Make shipyards & drydock implicit (not a building)

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Ophiuchus
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Re: Make shipyards & drydock implicit (not a building)

#31 Post by Ophiuchus »

Vezzra wrote: Sun Feb 10, 2019 7:09 pm...
Uhm, is influence going to work this way?
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Krikkitone
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Re: Make shipyards & drydock implicit (not a building)

#32 Post by Krikkitone »

Ophiuchus wrote: Tue Feb 12, 2019 10:04 am
Vezzra wrote: Sun Feb 10, 2019 7:09 pm...
Uhm, is influence going to work this way?
That seems to be the general idea.
Each colony costs X influence, where X increases with the total number of colonies

So to maintain an stable empire
your percentage of influence focused colonies must increase as you grow
OR
your influence tech (or techs that reduce colony cost) must increase as you grow

so an empire with only influence focused colonies could still be unable to pay its influence costs, until it lost some colonies (Very unlikely situation, maybe if you were given a massive empire while you were still at low tech)

Your total Useful colonies would maximize when you are so large about 1/2 your empire was devoted to paying influence costs... any growth after that would Decrease your useful output

Atarlost
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Re: Make shipyards & drydock implicit (not a building)

#33 Post by Atarlost »

A negative marginal value for additional worlds and a conquest victory condition don't mix well. You can wind up with games on large maps where the game stagnates because nobody can manage a galactic empire. This is probably realistic, but it's deeply unfun.

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Krikkitone
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Re: Make shipyards & drydock implicit (not a building)

#34 Post by Krikkitone »

Atarlost wrote: Tue Feb 26, 2019 2:20 am A negative marginal value for additional worlds and a conquest victory condition don't mix well. You can wind up with games on large maps where the game stagnates because nobody can manage a galactic empire. This is probably realistic, but it's deeply unfun.
Well Technology should improve to the point where a galactic empire is possible (probably at very high tech levels the marginal value of additional worlds is kept from going negative..to deal with all manner of galaxy sizes... or the "tipping point" depends on galaxy size)

And if you want early conquest you burn and pillage and rule a galaxy of dead rocks that don't revolt.

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Vezzra
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Re: Make shipyards & drydock implicit (not a building)

#35 Post by Vezzra »

Atarlost wrote: Tue Feb 26, 2019 2:20 amA negative marginal value for additional worlds and a conquest victory condition don't mix well. You can wind up with games on large maps where the game stagnates because nobody can manage a galactic empire. This is probably realistic, but it's deeply unfun.
Which is why such a mechnic needs to be balanced very carefully, because you need to make sure to avoid this very problem.

The point is to slow down the snowballing effect of exponential growth, not to make it impossible to grow beyond some hard cap. Which means you need to put mechanics in place that help you deal with very large empires. Besides the things Krikkitone mentioned there is e.g. the idea to provide diplomatic options like making other empires your vassals. Vassals would also cost you influence to maintain, but far less than controlling all their systems directly. Downside: you don't have the same kind of control over their assests as if they were your own, vassals can try to break off from your control, etc.

A conquest victory would be achieved by either controlling the entire map directly, or make all other empires your vassals.

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Re: Make shipyards & drydock implicit (not a building)

#36 Post by o01eg »

Vezzra wrote: Fri Mar 01, 2019 11:26 am Besides the things Krikkitone mentioned there is e.g. the idea to provide diplomatic options like making other empires your vassals. Vassals would also cost you influence to maintain, but far less than controlling all their systems directly. Downside: you don't have the same kind of control over their assests as if they were your own, vassals can try to break off from your control, etc.
Wonder how it should work in multiplayer.
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Vezzra
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Re: Make shipyards & drydock implicit (not a building)

#37 Post by Vezzra »

o01eg wrote: Sun Mar 10, 2019 7:29 pmWonder how it should work in multiplayer.
Will depend on how we design the "vassal" concept. Bascially two options: if a player (human or AI) becomes a "vassal", they continue playing, but have certain restriction imposed on them (no independent diplomatic relations, have to pay tribute to the overlord, have to join the overlord in all wars, etc. - meaning, they will be far less independent). The other option would be that the current player (human or AI) is replaced by a "vassal" AI.

Personally I have a strong preference for the first option.

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labgnome
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Re: Make shipyards & drydock implicit (not a building)

#38 Post by labgnome »

So one possibility, really two suggestions, that I think I have discussed before, but not in this thread.

Firstly, I would like to propose that drydocks not require shipyards. This would strategically free them up to be built where they are the most advantageous, say near your front line, or next to a drone factory, an Acirema system or tough guardian you want to take out. All of this while not having to also build shipyards in those locations.

Secondly, I would suggest that shipyards need to be a certain number of jumps away from each other. This would directly prevent them from being built everywhere and force you to be more deliberate in your choices of placement. I think that it would be a very simple solution to building them everywhere and combined with divorcing them from the drydock, means you would not need to build them in as many places.
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