Distribute metal resources better

Matrix Games Forums

Forums Register Login Photo Gallery Member List Search Calendars FAQ

My Profile Inbox Address Book My Subscription My Forums Log Out

Distribute metal resources better

View related threads: (in this forum | in all forums)

Logged in as: Guest

Users viewing this topic: none

Printable Version

All Forums >> [New Releases from Matrix Games] >> Shadow Empire >> Suggestions and Feedback >> Distribute metal resources better

Page: [1]

Message

<< Older Topic Newer Topic >>

Distribute metal resources better - 2/2/2021 11:34:37 PM

nathanebht

Posts: 14
Joined: 2/15/2008
Status: offline

Currently metal and rare resources feel detached from the landscape. They should be distributed more like ruins show up on planets.

Varying amounts of metal scattered in a small patch of hexes. Tiny patches for rare. For example: One high resource spot with a two neighboring low value spots. And they should generally involve hills or mountains. Perhaps a tile graphic showing rocky outcrops to have a visual difference.

I'd be in favor of more metal on all of the planet types but you could just distribute what is currently placed over more hexes.

Post #: 1

RE: Distribute metal resources better - 2/3/2021 3:26:44 AM

GuardsmanGary

Posts: 50
Joined: 7/4/2020
Status: offline

In my experience metal, and all extractable resources, tend to follow the tectonics plates. Some regions have more while others have none. You also mention how ruins show up, but single hex ruins themselves often cover deposits as they are the ruins of the resource extraction operations prior to the collapse.

Having an equal distribution of metals across the planet lessens the value of territory if you're guaranteed to have access to plentiful amounts no matter where you are on the planet. It also moves every campaign you play closer to being just like every other one, something that should be avoided. It can create an interesting challenge to have to deal with a major that got lucky starting on the plate with most of the metal while you had to improvise and prioritize different things.

(in reply to nathanebht)

Post #: 2

RE: Distribute metal resources better - 2/3/2021 11:06:08 AM

BlueTemplar

Posts: 887
Joined: 4/29/2010
Status: offline

An unequal starting position is bad for competitive MP however (if only few human players : the more the number of players, the more diplomacy is going to play a role, and there's plenty of time for diplomacy in a PBEM game).

At the very least, there should be an option where each human player starts with similar positions (their RNGs are made more likely to hit the same values). Some games go as far as to give you the option of the local maps around starting positions being identical for all the (human and/or AI) players.

(in reply to GuardsmanGary)

Post #: 3

RE: Distribute metal resources better - 2/3/2021 1:09:31 PM

zgrssd

Posts: 3385
Joined: 6/9/2020
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: BlueTemplar

An unequal starting position is bad for competitive MP however (if only few human players : the more the number of players, the more diplomacy is going to play a role, and there's plenty of time for diplomacy in a PBEM game).

And that is what the guaranteed deposits are for - lessening the impact of randomisation.

In Stellaris, a lot of people complain about the 2 guaranteed starting planets with certain guaranteed viability.
They do not realize how important they are to balance out incosistencies in the Unvierse generation.

(in reply to BlueTemplar)

Post #: 4

RE: Distribute metal resources better - 2/3/2021 1:40:31 PM

BlueTemplar

Posts: 887
Joined: 4/29/2010
Status: offline

2 starting planets in Stellaris ? That's new...

BTW, has Paradox *finally* added the basic "flag as guard"/next idle fleet hotkey to their *so much* patched game, so that I can stand to play it again ?

(in reply to zgrssd)

Post #: 5

RE: Distribute metal resources better - 2/3/2021 2:28:35 PM

nathanebht

Posts: 14
Joined: 2/15/2008
Status: offline

Didn't realize about the tectonic plates, that's interesting.

I just don't like what we are currently given. A single point of metal in some random spot that is not near hills or mountains. A quick google will show the reality of metal mining is basically the opposite.

< Message edited by nathanebht -- 2/3/2021 2:29:16 PM >

(in reply to BlueTemplar)

Post #: 6

RE: Distribute metal resources better - 2/3/2021 2:32:22 PM

BlueTemplar

Posts: 887
Joined: 4/29/2010
Status: offline

You might not be wrong, however I have to point out that more metal spots (even if the total amount of metal stays the same) is going to increase the maximum flow of metal, which might have balance issues.

(EDIT: though there's also the ease of mining to play with... BTW does it also changes the effective total amount of metal that is actually going to be extracted over the lifetime of the spot, or does it just slow the extracting down ?)

< Message edited by BlueTemplar -- 2/3/2021 2:35:57 PM >

(in reply to nathanebht)

Post #: 7

RE: Distribute metal resources better - 2/3/2021 3:27:33 PM

Uemon

Posts: 112
Joined: 12/11/2020
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: BlueTemplar

2 starting planets in Stellaris ? That's new...

Its in map options when you start a new game, you can turn it off or set it to up to 3 guaranteed worlds (your homeworld + 2 more). Essentially you get 2 worlds of random size (one small one bigger) within range X from your homeworld.

But, yes, its a good point about metal resource. The setting where all majors get guaranteed metal works fine, but there doesnt seem to be a way to turn it off :( If you increase difficulty, you (human) will lose that metal deposit, while AI keep theirs.

(in reply to BlueTemplar)

Post #: 8

RE: Distribute metal resources better - 2/3/2021 4:07:13 PM

BlueTemplar

Posts: 887
Joined: 4/29/2010
Status: offline

Yeah, my first game is on Normal, on a 70% Heavy Elements planet - I didn't have a "starting" metal spot (though this might be the cause of a bug, where my "starting" underground ice spot "overwrote" it?), even worse, the closest "random" metal spot was much closer to another major than to me. And that major has depleted his "starting" metal spot before I managed to seize his capital.

(in reply to Uemon)

Post #: 9

RE: Distribute metal resources better - 2/3/2021 6:02:19 PM

LarryBurstyn

Posts: 76
Joined: 6/11/2019
Status: offline

Metal can be anywhere. Normally they are near tectonic plates but they can also be near OLD dead plates. Large (and I mean LARGE) metal deposits in some areas are the result of volcanic activity...the large magma chamber that is miles below the ground get an influx on metals (many different types in the same location)...over the centuries the ground above the now cool magma chamber is worn away revealing the metal underneath...this could be in any kind of terrain by mostly in hilly/mountainous. This I believe was the source of the huge metal deposits in the Montana/Minnesota/Michigan/Wisconson area. There are deposits of metals all over the world but some areas are short of distribution....Generally if you have fossil fuel deposits you are low on metal deposits--but not always. And almost ALWAYS when you have a heavy metal deposits it is in a large metal deposit area and mixed with it.

I once owned stock in a silver mine...but they also mined Gold, Titanium, Iron, Nickel, and some others I cannot remember...all in "small" amounts. Silver was more than 16 ounces of silver per TON of raw ore...Gold was about 4 ounces, the others were much smaller amounts per ton of raw earth (ore). Silver was where the mine made money...if silver was not there the rest would be a too poor deposit to financially mine (cost more to mine than you got when you sold the metal). And the estimated deposit was 10-15 MILLION ounces of silver at 16 ounces per ton of ore.

< Message edited by LarryBurstyn -- 2/3/2021 6:04:39 PM >

(in reply to BlueTemplar)

Post #: 10