player and AI.

I noticed, that although AI has no production, it can still compete well with human player, since when it gets some more minerals, e.g. building a new mine or maybe monolith was discovered or units on upkeep were lost, it can get a facility faster.
AI research is also cheaper.

When modding for some time, my observation was, that a lot of help to AI is making terraforming easier. Making a lot of formers is not typical AI strategy, but there is a flag in scenario editor. But in regular game it is turned off. Human player to have good terraforming gets 3-4 formers per base, AI has often just only one per base, or maybe less. In my modding I made terraforming the way, that you need less formers. Formers are more expensive, but work faster with cheaper cost of actions (Forest 3 turns, not 4, etc.) Also, I introduced "Unity Formers", that are often found in unity pods, so AI may have several of them in early game. Now, the effect is that I see AI terrain well developed in early turns.

Title: Re: Base nutrient/mineral/solar values on squares editable?
Post by: PoeticJumpshot on December 09, 2017, 08:21:38 pm

Unity formers are a good idea. How did you create that? Is it just naming the former unit "unity" under the starting unit selection?

Title: Re: Base nutrient/mineral/solar values on squares editable?
Post by: Mart on December 09, 2017, 08:50:00 pm

This is the current UNITS section from alphax.txt, from mod I work on

Code: [Select]

#UNITS
35
Unity Colony Pod,       Infantry, Colony Pod,   Synthmetal, 8, 8, 0, Disable, -1, 00000000000000000010000000000
Formers,                Infantry, Formers,      Scout,      9, 0, 0, None,    -1, 00000000000000000000000000000
Scout Patrol,           Infantry, Gun,          Scout,      3, 0, 0, None,    -1, 00000000000000000000000000000
Transport Ship,         Cruiser,  Transport,    Scout,      7, 0, 0, DocFlex, -1, 00000000000000000000000000000
*Sea Formers,           Cruiser,  Formers,      Scout,      9, 0, 0, Disable, -1, 00000000000000000000000000000
Supply Crawler,         Infantry, Supply,       Scout,     10, 0, 0, IndRob,  -1, 00000000000000000000000000000
Probe Team,             Speeder,  Probe Team,   Scout,     11, 0, 0, Mobile,  -1, 00000000000000000000000000000
Unity Formers,          Infantry, Formers,      Synthmetal, 9, 5, 0, Disable, -1, 00000100000000000010000000000
Mind Worms,             Infantry, Psi,          Psi,        1, 5, 0, CentEmp,  3, 00000000000000000000000000000
Isle of the Deep,       Cruiser,  Psi,          Psi,        7, 8, 4, CentMed, -1, 00000100000000000000000000000
Locusts of Chiron,      Gravship, Psi,          Psi,        4,10, 0, CentGen, -1, 00000000000000000000000100000
Unity Scout Foil,       Foil,     Gun,          Scout,      3, 0, 0, Disable, -1, 00000100000000000000000000000
Unity Cargo x25,        Infantry, Supply,       Scout,     10,25, 0, Disable, -1, 00000100000000000000000000000
Unity Barge,            Cruiser,  Transport,    Scout,      7, 0, 0, Disable, -1, 00000100000000000000000000000
Sealurk,                Cruiser,  Psi,          Psi,        6, 6, 0, CentPsi,  4, 00000000000000000000001000000
Spore Launcher,         Infantry, Psi,          Psi,        0, 5, 0, Bioadap,  5, 00000000000001000000000000000
Alien Data Device,      Infantry, Artifact,     Synthmetal,12, 1, 0, Disable,  2, 00000000000000000000000000000
Alien Walking Robot,    Infantry, Artifact,     3-Res,     12,40, 0, Disable,  6, 00010010000000000000000000000
Alien Derelict Ship,    Infantry, Artifact,     3-Res,     12,60, 0, Disable,  6, 00010010000000000000000000000
Fungal Tower,           Infantry, Psi,          Psi,        3, 0, 0, Disable,  1, 00000000000000000000000000000
Unity Recon Foil,       Foil,     Gun,          Scout,      3, 0, 0, Disable, -1, 00000100000000000000000000000
Unity Foil Pod,         Foil,     Colony Pod,   Scout,     -1, 0, 0, Disable, -1, 00000000000000000000000000000
Unity Formers Barge,    Cruiser,  Formers,      Scout,      9, 0, 0, Disable, -1, 00000100000000000000000000000
Supply Droid,           Infantry, Supply,       Scout,     10,16, 0, IndAuto, -1, 00000100000000000000000000000
Supply Droid MK1,       Infantry, Supply,       Plasma,    10,16, 0, MindMac, -1, 00000000001000000000000000000
Crawler MK1,            Infantry, Supply,       Silksteel, 10,16, 0, EcoEng2, -1, 00000000001000000000000000000
Trawler,                Cruiser,  Supply,       Plasma,    10,16, 0, DocInit, -1, 00000000001000000000000000000
Trawler MK1,            Cruiser,  Supply,       Silksteel, 10,16, 0, MindMac, -1, 00000000001000000000000000000
Police Unit,            Infantry, Gun,          Scout,     -1, 0, 0, Integ,   -1, 00000010000000000000000000000
Cadets,                 Infantry, Gun,          Scout,     -1, 0, 0, Integ,   -1, 00000000000000100000000000000
XX Missile,             Missile,  Conventional, Scout,     -1,14, 0, Rocket,  -1, 00000001100000000000000000000
Probe Cruiser,          Cruiser,  Probe Team,   Scout,     11, 0, 0, DocFlex, -1, 00000000000000000000000000000
Unity Foil Formers,     Foil,     Formers,      Scout,      9, 0, 0, Disable, -1, 00000000000000000000000000000
Early Colony Pod,       Infantry, Colony Pod,   Scout,      8,12, 0, Coloni,  -1, 00000100000000000000000000000
Colony Pod,             Infantry, Colony Pod,   Scout,      8, 0, 0, DocInit, -1, 00000000000000000000000000000
Note, that Unity Formers are in the 8th slot from top, which is for Alien Artifact in vanila game. It is hardcoded position, so in the mod players get these formers instead of Alien Artifacts. This is how their number in the game is quite large.
Side note: I placed actual alien artifacts in slot of Battle Ogre MK1.


