[0.16] Comprehensive Biters

[TelemakFactorio]

Discuss here about the mod Comprehensive Biters

The mod can be found at https://mods.factorio.com/mod/ComprehensiveBiters

[ThirdGhostHand]

Hello. Looks fun! Can you tell me how this mod might work in a PvP scenario? Say one player is super advanced cuz he plays non-stop, and another player is still rubbing two sticks together, how will the biters treat these two players?

[TelemakFactorio]

By design. Think of it like biters hate higher techs.
Biters evolution is not really slown down because of the weakest player, it mostly adapts to the most advanced connected non-spectator player at any time.

Biters are attacking both players (vanilla behavior).

Note this mod created at first for me to discover other complex mods in single player without being annoyed too much by biters wasn't tested in PvP.

Found a bug, need a better mod ? Ask here, I may think about it.

[Ranakastrasz]

"agressivity_score" uses "global.CompBitNbOfResearchedTechs" without taking into account Total techs available, so scales drastically different with differing mods compared to using "limitEvolutionByResearches" mechanics, which Does scale.

Looking at the mechanics. the biter's Evo factor reduction is smaller as the number of researches increases. However, this part does not appear scaled with the total number of researches, or rocket prerequisite researches. So if a mod includes a lot more researches, this factor will increase very fast and the reduction effect will dwindle at the same rate.

It seems to be "Object Count + object deaths + Techs researched" for object deaths and reducing Evo factor by (x-1)/x each time an object is destroyed, roughly the same whether Player or Device. So rarity is taken into account (The more common it is, the less satisfying biters find it to eat) as well as history (If they already killed a ton of it, they won't care about more) But the tech scale factor looks wrong.

Is this intended? is it a minor factor regardless? I haven't played with it yet after all.
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This looks like exactly the mod I was looking for. Forgives you to an extent based on your progress, and especially forgives disasters. I am unsure about the instakiling biters on each first kill for an object type, but given how its a one-shot effect (per entity type) and that the next wave will probably be similarly effective, it gives you the safety net you need.
On the other hand, you have to have your base overrun for each item type for it to really matter, since they stop entirely after killing an assembler, or furnace, or inserter. There arent a huge number of object types, but it seems overly forgiving.

[dog80]

to base evolution on researched technology seems like a pretty smart idea

[Ranakastrasz]

Yep, other mods do that as well. I've seen quote a few methods.

Vanilla and modified vanilla is simple enough.
I've seen Current Pollution based scaling, so cutting back on pollution calms them down.
I've seen tech-based scaling. This mod does that both for all tech, AND rocket specific tech, whichever is a higher percentage.

The issue here is that while it tries to work for vanilla and any mods, it doesn't scale consistantly. In one place, it looks at fraction of research done, and in another it looks at absolute research done. So if you have a mod adding 200 extra techs, then the cap increases slower, reaching 100% cap at around 400 techs, but the enemy's satisfaction will reduce Evo factor at the same rate for the same number of techs researched.
But again, I don't know how much of a problem It would be. As it is, I don't think it is even needed as a factor. After all, each kill of a type (Inserter, wall, turret, etc) counts those kills, and each one diminishes the satisfaction. So while they will be satisfied by killing your first turret (All of them die, pretend its a retreat or something I guess?) and after that, each turret kill will satify them some, but it is scaled such that for each turret you have plus each turret killed previously reduces the effect of any one turret's death. Same with walls.
So them killing rare stuff is satisfying, and new stuff can be satisfying, but they stop being so forgiving fast.

Each tech researched is like an extra entity of that type, so they are less forgiving. But it doesn't scale, as I said. So rarity will not actually matter much once you get 10-15 techs, let alone 100+. Whether this is BAD I don't know yet.

[TelemakFactorio]

Mod is reuploaded for 0.17

Not yet tested completly, especialy when you got buildings destroyed or when you die.
Cap on evolution works like before.
Try and report bugs !