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Topic Summary

Posted by: Gyrfalcon
« on: Today at 02:47:23 AM »

Thanks for all the low-tech changes, Steve!

For players who like conventional starts (me), it also means that any units built at game start and during the buildup to TN tech aren't automatically near useless since their damage will be based off of minimum base 10.
Posted by: gpt3
« on: Yesterday at 09:00:06 AM »

Quote from: Steve Walmsley on Yesterday at 02:59:56 AM
Quote from: gpt3 on June 24, 2025, 11:53:18 PM
Quote from: Steve Walmsley on June 24, 2025, 06:00:38 PM
The 'pre-TN problem' in coding terms is a huge amount of AI code that assumes certain capabilities on the part of a NPR. I would have to go through all that code and add exceptions for the technology and capabilities that an NPR may or may not possess when that code is accessed and then fix all the resulting bugs. I would also have to get the NPR to assess which of the missing capabilities were most important and prioritise them for construction, research, shipbuilding, etc..

It's possible to do it - it's just a HUGE amount of work.

The Industrial NPR is a way to have the presence of a conventional NPR without having to worry about the above.
Will the industrial NPRs have STO ground units? They could use the new conventional beam weapons and hopefully use the same AI code as regular NPRs and Rahkas.

From a narrative perspective, one could imagine Cold War or modern-day humanity desperately repurposing anti-satellite/asteroid-defense systems to (ineffectively) combat aliens.

http://aurora2.pentarch.org/index.php?topic=13463.msg173751#msg173751
D'oh! Reading comprehension failure on my part.
Posted by: Steve Walmsley
« on: Yesterday at 02:59:56 AM »

Quote from: gpt3 on June 24, 2025, 11:53:18 PM
Quote from: Steve Walmsley on June 24, 2025, 06:00:38 PM
The 'pre-TN problem' in coding terms is a huge amount of AI code that assumes certain capabilities on the part of a NPR. I would have to go through all that code and add exceptions for the technology and capabilities that an NPR may or may not possess when that code is accessed and then fix all the resulting bugs. I would also have to get the NPR to assess which of the missing capabilities were most important and prioritise them for construction, research, shipbuilding, etc..

It's possible to do it - it's just a HUGE amount of work.

The Industrial NPR is a way to have the presence of a conventional NPR without having to worry about the above.
Will the industrial NPRs have STO ground units? They could use the new conventional beam weapons and hopefully use the same AI code as regular NPRs and Rahkas.

From a narrative perspective, one could imagine Cold War or modern-day humanity desperately repurposing anti-satellite/asteroid-defense systems to (ineffectively) combat aliens.

http://aurora2.pentarch.org/index.php?topic=13463.msg173751#msg173751
Posted by: gpt3
« on: June 24, 2025, 11:53:18 PM »

Quote from: Steve Walmsley on June 24, 2025, 06:00:38 PM
The 'pre-TN problem' in coding terms is a huge amount of AI code that assumes certain capabilities on the part of a NPR. I would have to go through all that code and add exceptions for the technology and capabilities that an NPR may or may not possess when that code is accessed and then fix all the resulting bugs. I would also have to get the NPR to assess which of the missing capabilities were most important and prioritise them for construction, research, shipbuilding, etc..

It's possible to do it - it's just a HUGE amount of work.

The Industrial NPR is a way to have the presence of a conventional NPR without having to worry about the above.
Will the industrial NPRs have STO ground units? They could use the new conventional beam weapons and hopefully use the same AI code as regular NPRs and Rahkas.

From a narrative perspective, one could imagine Cold War or modern-day humanity desperately repurposing anti-satellite/asteroid-defense systems to (ineffectively) combat aliens.
Posted by: Garfunkel
« on: June 24, 2025, 07:43:19 PM »

Thanks for adding the conventional -only NPR, that and the conventional weapons are totally up my alley!
Posted by: Steve Walmsley
« on: June 24, 2025, 06:00:38 PM »

The 'pre-TN problem' in coding terms is a huge amount of AI code that assumes certain capabilities on the part of a NPR. I would have to go through all that code and add exceptions for the technology and capabilities that an NPR may or may not possess when that code is accessed and then fix all the resulting bugs. I would also have to get the NPR to assess which of the missing capabilities were most important and prioritise them for construction, research, shipbuilding, etc..

It's possible to do it - it's just a HUGE amount of work.

