Cliche (v0.01-A): Dark Matter Organization Alpha Test
This is the first Alpha Test for Cliche's first, and most prominent race: the Dark Matter Organization, or D.M.O. for short.
I say most prominent because this is going to be the race I'm going to fret the most and obsess the most over >.> <.<
I'm going to be blabbering more and more about the infrastructure and history and so on about the DMO, so I'll keep my rambling here limited to the particular modding, tweaks, and hopes of this alpha test.
Overall rundown of planned modifications for DMO in this release:
- DMO replaces TEC
- Defensive and utility focus with noteable offensive handicap to frigates and cruisers.
- No shields: doubled all hull and mitigation to test compensation
- Ability/buff mods: Added "Integrate AI" ability-buff to all capital ships... Added "EMP Missiles" buff ability to Capital Ships with missiles
- No orbital "experimental" cannon: replaced with tier 8 research, raising the starbase cap per-planet by 1
- Added second starbase type: colonial/trade
- Heavy revamp to starbase upgrade scales, encouraging tactical decisions
- Support platform equipped with EMP missiles and repair drone bays.
- Lack of Flack Frigates leading to capital ship autocannon batteries able to target strike craft... Feedback on this required after test release
- Additional Details released with test download.
To start: this is basically replacing the TEC race, so to test out the DMO's basic feel and rough looks, play as the TEC.
After some consideration while working on the abilities, buffs, and overall modding, I've come to the conclusion of cutting back on making the DMO defensive advantages and making them more utilitarian, yet still holding that offensive disability that will make the player have to make more tactical choices instead of massing ships to barrel through to win... in fact I think I'll make that a big no-no that has massive repercussions if one does such a thing... in a later release...
Basic hopes of that, is so the DMO can't simply sit on one planet and take out everyone else with a fleet of defensive jerks (the capital ships and starbases).
First and foremost: The DMO will not have an orbital cannon capable of firing at other planets, this superweapon is being replaced by an additional, unarmed starbase type, and a pair of "ultimate" (and exceedingly expensive) starbase upgrade researches, allowing for movement and hyperspace travel, and an additional starbase per gravity well.
Offensively, the DMSF (Dark Matter Star Fleet, the DMO's armada of ships) will havea disadvantage concerning damage output, but will have a superior advantage compensation with utilities such as EMP missiles, Corrosive damage over time shells, Rapid repair support ships, and no-damage harassment ships.
The DMSF strike craft also lack the firepower that the TEC can bring to the table, but being unmanned and modular in construction allows them to be made and stored in masses, able to swarm the enemy in expanded, and highly numerous squadrons, their lethality becoming greater in the presence of the DMSF Capital Ships and AI Core support ships.
What I plan with the AI Integration, is something of a hive reaction... Example: 1 capital ship has Integrared AI, all the non-AI-supported ships nearby gain the buff... 2 or more capital ships are in the same area, the effect stacks to a cap.
The EMP missiles will be passive, with a chance each volley to disable all systems of the target vessel, the AI Integration is passive as well.
Not all features of the DMO will be released in the alpha release... not yet at least
What will be released is modified ships and structures, mainly, removal of shields and increased mitigation as well as ability replacement and starbase revamp with research modifications.
Doing this alone, I am grinding it hard, and assistance from another (trusted) modder would be most welcome so this release can definitely be churned out within a day to two days.
Any and all feedback and suggestions are very much welcome :D
