Thematic Lobby Setup Scripts

[Pumpkin]

I never used the lobby setup scripts, so i decided to craft some
For now, I have four of them, each based on one alien race : Neinzul, Zenith and Spire, plus one based on Humans+shadows (as the Ancient Shadows has few to build a thematic game by itself, and the nebulae scenarii are super interesting about human lore with the In Memoriam Terra splinter faction being often encountered). I will make some more for the other expansions (Vengeance of the Machine and Destroyer of Worlds), but I still don't know how to handle them. Maybe the fifth themed script will be about the AI "race", with all the pain from VotM and all the lore revealed in the Exodian Blade's campaign.

My scripts are still under writing, but here are the factions/plots/AI types for each. Incidentally, I'll need some hints from Chris or Keith (or someone else, maybe) about lobby scripts' abilities. For instance, is there a way to change the role of a human player? I need it to enable the nebulae scenarii. Is there a way to add a secondary AI type? And so on... The names of the AI types would be needed at some point; my disabledaitypes.txt isn't complete, and I need to find how to generate the list with the game's debug options (I remember there is a way, but I can't recall where in the forum I read it).

Well. No more words! Let's see what has been done so far!

All difficulty 7/7, realistic, 80 planets, 1AIP/30min, complex ships, normal combat style and ship cap, etc.

Neinzul Theme
AI 1 : Neinzul Youngster
AI 2 : Neinzul Viral Enthusiast / Cluster Bomber / Nester (equally likely, and maybe Youngster again)
Minor Factions : Neinzul Rocketry Corp (4), Preservation Wardens (4), Roaming Enclaves (4) (maybe more on roaming enclaves)
Plots : Hybrid Hives (4) and Advanced Hybrids (4) for both !!! (maybe it's a bit hard... HH(2) and AH(2) for both, or HH(4) and AH(4) for one only? But I think there is more evil plots available for the hybrids at higher intensity)

Zenith Theme
AI 1 : Zenith Descendant
AI 2 : Golemite
Minor Factions : Zenith Traders, Miners (4), Dyson Sphere (4), Devourer, Broken Golem Hard (4).
// BotNet Golem considered too cheezy to be added by this script, but not forbidden.

Spire Theme
AI 1 : Spireling
AI 2 : Crafty Spire or Spire Hammer (equally likely)
Minor Factions : Fallen Spire (8 ), Spire Civilian Leaders, Spirecraft Easy.
// Intensity of Fallen Spire increased for compensate Easy Spirecraft (better than two different exo at intensity 4, right?)

Human and Shadow Theme
AI 1 : random easier/moderate + secondary type Entrenched Homeworlder
AI 2 : random easier/moderate + secondary type Entrenched Homeworlder
Minor Factions : Human Marauders (10), Resistance Fighters (10), Colony Rebellion (4), Dark Spire (4), Alt Champ Nemesis (4)
// and there I need to change human player's roles to enable nebulae.

[Mal]

These sound very fun. Post the scripts when you are down, I am really down to try the "Human and Shadow Theme" as well as the "Neinzul Theme".

[Pumpkin]

Thanks. But ya know, ya've got the list of options above. Scripts are just an automated way to do it. And I'm not sure if enabling champion role for a human player would be possible.

Well, I'll go back to it. I was kinda distracted and let it fall out of my "preoccupation desk"... Wait. What? No! I was distracted BY that, actually. And now I'm distracted again. ;p Be right back... with some scripts, I hope.

[Mal]

Thanks. But ya know, ya've got the list of options above. Scripts are just an automated way to do it. And I'm not sure if enabling champion role for a human player would be possible.

True enough, my bad. Yeah I will test some of these out, they sound like really fun game presets.

[Pumpkin]

I'm done with the first three of them. Let me know... whatever you want me to know.

I'm working on the human/shadows one and got some idea for a VotM "pain oriented" script. However, I'm not sure if they would be possible at all, because I'm pretty sure there would be no way to make something in the idea of "SetPlayerRole(1, Normal+Champion)".

Oh, and there is a bug with the Zenith one, but it's not my fault! For some obscure reason, the "Zenith Descendant" is a valid type (id 39, if I understand the error log), but not implemented in the lobby script code (sort of out-of-bound). I need to post on Mantis, but for now, just comment out the "Zenith Descendant" line (by adding "//" before it) and set it by hand.

Anyway, I'm working on an expansion-like set of idea about ship type and minor factions. I'll post 'em somewhere when they [would be / will be / are / $%#&! I've lost myself with this conjugation] in a presentable state.

[Pumpkin]

Oh, and there is a bug with the Zenith one, but it's not my fault! For some obscure reason, the "Zenith Descendant" is a valid type (id 39, if I understand the error log), but not implemented in the lobby script code (sort of out-of-bound). I need to post on Mantis, but for now, just comment out the "Zenith Descendant" line (by adding "//" before it) and set it by hand.

Indeed, it was my fault. The lobby script is dependent on the disabled AI types. Make sure the ones used by the scripts are not disabled. So the scripts are correct.