EXPa 2.1 Pro Edition

Information, How-to's, and discussion about mod'ing Master of Orion II.
c'g~
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EXPa 2.1 Pro Edition

Postby c'g~ » Sat Mar 22, 2008 5:49 am

Greetings, Everyone.

EXPa 2.1 – it’s the second global version of modification for MoO2, which aimed at versatile gameplay with harsh balance. EXPa 2.1 Pro Edition represents a distinctive challenge to Original MoO2. It wouldn’t disappoint your expectations.

U can download EXPa 2.1 Pro Edition here:
http://rapidshare.com/files/106432160/E ... _by_cg.exe

How to Install (Mod estimated for 1.40b23 version of MoO2):
- Install MoO2 (or Reinstall it in different directory, U may lose Ur previous data if U don’t do it)
- Patch it to 1.31 version (U can download it here: http://lordbrazen.blogspot.com/2005/01/download.html)
- Patch it to 1.40b23 version (again at http://lordbrazen.blogspot.com/2005/01/download.html)
- Unpack downloaded SFX archive (with EXPa 2.1) in directory with installed Master of Orion 2 with OVERWRITING
- ATTENTION! Launch EXPa.exe and ENJOY!

c’g~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>
Last edited by c'g~ on Mon Jan 12, 2009 3:00 pm, edited 4 times in total.

refugee
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Postby refugee » Sun Mar 23, 2008 9:42 pm

Cheers man tried the first one yesterday and liked it.

how is this one different?

c'g~
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EXPa Pro Changes

Postby c'g~ » Mon Mar 24, 2008 5:51 am

Cheers man tried the first one yesterday and liked it.

how is this one different?
Hi, refugee.
I’m glad, that my work isn’t meaningless and someone can enjoy with it.

EXPa Pro Edition has not so much differences, compared with EXPa 1.6, but all of them change the Game drastically:
- more harshly balanced costs of Race Picks
- much more available Techs, that U can’t take in Original MoO2
- Planetary Shields is in use now
- many solved balance problems (with Battle Pods, Android Workers, Heavy Armor etc.)
- more precise balance between Unification and others

So, waiting for your impressions and suggestions about gameplay of EXPa Pro.
Last edited by c'g~ on Mon Jan 12, 2009 3:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PK
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Postby PK » Fri Mar 28, 2008 3:30 am

hi c`g

I am having troubles to download your file.

What is the list of total changes to the game?

I am glad you made your mod.
PK

c'g~
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Location:Ukraine

Thank U

Postby c'g~ » Fri Mar 28, 2008 7:24 am

Hi, PK!
I’m really happy to know, that U want to try EXPa Pro. But at the same time I’m upset, cos after some critics on another forums and my test of EXPa I see some important things in EXPa, which in misbalance. So please don’t be too disappointed – I’m working now on update.
I am having troubles to download your file.
What kind of troubles U have?
Anyway I posted another link for downloading (U can find it higher).
What is the list of total changes to the game?
EXPa Pro has so many of them, that for listing it here I need half of a day. Besides, all changes are described in the Game.

But I can tell in general:
- Race picks
- Tech Tree (Main Theme of the Mod)
- Heroes
- practically all Buildings Cost and Maintenance
- practically all Beam weapons Damage increased by 20-30%
- Computers
- Drives
- Fuel Cells
- Shields
- Special Systems
- Missiles/Torpedoes/Fighters/Shuttles: Cost, Space, Damage
- Bombs/Bio-Weapons Damage increased, Cost/Space decreased
- other weapons Cost, Space, Damage
- Planetary Shields – defense increased dramatically (now they can defend well)
- some Rifles ratings
- and others that I can’t remember

Also archive with EXPa Pro includes XLS file with Tech Tree.
I am glad you made your mod.
It also thanks to U, that this Mod here now.
Last edited by c'g~ on Mon Jan 12, 2009 3:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.

localhosed
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Postby localhosed » Sun Apr 06, 2008 12:26 am

Thanks for working more on this, cg. I'll try it out.

GrimVandal
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Postby GrimVandal » Sun Apr 06, 2008 11:46 am

Very good mod indeed. I really like it very much.

However I still would like to modify some minor stats like planet defences eg. starbase aso.

After your patch is applied am I able to alter it further with the ocl for 1.40? Cuz it seems the ocl just gives me the data.txt from the "normal game" instead of your changes.

Thank you for your answer in advance.

Greetings
Grim

c'g~
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Location:Ukraine

Update

Postby c'g~ » Thu Apr 10, 2008 1:00 pm

Thanks for working more on this, cg. I'll try it out.
Very good mod indeed. I really like it very much.
Thank You, guys.

So, here it is – the awaited update EXPa Pro 2.1 (link updated – U can find it at first post of this topic):
- few important changes at Tech Tree (now all Tech Branches is in need; Androids Scientist/Farmers become more valuable and other)
- solved some weapons balance problems
- all pre-constructed Races (AI plays them) reworked for good (Single Player more interesting now)
- drastically adjusted Race Abilities Costs (tested and approved, that approximate balance reached)
However I still would like to modify some minor stats like planet defences eg. starbase aso.

