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Frogsquadron

Frogsquadron

7 years ago Jul 17,2017, 16:02:00 PM

G2G Balance Mod

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Hey everyone!



We'd like to try a new way of testing out balance changes before making them live: releasing them as part of a mod! Mods are easy to activate and deactivate, and they're quick for us to tinker with on our end. Since a balance change is easier to implement than a new feature or a bug fix, and is unlikely to cause issues with the game, we can post these changes out without having to create a new build, which might have issues depending on where we stand in a dev cycle. 


These changes are based on community suggestions. You can give feedback on how they affect gameplay and your experience playing with them, which we can in turn implement into the next iteration of the mod, etc! Considering the XML is easy enough to read, you can also directly make changes to it and submit your suggestion so we can try it out, too, and if it works, see how we can factor it in.


Meedoc will explain in more detail what this first iteration of the G2G Balance Mod will be all about!



If you're impatient, you can directly head over to the mod's page on Steam and check it out:



Just click it


That's it!



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7 years ago
Jul 19, 2017, 12:49:04 AM

I think building out the colonization and empire development systems is the most important thing this mod could do. The best change proposed above is having max level systems not count towards overcolonization, which is an extremely good idea. 


I would also like to see other mechanics which allow you to increase your cap of allowed systems. As of right now there are really only two techs providing consistent methods of increasing your system cap; HyperPACs and Cultural Invertics. Adding another research, and perhaps adding a new law which increases the cap, would be good. A structure which decreases expansion disapproval would also be excellent. Such as a structure that increases your number of allowed systems by +0.5 (effectively a 50% reduction since it can only be built once in each system). Building this structure everywhere would effectively double the number of systems you can control before incurring expansion disapproval. This structure could easily also be unlocked with Inter-Species HR, the same tech that gives you Colonial Rights, or perhaps Xenology. Later in the game being able to spend resources to maintain a larger empire will encourage limited conflicts. 


Endless Space 2 also needs much more economic applications for strategic resources- useful structures that cost strategic resources (or cost more strategic resources), forcing you to choose between using those limited materials on ships or for economy. Right now there are relatively few nonmilitary applications for strategics- and the ones that exist are inexpensive. 



Interaction between players in multiplayer is also vital- MP games' interesting phase is early in the game. Compared to Endless Legend there is far less interaction, especially early in a game due to marketplace and alliance techs being higher in the tech tree. Moving the marketplace to tech level 1 would be good. Or, alternatively, making the marketplace tech T2 but very compelling to prioritize for other reasons, like putting accelerated buyout on the same tech as using the marketplace. Corporations are also a good form of player interaction, as trade agreements allow players to use each others' trade routes for mutual benefit. But in practice developed trade routes can only be created quite late in the game. It would be great if corporations were also available earlier, such as on tier 2, even if their scaling needed to be toned down to prevent such heinous runaway up to economic victory at the high end after buying many freighters- they don't need to pay for themselves that quickly


What I would do is pack Astrofinance and Galactic Commodities Exchange heavily to make them important to get quickly. Put accelerated buyout (the ability to buy with dust) as well as the marketplace on Galactic Commodities Exchange. Put corporations and basic dust facilities on Astrofinance. And make Multi-Thread Management (the Intergalactic Supermarket) a T3 tech instead of a T2 tech, following after Astrofinance, also unlocking Solar Security Operations Base and Commercial Encryption (eliminate tech Galactic Security Charter, or add different stuff in its place). Move the Miners' Union to either of the T1 techs for titanium or hyperium, and have it cost a strategic resource to construct (i.e. Miners' Union on Xenolinguistics and costs 5 titanium to construct [aside; how exactly does Xenolinguistics get you titanium mining?]). This means a player has an economic use for titanium right away; and must decide either to invest it in increasing their titanium yield, build weapons, or sell it and use the dust to rush something else. 

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7 years ago
Jul 27, 2017, 8:29:17 AM

Fighters and Bombers being a full feature getting included, as opposed to a balance pass on an existing feature, they will probably become part of the mod after their release.

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7 years ago
Jul 26, 2017, 9:41:01 PM

What about the bombers and fighter jets? Will they be tested in a mod as well? And the thing where certain buildings will affect the atmosphere(planet scan), and thus the popucation level of the planet e.c.

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7 years ago
Jul 20, 2017, 1:54:00 PM
gvaudan wrote:

I don't know where to post it : 

- For now on I noticed that the diplomacy maps exchange contract seems to be not functionnal
(at least for my actual game Empire vs Vodyani, I tried 2 maps excgange but the war fog is still there around their empire.


Edit : + During battle the Remaining life graphical indicator is not showing. Maybe it's a feature ? I regret it as I mainly watch it when I watch important battle whith incertain issue..