The codes of special abilities are 29, not 26, so there are these additional 3 from smacx explicitly given. For Unity Formers their selection is not a coincidence, as you cannot form 2 units with exactly the same set of parameters, so you need to make them unique. Otherwise you would not be able to make in unit workshop a regular one like that. E.g. Giving "slow" and "fast/grav stuts" makes still 1 move point. and the unit is different than the "Formers" However here, there is additional armor difference, that would be enough, but you maybe get the idea.


They are disabled, so truly a unique unit made on Earth before the expedition. Kinda state-of-the-art unit, that on Chiron you cannot get such a unit for some time.


These formers could be in some other slot, but I wanted them to be found in larger number, at the same time I feel, that game gives too many Alien Artifacts.

Title: Re: Base nutrient/mineral/solar values on squares editable?
Post by: gwillybj on December 10, 2017, 02:32:47 am

There is a small section in alphax.txt (#RESOURCEINFO) (you probably already know this), between (#TERRAIN) and (#WORLDBUILDER), that says: "In normal squares, these values are determined by the temperature, rainfall, rockiness, etc. of the square." This is all determined by the settings in #WORLDBUILDER.

In 2004 smacksim wrote a series of posts at Apolyton: "Improving the AI: Part I: The Worldbuilder section of alphax.txt". His work has been invaluable to me.

I extracted the entire discussion, pasted it into Word, spell-checked it, and reformatted the paragraphs (in all of this changing none of the context). I saved the results both as a nice Word 2016 document with color and outlines and such, and as a simple text file. I've attached both files here. Someone else might get as much out of smacksim's work as I have.

Title: Re: Base nutrient/mineral/solar values on squares editable?
Post by: Nexii on December 12, 2017, 06:33:49 pm

Interesting. I like the idea of Unity Formers, may have to play around with that.  It seems like a great way to offset how harsh -2 RESEARCH is with its 10 turns of no research.  And may open some early game choices rather than Biogen or CentEco first every game.

