Aurora 4x

C# Aurora => Development Discussions => Topic started by: vorpal+5 on December 07, 2019, 11:57:02 AM

Title: General question on aliens
Post by: vorpal+5 on December 07, 2019, 11:57:02 AM
Are the aliens races generated stronger and stronger as you go deeper exploring (with some good variability? If not, I fear the challenge will soon peter out as soon as you manage to defeat the nearest alien races and you start having a good power base.

The end game has never been a question in Aurora VB6 but now that's a prospect we can contemplate. Perhaps not the end game per se, as the goal has no final goal, but at least, can it offers somehow greater and greater threats as you dig deeper, as the proverbial dwarves at the Moria?  ;)
Title: Re: General question on aliens
Post by: Steve Walmsley on December 07, 2019, 12:34:51 PM
Are the aliens races generated stronger and stronger as you go deeper exploring (with some good variability? If not, I fear the challenge will soon peter out as soon as you manage to defeat the nearest alien races and you start having a good power base.

The end game has never been a question in Aurora VB6 but now that's a prospect we can contemplate. Perhaps not the end game per se, as the goal has no final goal, but at least, can it offers somehow greater and greater threats as you dig deeper, as the proverbial dwarves at the Moria?  ;)

Yes, alien races become stronger the later they are generated.
Title: Re: General question on aliens
Post by: vorpal+5 on December 07, 2019, 01:35:55 PM
Thanks Steve. So that's a question of time and not distance from start.
Title: Re: General question on aliens
Post by: Father Tim on December 07, 2019, 07:25:29 PM
It might be time.  It used to be proportional to the strength of the player race.  It was never clear to me if "strength" was derived from total research points, or population, or industrial capacity, or some combination thereof.

VB Aurora had a two-jump minimum radius (from home system) on NPR spawn.  C# Aurora has a 'total explored jump points' minimum.
Title: Re: General question on aliens
Post by: Steve Walmsley on December 08, 2019, 06:27:19 AM
Research is based on time and population is based on bell curve centred on the average player race population.
Title: Re: General question on aliens
Post by: vorpal+5 on December 08, 2019, 09:34:08 AM
Thanks, well thought out then.
Title: Re: General question on aliens
Post by: Sleepymoon on December 09, 2019, 08:06:41 PM
VB Aurora had a two-jump minimum radius (from home system) on NPR spawn.

I guess the NPR that spawned in an adjacent system to Sol in my current game is a bug then.
Title: Re: General question on aliens
Post by: Tikigod on December 10, 2019, 11:16:39 AM
VB Aurora had a two-jump minimum radius (from home system) on NPR spawn.

I guess the NPR that spawned in an adjacent system to Sol in my current game is a bug then.

Do the NPR spawn rules apply to NPRs that are seeded as part of the galaxy generation rather than the random generation % chance on system visit? Assuming it's a actual NPR and not something like a swarm which I'd assume have different spawn rules.
Title: Re: General question on aliens
Post by: Cavgunner on December 11, 2019, 06:14:36 PM

Yes, alien races become stronger the later they are generated.

Oh no. No no no.

*panic sweat beings to bead on forehead*
Title: Re: General question on aliens
Post by: xenoscepter on December 12, 2019, 11:22:00 AM
Not being cheeky here, so I was just reading the wiki when I stumbled across this. Linking it here for the benefit of both future readers and yourself.

Here: http://aurorawiki.pentarch.org/index.php?title=Races
Title: Re: General question on aliens
Post by: vorpal+5 on December 15, 2019, 06:18:52 AM
And so reading it, what will have changed for C#:

They don't use fuel
They don't suffer maintenance failures
They don't have to retool shipyards.
Minerals from their mining colonies get magically transported home
NPRs also do not use troop transports. (This point requires verification)
Title: Re: General question on aliens
Post by: Jorgen_CAB on December 15, 2019, 06:34:39 AM
And so reading it, what will have changed for C#:

They don't use fuel
They don't suffer maintenance failures
They don't have to retool shipyards.
Minerals from their mining colonies get magically transported home
NPRs also do not use troop transports. (This point requires verification)

We know NPR will be using fuel and troop transports and perform ground invasions. The rest I don't think we had any confirmation if they will be using in C# if I remember correctly.
Title: Re: General question on aliens
Post by: Kristover on December 15, 2019, 07:13:24 AM
And so reading it, what will have changed for C#:

