Author Topic: New stuff on the wiki  (Read 27787 times)

Offline Bognor

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New stuff on the wiki
« on: January 10, 2013, 11:20:44 pm »
In a flurry of procrastination I made a couple of new tables on the wiki.

The first shows how many light and heavy modules the Champion ships can mount.  Can anyone tell me the missing numbers for Zenith and Neinzul Frigates?

The second shows which modules are compatible with which racial techs.  It's missing Photon Lance, Nanosubverter, and Rail Cluster (not to be confused with Rail Cannon).  Can anyone tell me whether those are light or heavy modules, and their compatibilities?  Both tables could use some prettying-up, and the square-root sign should be replaced with something better.

I also made a Glossary with some abbreviations and terminology I thought might be confusing to newbies (or vets, for that matter).  Suggestions for changes, additions, a better name, or anything else are welcome.  It's linked under Player-Created Strategy Resources from the main AI War page.
« Last Edit: January 10, 2013, 11:26:10 pm by Bognor »
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Offline Hearteater

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Re: New stuff on the wiki
« Reply #1 on: January 11, 2013, 11:39:52 am »
SBS -Spire Blade Spawner, a bonus fleet ship

Offline Azurian

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Re: New stuff on the wiki
« Reply #2 on: January 11, 2013, 03:17:55 pm »
I found the new tables extremely useful in  refreshing potential strategies. Can you link "AI War Ships and Structures" to a section on the main page?
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Offline Aeson

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Re: New stuff on the wiki
« Reply #3 on: January 11, 2013, 05:41:24 pm »
Zenith Shadow Frigates have the same module slots as the Human Shadow Frigates (6 light, 2 heavy).

Rail Clusters are heavy modules.
« Last Edit: January 11, 2013, 05:43:53 pm by Aeson »

Offline Bognor

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Re: New stuff on the wiki
« Reply #4 on: January 11, 2013, 06:04:28 pm »
Hearteater - How could I forget the Spwners? Added.

Articuno - Done, under "Player-Created Strategy Resources".  Welcome to the forums!

Aeson - Added.

Thanks all!
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Offline Aeson

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Re: New stuff on the wiki
« Reply #5 on: January 11, 2013, 06:27:30 pm »
Since I forgot to say in my previous post, Rail Clusters are restricted to Zenith and Spire champions.

Offline Hearteater

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Re: New stuff on the wiki
« Reply #6 on: January 11, 2013, 07:47:42 pm »
Wording may need help, but these guys probably deserves some mention:

BHM - Black Hole Machine, a structure that when present in a system prevents ships from leaving
OMD - Orbital Mass Driver, a structure that attacks larger enemy ships from long range
ST - Super Terminal, a structure that can be captured to reduce AIP for as long as it can be held

Offline Histidine

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Re: New stuff on the wiki
« Reply #7 on: January 11, 2013, 08:26:32 pm »
Photon Lance is heavy, exclusive to Spire. Nanosubverter is a light, though I don't recall its compatibilities right now.

There's an error in the footnote:
Quote
Missile Modules are light for champions, heavy for modular fortresses.
This is backwards: Missiles are heavy for champs, light for mod forts.

Also, the checkmarks in the module compatibility table are kinda hard to read. Color fill for the cells?

Anyway, nice work.
On a side note, how do I get a wiki account? I'd like to help with things like this.
« Last Edit: January 11, 2013, 08:40:24 pm by Histidine »

Offline onyhow

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Re: New stuff on the wiki
« Reply #8 on: January 12, 2013, 12:53:49 am »
Nanosubverters are for Humans and Nienzuls I think...

Offline keith.lamothe

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Re: New stuff on the wiki
« Reply #9 on: January 12, 2013, 02:45:47 pm »
On a side note, how do I get a wiki account? I'd like to help with things like this.
PM tigersfan :)

You may already have it all, but distilled from the code here are the champion module compatibilities:

Light champ modules:

Code: [Select]
Needler

Laser

MLRS

if ( Human || Zenith )
{
    Flak
}

if ( Zenith || Neinzul )
{
    AcidJet
}

if ( Zenith || Spire )
{
    ImpulseReaction
}

if ( Zenith || Spire )
{
    Polarizer
}

if ( Zenith || Human )
{
    Paralyzer
}

if ( Neinzul || Human )
{
    Nanosubverter
}

if ( Neinzul )
{
    InsanityInducer
}

if ( Neinzul || Human )
{
    DoomAccelerator
}

if ( Neinzul || Spire )
{
    Translocator
}

if ( Spire || Human )
{
    RailCannon
}


And Heavy champ modules:

Code: [Select]
Shield

if ( Human || Neinzul || Zenith )
{
    Missile
}

if ( Human )
{
    HeavyBeam
}

if ( Human || Neinzul || Zenith )
{
    BomberBay

    SlicerBay

    InterceptorBay
}

if ( Zenith )
{
    HeatBeam
}

if ( Spire )
{
    PhotonLance
}

if ( Spire || Zenith )
{
    RailCluster
}

if ( Spire )
{
    PlasmaSiegeCannon
}

And for completeness, the light fortress modules:

