A Balance of Power

[John Robinson]

A Balance of Power
                                                                                                                                             
Building Hab units may sometimes feel tedious.  Not getting an increase in population early in the game can be devastating.  Or to be a little
less dramatic it feels like waiting for the egg timer to go off hoping the Xenos don't get you first lol..

Yesterday I ran a test to see how many turns it would take to get each of the three starting hive colonies to reach a population of 2 or higher.  
Games vary widely but in this one it required a total of 24 turns. After many hours of work I reached 3 conclusions.   

1. The original hive Colonies need a +1 population increase early in the game to be successful.
Until a Colony reaches Factory Active 2 Total 2 Max 2, their progress is greatly suppressed.  The Factory 2/2/2 is reached as soon as a 
colony's population increases by +1.

Rather than a flood, or drought of new refugees an early trickle that adds +1 to all three starting colonies before Turn 10
would really bring better balance, and increase my enjoyment because of a better sense of progress watching them grow their abilities
to build the things new technologies unlock. 
(You can land all three hives by turn 4 in a 36x36 map)

2.  Better choice of colony mix.  
In my test game Cadar Prime received an early increase in population of +2 for a total of 3 by turn 11 with a total of +4 by game end.

De Valtos Prime and Rychart Prime struggled.  De Valtos received a +1 at turn 19, Rychart at 24.

An early population increase combined with the Cadar CP bonus creates a strong motivation to create an all Cadar Empire of colonies.
Cadar Prime had the CP base to rapidly construct Colony ships had I chosen to do so.
I really wanted to see what would happen if more colonies were De Valtos but waited in vain for the refugees to arrive.

3. Productivity at the end of the test
De Valtos Prime had a population of 2 was still building it's first Factory 1 at 68% completion and had only completed one other upgrade a Hab Unit I

Rychart Prime finally got a +1 population in the last turn of the game.  Had completed construction of 1 Hab Unit I, and was building
it's first Factory I at 44% completion.

Cadar Prime had a population of 4, completed 2 Hab Unit I. 1 Factory I. 2 Mine I and was starting to build another Hab Unit 1.
If you look at the final set of tables you can see Cadar Prime had an overwhelming superiority over the other 2.

Game Setup: Normal Difficulty. 36x36 Map (26 Worlds) Escort Ships 2 Templar Defenders,
and Explorer demolished in Turn 1.   Running on v1.0.17

Turn/Population Increased:

8	+1	Cadar Prime total of 2
11	+1	Cadar Prime total of 3
19	+1	De Valtos Prime total of 2
20	+1	Cadar Prime total of 4
24	+1	Rychart Prime total of 2

About the tables:  Turns 2,3 and 4 are listed to show Empire status once all three colonies were established.
After that the tables are displayed only during a turn where a population increase occurred.
The test game was played for a total of 26 turns the information triple checked before moving on to the next turn.

Turn 2.
Announcements: Colony Hive has established a new colony on De Valtos Prime (29,33)
Politics: Trade Route Cadar and Rychart. When Factions cooperate along a Trade Route, it increases the value of TP by $3 per CP per Turn.
Researching: Planetary Construction 1 (unlock Factory 1)
Known Tech: n/a
Empire Summary

Colonies  1	Pop/Housing  1/3	Spice Morale 1/10	Colony $ 9/10
Maint Rate %  90	Factory 2	Busy Tot CP 0/2	Mineral/Total  1/12
Quality  1/17	Def/Ships 0/2	Ships/$ 0/0	Res/Spy 2/1
Trade 2	Economy  84	Income  75	Treasury 1,905

De Valtos Prime	Pop/House 1/3 33%	Spice 5/1	Morale 10/10 100%
Quality 1/17 5%	Fact A/T/M 1/2/1 100%	Mineral 1/12 8%	RP/Spy 2/0
Defense 0/3	CP +1(0)	$ +66/-9	Treas 1,905

Building: Hab Unit 1
Upgrades: 1 Starport III Generates 2 CP from 2 Population. Exploit 1 Minerals. +1 Research. Maintenance $10/Turn.
(De Valtos Prime has not reached a population of 2 yet)

