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Deadmeat5150 posted:So I fired this up myself after having not played it in a while... gently caress Tinkers. Yes. Yes indeed. Tinkers have a perfect storm of capabilities to make them very difficult to deal with.
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Aug 15, 2019 06:01
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In my experience, the Tinkers and the Yoral are the worst neighbors. Though the Tinkers have a good point going for them which is that you learn portable fabrication by capturing their ships. However, if I'm reading the patch notes right, that's not true anymore in the development builds.
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Aug 15, 2019 08:03
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Its those goddamned Juggernauts of theirs. Spoiled cause I don't think we've run into those yet.
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Aug 15, 2019 18:03
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Combine foreign intelligence analysts have several reasons to anticipate fairly high threat from the Tinkers in the event of hostilities. 1. First and foremost, the Tinker economy is anticipated to be superb for maintaining extended heavy industrial efforts which will allow them to build up a significant military force. Tinkers are individually extremely productive in industrial tasks, and Tinker-colonised worlds are likely make use of land area and labor force that in other societies might be tasked to agricultural hinterlands to build up extensive industrial parks, development laboratories, and massive strip mines. All else being equal, Tinkers harmonised into their network are expected to be less productive in scientific tasks, and their economy is anticipated to be less flexible and entrepreneurial than any other known society, but their ability to use brute force development to overcome this means all else is rarely equal. 2. Tinker industrial expertise is believed to be incorporated into onboard factories on their combat ships, fabricating new missiles and field expedient repair materials for damaged ships in a shockingly low time, while risking Tinker crew external to the hull for in-combat spacewalks to launch repairs is believed to be standard doctrine on Tinker vessels. All else being equal, Tinkers should be able to sustain guided weapons fire and maintain ships in operational condition longer than any other race. 3. The Tinker preference for guided weapons combined with their anticipated large fleet size means that they are likely to be able to release weapons volleys that can saturate point defenses quite effectively. Guided missiles are anticipated to be at their most effective when the side using missiles outmasses their enemy, while potentially being nearly useless when their side is at a mass disadvantage. Heavy missile volleys that saturate defenses may well present a serious threat. These three factors are mutually-reinforcing- heavy fleets with good combat endurance and superb guided weapon capability are a challenge not necessarily easily overcome. A factor that may mitigate is the observed behavior of unnetworked Tinkers within Human High Command space. Once a Tinker planet is seized in ground warfare and their local network hubs destroyed, it is not anticipated that the Tinker population in place will be capable of mounting continued resistance to occupation. Their lack of individual wills renders them vulnerable to being rendered entirely docile by cutting them off from their network. In extremis, it is arguable that the unique ethical status of Tinkers, who may well lack the fundamental individual ethical value of other sapient species, could render tactics ethically acceptable that would not be so against any other enemy. Destruction of entire populations would- potentially- be destroying no more unique value than occupation of their planets and destruction of their network. nweismuller fucked around with this message at 01:05 on Aug 16, 2019 |
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Aug 16, 2019 01:00
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Do unnnetworked tinkers reproduce or emigrate to other planets?
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Aug 16, 2019 13:15
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RBA-Wintrow posted:Do unnnetworked tinkers reproduce or emigrate to other planets? Yes and no.. Lore-wise, the Tinkers have been using generation ships before hyperspace was opened back. This is how you can find the Tinker equivalent of refugee colonies: they were brought to such and such planet by some asteroid worldship long ago. Since they didn't have hyperspace back then, these splinter colonies did not maintain a connection to the homeworld. Like other sorts of neutral colonists (natives and refugees), their population figures are stable (usually between 2 and 5 units of population, with zero growth) until the world they live on is settled. Obviously it would be more "lore-friendly" if every splinter Tinker world was a hive husk, filled to the brim with factories, and overflowing with population, but that wouldn't make for great gameplay. In game terms, they're scattered around when the galaxy is generated and remain static until annexed by an empire; there's no growth or expansion for them on their own, just like there isn't for other natives and refugees.
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Aug 16, 2019 14:01
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Cat Mattress posted:Like other sorts of neutral colonists (natives and refugees), their population figures are stable (usually between 2 and 5 units of population, with zero growth) until the world they live on is settled. Obviously it would be more "lore-friendly" if every splinter Tinker world was a hive husk, filled to the brim with factories, and overflowing with population, but that wouldn't make for great gameplay. Maybe not. The help text for when a Tinker player encounters a Tinker splinter indicates that they can barely be communicated with, and lack a functional local network. They may not have been CAPABLE of setting up a self-sustaining local infrastructure on that level with their brains in the state they are.
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Aug 16, 2019 14:44
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While I was busy being disrupted by the catsitting month and having difficulty getting back into things, a new major update hit with economic revisions and rebalances that is incompatible with the old LP saves. Sorry I delayed so long that I let this happen. For what it's worth, the economic rebalance has been a notable improvement, helping prevent a previous tendency to runaway fleet size and making the strength of your coin economy more important. Also comes with various AI improvements. I can try and demonstrate the new build if people want, but overall, I'm very sorry for dropping the ball on this one.