Code: [Select]
Needler

Laser

MLRS

if ( Human || Zenith || Neinzul )
{
    Missile
}

if ( Human || Zenith )
{
    Flak
}

if ( Zenith || Neinzul )
{
    AcidJet
}

if ( Zenith || Spire )
{
    ImpulseReaction
}

if ( Zenith || Spire )
{
    Polarizer
}

if ( Zenith || Human )
{
    Paralyzer
}

if ( Neinzul || Human )
{
    Nanosubverter
}

if ( Neinzul )
{
    InsanityInducer
}

if ( Neinzul || Human )
{
    DoomAccelerator
}

if ( Neinzul || Spire )
{
    Translocator
}

if ( Spire || Human )
{
    RailCannon
}

And heavy fort modules:

Code: [Select]
Shield

if ( Human )
{
    HeavyBeam
}

if ( Human || Neinzul || Zenith )
{
    BomberBay

    SlicerBay

    InterceptorBay
}

if ( Zenith )
{
    HeatBeam
}

if ( Spire )
{
    PhotonLance
}

if ( Spire || Zenith )
{
    RailCluster
}

if ( Spire )
{
    PlasmaSiegeCannon
}


Not quite as brief as it could be, but this avoids any errors on my part in trying to condense the similar cases :)
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Offline Bognor

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Re: New stuff on the wiki
« Reply #10 on: January 12, 2013, 08:46:19 pm »
Woohoo!  Thanks everyone, and glad to see you back, Keith  :D

I added Hearteater's suggestions to the glossary, fixed my missiles derp, and checked the module compatibility table against Keith's code (I'd made two errors!).  I agree that colour fill would be ideal, but I'm afraid that's beyond my capabilities.  I mostly use excel2wiki to make tables and that doesn't recognise backgrounds.

The only missing data now are the numbers of light and heavy modules on a Neinzul Frigate.
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Offline Aeson

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Re: New stuff on the wiki
« Reply #11 on: January 12, 2013, 11:34:40 pm »
As a suggestion for the table format, you might want to change the notes from being a single paragraph to a numbered system, such as:

1. Mark I versions of these modules are always available to champions at no cost.
2. Missile modules are always available to champions, but must be unlocked before they can be used, and require an available heavy module slot on champions or an available light module slot on modular fortresses.
3. Fortress shield modules upgrade with standard forcefield upgrades while champion shield modules must be unlocked in the same manner as other champion modules.

There would be, instead of a single asterix by each of the modules for which there is a note, a superscript numeral (which depending on your skill with the wiki software could be linked so that clicking the number would take you to the corresponding note) present by the modules for which these notes are relevent.

The first two sentences in the current edition of the note, namely 'Needler, Laser Cannon, MLRS, and Shield Modules are always available for champions; Missile Modules are available after spending one unlock point. All other modules are unlocked by successfully completing nebulae.' might better serve as an introduction to the table (i.e., being placed between the table's title and the start of the table), and then the corresponding note(s) would be deleted from the notes section.

Just some thoughts I had on the current format. Other than that, I think that the tables are fairly good as they currently stand.

Offline Bognor

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Re: New stuff on the wiki
« Reply #12 on: January 13, 2013, 01:16:04 am »
Yeah, that paragraph was horrible.  I hadn't realised how complicated it all was until I wrote it down.  I began implementing your excellent suggestions, but then I realised it was even more complicated as Heavy Beam Cannons are an additional special case.  Eventually I split champions and modular forts into separate sections for clarity and to avoid walls of text.  What do you think of the current version?  Any ideas on how to make things clearer or more informative?
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Offline Aeson

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Re: New stuff on the wiki
« Reply #13 on: January 13, 2013, 01:02:21 pm »
It looks decent enough to me. The only things that I can think of immediately would be links to relevant pages for module and ship statistics, but I doubt that those have been created yet, and possibly short descriptions or usage hints similar to what the golem table has.

For instance, with the translocator you might put something along the lines of 'useful for stalling AI ships, but worthless in nebulae' (or, it was the last time I used it - despite a lack of 'immune to translocation' in the ship descriptions I never saw a single nebula combatant translocated; not sure if that was intentional or a bug, and I assumed it to be intentional since the ships are somewhat larger and more powerful than average fleet ships, though I may also have been killing the ships too quickly since I had a Spire cruiser champion when I tried it), while plasma siege modules might say 'station buster and starship/guardian killer'.

If you do put in a usage hint or description field, the modules table is fine but the Champion table could probably be transposed, since the difference there is more dependent on the technology base than on the hull size. My view of champion technology bases is that Neinzul champions are scout/raiders, Human champions are better at killing lots of fleet ships, Spire champions are better at killing guardians/starships/stations, and Zenith champions are essentially a compromise between Human and Spire champions. Of course, this tends to be subject to what modules you have unlocked, but it should be a decent usage guide.

Offline Bognor

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Re: New stuff on the wiki
« Reply #14 on: January 15, 2013, 07:12:53 am »
I don't think we have dedicated pages yet for any of the units introduced in Ancient Shadows, even the fleet ships.

Mm, it's never been clear to me what can and can't be translocated, as it's never listed as a ship immunity.  Maybe it piggy-backs on some other immunity, the way ships that are immune to reclamation are also immune to reprocessing?  I'm not sure.

Your descriptions of the strengths of the different champions are consistent with my intuitions, but I'm reluctant to add that kind of material myself due to my inexperience - I've only played one and a bit games of Ancient Shadows.  I'll transpose the table though when I get some spare time - good idea.

(Minor point: the Plasma Siege Modules aren't particularly strong against most guardians, as they don't get a bonus versus medium hulls.)
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