Please post it in the Balance Mod thread: https://www.games2gether.com/endless-space-2/forums/66-game-design/threads/27427-g2g-balance-mod-feedback

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7 years ago
Jul 20, 2017, 12:43:48 PM

I don't know where to post it : 

- For now on I noticed that the diplomacy maps exchange contract seems to be not functionnal
(at least for my actual game Empire vs Vodyani, I tried 2 maps excgange but the war fog is still there around their empire.


Edit : + During battle the Remaining life graphical indicator is not showing. Maybe it's a feature ? I regret it as I mainly watch it when I watch important battle whith incertain issue..

Updated 7 years ago.
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7 years ago
Jul 19, 2017, 6:51:33 AM

Great idea Devs,


I've played with the mod installed on a Sophon game, Endless difficulty and must say it really hurts their already weak early game, the - 2 influence upkeep for starting laws is crippling and a flat - 30 happiness hurts dust production from super tax act. Suggestion would be to reduce influence cost to - 1 and/or increase Hekims ind and dust production by +1 (As this brings it in line with other starting planets in regards to total fidsi).

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7 years ago
Jul 17, 2017, 4:04:39 PM

This is a very good way of testing balance with the ability to quickly make changes and I do like the community suggestions aspect.




Edit: As it can't be seen other than in-game or in the files The Release Notes: (detailing what the mod currently does)


Laws
- Super Tax Act: changed approval penalty (-1 per pop) to a flat (-30)
- Increased penalty of Brains over Bucks and Parks not Quarks (from -10% to -20%)
- Senator Bob Bill has been changed to an effect in per population (+2 approval per pop / -4 Dust per pop)
- Toy for Boys has been changed to lower industry instead of science (-10% industry)
- Inverted unlock prerequisite of Star Boogie Bill and Dirty Hand Acts to improve Sophons' early game
- Increased effects of Need to Breed  (from 20% to 30%)
- Right Thing Rule changes to unlock « Force Peace » term
- Fair Trade Bill changes to +5% FIDSI / peace, +10% FIDSI / alliance
- Inverted unlock prerequisites of My Precious Precept and Trusted Broker
- Green Fertility Bill (+20% Food / Anomaly) changes to +5% FIDSI / Anomaly
- Power to the People Act changes to +1% Science per pop type
- Power to the People Act changes to +1% Industry per pop type
- Racial Purity Act has a Vodyani alternative: +2 Essence per pop
- Inverts unlock prerequisites between Admit and Improve Bill and Racial Purity Act; to have the Essence from the beginning with Vodyani
- Us or Them Decree changes to +10% Influence per Hero
- Spoils Of War Act adds: -10% Military upkeep as a complementary effect

Approval
- Planets now give penalty in -X approval per pop instead of -X
-5 => -1 per pop
-10 => -3 per pop
-15 => -5 per pop
-20 => -8 per pop
- Luxury resources and anomalies also provide approval bonuses and penalties using a "per pop" count
- bonuses have been lowered and penalties increased
- Overcolonization threshold is lower for higher galaxy size but a System at max level increases this threshold by 1, removing fully developed systems from the equation altogether



I myself like the look of all these changes especially the overcolonization threshold, now you can conquer the whole galaxy you just need the resources to do it.

Updated 7 years ago.
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7 years ago
Jul 18, 2017, 1:44:25 PM

We announced the end of summer as ETA for fighters and bombers during our last stream. More info as we get closer to that date!

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7 years ago
Jul 18, 2017, 1:26:19 PM

Any news on the status of fighters/bombers? They will surely enter into the balance equation.

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7 years ago
Jul 18, 2017, 8:11:42 AM
HBumblebee wrote:

Nice idea. Does it disable achievements like normal mods do?

It does. Sticking exactly to the way a Steam mod works is part and parcel of keeping the mod quick and easy to make changes to.


However, if we like the changes, they'll eventually be included alongside an update, allowing you to trigger achievements again.

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7 years ago
Jul 17, 2017, 9:44:41 PM

Great strategy indeed, I'm looking forward to see how laws impact gameplay now! Really liked the swat between Star Boogie Bill and Dirty Hands Act.

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7 years ago
Jul 17, 2017, 7:04:55 PM

that's cool i would like to have the sieging speed a bit higher and then everything should be cool :)


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7 years ago
Jul 17, 2017, 5:01:31 PM

This is fantastic. Makes most of my recent mod work irrelevant but still fantastic.


One suggestion, this makes the T3 Approval Luxury from easily the best to one of the worst. I feel this always needed to be changed because of the possible exploit but now that System Development can remove the Overcolonization penalty already using this on a per system basis seems bad.

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