Last chances to point out stuff in the design doc

[Cinth]

AI War Classic is a huge game and I'm asking for help in making sure all areas are covered.  If you notice anything that's missing, please let us know here so it can be addressed!

Design Document

It's 157 pages, just so you know

[Vinco]

2.h.v both suggests that you'll start out with a secondary mothership at all times and that you'll only start with one in a multi-planet start.

[Clasmir]

I searched for " ending", " victory", and " conditions". Is it your intention to cover those issues now or later?

[Vinco]

Looking through, I don't see much detail on ship construction.  Will there still be shipyards?  How will the player be able to speed up the rate of production without engineers?

How will new ship types be unlocked?

[Sestren]

In the second appendix, the "Portable Fabricator (PortaFab)" is probably what you're looking for w.r.t. shipyards, though I am unsure how ship unlocks will work now that background factions are out of scope. Is it the same as classic? You should make that explicit if it is.

[Cinth]

We're finding the holes and addressing them with your help

I don't see much detail on ship construction.

Portafab as Sestren mentioned.

How will the player be able to speed up the rate of production without engineers?

Look up Planet Management in the design doc.


Thanks a bunch guys, it's appreciated!

[Vinco]

OK.  Followup question on portafabs... Why would we not want to keep them at 800% constantly?  Is there a penalty beyond simply doing things faster and eating resources faster?  If they're mobile, they can't be power-based...

[Vinco]

Hacking is mentioned several times in the doc, but the hacking mechanics are not detailed.  Is it a hackership?  Is it done by motherships?  Is hacking still a way to "spend" AIP increases?

[Cinth]

If they're mobile, they can't be power-based

There are always exceptions to rules, don't you know that

Why would we not want to keep them at 800% constantly?

Aside from eating all your metal econ up while producing units?

[Vinco]

Aside from eating all your metal econ up while producing units?

I consider that a feature.  Metal usage is controlled by pausing!  And by hitting the cap and staying there!

As to power...  The way the portafab is described, what's to stop it going to an enemy system?  If it uses power, Is it blocked from producing there due to lack of power?  If not, why not?

For context, in Classic, I'll typically move all ship production to one of my spire worlds.  I'll typically station my full cap of mark 2 engineers there for building acceleration.  In that context, 800% seems incredibly slow, especially if portafacs are supposed to be expensive and rare structures.

[Vinco]

Chokepoints...

If we no longer have defined wormholes, how do we hold the AI on a fortress world and keep it from getting past into the juicy empire beyond?  If the AI emerges at random points on the border, what's stopping them from emerging on the side where they want to go and making a mad dash for the home command ship elsewhere in the empire?

[Cinth]

Aside from eating all your metal econ up while producing units?

I consider that a feature.  Metal usage is controlled by pausing!  And by hitting the cap and staying there!

As to power...  The way the portafab is described, what's to stop it going to an enemy system?  If it uses power, Is it blocked from producing there due to lack of power?  If not, why not?

How you manage your econ is up to you.  That's why there are sliders there.

As far as the portafab being a power using but wormhole traversing fabricator, it's an exception to the rule.  It definitely needs clarification about power use.

Chokepoints...

If we no longer have defined wormholes, how do we hold the AI on a fortress world and keep it from getting past into the juicy empire beyond?  If the AI emerges at random points on the border, what's stopping them from emerging on the side where they want to go and making a mad dash for the home command ship elsewhere in the empire?

You'll have planetary defenses for that.  It's just not camp a wormhole anymore.

[Vinco]

You'll have planetary defenses for that.  It's just not camp a wormhole anymore.

Aye.  But how do I stop them from jumping to the next system when they emerge near the "lane connection" or whatever to the next world in my chain?  Is there a black hole generator equivalent that I can build to lock them to that system?

[Vinco]

Also, I edited my prior post while Cinth was responding...  I'm concerned that 800% production speed at the portafacs may be too slow.  I tend to use a full cap of mark 2 engineers at my main forgeworld in Classic.  Production significantly slower than that will feel very odd.

[Cinth]

Also, I edited my prior post while Cinth was responding...  I'm concerned that 800% production speed at the portafacs may be too slow.  I tend to use a full cap of mark 2 engineers at my main forgeworld in Classic.  Production significantly slower than that will feel very odd.

That's data driven and subject to balance.  It's something to be figured out in testing.