Construction change

[Gerbie2]

This round there have been a few changes to constructions. One change is that the construction time for several constructions has been reduced by 25% or even 50%. That might seem nice, but it also means that the time between ordering constructions has reduced likewise. As a Terran, if you stay up till a new construction has started, you can sleep for 6 hrs when using the queue. That's too short IMO, especially since a lot of newer players start out as Terran. This change makes the game much less suitable for the casual player. If you want to sleep normally, you will lose construction units (CUs).
An easy fix would be to allow more constructions to be queued, but I think we should take a fresh look at how this works. Loss of CUs also occurs when people don't play for a few days. That also applies to research points. If you go away for a few days, you fall behind a lot. I think we should change this, so the game is more suitable for the casual player, without seriously affecting the more hard-core players.

I once played a game where there was more of a mix between turn-based and tick-based playing. In Planetarion this could mean that each tick you get a number of CUs, which you can save up to spend when you get on. That means you can instantly order a number of constructions if you haven't spent your CUs for a while.
There are some downsides to such a system. Since you can't lose CUs any more, activity is less rewarded. Attacking would be harder because people could instantly build the amps to I-scan you, or the factories to produce the ships they need to self-cover.

To help solve those problems it is possible to make a change that is closer to tick-based game-play. For instance where each tick you can build only 1 construction, or you receive a percentage of the CUs you have saved up. This will allow you to catch up, but not instantly.

[Patrikc]

Or you could use night times to build Amps/Dists/FCs - this will give you another 2-3 hours worth of sleep. If you plan it out correctly you'll never have to lose more than 2 ticks worth of constructions during a 7 hour 55 minutes period of sleep, since 1000 CU take 5 ticks most of the time, occasionally 4 for Terran.

2 out of 24 a few times a week isn't that big a disadvantage.

[VenoX]

While we're on the subject of the construction changes can we also get a mention for the new cost system too. Scanners can barely afford amps ffs :P.

[Patrikc]

Originally Posted by VenoX

While we're on the subject of the construction changes can we also get a mention for the new cost system too. Scanners can barely afford amps ffs :P.

Dists are equally as expensive though.

Assuming you have around 900 roids and build one dist every 5 ticks, the 50th dist costs you a little under 20% of your income. Most "distwhores" would rather be spending all that money on ships and they're missing out on Finance Centres, whereas scanners can draw resources from their Alliance to finance scans while building Amps from their own resources.

[Mzyxptlk]

Metal 6,926,769
Crystal 6,908,178
Eonium 6,908,504
I can't say I'm having issues so far (though I admit, I'm cath).


I would like to hear the reasoning behind the increase in cost, though (assuming there was one in the first place).

[Heartless]

Originally Posted by Mzyxptlk

Metal 6,926,769
Crystal 6,908,178
Eonium 6,908,504
I can't say I'm having issues so far (though I admit, I'm cath).


I would like to hear the reasoning behind the increase in cost, though (assuming there was one in the first place).

There was a change in how cost is calculated, wasn't there?

[Patrikc]

The costs are only higher for people who specialize in certain constructions. They're now calculated by number of constructions of that type, whereas before it was calculated by number of total constructions.

So in the end, the average peon will have spent less on constructions (even with 60 FCs), while the scanner/distwhore will have to spend more throughout the round.

[Mzyxptlk]

Another nail in disting's proverbial coffin, I guess.

[Gabriel]

Think it's moved out of proverbs and into the ground tbh