Title: Re: Base nutrient/mineral/solar values on squares editable?
Post by: Mart on December 12, 2017, 06:56:36 pm

In the mod, presently, I made formers available with no techs, though only some terraforming actions are available, like roads, forests, decrease rockiness, ...
After all, these are actions you can make no matter what. Forests are brought from Earth and after quick assessment, that earth plants would grow in Chiron conditions, foresting should be available with no advancements.

Recycling tanks are also with no prerequisites. This should be natural action: recycling under such conditions, that you land on foreign terrain.

Title: Re: Base nutrient/mineral/solar values on squares editable?
Post by: PoeticJumpshot on January 16, 2018, 01:51:44 am

Quote from: Mart on December 09, 2017, 08:50:00 pm

This is the current UNITS section from alphax.txt, from mod I work on

Code: [Select]

#UNITS
35
Unity Colony Pod,       Infantry, Colony Pod,   Synthmetal, 8, 8, 0, Disable, -1, 00000000000000000010000000000
Formers,                Infantry, Formers,      Scout,      9, 0, 0, None,    -1, 00000000000000000000000000000
Scout Patrol,           Infantry, Gun,          Scout,      3, 0, 0, None,    -1, 00000000000000000000000000000
Transport Ship,         Cruiser,  Transport,    Scout,      7, 0, 0, DocFlex, -1, 00000000000000000000000000000
*Sea Formers,           Cruiser,  Formers,      Scout,      9, 0, 0, Disable, -1, 00000000000000000000000000000
Supply Crawler,         Infantry, Supply,       Scout,     10, 0, 0, IndRob,  -1, 00000000000000000000000000000
Probe Team,             Speeder,  Probe Team,   Scout,     11, 0, 0, Mobile,  -1, 00000000000000000000000000000
Unity Formers,          Infantry, Formers,      Synthmetal, 9, 5, 0, Disable, -1, 00000100000000000010000000000
Mind Worms,             Infantry, Psi,          Psi,        1, 5, 0, CentEmp,  3, 00000000000000000000000000000
Isle of the Deep,       Cruiser,  Psi,          Psi,        7, 8, 4, CentMed, -1, 00000100000000000000000000000
Locusts of Chiron,      Gravship, Psi,          Psi,        4,10, 0, CentGen, -1, 00000000000000000000000100000
Unity Scout Foil,       Foil,     Gun,          Scout,      3, 0, 0, Disable, -1, 00000100000000000000000000000
Unity Cargo x25,        Infantry, Supply,       Scout,     10,25, 0, Disable, -1, 00000100000000000000000000000
Unity Barge,            Cruiser,  Transport,    Scout,      7, 0, 0, Disable, -1, 00000100000000000000000000000
Sealurk,                Cruiser,  Psi,          Psi,        6, 6, 0, CentPsi,  4, 00000000000000000000001000000
Spore Launcher,         Infantry, Psi,          Psi,        0, 5, 0, Bioadap,  5, 00000000000001000000000000000
Alien Data Device,      Infantry, Artifact,     Synthmetal,12, 1, 0, Disable,  2, 00000000000000000000000000000
Alien Walking Robot,    Infantry, Artifact,     3-Res,     12,40, 0, Disable,  6, 00010010000000000000000000000
Alien Derelict Ship,    Infantry, Artifact,     3-Res,     12,60, 0, Disable,  6, 00010010000000000000000000000
Fungal Tower,           Infantry, Psi,          Psi,        3, 0, 0, Disable,  1, 00000000000000000000000000000
Unity Recon Foil,       Foil,     Gun,          Scout,      3, 0, 0, Disable, -1, 00000100000000000000000000000
Unity Foil Pod,         Foil,     Colony Pod,   Scout,     -1, 0, 0, Disable, -1, 00000000000000000000000000000
Unity Formers Barge,    Cruiser,  Formers,      Scout,      9, 0, 0, Disable, -1, 00000100000000000000000000000
Supply Droid,           Infantry, Supply,       Scout,     10,16, 0, IndAuto, -1, 00000100000000000000000000000
Supply Droid MK1,       Infantry, Supply,       Plasma,    10,16, 0, MindMac, -1, 00000000001000000000000000000
Crawler MK1,            Infantry, Supply,       Silksteel, 10,16, 0, EcoEng2, -1, 00000000001000000000000000000
Trawler,                Cruiser,  Supply,       Plasma,    10,16, 0, DocInit, -1, 00000000001000000000000000000
Trawler MK1,            Cruiser,  Supply,       Silksteel, 10,16, 0, MindMac, -1, 00000000001000000000000000000
Police Unit,            Infantry, Gun,          Scout,     -1, 0, 0, Integ,   -1, 00000010000000000000000000000
Cadets,                 Infantry, Gun,          Scout,     -1, 0, 0, Integ,   -1, 00000000000000100000000000000
XX Missile,             Missile,  Conventional, Scout,     -1,14, 0, Rocket,  -1, 00000001100000000000000000000
Probe Cruiser,          Cruiser,  Probe Team,   Scout,     11, 0, 0, DocFlex, -1, 00000000000000000000000000000
Unity Foil Formers,     Foil,     Formers,      Scout,      9, 0, 0, Disable, -1, 00000000000000000000000000000
Early Colony Pod,       Infantry, Colony Pod,   Scout,      8,12, 0, Coloni,  -1, 00000100000000000000000000000
Colony Pod,             Infantry, Colony Pod,   Scout,      8, 0, 0, DocInit, -1, 00000000000000000000000000000
Note, that Unity Formers are in the 8th slot from top, which is for Alien Artifact in vanila game. It is hardcoded position, so in the mod players get these formers instead of Alien Artifacts. This is how their number in the game is quite large.
Side note: I placed actual alien artifacts in slot of Battle Ogre MK1.


