Alternate Power

[xeridea]

I was wondering if it would be possible to create alternate power types via modding, without to much difficulty. I was thinking of just doing solar as a test, and just giving power to you every x game seconds per station to start out simply? Could someone point me in the right direction?

[Jonix]

A very good idea... I'm not the best modder so it would be better to wait for Lav_Coyote or someone.

[NoQ]

Even though adding extra class of resources seems to be impossible without touching the source code, adding "solar power" you propose here should be rather easy. You just add an extra structure (probably replace command relay center, that is useless anyway) and script up power for every structure a player owns.

I could try once somebody gives me a solar plant model (:

[Iluvalar]

Oh... you meant... one that actually look good with texture did you ?

[Jonix]

Hmm, I was thinking of a platform... 4x4 with lots of mini solar panels and a sensor. Maybe that's too hard though.

[Berg]

concept solar

Pie file and texture rename them and use as you like.

[Iluvalar]

While the idea look good on paper, I must however argue a bit. For this to be balanced, we need to set some spending/profit ratio carefully. Say (for exemple) 1 power per second per 100 power spent.

The first major problem is the actual progression of the standard tree : It's not proportional it's declining over the time. This mean that whatever we set the power output to, there will be a threshold were before the research is a better choice and after the alternate power worth more gain. In other words, there will be a single time in the game where all the players stop to research and start to spam the structures. We would kill all the research after that point.

Second, if we place the price of the building low enough to make it without aggressive "steps", we'll turn the players into frantic sim-city builders, they'll try to build solars everywhere. However, if we increase the price of it, we'll create an elite class in the game with near to impossible to counter advantage to the ones that start the constructions. And again, a sim-city like behavior for them.

[NoQ]

Easy enough to balance. Just put a limit to solar plants. Like 5 max.

I think research module and power module should be pre-reqs to this, and it should cost around $250, and produce ... well, something like an extra oil derrick with power module without power upgrades.

[Iluvalar]

Pie file and texture rename them and use as you like.

I dont know if I ask too much but could you make a PIE 2 file using textures that are already in the game ? I'd need something that do not more than 2Ko to pack it in a map.

[Corporal Punishment]

Before you replace the command relay post with a solar panel because it it useless, remember that it is only useless to build. researching it still is prerequisite to researching research module!

[Shadow Wolf TJC]

Personally, I'd imagine seeing each Solar Panel cost as much as a single Power Plant, though I'd also imagine seeing each one providing, say, somewhere between 1% and 5% as much power as a single Oil Derrick. This would ensure that #1, Oil Derricks remain important targets of opportunity even in the late-game, and #2, that solar plants would require lots of space to support, possibly leading to more units getting into traffic jams. With that in mind, I doubt that we'd need to implement a limit to these (other than the built-in limit of 256 of any structure type, or was it 512?), nor would we need to hook them up to Power Plants.

Before you replace the command relay post with a solar panel because it it useless, remember that it is only useless to build. researching it still is prerequisite to researching research module!

We could adjust the tech tree so that Research Modules would require Sensor Towers as a research prerequisite instead of the Command Relay Center, and that Command Turrets would require Research Modules as a research prerequisite. We could also increase the amount of power required to research Research Modules to accommodate for the loss of the Command Relay Center.

[Iluvalar]

np we can use the missile silo or the bridge for now. There is no real difficulty to create a new building, the only problem is to count them, so we need a particular type that is not in use.

[Berg]

Added trunk snapshot texture page 11 and changed to pie2 format its slightly different but one could edit it ones the files and sytem is working
good luck with your project

also edit the pie file make the TYPE 10200 tcmask type flag 200 if you dont want tcmask enabled

[Jorzi]

I think the main balancing element is price. While power gens and derricks are free, a solar panel has a fairly high build cost, which means it takes some time for it to pay for itself (2-3 minutes maybe?) It also takes up quite a bit of space and is very vulnerable to any weapons, making it an easy target.

[Per]

The main problem is that there is not enough downside. If you make it expensive enough, it will just be used by players who are so far ahead that they would win anyway and it would just delay their victory (bad) or by players who should have been building units and therefore lose hard (also bad). We have somewhat the same issue with power gen upgrades, since there is no reason not to do them - just remember to do them with lots of trucks or keep one spare to avoid much loss of power while upgrading. It would be much better from a game variety perspective if derricks were upgraded instead - and trucks had nothing to do with it - just select a derrick and push an upgrade button which takes it offline for some time while it upgrades itself. Then you had to balance the loss of power while the derrick was down with the increased power gain from it in the future. It would also force you to commit to more risk (higher investment) outside your base if you want to really get power flowing.