The Industrial NPR is a way to have the presence of a conventional NPR without having to worry about the above.
Posted by: lumporr
« on: June 24, 2025, 05:26:24 PM »

I solved the pre-TN problem in my own database forays by adding the installations Basic Industry and University, as well as the Industrial and Space Age techs. Basic industry is the same construction value as Conventional with nothing else, while requiring 500k taxable basic labourers (ten times the required workers of Conventional Industry). Universities cost 600 wealth and provide 0.05 research value, 0.02 academy value, and require 50k workers. Industrial Tech unlocks the Military Academy, GFCC, Financial Centre, Conventional Industry (requiring no minerals, but 1200 wealth), and the ability to convert Basic Industry to Conventional for 1100 wealth (on top of the 120 wealth cost of Basic Industry). Space Age unlocks infrastructure, DSTs, shipyards, spaceports, and cargo/refueling/ordnance stations. Forced Labour was included in a separate tech. The rest were unlocked by TN as in the base game. Costs of the techs were 1,000 and 2,000, comparable to TN at 5,000.

This would mean you'd require 20 Universities to match a Research Facility, 50 to match a Military Academy, and 10 Basic Industry requiring 5 million workers to match a Construction Factory requiring 50k.

That's how I did it, anyway!
Posted by: Steve Walmsley
« on: June 24, 2025, 04:07:19 PM »

Quote from: Aloriel on June 24, 2025, 03:11:47 PM
Concerning pre-industrial tech NPRs, you said they'd have ground forces. What manner of ground forces would they have? Muskets? Swords? Does it depend on where in some hidden tech tree they are?

Now that you are also planning industrial era NPRs as well, does that also imply that pre-industrial NPRs can become industrial era?

Pre-Ind have the same ground forces they have in v2.5.1, with armour and weapon strength 1. Pre-industrial cannot advance to industrial. They are centuries apart. It's like Rome, or 16th Century Spain, advancing to WW2 Germany.

Pre-industrial and Industrial are fixed tech civilizations - more like special events than serious opponents, although the industrial NPRs could play an interesting role if they end up between two high tech empires.
Posted by: Aloriel
« on: June 24, 2025, 03:11:47 PM »

Concerning pre-industrial tech NPRs, you said they'd have ground forces. What manner of ground forces would they have? Muskets? Swords? Does it depend on where in some hidden tech tree they are?

Now that you are also planning industrial era NPRs as well, does that also imply that pre-industrial NPRs can become industrial era?
Posted by: Tavik Toth
« on: June 24, 2025, 01:10:56 PM »

More conventional tech weapons is a great addition!
Posted by: nuclearslurpee
« on: June 24, 2025, 01:05:07 PM »

Quote from: Kaiser on June 24, 2025, 12:56:43 PM
I'm MEGA hyped for the 2.6 release in July, it is not true @Steve? ::)

July was the earliest possible date, however thanks to your comment the earliest possible date is now March 2026.

Just kidding ... I hope ...
Posted by: Kaiser
« on: June 24, 2025, 12:56:43 PM »

I'm MEGA hyped for the 2.6 release in July, it is not true @Steve? ::)
Posted by: Steve Walmsley
« on: June 24, 2025, 12:36:18 PM »

Quote from: Louella on June 24, 2025, 10:03:51 AM
Quote from: Steve Walmsley on June 24, 2025, 07:35:18 AM
What I will do at some point is allow ships to know when a contact is biological - in the same way you can tell the difference in military and commercial engine emissions.

Engine type: Biological ?

And contacts would show as Thermal B300 for a 300 power bio-engine ?

Yes, something on those lines.
Posted by: Louella
« on: June 24, 2025, 10:03:51 AM »

Quote from: Steve Walmsley on June 24, 2025, 07:35:18 AM
What I will do at some point is allow ships to know when a contact is biological - in the same way you can tell the difference in military and commercial engine emissions.

Engine type: Biological ?

And contacts would show as Thermal B300 for a 300 power bio-engine ?
Posted by: Steve Walmsley
« on: June 24, 2025, 07:35:18 AM »

Quote from: Serina on June 24, 2025, 06:40:37 AM
Quote from: Steve Walmsley on June 05, 2025, 11:46:44 AM
-Snip-

They do apply to spoiler races. At the moment, you know immediately if you have met certain races, which takes away some of the fog of war. The only one where it is impossible is Swarm, because you can't board their ships in v2.6. However, I should have included aliens boarding your ships as a condition, which solves that one too.

Would it be possible to make it so that before you've positively identified, or heck, tried boarding the starswarm, then you still have an option to board them, but when boarding is initiated, you get a combat message along the lines of: No boarding possible, ship is biological in nature? After that you can't board the ships at all. This could also become an interesting feature if you ever decide to add aquatic races or races with particularly high gravity requirements, I can only imagine trying to operate space rated guns in liquid methane under 5xG while attacked by angry space Piranha's would be.. challenging.

What I will do at some point is allow ships to know when a contact is biological - in the same way you can tell the difference in military and commercial engine emissions.