Randomized Map with varying asteroids and such

from Sins Forums
So decided to stop playing tonight... and do a little modding.

If you read the thread 'About that Map Tool' then you know what I am talking about.... I wanted to add a randomizing factor for resource asteroids into the game, and I did the file work for Beta 3, I just finished updating for Beta 4, and started playing on a new version of Entanglement...

What I did was create 5 extra planet types per planet class. Each varying the quantity and type of asteroids:

For example, the Ice Planet variants are as such:
2 Crystal and 1 Metal
1 Crystal and 2 Metal
1 Crystal and 1 Metal
2 Crystal
1 Crystal

Each variant only has a 5% chance of showing up in the entries I made, you can make a new entry to adjust frequency however you like, total a variant only has a 25% chance of showing up. Notably the map files use all sorts of entries the Devs made and I don't have a randomizer equivalent to their weighted roles yet... So on this entanglement map, I replaced the 'weighted planet' which is sometimes a gas giant with my entry of 'pure random' which gives an equal chance to any anomaly or planet... I left planets which were stated as 'un-colonizable' the same, and replaced 'true random planet' with my version. At any rate, a balanced version of this would have the same weighting ratios for that entry I mentioned, But I wanted to show off the success before i put in extra effort

Here are some results:

of 32 total habitable planets on the map I ended up with 7 variants. 1 Short of a perfect 25% ratio.

This an early pic of the game... notice in the far left upper corner is a variant Ice planet.










As I make more entries I can make better maps and such, by making new planet files and entities I could force any bonus to be on any planet, which could drastically change game-play and make for some interesting 'scenarios' In addition to this I could easily make Randomized Home-Worlds that would could vary the type of planet VISUALLY but leave all the same statistics as a standard Terran HW, that would just be cool and aesthetic, or you could make unique home-worlds with unique bonuses and dish those out.

Now I wonder if you are screaming 'Balance!' and I must wonder how a few ice planets having less crystal and a few asteroids having more at such low percentages will really impact the game other than making it less predictable. It may take a little more effort to find the enemy's valuable planet because it wont always be the Ice Planet or a particular Terran! %% of the time it might be that special Asteroid with 3 Metal and 2 Crystal.

Also- after release we could design 'station' planets much like the pirate base, but more neutral looking and force upon them the culture bonus or a fortress planet that has the weapons testing facility bonus. Unique planets with unique bonus are very easy to make, making randomizing entries is tedious but still very easy too. Can't wait for the map editor and I hope it supports the kind of work the game is easily capable of!

Thanks Devs for such a thoughtful file system!
modding
6,484 views 7 replies
Reply #1 from Sins Forums Top

Now I wonder if you are screaming 'Balance!' and I must wonder how a few ice planets having less crystal and a few asteroids having more at such low percentages will really impact the game other than making it less predictable.


Close encounters.
Reply #2 from Sins Forums Top

Thanks Devs for such a thoughtful file system!

It's going to get even better!

SoundPackager - Customize the Windows sound scheme
Reply #3 from Sins Forums Top
Yes a randomized close encounters could be pretty unfair in some loads and sometimes be just fine.

Not every map is a good idea for this Ron, who knew
Reply #4 from Sins Forums Top

Yes a randomized close encounters could be pretty unfair in some loads and sometimes be just fine.

Not every map is a good idea for this Ron, who knew


hehe
Reply #5 from Sins Forums Top
hahaha

Just finished work on making homeworlds that are identical statistically but look like ice desert or volcanic planets...

Cool no?

PS: also I gave them the same chance to have rings that other planets have (.05) they were at 0   

PPS: Made some enhanced homeworlds too, again all the same, but gave them extra population, resource asteroids and logistics upgrades from the get-go. One could make small games with very little valuable territory, but said territory's value could be very very high... for example 7 or 12 resource asteroid high... or 500 population. Making for less total sieges being neccessary to finish off players, but roughly the same economic scale as we are used to.

PPPS: Added randomized Special Anomalies, 65% chance for any anomaly to be its usualy self, with 7 variants adding different combos of the various abilities, meaning sometimes you run into explosive plasmastorms and sometimes a Gas Giant will prevent anti-matter abilities, Sometimes an anomaly even has the ability of the stars to regenerate anti-matter (a Gas giant with this will almost always have rings too). In addition there is a 15% chance that any asteroid belt will be a 'dead' asteroid that is actually completely uninhabitable, basically a empty system with something you must go around.

PPPPS: (yes another one) added a small category of new planet types 'barren' ice, desert, and Volcanic, they use the stats of a asteroid but with more population, and an extra population upgrade possible, and they have no resource asteroids... overall a crappy crappy place lol. They are meant for crappy backwater moon-ish worlds, they have the possibility of being high or low gravity, and can't have things like 'expert crystal miners'. I have only placed them in my 'pure' random category, so they won't crop up unless you are either playing a very random map/area, or you specifically place them on a map.
Reply #6 from Sins Forums Top

It's going to get even better!



Dont play with my feelings...
Reply #7 from Sins Forums Top
Okay so here is the first map for my map pack utilizing this mod...


This is an old map I made called Malice and Mayhem, First of all the homeworlds are 'enhanced versions' meaning they have 5 total resource asteroids and some free upgrades, also you start with the asteroid that is directly behind your homeworld. (Yes its entirely possible to make maps where your territory is entirely defined)




Thats the map, a pretty basic hourglass, those anomalies are randomized and not just what type but what abilities the type will have

This is a very rare gas giant type that showed up! (Look at the abilities)






The Homeworlds are all the same, but they randomly pick if it will VISUALLY (not statistically) be desert or terran, ice, or volcanic ... here is a desert homeworld- AGAIN it acts just like a normal Terran homeworld aside from the fact that this one is buffed up... I did this cuz its kind of a low resource map







More to come when My eyes heal up from laser eye surgery some more.