[MOD 1.1] Natural Evolution - All things Alien!

[cpy]

So this mod adds better spawning mechanism to RSO mod too? Am i understanding this right? Does it override RSO enemies too?

[TheSAguy]

So this mod adds better spawning mechanism to RSO mod too? Am i understanding this right? Does it override RSO enemies too?

No. It manages the expansion after the initial game spawning. (Or RSO's if you're using that)
It might be something I look at later, but I feel that you have a lot of control over the initial start setup using the games settings or RSO, so don't really see a need currently.

[TheSAguy]

Version 3.1.0 is up.

With the update to Factorio 0.12.3 the Alien Control Station now seems stable.
So as of Version 3.1.0 it's back in. I've done about 40 min testing and it all seems stable. I'm leaving the previous version up, just in case anyone has problems that I've not found.

Let me know if it works!

[jaxterity]

Hey, I am curious. With Natural Evolution, do biters/spitters build big groups and automatically attack even with no pollution on them? If I am polluting not at all, they still go and attack in big waves? That's what it seems like when I read the long description. I've been playing with it forever, and kinda it gets a little annoying. As when I pollute not at all they still come in huge waves no matter how much I push them back or anything I've tried. Seems odd a bit haha.

[TheSAguy]

Hey, I am curious. With Natural Evolution, do biters/spitters build big groups and automatically attack even with no pollution on them? If I am polluting not at all, they still go and attack in big waves? That's what it seems like when I read the long description. I've been playing with it forever, and kinda it gets a little annoying. As when I pollute not at all they still come in huge waves no matter how much I push them back or anything I've tried. Seems odd a bit haha.

The Mod does not let biters automatically attack you.
They might just be trying to expand to where you are and then attack you, since they run into you.

The pollution to attack is slightly lowered, so any pollution will eventually be enough for an attack.

The mods aim is to make biters more challenging...

[jaxterity]

So, do they attack even if the pollution doesn't even get close to aliens? I was redoing my entire base and producing nothing, no pollution and it died down almost completely only had a tiny bid in the center of my little base not even close to aliens. But there were continual HUGE waves of aliens that kept swarming each side of my walls. I have walls on north, east, and south, as there is water on the west. Yet aliens always attack in huge swarms constantly even with no pollution going to them. That is why I was trying to figure out if it was Natural Evolution or maybe just new mechanics in .12 or what exactly.

[billw]

For you information:
https://forums.factorio.com/forum/vie ... 30&t=14761

A game bug was exposed by this mod, fixed for next release.

[TheSAguy]

For you information:
https://forums.factorio.com/forum/vie ... 30&t=14761

A game bug was exposed by this mod, fixed for next release.

Thanks for letting me know billw.
Love it when I can break the game!!

I actually just noticed it myself, but had no time to investigate. Only happens at very high evo.
Glad you got if fixed for the next patch!

Any feedback on the mod, besides that

[TheSAguy]

Version 4 has been released!

Just in time for the weekend

Major update.

I've assimilated darkshadow1809 , Evolution Mod. I've changed the way it works. There is not a new resource you have to mine, but rather you just use Alien Artifacts. Hence, I've also added Small Artifact drops, lie you get in Bob's Enemies and Supreme Warfare.
You can now build your own biters and spitters and even Spawners!

I've also made a tweak to the Science Cost. A very simple adjustment. I just doubled the raw material cost for the first two levels and slightly tweak level 3.
There are a lot of Science Cost Adjustment mods out there currently, but I don't really like those, since they add complexity.
I just want to force you to expand more and not add complexity to your base.
This can be turned off if you so desire.

I've also made it that you lose the Alien Artifacts when you pick-up the Alien Control Station.
I found that this building was totally OP when you used is as a Tower Creep.


Again, a lot of new stuff and I really would appreciate balancing feedback!
Thanks.

[DreamSmith]

Had to unzip to use 4.0.0 the zip gave an error.

[TheSAguy]

Had to unzip to use 4.0.0 the zip gave an error.

Thanks DreamSmith, this has been fixed.

[TheSAguy]

Version 4.04 up.
Updated Graphics thanks to YuokiTani!!

