| Hacked Races |
Tue, 17 December 2013 11:01  |
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 skoormit |
 | Lieutenant |
Messages: 665
Registered: July 2008
Location: Alabama | |
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Suppose the following two things are true:
1) It is possible to hack Stars! to allow you to save a race file with negative RW points.
2) It is possible to create a Stars! game using such races.
Would it be fun to play in such a game? Or would balance be so broken that the game would be entirely degenerate?
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| Re: Hacked Races |
Tue, 17 December 2013 11:55  |
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| XAPBob |
 | Lt. Commander |
Messages: 957
Registered: August 2012 | |
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Horribly broken...
Might be fun though ...
20% Tri Immune IT, all tech cheap, 1/800 15/5/25/3 5/2/25, IFE, ISB, (?RS) OBRM
Or JoAt, slightly less mobile....
Or a scary fast AR....
Or a real hack, I wonder if bounds checking is done? 50/0/10000 mines?
[Updated on: Tue, 17 December 2013 11:56] Report message to a moderator
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| Re: Hacked Races |
Tue, 17 December 2013 16:47 |
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| XAPBob |
| Lt. Commander |
Messages: 957
Registered: August 2012 | |
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It's not human nature, it's an inevitable consequence of a limitless race.
The decision points:
NAS - does double range help enough?
No....
RS - do doubled (and repairing) shields compensate for lower armour? Playstyle, but probably?
You're going to take UR and MA, because there is no downside
PRT - CA, pointless.... IT, gates. SD, mines. AR, just 'cos. JoAT, extra pop! WM, Hulls. IS, defense and mines, popbombs.
HE - insane growth... PP, doubt it. SS, maybe?
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| Re: Hacked Races |
Tue, 17 December 2013 18:59 |
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| skoormit |
| Lieutenant |
Messages: 665
Registered: July 2008
Location: Alabama | |
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XAPBob wrote on Tue, 17 December 2013 10:55Horribly broken...
Might be fun though ...
20% Tri Immune IT, all tech cheap, 1/800 15/5/25/3 5/2/25, IFE, ISB, (?RS) OBRM
Or JoAt, slightly less mobile....
Considering how fast the tech is going to happen, I think the huge advantage of IT gates will impact the game so early that it overpowers other PRT advantages.
JOAT in this scenario means +20% econ ceiling, overall head start in tech, faster early scouting. The same as it always is for JOAT, except that the starting tech lead is a little bigger since nobody else is starting at 3. And you definitely take NAS while other PRTs might not.
SS in this scenario is no longer at a RW points disadvantage due to high cost of PRT, and can therefore have the same base econ as other non-JOATS (minus the IS and IT econ advantages). Earlier access to special toys gives the SS a chance.
WM starts with weapons tech advantage and has to hold onto it.
I don't like SDs chances. The SD is bringing a knife to a gunfight.
I do like PPs chances. Those planet killer packets show up a lot earlier, and there's all this Boranium just lying around all over the place.
AR is even more doomed than usual, since his cost to acquire minerals has stayed the same while everyone else's cost has gown down by more than half (from 3res/kt/yr to 1.33res/kt/yr).
IS? Meh. Croby FFs will be obsolete as soon as you build them. Still same tradeoff in play for getting to the flying orgy in the midgame. Speed bumps are nice but aren't any nicer in this format. Better ground defense is nice, but if you are using that trait, you are losing already.
HE is ohmygod40percentgrowthtriimmunemegaproduction. No gates and half capacity as always, but 40% growth on every single planet might be unbeatable. Don't ever mention it to ccmaster. He might go Gollum-crazy on us.
[Updated on: Tue, 17 December 2013 19:00]
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| Re: Hacked Races |
Wed, 18 December 2013 03:04 |
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| magic9mushroom |
 | Commander |
Messages: 1361
Registered: May 2008 | |
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skoormit wrote on Wed, 18 December 2013 10:59AR is even more doomed than usual, since his cost to acquire minerals has stayed the same while everyone else's cost has gown down by more than half (from 3res/kt/yr to 1.33res/kt/yr).
You mean 0.8 res/kt/y. Mines max out at 25 productivity, not 15 like factories do.
You could also do a more "limited" version of this, by saying, for example, "RW points must be over -1000" and having a nonplaying host or third-party check each hacked race for compliance.
[Updated on: Wed, 18 December 2013 03:11] Report message to a moderator
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| Re: Hacked Races |
Wed, 08 January 2014 18:44 |
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1> IT. Those unlimted gates + pop distribution make it a clear all-out winner.
2,3,4 > JOAT (20% extra pop, inherent intial penscanning lets it gets the best mineral rich planets), SS (the cloak + toys are just so cool)
2,4 > HE (respect to CC  , but needs gates which decides if #2 or #4 in the list)
5> IS (over-pop is going to take some time to kick in and with 100% planets everywhere, it would start off later. Post mid game though, once all the planets it can grab are ar 45%/48% and he starts making orgies, it would ramp up REALLY big)
6> WM (Hulls are good, but as someone said, he has to grab the advantage and hold on to it. He can take out 1-2 neighbours and that should give him a good boost, but I still would not rate it in the top 5)
7,8> PP (perhaps, don't really know), CA (CA loses every toy. Negative terra bombing/ 0-cost terraforming)
9,10> AR, SD (points already made above about these races)
I know my minefields.. but I'm a chaff sweeper.
I used to curse when I got stuck in traffic... till I realised I AM traffic.Report message to a moderator
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From a forensic / preventive point of view. 