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Oct 11, 2019 15:15
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Restart the LP?
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Oct 11, 2019 16:10
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Siegkrow posted:Restart the LP? If people want, sure. Just not sure how frustrating that would be.
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Oct 11, 2019 16:51
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Maybe take a break from SiS and try another short LP to recharge the batteries before retaking this?
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Oct 11, 2019 17:15
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Hmm, maybe. Let me think about this one.
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Oct 11, 2019 17:49
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Yeah, take the time. If you have the creativity to do one, go for it. And a nweis 4x LP is always worth the wait!
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Oct 12, 2019 07:23
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What's the goal of this LP, anyway? Can you win like MoO or Civ? If yes, how far away are you? Depending on how long it would take you to reach a victory condition, you could finish this LP, and then wait a few months doing other things, then come back and LP another race if you want to? I'm mostly here for the amazing story you write. The mechanical side of things is always interesting, but not the main draw of this LP. I just want to see the utopia our friendly seahorses can create 
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Oct 12, 2019 09:50
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Torrannor posted:Can you win like MoO or Civ?
SIS playthrough are generally quite fast. The galaxy is small (the max standard size is 88 star systems), so they're the kind of games you can finish in one afternoon instead of having to spend several days on it. The game didn't bother to have repeating technologies like Civ's "Future Tech" because usually you'll have won (or lost) before discovering even one third of the tech tree.
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Oct 12, 2019 11:46
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Cat Mattress posted:SIS playthrough are generally quite fast. The galaxy is small (the max standard size is 88 star systems), so they're the kind of games you can finish in one afternoon instead of having to spend several days on it. The game didn't bother to have repeating technologies like Civ's "Future Tech" because usually you'll have won (or lost) before discovering even one third of the tech tree. For what it's worth, the galaxy I was running in this save is a 95 star one; I like the initial spacing between empires a little better at 95 stars. Edit: I'm going to have to abandon this one, due to save incompatibility, but if people are really itching to see Seahorse Utopia, I can start us on a fresh save soon. nweismuller fucked around with this message at 14:48 on Oct 12, 2019 |
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Oct 12, 2019 14:00
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nweismuller posted:For what it's worth, the galaxy I was running in this save is a 95 star one; I like the initial spacing between empires a little better at 95 stars. Would enjoy seeing it! But, whatever you find fun!
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Oct 13, 2019 06:12
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Echoing that I would enjoy another run through this LP. Though i think I'm most interested in the lore about the hyperspace collapse and the creatures living in it.
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Oct 13, 2019 16:30
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Okay which fools broke the hyperspace lanes again?
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Oct 14, 2019 06:02
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I would love it if you start another Let's Play. You don't have to pick the same species if you don't want to!
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Oct 14, 2019 10:32
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Are you playing outside of steam? you can roll back to pre-patch in Steam games. It has to be done all the time with Paradox games, which notoriously do the same thing.
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Oct 14, 2019 14:48
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This LP has inspired me to get the game, I would like to see it finish. But no rush.
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Oct 14, 2019 18:08
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If Stars in Shadow is a clone of Master of Orion 2, there's a modern game of Master of Orion 1 that's having a kickstarter at the moment. The interesting thing about it is that you can download a "complete" version (full of placeholder graphics, though) for free from itch.io to help you decide whether you like it or not. I figured the people who read this thread might be interested.
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Oct 17, 2019 16:16
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Cat Mattress posted:If Stars in Shadow is a clone of Master of Orion 2, there's a modern game of Master of Orion 1 that's having a kickstarter at the moment. The interesting thing about it is that you can download a "complete" version (full of placeholder graphics, though) for free from itch.io to help you decide whether you like it or not. I figured the people who read this thread might be interested. That sounds interesting. I'm going to look into it. Nweiss, you do you. If you can roll back to an older version so your save is still compatible, that's obviously the best solution. If it's not possible, I'm up for another run of the capitalist seahorses or some other game you feel like running. I heard that Sword of the Stars has a random tech tree, and that made for some great narrative in the SMAC LP, but it turns out that SotS randomizes the tech tree, not randomizing what techs you research.