Turn 3.
Announcements: Colony Hive has established a new colony on Rychart Prime (29,24)
Politics: Trade Route Cadar and Rychart.
Researching: Planetary Construction 1 (unlock Factory 1)
Known Tech: n/a
Empire Summary

Colonies  2	Pop/Housing  2/6	Spice Morale 2/10	Colony $ 18/20
Maint Rate %  90	Factory 4	Busy Tot CP 1/3	Mineral/Total 2/21
Quality  2/36	Def/Ships 0/1	Ships/$ 0/0	Res/Spy 6/4
Trade 2	Economy  119	Income  101	Treasury 1,906

De Valtos Prime	Pop/House 1/3 33%	Spice 5/1	Morale 10/10 100%
Quality 1/17 5%	Fact A/T/M 1/2/1 100%	Mineral 1/12 8%	RP/Spy 2/0
Defense 0/3	CP +1(0)	$ +66/-9	Treas 1,906

Building: Hab Unit 1 10% Completed
Upgrades: 1 Starport III

Rychart Prime	Pop/House 1/3 33%	Spice 5/1	Morale 10/10 100%
Quality 1/19 5%	Fact A/T/M 1/2/1 100%	Mineral 1/9 11%	RP/Spy 4/2
Defense 0/3	CP +1(0)	$ +24/-9	Treas 1,906

Building: Hab Unit 1 0% Completed
Upgrades: 1 Starport III

Turn 4.
Announcements: Colony Hive has established a new colony on Cadar Prime (27,28)
Politics: Trade Route Cadar and Rychart.
Researching: Planetary Construction 1 (unlock Factory 1) 32% Completed
Known Tech: n/a
Empire Summary

Colonies  3	Pop/Housing  3/9	Spice Morale 3/10	Colony $ 27/30
Maint Rate %  90	Factory 8	Busy Tot CP 2/6	Mineral/Total 3/39
Quality  3/53	Def/Ships 0/0	Ships/$ 0/0	Res/Spy 8/5
Trade 2	Economy  152	Income  125	Treasury 1,931

De Valtos Prime	Pop/House 1/3 33%	Spice 5/1	Morale 10/10 100%
Quality 1/17 5%	Fact A/T/M 1/2/1 100%	Mineral 1/12 8%	RP/Spy 2/0
Defense 0/3	CP +1(0)	$ +66/-9	Treas 1,931

Building: Hab Unit 1 20% Completed
Upgrades: 1 Starport III

Rychart Prime	Pop/House 1/3 33%	Spice 5/1	Morale 10/10 100%
Quality 1/19 5%	Fact A/T/M 1/2/1 100%	Mineral 1/9 11%	RP/Spy 4/2
Defense 0/3	CP +1(0)	$ +24/-9	Treas 1,931

Building: Hab Unit 1 10% Completed
Upgrades: 1 Starport III

Cadar Prime	Pop/House 1/3 33%	Spice 5/1	Morale 10/10 100%
Quality 1/17 5%	Fact A/T/M 1/2/1 100%	Mineral 1/18 5%	RP/Spy 2/0
Defense 0/3	CP +3(0)	$ +24/-9	Treas 1,931

Building: Hab Unit 1 0% Completed
Upgrades: 1 Starport III

Turn 8.
Announcements: Cadar Prime installed a Hab Unit 1
Politics: Trade Route Cadar and Rychart.
Researching: Planetary Construction 1 (unlock Factory 1) 96% Completed
Known Tech: n/a
Empire Summary

Colonies  3	Pop/Housing  4/10	Spice Morale 3/10	Colony $ 27/40
Maint Rate %  67	Factory 8	Busy Tot CP 5/3	Mineral/Total 3/39
Quality  4/53	Def/Ships 0/0	Ships/$ 0/0	Res/Spy 8/5
Trade 2	Economy  141	Income  114	Treasury 2,387

De Valtos Prime	Pop/House 1/3 33%	Spice 5/1	Morale 10/10 100%
Quality 1/17 5%	Fact A/T/M 1/2/1 100%	Mineral 1/12 8%	RP/Spy 2/0
Defense 0/3	CP +1(0)	$ +66/-9	Treas 2,387