After your patch is applied am I able to alter it further with the ocl for 1.40? Cuz it seems the ocl just gives me the data.txt from the "normal game" instead of your changes.
Yes, it can be done.

But what you want to modify exactly? We can discuss it here.
Besides, OCL is not a panacea – many things in MoO2 just can’t be changed with OCL directly.

So I’d like to hear what ideas you have – I think somehow we will resolve them here.

Gazer
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Joined:Fri Apr 11, 2008 10:19 am

Postby Gazer » Fri Apr 11, 2008 10:40 am

A few things I've noticed:-

(Pro 2.1)
Repulsive costs -11. Maybe I'm doing something wrong, but it appears that you can never select this trait due to the -10 limit.

Uncreative costs -3 when it should really be -100 or something. Maybe something screwed up with my install, but in a pre-warp game, you're no longer guarenteed to get standard fuel cells, nuclear drive and freighters. I just started a game and while I got the drive and freighters, the first fuel cell I would get was iridium. That means I'd have had to to research up to 600 RP before I could even leave my home system! Maybe since this is because I'm playing the pro version, this is what you intended, but....wow.

(Pro 2.0)
In a different game, I was scouting nearby planets and ran into one guarded by an Amoeba....and this happened. If I clicked the RETREAT button I got told that bases and planets can't retreat...all I could do was sit and watch it get destroyed.

Asides from that, the mod seems quite good, but since I only play uncreative I haven't been able to get very far yet.

c'g~
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Update notes

Postby c'g~ » Fri Apr 11, 2008 12:24 pm

Hi, Gazer. I’m glad to see your interest.
Repulsive costs -11. Maybe I'm doing something wrong, but it appears that you can never select this trait due to the -10 limit.
Yes, it was done intentionally: players can no longer pick Repulsive ability (Repulsive it’s just free points for players, besides in game you can see more Heroes now – IMO it’s more fun).
Uncreative costs -3 when it should really be -100 or something. Maybe something screwed up with my install, but in a pre-warp game, you're no longer guarenteed to get standard fuel cells, nuclear drive and freighters.
With your install everything ok.
But you are right – Uncreative practically is suicide pick on Pre-warp (in Original MoO2 even more).

But, if U plays on Average Tech Level (which played mostly for more fast and balanced game) U can pick the Uncreative ability, cos EXPa Pro have unique structure of Tech Tree, where U can pick practically any Tech out of presented at any Tech field and still have no major loses. So, especially for Unification Uncreative ability is not so tough choice.

Thus Uncreative cost dropped to -3 (some veteran player tested the previous version of EXPa Pro and show me – how one can abuse the Uncreative Race ability).

But, in further EXPa Pro plays if Uncreative cost imbalance will become clear – Uncreative ability cost will change.

So try to play without Uncreative ability or with Average Tech Level.
(Pro 2.0)
In a different game, I was scouting nearby planets and ran into one guarded by an Amoeba....and this happened. If I clicked the RETREAT button I got told that bases and planets can't retreat...all I could do was sit and watch it get destroyed.
Did this happening often?
I didn’t see such glitch by myself. But all I can tell, that a reason of this bag is not EXPa Pro modification – U can see it in original MoO2 too.
Asides from that, the mod seems quite good, but since I only play uncreative I haven't been able to get very far yet.
Thank you a bunch!
Like I said try to play on Average or without Uncreative.

GetAssista
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Re: Update notes

Postby GetAssista » Mon Apr 14, 2008 6:19 am

Yes, it was done intentionally: players can no longer pick Repulsive ability (Repulsive it’s just free points for players, besides in game you can see more Heroes now – IMO it’s more fun).
IMO, it would be better to make the prize from picking Repulsive small, like e.g. (-1), but not exclude the option from the game altogether.
Or even (0)

Interesting tech tree :) Keep up the good work!

c'g~
Posts:80
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Location:Ukraine

Hi!

Postby c'g~ » Mon Apr 14, 2008 7:55 am

Hi, GetAssista.
IMO, it would be better to make the prize from picking Repulsive small, like e.g. (-1), but not exclude the option from the game altogether.
Or even (0)
In previous versions of EXPa Repulsive ability was “-2” points. But through evolution of EXPa to Pro Edition became clear, that the Repulsive ability just don’t feet to conception of EXPa Modification.
Thus it excluded because of many reasons now.
Interesting tech tree :) Keep up the good work!
Thanks! I think it’s quite good too.

mooncalf
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Postby mooncalf » Sat May 03, 2008 2:17 pm

I'm wrapping up my first game with EXPa Pro, so I'll give my opinions thus far.

First off, I like it. I can see myself playing this (or a future version) sometimes years from now.

It's very nice to have an altered help.lbx, giving the user some idea what's been altered. (Extremely minor issue: some of the Hypertech advances have garbled text as titles, like soc'giology; physc'gs I; C'ghmemistry I.)