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Oct 18, 2019 05:43
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For the information of the two or so people who might still be interested: DLC 2 for Stars in Shadow is releasing sometime indefinite, but likely quite soon. I have heard the basic roadmap for DLCs 3 and 4 as of today, and so have some idea of what's coming in the future. I will revisit the Phidi... after the release of DLC 4, which is intended to release some stuff about internal politics and customising the institutions of your star nation over time. This will take quite some time, but I will return to Stars in Shadow. Sorry for the long delay, but I hope the new elements in the game will make for an even more interesting LP for people to read when it's finally ready. In the nearer future, as soon as practical, I intend to work with my friend who was helping with the tech end of my Stellaris modding to actually crank out a set of modifications for my Stellaris build to address my personal irritations, and get it ready for a new LP. Barring overwhelming demand for me playing the Solar Alliance, a Human star nation I have designed, I will return to the Daera, and demonstrate some of the unique elements associated with corporate gameplay. I apologise for the long delay, and, if I am inspired by something I can LP in the even nearer future, perhaps I shall. (Maybe the final build of nuMoO deserves to be visited, and the Human Republic can once more conquer the stars, or the Gnolam League can set itself to building a bright future... but I'm not sure if people would even want to see me try that again.) Thank you all for your patience, and understanding. E: If anybody is interested in me getting them a copy of Stars in Shadow to try for themselves, toss me a PM- I think I'd be willing to buy some gift copies on Steam for people, and am definitely interested in continuing to support the game's development. nweismuller fucked around with this message at 05:30 on Mar 27, 2020 |
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Mar 27, 2020 02:38
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I'm fine with pretty much anything (sorry for not being helpful in picking a game for you to play). I'm eager to get back to writing some loreposts in whatever universe you come up with. I have some ones that I didn't get to writing for the Daera, so if we revisit them, I might be able to repurpose some of them. If you think you can get an LP of nuMoO started the fastest, that sounds like as good a reason as any for that to be the next game.
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Mar 27, 2020 06:05
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We'll wait. 
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Mar 27, 2020 06:43
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I'd challenge you to play as anything BUT an hyper capitalist society :V
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Mar 27, 2020 07:31
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Nweis, you have proven that you can be hyper efficient space germans, but can you be warlike?
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Mar 27, 2020 08:44
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nweismuller posted:Maybe the final build of nuMoO deserves to be visited WhatIsSol's unofficial patch makes that game so much better.
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Mar 27, 2020 10:52
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Cat Mattress posted:WhatIsSol's unofficial patch makes that game so much better. A brief search on Steam Workshop doesn't turn up anything, can you point me at it? Fivemarks posted:Nweis, you have proven that you can be hyper efficient space germans, but can you be warlike? Space Germans?
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Mar 27, 2020 15:39
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nweismuller posted:A brief search on Steam Workshop doesn't turn up anything, can you point me at it? https://www.nexusmods.com/masteroforionconquerthestars/mods/30 https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1109736522 The mod is a bit more complex to install than the usual for Workshop stuff, as there are files you need to replace. But the list of bugs fixed is longer than War & Peace, and it adds new features that seriously cut down on micromanagement like custom build queues or fleet rally points.
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Mar 27, 2020 16:44
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nweismuller posted:A brief search on Steam Workshop doesn't turn up anything, can you point me at it? The joke is that modern germans are hyper efficient and 'nice' capitalists who don't have fun because they're too busy making money. But, remember, Germany also produced Forklift Driver Klaus.
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Mar 28, 2020 23:18
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Fivemarks posted:The joke is that modern germans are hyper efficient and 'nice' capitalists who don't have fun because they're too busy making money. Forklift Driver Klaus is precisely who you should strive to not be, at least if you like the idea of anybody surviving at your workplace. Including yourself.
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Mar 29, 2020 00:16
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I'd love to see you play the Hivers in Sword of the Stars, but whatever floats your boat!
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Mar 29, 2020 20:45
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FredMSloniker posted:I'd love to see you play the Hivers in Sword of the Stars, but whatever floats your boat! I haven't played Sword of the Stars at all, so that might involve a bit of learning curve on my end. Incidentally, I continue to get smiles from the Dreamland Entertainment posts in the SMAC LP, so thanks for your part in that.
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Mar 29, 2020 20:53
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nweismuller posted:I haven't played Sword of the Stars at all, so that might involve a bit of learning curve on my end. Incidentally, I continue to get smiles from the Dreamland Entertainment posts in the SMAC LP, so thanks for your part in that. In that case, don't play Hivers or Zuul.
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Mar 29, 2020 21:04
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Speaking of Sword of the Stars, what exactly are its victory conditions?
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Mar 30, 2020 00:52
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Win.
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Mar 30, 2020 01:50
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Torrannor posted:In that case, don't play Hivers or Zuul. Why not? nweismuller posted:Speaking of Sword of the Stars, what exactly are its victory conditions? The default is 'be the last empire standing', but empires can and will surrender (e: and allied victories are a thing). That said, there are a number of scenarios with custom victory conditions. I think the one most likely to appeal to you is The Gathering (in the A Murder of Crows expansion); your objective is to accumulate a certain number of each race's civilians on your colonies (meaning researching technologies that allow you to communicate with and house them), and while you're allowed to fight with the other empires, you lose if any of them are crushed.
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Mar 30, 2020 03:50
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