Building: Hab Unit 1 60% Completed
Upgrades: 1 Starport III

Rychart Prime	Pop/House 1/3 33%	Spice 5/1	Morale 10/10 100%
Quality 1/19 5%	Fact A/T/M 1/2/1 100%	Mineral 1/9 11%	RP/Spy 4/2
Defense 0/3	CP +1(0)	$ +24/-9	Treas 2,387

Building: Hab Unit 1 50% Completed
Upgrades: 1 Starport III

Cadar Prime	Pop/House 2/4 50%	Spice 5/2	Morale 10/10 100%
Quality 1/17 5%	Fact A/T/M 2/2/2 100%	Mineral 1/18 5%	RP/Spy 2/0
Defense 0/3	CP +3(0)	$ +46/-18	Treas 2,387

Building: idle none (waiting for next turn factory unlock)
Upgrades: 1 Starport III. 1 Hab Unit I
Note: Cadar Prime has now reached a population of 2

Turn 11.
Announcements: Our duty is to guide refugee Star Traders to a new home among the stars..
Politics: Trade Route Cadar and Rychart.
Researching: Starship Construction 1. (unlock Transport) 16% Completed.
Known Tech: Planetary Construction 1
Empire Summary

Colonies  3	Pop/Housing  5/10	Spice Morale 3/10	Colony $ 36/40
Maint Rate %  90	Factory 8	Busy Tot CP 6/2	Mineral/Total 3/39
Quality  4/53	Def/Ships 0/0	Ships/$ 0/0	Res/Spy 8/5
Trade 2	Economy  154	Income  118	Treasury 2,563

De Valtos Prime	Pop/House 1/3 33%	Spice 5/1	Morale 10/10 100%
Quality 1/17 5%	Fact A/T/M 1/2/1 100%	Mineral 1/12 8%	RP/Spy 2/0
Defense 0/3	CP +1(0)	$ +66/-9	Treas 2,563

Building: Hab Unit 1 90% Completed
Upgrades: 1 Starport III

Rychart Prime	Pop/House 1/3 33%	Spice 5/1	Morale 10/10 100%
Quality 1/19 5%	Fact A/T/M 1/2/1 100%	Mineral 1/9 11%	RP/Spy 4/2
Defense 0/3	CP +1(0)	$ +24/-9	Treas 2,563

Building: Hab Unit 1 80% Completed
Upgrades: 1 Starport III

Cadar Prime	Pop/House 3/4 75%	Spice 5/3	Morale 10/10 100%
Quality 2/17 5%	Fact A/T/M 2/2/3 100%	Mineral 1/18 5%	RP/Spy 2/1
Defense 0/3	CP +4(0)	$ +41/-18	Treas 2,563

Building: Factory I (32%)
Upgrades: 1 Starport III. 1 Hab Unit I
Cadar Prime has increased Population +1 to 3 total.

Turn 19.
Announcements: Cadar Prime installed a mine I. Diplomatic Efforts are suspended. Select a new Treaty.
Politics: Trade Route Cadar and Rychart is still being displayed why select a new treaty?
Researching: Planetary Construction 2. (unlock Spice Den) 16% Completed.
Known Tech: Planetary Construction 1. Starship Construction 1.
Empire Summary

Colonies  3	Pop/Housing  6/12	Spice Morale 3/10	Colony $ 63/75
Maint Rate %  84	Factory 10	Busy Tot CP 7/3	Mineral/Total 4/39
Quality  8/53	Def/Ships 0/0	Ships/$ 0/0	Res/Spy 8/5
Trade 2	Economy  167	Income  104	Treasury 2,467

De Valtos Prime	Pop/House 2/4 50%	Spice 5/2	Morale 10/10 100%
Quality 2/17 11%	Fact A/T/M 2/2/2 100%	Mineral 1/12 8%	RP/Spy 2/1
Defense 0/4	CP +2(0)	$ +70/-18	Treas 2,467

Building: Factory 1 (28%)
Upgrades: 1 Starport III. 1 Hab Unit I.
Note: De Valtos Prime finally increased population +1 to 2 way too long to wait

Rychart Prime	Pop/House 1/4 25%	Spice 5/1	Morale 10/10 100%
Quality 1/19 5%	Fact A/T/M 1/2/1 100%	Mineral 1/9 11%	RP/Spy 4/3
Defense 0/4	CP +1(0)	$ +15/-18	Treas 2,467

Building: Factory 1 (24%)
Upgrades: 1 Starport III. 1 Hab Unit 1.