They don't use fuel
They don't suffer maintenance failures
They don't have to retool shipyards.
Minerals from their mining colonies get magically transported home
NPRs also do not use troop transports. (This point requires verification)

NPR initiated invasions was a major feature I've been posting about and Steve has confirmed they're in as well as troop transports and internal ground force deployment/redeployments for C#.  I want a reason to garrison my planets.
Title: Re: General question on aliens
Post by: Steve Walmsley on December 15, 2019, 03:16:06 PM
And so reading it, what will have changed for C#:

They don't use fuel
They don't suffer maintenance failures
They don't have to retool shipyards.
Minerals from their mining colonies get magically transported home
NPRs also do not use troop transports. (This point requires verification)

For C#, they use fuel, they use troop transports and they have to retool shipyards. The AI makes decisions about which classes it needs the most and retools accordingly.

They still don't have maintenance failures (for now anyway) but they design ships as if they did require maintenance. Minerals are still transported for now, but that will probably change too at some point.
Title: Re: General question on aliens
Post by: Steve Walmsley on December 15, 2019, 03:17:10 PM
NPR initiated invasions was a major feature I've been posting about and Steve has confirmed they're in as well as troop transports and internal ground force deployment/redeployments for C#.  I want a reason to garrison my planets.

The AI has mounted two ground invasions in my current campaign.
Title: Re: General question on aliens
Post by: Kristover on December 15, 2019, 03:42:47 PM
NPR initiated invasions was a major feature I've been posting about and Steve has confirmed they're in as well as troop transports and internal ground force deployment/redeployments for C#.  I want a reason to garrison my planets.

The AI has mounted two ground invasions in my current campaign.

Outstanding!  Was it pretty well supported with good composition and number of forces?  Does AI try to get space superiority and invade with a larger combined arms based off its estimate of the defending force?
Title: Re: General question on aliens
Post by: Steve Walmsley on December 16, 2019, 03:47:41 AM
NPR initiated invasions was a major feature I've been posting about and Steve has confirmed they're in as well as troop transports and internal ground force deployment/redeployments for C#.  I want a reason to garrison my planets.

The AI has mounted two ground invasions in my current campaign.

Outstanding!  Was it pretty well supported with good composition and number of forces?  Does AI try to get space superiority and invade with a larger combined arms based off its estimate of the defending force?

The AI will try to get space superiority and it does base the size of the invasion force on the estimated defensive force. The AI will usually try to use a combined infantry / armour force, although some NPRs or spoilers may have specific types of ground forces.
Title: Re: General question on aliens
Post by: Hazard on December 16, 2019, 05:51:14 AM
Does the AI tailor assault/defense forces to the terrain?
Title: Re: General question on aliens
Post by: vorpal+5 on December 16, 2019, 07:30:42 AM
You realize that your AI is already better than any other sci-fi 4X game?  ;D

Just add Diplomacy and you can take your family and RV for a grand tour while we find you bugs!
Title: Re: General question on aliens
Post by: xenoscepter on December 16, 2019, 08:58:55 AM
vorpal+5
Quote
You realize that your AI is already better than any other sci-fi 4X game?  ;D

Just add Diplomacy and you can take your family and RV for a grand tour while we find you bugs!

This right here. Not trying to dissuade you from making it EVEN BETTER, but it seriously is already quite good... compared to other games. Most other AI is truly braindead, however, so you are effectively doing better than the worst possible outcome.

But why make good AI when you can just make bad AI that cheats even worse than it plays and watch your player base rage themselves to death trying to figure out how to survive it much less beat it?
Title: Re: General question on aliens
Post by: Tikigod on December 16, 2019, 11:39:17 AM
And so reading it, what will have changed for C#:

They don't use fuel
They don't suffer maintenance failures
They don't have to retool shipyards.
Minerals from their mining colonies get magically transported home
NPRs also do not use troop transports. (This point requires verification)

For C#, they use fuel, they use troop transports and they have to retool shipyards. The AI makes decisions about which classes it needs the most and retools accordingly.

They still don't have maintenance failures (for now anyway) but they design ships as if they did require maintenance. Minerals are still transported for now, but that will probably change too at some point.

Hope you realise this just increases the desire for C# even more.  ;D