Transformers

[Nutster]

In version 0.4.3 [ SVN 6281 ]

In the help for Transformers: An versatile and extremely expensive building ...
The leading "An" should be "A".
I think it would be good to add links in the help to the various types of buildings that the transformer can reproduce the effect of, perhaps in the second paragraph where you actually name the buildings it emulates, if the help system can accommodate that.

The transformer should be require more production points and more time to build than any of the other buildings it can emulate. Taking a look in the game I am playing now, a transformer takes 100 PP and 8 turns to build. A star-gate takes 600 PP and 10 turns to build, while the Bio-terror Projection Base is only 75 PP but take 15 turns to build. Let's see:

• Replicator: 125 PP, 4 turns
• Planetary Cloaking Device: 150 PP, 8 turns
• Bioterror Projection Base: 75 PP, 15 turns
• Stargate: 600 PP, 10 turns
• Planetary Starlane Drive: 125 PP, 5 turns
• Spacial Distortion Generator: 30 PP, 10 turns

Based on these values, I would recommend that the transformer cost about 800 PP and take around 20 turns to build. Otherwise, there is little point building any of the other buildings.

[eleazar]

See the how to help with scripting page

[pheonixstorm]

Then no one would want to build the transformer. Considering the current price though and the price of other buildings... A better price point would be 1,000 PP and 8 turns

Besides, what is the reasoning that it should cost more and take more time? Even if you rush to organic structures the transformer is useless with out the other techs. If you want to get technical though... If you take the average cost/time then really the transformer should cost 200PP and take 9 turns to complete which is pretty close to how it is now.

Anyway, the build time is fine but I do agree as it is now it is a bit cheap.

[BraveSirKevin]

The transformer is more of a concept piece as it stands... The main intention of the Transformer from what I could tell was to reduce the number of buildings necessary at any given site, and thus reduce the micromanagement aspect in the later game. The game design around those factors is still slightly in flux, so I imagine the implementation of the building will change dramatically in future releases.

All late game techs seem very likely to change, as they're a lot less developed and balanced than the early game techs at the moment. The biggest problem facing late game play at the moment is the accumulation of lag that slows the game to an almost unplayable level while everything gets calculated, and I get the impression that the priority is to get the early game working as cleanly as possible, while working on reducing the late game lag.

[MatGB]

My current research plan is to get to Transformers in mid game, and try to time the completion of the Stargate tech about 8 turns later, however Stargate has more useful techs in the run towards it generally, if transformers were made too expensive people simply wouldn't use them, I rarely if ever use mine as anything beyond stargate replacements (where the cost differential is a bit OTT), and have once, recently, used one as a starlane drive just because I wanted to see if it was worth it, it isn't.

As Kevin says, a lot of later game tech and simila is in need of rebalancing, but while I do think they're too cheap, I think they should be cheaper, the extra cost is in research time and priorities-if it were me I'd say once researched all planets should get, say, Stargates automatically, the annoyance and micro management of remembering which planets have had them built can be very frustrating in larger games where they're actually useful.