The codes of special abilities are 29, not 26, so there are these additional 3 from smacx explicitly given. For Unity Formers their selection is not a coincidence, as you cannot form 2 units with exactly the same set of parameters, so you need to make them unique. Otherwise you would not be able to make in unit workshop a regular one like that. E.g. Giving "slow" and "fast/grav stuts" makes still 1 move point. and the unit is different than the "Formers" However here, there is additional armor difference, that would be enough, but you maybe get the idea.


They are disabled, so truly a unique unit made on Earth before the expedition. Kinda state-of-the-art unit, that on Chiron you cannot get such a unit for some time.


These formers could be in some other slot, but I wanted them to be found in larger number, at the same time I feel, that game gives too many Alien Artifacts.

I didn't realize the unity pod units were "position" locked that way. How does the game handle adding additional units with the "unity/pod" random pull list? Are they rarely found or do they seem to pop up often enough to warrant adding? Also curious about the various names you got on the list... have you just run an extensive name overhaul while leaving base numbers the same or are you playing a completely different design?

Title: Re: Base nutrient/mineral/solar values on squares editable?
Post by: PoeticJumpshot on January 16, 2018, 01:54:19 am

Quote from: gwillybj on December 10, 2017, 02:32:47 am

There is a small section in alphax.txt (#RESOURCEINFO) (you probably already know this), between (#TERRAIN) and (#WORLDBUILDER), that says: "In normal squares, these values are determined by the temperature, rainfall, rockiness, etc. of the square." This is all determined by the settings in #WORLDBUILDER.

In 2004 smacksim wrote a series of posts at Apolyton: "Improving the AI: Part I: The Worldbuilder section of alphax.txt". His work has been invaluable to me.

I extracted the entire discussion, pasted it into Word, spell-checked it, and reformatted the paragraphs (in all of this changing none of the context). I saved the results both as a nice Word 2016 document with color and outlines and such, and as a simple text file. I've attached both files here. Someone else might get as much out of smacksim's work as I have.

I fiddled around with something similar to what they were doing actually. I recently nuked it all and decided to start from scratch, but seeing how extreme they had to alter the numbers to see a strong correlation is definitely helpful. I was under the impression altering things to that degree would just break the map. Thanks for the post