I haven't played enough to form definite opinions, but so far I think I like the tech tree and the alterations to buildings/weapons. Many things look like an improvement (smaller scout labs, improved torpedoes, supercomputer late in tech tree, etc.) I'm still undecided on a few issues (like strength of flux shields), but there's nothing I'm sure I dislike thus far.

I do wish installation didn't replace old files... at least not without an "automatic" way of backing them up; and then being able to switch back and forth between versions very easily. I'll probably end up writing my own batch (*.bat) files to do this, but it would be nice if the download came with something like that already.

I'm not a big fan of perfect game balance anymore. I think it's more important to have mods give a different game experience than the unmodded original, and to encourage different strategies. And it looks like your mod will do a good job at giving a different experience this way.

That said, some of the race pick costs I do consider unbalanced.

Tolerant (14) and Aquatic (8) seem to cost too much. (I thought Tolerant was fairly priced in vanilla at 10, and is worth less with pollution processor early in a tech tree.)

+1/+2 Spying (1/2) looks too cheap. Since I play SP with AI opponents, Telepath (4) seems like a steal. IMO, Fantastic Traders is fully worth 2 points (maybe even 3 points), although I realize DC had it even lower at 0.5 picks.

Siron's DC mod seemed like it consistently doubled the value of what I had considered "fair" for negative picks. Your values seem less consistent. As your mod stands, I'd tend to use: -50 population (-8), low-g (-7), and maybe -poor HW (-3). I'd avoid picking: -10 spy (-1), uncreative (-3); and I probably wouldn't use -food (-4), -0.5BC (-4), or feudal outside of an advanced tech start (-7 compared to dictatorship). Going back to what I said about game experience, I'd prefer feudal at -10, even if some thought it became "too good"; since it would give a good excuse to use it, when I never really used feudal in vanilla MOO2.

One very minor weird bug: I could refit my frigates before researching biospheres, but afterwards got some message like "you do not have sufficient technology to build ships" after I got that tech. After I got my next tech (iirc), I was able to refit them again. I'm not positive what really caused it, or if it was even mod related; and it was a very unimportant issue for me.

Again, thank you for the mod, and I'll probably play it on and off for as long as I'm still playing MOO2.

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Tifi
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Postby Tifi » Sun May 04, 2008 10:58 am

An outstanding effort, although with a few 'quirks'...

Race Picks

I'll just throw you in at the deep end :P
2 points each for +50 attack & defence!?
Thats erm... Rather, indeed VERY cheap.
For 4 whole points you can give yourself battle scanners and intertial stab. on every ship for no space or build cost.
Quite frankly in an MP game I could almost guarantee that everyone would pick those.

Same goes for ground combat and spying, although to a much lesser extent as they have a proportianately smaller effect.

Tele. and Warlord are a steal both are way too cheap for the enourmous advantages they give.
The same to a lesser exent with High Grav.
Not really bothered about Repulsive, but Uncreative doesn't give away much considering...

Nothing else really stands out here, except Dict. is -1?
Sure its a default extra point, but why?

Tech

Awesome job with updating the help texts firstly, and I very much like the way bombs and missiles scale although the planet shields might be a bit too good. 51 dmg blocked for Barrier is quite a lot.

Personally I don't much care for all the items being strewn accross all the fields seemingly randomly with little or no realtion to thier purpose, but thats just me. :P

There are however numerous tech decisions which are not really all that difficult...
Const.: Fighter Garr., Reinf. Hull, and Deep Core Mining
Sociology: Battle Scanner & Star Fort
Computers: Auto Repair, Holos, Neural Scan, Posi Comp, Struct A and Mol Comp.
Biology: Soils, Aug. Engines, Terra, Weather, Displ. Div.
Physicis: Star Gate & Stellar Conv.
Fields: Class2 shield & Ion Cannon

All those I chose without hesitation or regret, which means I'd probably choose exactly the same thing again next game :(

Transporters come a bit early as well. (before tractors even)
Was it intentional to have them in the Laser/Fusion era?

The tiny Scout Labs though are very nice, this was the 1st time I've ever used those as standard equip. on almost all my ships :P

Random

I really like how you changed the leaders, especially the low 'rank' ones so they're not quite so unattractive when the later guys come along.

It may have just been me imagining it, but while running this mod my sound seemed to glitch far far more often than normal, like every few minutes instead of every once in a while :?

All in all a valiant effort with some potentially very interesting ideas.
:D

MikeTn
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Postby MikeTn » Fri May 09, 2008 5:54 pm

I have a PROBLEM....I downloaded EXPa Pro and installed it according to the instructions....I start playing it and try to start researching.... the game SHUTS DOWN and it pops up with an error message saying that TECHSEL.LBX was missing

any ideas what is going on? techsel.lbx was not installed by MOO2, MOO2 v1.31, MOO2 v1.4b23, or by EXPa Pro. How do I get this file? everything runs fine on v1.31. :cry:

thanks
continuing to learn


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