New art for the Hatchery and Alien Control Station.
Pollution Evolution Factor Quadrupled, from 0.000015 to 0.00006

[TheSAguy]

Version 4.1.0 is posted.

The Terraforming station was OP... I'm playing in a Bob's Mod game and after building 4 of those, my evolution went from 20% to 14%.
So made some adjustments!

Added Speedy Brain's Corps Collector mod, with my tweaks.

Updated biter/spitter recipes.

Feedback please!

[Vin]

I have a question about the endgame of the mod.

I'm looking for something that alters endgame biter behavior so they actually feel like they're a persistent threat. Currently, my experience with vanilla biters is that they are mildly obnoxious in that they can destroy distant outposts, but it doesn't feel rewarding to properly defend them because it happens so infrequently. Thus, I'm looking for a change so that when the evolution factor approaches 1, the game starts to feel like a war instead of intermittent guerrilla tactics.

It seems Natural Evolution is what I'm looking for, but I'd rather ask before putting 20-30 hours into a game and then find out that I'm playing similarly to vanilla.

Also, I have a suggestion that I don't know how easy/difficult it would be to implement. Perhaps launching a rocket should fix the evolution factor to 1 regardless of other factors. I'm not sure how it would fit in with the "making sense" part, but from a gameplay standpoint it would give something to do post launch that isn't just launch more rockets.

[orzelek]

I did not get to evolution factor 1 at any point - but from code I can tell you that you are in for hard time with this mod at that point.
It should give you run for the money long before that

[TheSAguy]

I have a question about the endgame of the mod.

I'm looking for something that alters endgame biter behavior so they actually feel like they're a persistent threat. Currently, my experience with vanilla biters is that they are mildly obnoxious in that they can destroy distant outposts, but it doesn't feel rewarding to properly defend them because it happens so infrequently. Thus, I'm looking for a change so that when the evolution factor approaches 1, the game starts to feel like a war instead of intermittent guerrilla tactics.

It seems Natural Evolution is what I'm looking for, but I'd rather ask before putting 20-30 hours into a game and then find out that I'm playing similarly to vanilla.

Also, I have a suggestion that I don't know how easy/difficult it would be to implement. Perhaps launching a rocket should fix the evolution factor to 1 regardless of other factors. I'm not sure how it would fit in with the "making sense" part, but from a gameplay standpoint it would give something to do post launch that isn't just launch more rockets.

Vin,
I have had the exact same experience with vanilla that you've described, that's why I wrote this mod.
This mod should get progressively harder the higher the evolution factor gets.

As to your second point, I've always wanted a full out attack when the countdown to launch begins. I was told that that part of the game is currently broken and will be fixed before release, so for now you have Natural Evolution

Please give it a try and let me know what you think.
This mod is not perfect and still evolving..

P.S. Not sure what other mods you're using, but at the least, add Bob's enemies. It only adds some new biters & spitters that gives you some additional flavor.

[Timeslice]

The config option for disabling the "new" buildings (when uncommented) still doesn't work. Do you plan on implementing that?

I'm also seeing big worms (from bob's mods - fire, explosive, etc.) spawn very early in evolution, way before spitters or medium biters. Is this you, bob, or some cross-mod issue?

[orzelek]

The config option for disabling the "new" buildings (when uncommented) still doesn't work. Do you plan on implementing that?

I'm also seeing big worms (from bob's mods - fire, explosive, etc.) spawn very early in evolution, way before spitters or medium biters. Is this you, bob, or some cross-mod issue?

I noticed the worms appearing also. And I'm pretty clueless to whats going on - it seems like expansion oriented biters group leaves those but only them.
Since I have RSO active I'm pretty sure that autoplace is disabled. On the other hand they seem to appear without any enemies around them and also from direction where no attacks came to my base. It's basically a big question mark

[Vin]

I've seen big worms before medium biters without using this mod (or Bob's for that matter), so it may or may not be a problem. Not very many, but occasionally they'll be in a base I want to destroy because it's sitting in my pollution cloud.

[Timeslice]

Another issue: if I have Bob's mods installed, but turn off NE small artifacts, the small->regular artifacts recipe is still 100:1. Could you change it so that it doesn't alter the recipe if they aren't enabled?