Modifying the auto-design basics?

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All Forums >> [New Releases from Matrix Games] >> Distant Worlds 1 Series >> Design and Modding >> Modifying the auto-design basics?

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Modifying the auto-design basics? - 6/6/2011 8:06:04 PM

Tzven

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Is there any way to modify the default blueprints for the auto-designer? Specifically, I'd like to have the auto-designer leave on the weaponry I give my civilian stations.

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RE: Modifying the auto-design basics? - 6/6/2011 8:09:29 PM

cookie monster

Posts: 1693
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From: Birmingham,England
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Not to my knowledge.

I designed my own.

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RE: Modifying the auto-design basics? - 6/6/2011 9:34:49 PM

Data

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Indeed there is no way atm, GalCiv2 had a nice feature where you'd define the balance between diffrent types of weapons for the auto-designer but even there there was no such granular control. It would be cool to have this.

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RE: Modifying the auto-design basics? - 6/7/2011 8:20:34 PM

tjhkkr

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I am surprised. I arm all of my mining stations, and use hyperdeny hoping for me to blast pirates before they can get away and the auto-update has never scratched the weapons...

Is this something that has happened to others?

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RE: Modifying the auto-design basics? - 6/7/2011 8:35:50 PM

cookie monster

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quote:

ORIGINAL: tjhkkr

I am surprised. I arm all of my mining stations, and use hyperdeny hoping for me to blast pirates before they can get away and the auto-update has never scratched the weapons...

Is this something that has happened to others?

When I used to click on Update Design, it used to remove all stolen racial techs and my racial techs and fit inferior components.

I bug reported this over a month ago, still had no reply.

I'm no expert on auto updated designs but I make my own designs anyway.

(in reply to tjhkkr)

Post #: 5

RE: Modifying the auto-design basics? - 6/7/2011 8:48:01 PM

Data

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Same here

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RE: Modifying the auto-design basics? - 6/9/2011 12:22:20 PM

Registered55

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Joined: 8/1/2010
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yeah, problem with doing your own designs is, you are giving yourself a massive advantage over the AI (how much of an advantage depends on how good you are at ship designing, in this game the better design ships you create the worse of the AI becomes)

which is why handicap on the player in other areas (on setup) is so needed if you do manual designs.

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Post #: 7

RE: Modifying the auto-design basics? - 6/9/2011 1:26:38 PM

cookie monster

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Registered55

yeah, problem with doing your own designs is, you are giving yourself a massive advantage over the AI (how much of an advantage depends on how good you are at ship designing, in this game the better design ships you create the worse of the AI becomes)

which is why handicap on the player in other areas (on setup) is so needed if you do manual designs.

As it's not a single player competitive game like Civilization, the player is only cheating himself by exploiting known AI weaknesses.

However players making their own powerful designs and using them is not really an exploit.

If CodeForce have not programmed the AI races to keep up in Military Strength, then this is an issue with a design flaw in the game.

As the AI has no idea of an "Arms Race", it can quickly have an obsolete Military when compared to the player.

As the designs are stored in some kind of database, it would be simple to program an AI to build equally powerful designs.

Players should not have to roleplay to balance a game, known issues should be reported and patched.

Players trying to get the most out of a game engine is allowable.

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Post #: 8

RE: Modifying the auto-design basics? - 6/9/2011 3:26:05 PM

Data

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I agree that this should be fixed so that we don't have to handicap ourselves but Registered55 has a valid point....if by designing the best ships you can design you outclass the AI quicky than you don't actually get the most out of the game engine or get it in some areas but lose it in others.
This is valid for mature games as well, how to balance all the game elements so that you get the most enjoyable experience. As always, mooaaaaar modding would help a lot; even access to that AI database for it's own designs.

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Post #: 9

RE: Modifying the auto-design basics? - 6/10/2011 9:33:43 AM

Registered55

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space empires 5 had the same problem aswell, but by having access to the AI files, the BMod could address this short coming by influencing the AI to use certain equipment on ship designs, 30% static template (30 is an arbitrary number) the rest the AI chooses itself.

it wasn't perfect but it sure was far more superior to SE5 default system.

this game needs the same thing, AI that can be influenced in a basic starting template (but still in a dynamic fashion not static)

like it has been said, open up the AI design system to modders.

BM mod could never of been made by the developer of SE5, and i feel likewise the same with this game, the developer has more important things todo, AI template dynamics would be perfectly suited for the users in this forum.

all in all, this game is still so restricted, why the developer chose that strategy will always baffle me, Space empires, and paradox games are so open for modding, there are so many things that developers can't do, (time, resources, skill even). But by having an open modded game....all that changes.

until this game goes through a massive project of open modding capability, we will never have a BM mod that's for sure.

my only fear is, by the time we get open modding.....it will be too late...we all would of moved on.

< Message edited by Registered55 -- 6/10/2011 9:41:33 AM >

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Post #: 10

RE: Modifying the auto-design basics? - 6/10/2011 10:10:36 AM

Data

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I entirely agree but even if we move on it will not be lost. Good old games show that the best ones never die and this one certainly has the potential to be one of them as well.
For me at least it's already on my short list of games that I always play - or try to at least