Cadar Prime	Pop/House 3/4 75%	Spice 5/3	Morale 10/10 100%
Quality 4/17 23%	Fact A/T/M 3/4/3 100%	Mineral 2/18 11%	RP/Spy 2/1
Defense 0/6	CP +5(0)	$ +48/-31	Treas 2,467

Building: Mine I (0%)
Upgrades: 1 Starport III. 1 Hab Unit I. 1 Factory I. 1 Mine I.

Turn 20.
Announcements: Cadar Prime is at Housing capacity. Diplomatic Efforts are suspended. Select a new Treaty.
Politics: Trade Route Cadar and Rychart is still being displayed why select a new treaty?
Researching: Planetary Construction 2. (unlock Spice Den) 24% Completed.
Known Tech: Planetary Construction 1. Starship Construction 1.
Empire Summary

Colonies  3	Pop/Housing  7/12	Spice Morale 3/10	Colony $ 67/75
Maint Rate %  89	Factory 10	Busy Tot CP 8/3	Mineral/Total 4/39
Quality  8/53	Def/Ships 0/0	Ships/$ 0/0	Res/Spy 8/5
Trade 2	Economy  200	Income  133	Treasury 2,600

De Valtos Prime	Pop/House 2/4 50%	Spice 5/2	Morale 10/10 100%
Quality 2/17 11%	Fact A/T/M 2/2/2 100%	Mineral 1/12 8%	RP/Spy 2/1
Defense 0/4	CP +2(0)	$ +70/-18	Treas 2,600

Building: Factory 1 (36%)
Upgrades: 1 Starport III. 1 Hab Unit I.

Rychart Prime	Pop/House 1/4 25%	Spice 5/1	Morale 10/10 100%
Quality 2/19 5%	Fact A/T/M 1/2/1 100%	Mineral 1/9 11%	RP/Spy 4/3
Defense 0/4	CP +1(0)	$ +15/-18	Treas 2,600

Building: Factory 1 (28%)
Upgrades: 1 Starport III. 1 Hab Unit 1.

Cadar Prime	Pop/House 4/4 100%	Spice 5/4	Morale 10/10 100%
Quality 4/17 23%	Fact A/T/M 4/4/4 100%	Mineral 2/18 11%	RP/Spy 2/1
Defense 0/6	CP +6(0)	$ +54/-38	Treas 2,600

Building: Mine I (33%)
Upgrades: 1 Starport III. 1 Hab Unit I. 1 Factory I. 1 Mine I.
Note: Population increased by +1 total of 4, bar turned orange.

Turn 24.
Announcements: Cadar Prime installed a Hab Unit I. Diplomatic Efforts are suspended. Select a new Treaty.
Politics: Trade Route Cadar and Rychart is still being displayed why select a new treaty?
Researching: Planetary Construction 2. (unlock Spice Den) 56% Completed.
Known Tech: Planetary Construction 1. Starship Construction 1.
Empire Summary

Colonies  3	Pop/Housing  8/13	Spice Morale 3/10	Colony $ 80/90
Maint Rate %  88	Factory 10	Busy Tot CP 9/1	Mineral/Total 5/39
Quality  10/53	Def/Ships 0/0	Ships/$ 0/0	Res/Spy 8/5
Trade 2	Economy  233	Income  153	Treasury 2,984

De Valtos Prime	Pop/House 2/4 50%	Spice 5/2	Morale 10/10 100%
Quality 2/17 11%	Fact A/T/M 2/2/2 100%	Mineral 1/12 8%	RP/Spy 2/1
Defense 0/4	CP +2(0)	$ +70/-18	Treas 2,984

Building: Factory 1 (68%)
Upgrades: 1 Starport III. 1 Hab Unit I.

