Prerelease 3.182/3 (Ship Type Buttons+, Balance+, Bugfixes, Lobby Code Revamp)

[zebramatt]

My concern with that one is that less experienced players will build a colony station, click one of the build buttons, and place the command station and not realize that it means scrapping the one that's there.

Probably could just cover that in a note at the bottom of the tooltip; "Note: You may only have one command centre on each planet. Building another will automatically scrap your current one." Or something similar. I figure the way it is now is even less illuminating to the player - scrapping your own core building and relinquishing control of a planet just to change your comm centre feels totally unnatural!

That said, I hadn't really considered the implication on the home comm centre. Might be too much risk for a mild improvement in intuitiveness!

[RedrumJackle]

understandable. but you could just reduce what the mk1 gives you, and then improve it so you feel its necessary to get the next level if your in a bind.

However, I'm cool. Just thought I'd criticize it a bit. =P! Though if you do reduce it >.> I could be in the heat for flaming now that I think about it. Its like one of those episodes where 'who the heck wanted it lower?!' *finds this out and gasps* you! XD

rofl

Agreed. I think in the development of A.I war, it's been said fairly regularly that if a tactic or an unlock is so good that it's always the right choice, then something is wrong. It takes the point of the choice away, and de-values a lot of the other technologies that are available. A +5 gain for each harvester is massive, and would always be the route to go.

Now, it was just an Idea. However, I never said it would replace the idea of making critical choices of knowledge in game. But I do feel you there. But its not quite to good to be true. As where you spend your knowledge on them, you can end up without a back bone of star ships or mk3 ships right away to help you against difficulty 8+ x2 waves. XD

I feel it shouldn't be as daunting, and yet should be even more daring with a bit of greater value yet more of a fine edge if your hurting for knowledge. Perhaps a boost on the Knowledge costs to compensate?

[Diazo]

I can't agree with boosting the knowledge on the Mk II/III extractors.

The time you really need them are in the early game when you have fewer systems, and so less knowledge.

This kind of thing I very much want a small knowledge cost for a small gain over a large knowledge cost for a large gain.

I think they will be about right at the 12/14/16 levels (will confirm once I get a chance to play it.)

D.

[RCIX]

I'm starting think polarisers are mahoosive OP... they shred turrets of all kinds, starships of all kinds, bombers, any ship with half decent shielding and hives with incredible ease. their main counters have little or no bonus against them. I have a new favorite unit 

But they do almost no damage to fleet ships and focefields, which definitely limits them in that regard. I curbstomped a 2k wave of Polarizers Mk1 (i was building a core ion cannon on my world ) thanks to my fleet slowly shredding every single one. It didn't go as fast as, say, bombers vs fighters, but it was doable.

[superking]

I'm starting think polarisers are mahoosive OP... they shred turrets of all kinds, starships of all kinds, bombers, any ship with half decent shielding and hives with incredible ease. their main counters have little or no bonus against them. I have a new favorite unit 

But they do almost no damage to fleet ships and focefields, which definitely limits them in that regard. I curbstomped a 2k wave of Polarizers Mk1 (i was building a core ion cannon on my world ) thanks to my fleet slowly shredding every single one. It didn't go as fast as, say, bombers vs fighters, but it was doable.
[/quote

well, they are highly effective against alot of fleet ships- bombers and anything else with decent shielding: teleport raiders & battlestations, tanks, armour ships, grenade launchers etc

[RCIX]

I'm starting think polarisers are mahoosive OP... they shred turrets of all kinds, starships of all kinds, bombers, any ship with half decent shielding and hives with incredible ease. their main counters have little or no bonus against them. I have a new favorite unit  

But they do almost no damage to fleet ships and focefields, which definitely limits them in that regard. I curbstomped a 2k wave of Polarizers Mk1 (i was building a core ion cannon on my world ) thanks to my fleet slowly shredding every single one. It didn't go as fast as, say, bombers vs fighters, but it was doable.

well, they are highly effective against alot of fleet ships- bombers and anything else with decent shielding: teleport raiders & battlestations, tanks, armour ships, grenade launchers etc

Then don't use those
Use frigates and fighters, and anything spammy you can get. Acid Sprayers work too i think.

