OMGN News: 4th Generation Merchant Empires Plans

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4th Generation Merchant Empires Plans
By: Charles Rector | Other | Game Data | 3:39pm, February 2, 2003
Merchant Empires has just unveiled its "Prelimary feature/setup list for ME 4th generation" . The list runs as follows:

Visit forum with comments.
Last updated: 2/2-2003 by Middy
Game Set up for 4th generation:
Galaxy setup: The galaxies are designed so that the farther you move away from the center (Imperial space) The more danger you are in and the less influence the empire will have.
Center galaxy Imperial space(starting galaxy)
Size:40 X 40 = 1600 sectors
max Mines:0
max Drones:0
max scouts:0
max level:unlimited
base:no
Imperial sectors:yes
Imperial dealers:yes
Racial dealers:no
Space lanes:yes
Access to hyperspace:yes
Federation space(old newbie)
Size:30 X 30 = 900 sectors
max Mines:10
max Drones:10
max scouts:1
max level:7
base:yes
Imperial sectors:yes
Imperial dealers:yes
Racial dealers:no
Space lanes:yes
Access to hyperspace:no
5 x Racial galaxies
Size:50 X 50 = 2500 sectors
max Mines:50
max Drones:50
max scouts:10
max level:unlimited
base:yes
Imperial sectors:yes
Imperial dealers:no
Racial dealers:yes
Space lanes:yes
Access to hyperspace:no
Far reach
Size:100 X 100 = 10000 sectors
max Mines:50
max Drones:50
max scouts:10
max level:unlimited
base:yes
Imperial sectors:no
Imperial dealers:no
Racial dealers:no
Space lanes:no
Access to hyperspace:yes
Distance index extended to a limit of 50, formula reworked DI influence grows slower.
Amount of Lux ports lowered, price of lux lowered pirce of food raised
Mines+combat drone price raised to 10.000
new ship list
new weapon list
XP for construction lowered
Construction price cheaper at start but getting faster more exspensive.
Return of hyperspace galaxy
Xp gain for kills lowered to 10%
Racial kill bounties lowered to 10%
New racial descriptions
Features redone:
ship to ship combat code. Its now one to one and no auto return fire. Combat code made 10 times faster. Weapon lock for a certain interval after firing.
Ship versus forces code, works the same way just faster
Jump drive, works the same way just faster
Base busting code reworked.


Base Busting
In its most basic form, it still works the same as it used to. Somebody hits Attack, and all the allied ships in sector fire upon the base. The term "allied ships" now includes alliances you have Mutual Assistance with. So, you hit attack, each ship attacks the base. Then the base will return fire upon all the ships that fired on the base (same order)... but the amount of turrets that will hit each ship is no longer utterly predictable, but neither is it fully random. Basically, its 70% equal distribution, 30% random. That is, the amount of turrets firing on any given ship can be determined thusly:


Equal Distribution = (Turret Count / Ship Count)
Turrets Firing = Equal Distribution PLUS or MINUS 30%.

Thats anywhere in between -30 and 30% difference, so there's a chance the ship will take a perfectly fair amount of turrets. The base CD's are distributed perfectly evenly. Turrets remain at 325/325/80. After all the turrets have fired, assuming you've dealt sufficient damage to the base, whether or not the base took a critical hit is checked. The chance is directly related to how full your Shield Gens are, so as a bust goes on, criticals become more likely. If a critical hit occured, a structure is randomly picked from the base (SG's have 2x the liklihood of being picked) and destroyed. Then your saved from adding up numbers by a summary of the round which tallies damage dealt/received, criticals, and fatalities.

Ship technology code made smoother and faster
Deficit goods for construction/production of goods are shown in red
Ship vs Forces changed. Its not one gun => one force anymore, a gun can destroy multiple forces dependant on the damage of the gun and the health of forces... They'll probably be other changes to shipforce, but nothing concrete yet.
New features:
Race abilities version 3.99
Right then, our best minds have been working around the clock to get this new feature sorted out, coded, tweaked and put on paper so here are abilities that we plan to release when the game starts.

Each race has three types of abilities :
Personal
These abilities cannot be overcome and will last the whole game
Teamwork
Abilities that easily be overcome by working together with a mix of all races
Starting
This is a small modification to a race's default startup so each will need to start differently
Off course each ability can be considered either positive or negative
+indicates a positive bonus.
-indicates a negative bonus.


Bonus types:
95% xp change upon Death
This means that once the calculation is made on how much base xp you would lose, only 95% of that number is used. So, if you had 100.000 xp, and were going to lose 10% (10.000 xp) you would only lose 95% of that (9500 xp) while the other would gain only
90% Building Cost
You will pay fewer credits to build. The amount of goods you lose and the xp you gain will remain unchanged Negative) 125% Production cost You will pay more credits to produce weapons, tech and blueprints. The amount of goods you lose and the xp you gain will remain unchanged
95% xp change upon Kill
95% xp change upon Kill This means that once the calculation is made on how much base xp you would gain, only 95% of that number is used. So, if the person you podded had 100.000 xp, and was going to lose 10% (10.000 xp), they would only lose 95% of that (9500 xp) and hence, you would only gain 9500 xp.
115% Research cost
You will pay more credits to research. The amount of goods you Lose and the xp you gain will remain unchanged
-50 Global Race Relations versus all other Races
This means that all other races will start with a negative relation towards your race. This gives a slighty negative edge when trading at the other races ports. They will charge you more and pay less for goods.
Does Not Pay Local Tax on Selling of Goods
No longer will you have to pay the 5% tax but do still have to pay tax when you buy goods or forces
450 Maximum Alignment

nstead of the normal 500 alignment you can only reach as high as 450 so your maximum discount on buying ships, tech and weapons will be 45%.
Unaffected by Negative Global Race Relations
Racials wars wont affect your trading, only your only personal relations towards the race will.
50% Military Payment
You will only gain half the normal racial kill bounty for a kill

Zyck'lirg :
+ 95% xp change upon Death
+90% Building Cost
-95% xp change upon Kill
-115% Research cost
--50 Global Race Relations versus all other Races

Xollian :
+ Does Not Pay Local Tax on Selling of Goods
+ 75% Production Cost
+ 95% Research Cost
- 450 Maximum Alignment
- 105% Building Cost
- -50 Alignment

KEA:
+ Unaffected by Negative Global Race Relations
+ 95% Building Cost
+ +50 Alignment
As described above
- 150% Production Cost
- 50% Military Payment
Paragon:
+ 550 Maximum Alignmen

+ 80% Research Cost

+ +50 Personal Race Relations versus all other Races
- 400 Maximum Personal Race Relations versus all other races
- 110% Building Cost

Mawlor
+ 105% xp change upon Kill

+ 50% Production Cost
- 110% Research Cost
- -50 Personal Race Relations versus all other Races
- 105% xp change upon Death
Critical hits in combat system
New technology to defeat the DSS-mark II
Ship mountable devices can be produced on base, in a special, new construction: Technology Center