Rychart Prime	Pop/House 2/4 50%	Spice 5/2	Morale 10/10 100%
Quality 2/19 5%	Fact A/T/M 2/2/2 100%	Mineral 1/9 11%	RP/Spy 4/3
Defense 0/4	CP +1(0)	$ +28/-18	Treas 2,984

Building: Factory 1 (44%)
Upgrades: 1 Starport III. 1 Hab Unit 1
Note: Rychart Prime increases Population +1 to 2.

Cadar Prime	Pop/House 4/5 80%	Spice 5/4	Morale 10/10 100%
Quality 6/17 35%	Fact A/T/M 4/4/4 100%	Mineral 3/18 16%	RP/Spy 2/1
Defense 0/8	CP +6(0)	$ +67/-45	Treas 2,984

Building: Hab Unit I (0%)
Upgrades: 1 Starport III. 2 Hab Unit I. 1 Factory I. 2 Mine I.
Note: the Population bar was still orange so I started building another Hab I

[Cory Trese]

What difficulty?

[John Robinson]

Jun 10, 2014 19:31:57 GMT -5 Cory Trese said:

What difficulty?

It might be a little hard to see but I have it right over the little population increase table at the beginning.
I'll edit and highlight.

Game Setup: Normal Difficulty. 36x36 Map (26 Worlds) Escort Ships 2 Templar Defenders,
and Explorer demolished in Turn 1. Running on v1.0.17

It took 2 full days of testing and writing it up, so I sure hope it is useful.

[nails]

Normal

[Cory Trese]

Thanks. Hopefully it will be helpful to other players?

I have a simulator that makes these tables by the thousands, which I then put into Excel to generate graphs so I can check the curves across 10,000 games at a time.

[John Robinson]

Jun 10, 2014 19:47:40 GMT -5 Cory Trese said:

Thanks. Hopefully it will be helpful to other players?

I have a simulator that makes these tables by the thousands, which I then put into Excel to generate graphs so I can check the curves across 10,000 games at a time.

Wow! I feel like a microbe in the land of the giants compared to that kind of testing. Was really proud of myself
about having the full 26 turns worth data stored in my Google doc to draw from.

I do think in any game when one Syndicate gets a population boost early it has a distinct advantage over those who wait too long.

I certainly am not disputing the curves, just expressing an Alpha testor's impressions/experience so far.
If I'm dreaming of a Rychart dominated Empire I think early growth is important. In most of my test games so far
Cadar has been my go to Syndicate because the CP boost is effective even at low population levels.

[Cory Trese]

an early trickle that adds +1 to all three starting colonies before Turn 10 would really bring better balance

All my fancy graphs are still not as good as your single meticulous review.

This rule really improves the experience.

[Brutus Aurelius]

Computers can still be bested by a three pound lump of flesh.

[Cory Trese]

Unfortunately my graph generator never suggests rules, it just makes pretty multi-colored lines =)

[John Robinson]

Cory Trese Brutus Aurelius

Thanks for those last two posts I was starting to feel a little like I missed the last boat to reality .

[fallen]

John Robinson - as always, you've provided some amazingly key feedback on this one! Thanks!

[Cory Trese]

Jun 10, 2014 20:20:06 GMT -5 John Robinson said:

Cory Trese Brutus Aurelius

Thanks for those last two posts I was starting to feel a little like I missed the last boat to reality .

All the graphs and math in the world are meaningless without insight.

Thanks for providing the necessary inspiration to fix the early game rule.

[beuns]

John Robinson : another amazing work ! Exalt !!

[Crimson]

Cory Trese John Robinson

I noticed each time you colonize yoi loose a turn. This really shouldn't happen you should only loose the turn after clicking next turn. All 3 factions are working somewhat independantly.

[fallen]

Crimson - (as stated on the colonization window) colonization is a monumental event and will always end your turn.