[zebramatt]

I'm starting think polarisers are mahoosive OP... they shred turrets of all kinds, starships of all kinds, bombers, any ship with half decent shielding and hives with incredible ease. their main counters have little or no bonus against them. I have a new favorite unit 

Neinzul Youngling Commandos cut those to ribbons!

[quickstix]

Pre-ordered. Been looking forward to the next installment of AI War, and we get to support a charity as well.

Now I'm going to go look for a Hybrid Hive to see what all the fuss is about. 

[Diazo]

Ohhh, hybrids are always fun when you first run into them.

Just a note that I've updated to 3.183 and continued my game as found here..

D.

[RedrumJackle]

I can't agree with boosting the knowledge on the Mk II/III extractors.

The time you really need them are in the early game when you have fewer systems, and so less knowledge.

This kind of thing I very much want a small knowledge cost for a small gain over a large knowledge cost for a large gain.

I think they will be about right at the 12/14/16 levels (will confirm once I get a chance to play it.)

D.

I can't agree at the moment. o.O I see people use them and I'm like 'why? just why?' Before it was a 1 and 2 gain. Now its a 2 and 4 gain. But I have to say i feel its perhaps inadequate.

Though I'm not asking for a massive boost on knowledge costs for a bit more.

You know what would be really cool, would be the tech to gain a IV that produces both metal and crystal and equips to crystal, and metal harvest points. Then I'd be like 'ok, yea thats something I would like to have.' Or perhaps just a new set of harvesters themselves that you have to unlock before they can be used. Like how you start with mk1 generally off the bat, these ones you have to unlock before you can even use mk1. Even if they had a slight handicap at first and eventually rounded up to something nice. *shrugs* just an idea.

I guess i'll have to give them a shot. With the new settings they may be a bit more worthwhile. But they just seem barely better.

Maybe my opinion will change after using them, who knows.

[Giegue]

you're gonna need updated cheats. preferably one for each level of nuke, and one for each new faction. the nuke thing is simply for the sake of "I don't wanna accidentally blow up the entire galaxy" like I ran into.

[keith.lamothe]

Yes, we plan to add cheats, just working on other stuff right now.

[Diazo]

I think we have different ideas of what the Mk II and III extractors purpose is.

You are looking for something that gives a large boost so it's viable middle to late game, as compared to me where I'm looking for something that gives you a boost early game at the expense of not being worth much late game.

I don't know how your economy runs, but in my current game I just hit 2:30:00 play time, I have spent 2:29:00 of that bottomed out on either metal or crystal. Once I get 3 or 4 more systems captured I'll start getting reserves even with only Mk I extractors, the Mk II and III are there to give me that boost until I can capture those few more systems.

Looking at my current game where I only have 2 systems captured for a total of 3 systems giving me about 10 of each extractor, just the Mk II's is over a 5% increase in income of resources, that's huge in the early game. (Using the Mk II's with 14 income from 3.184).

That same 5% boost (or bigger boost for more knowledge) isn't worth as much late game in my opinion because you have a higher absolute resource flow at that point.

Again, comes back to what you want the Mk II and III extractors to be and what looks to be implemented is what I agree with.

D.

[platinawolf]

Hmm... Not really sure where to post this ^^* The core Roaches dont have a zoomed out icon ^^* Just a huge uggly square that limits view ^^* Very bad when busting nests

[Kjara]

Honestly I thought mkII extractors were worth it at the 12/13/14 level, mainly due to the halved build time, rather than mainly for the increased generation.  If you don't assist them with engineers, having the mk II as opposed to the mk I is worth ~ 150*13 ~= 2k resources every time you lose a harvester.  I honestly don't think that getting a free upgrade of all existing harvesters when you unlock them would be hugely overpowered though and would reduce micro?  Of course, with this logic, the mkIII are in some sense worth less than the mkII's while costing more knowledge, which makes them not really worth unlocking(aka since you only save 75 seconds of build time now, rather than 150).  Imo the mkIII's need an extra boost of some sort, either making them 12/14/18? or perhaps giving the mkIII's a hp or shield boost or perhaps cutting the build time by even more and/or reducing the build cost.