Balanced mods that keep game challenging

[Bruno]

Greetings Transcendencers!

I'm Bruno, and I've been enjoying this little gem off and on for about a year and a half. I have great admiration for the combintion of apparent simplicity and sheer fun to be had.

I am a purist who enjoy challenges and harcore punishment... ahem, so far I've played vanilla and usually permadeath. It gives a lot extra fun to know that your desicion can be your last if you make the wrong one!

My concern is this:

There is what appear to an uninitiated like me, who do not work in software but like space games, a total jungle of mods, made by great guys. This is good. But how to know what kind of mods do not screw over balance completely, or take away the challenge I crave?

If you want to play in the spirit of vanilla, but with just a little more life, or a little more user friendliness, without adding 100 new weapons and ships, and keeping the game at the same difficulty (at least!), how can you find those mods? Also, too many mods is confusing for a simple not-computer-expert...

I think, I may not be the only one who wonder about this
Thank you for answers in advance!

(I just saw a play-challenge-thread where the game had 60-80 mods installed. Help.)

[CYRUS KGABO]

Try these mods then.....UG wingman v3 allow u 2 upgarade ur wingman anyway u like.Player drone v6 core....allow u 2 buy ship in the game nd ths is great it u evr feel the need 2 change ships in the middle of a great game.WE5 ......Ths add sum useful weapons 2 the game.Intersteller communication.....Allow u 2 communicate with othr shps in the game.fellow pilgrim......ths baby wil make ur journey 2 the core less lonely as u wil be able 2 meet other pilgrim .Deales station.....adds helpful statim 2 the game. these mods dnt take away any fun the game nd i alway hav them in my game.

[Atarlost]

Upgradeable Wingmen is obsolete. Playership Drones supersedes it.

Playership Drones is a difficulty reducer. If you want a challenge skip this mod unless you've overshot the difficulty with other mods.

WE5 (depending on mode) and Dynamic Systems are difficulty increasers. Dynsys punishes looting and will probably be more frustrating than fun if you play in the traditional murderous hobo style.

Interstellar communication is probably a difficulty reducer. Communication mods generally let you ask for help you wouldn't be able to get in the vanilla game.

Fellow Pilgrims is swingy rather than challenging. If you have the bad luck to be next to a fellow pilgrim when an offensive spell goes off you probably die. It's like the Oracus shrine trap, except it's not an easily identifiable stationary target you can avoid in your next game but a ship that looks just like every other civilian.

Deales (sic) station isn't one I've heard of. If it adds helpful stations it's a difficulty reducer.

[RPC]

Pick and choose from the succession modset:
http://neurohack.com/transcendence/foru ... 495#p50196
Basically go:
1. Dynamic Systems
2. WE5
3. Pilgrims
4. NoPowers
5. Fellow Pilgrims
Optional:
Network
Uncharted

Everything else just adds weapons or ships.
Others are quality of life like:
NoDockNav Beacons
Bussard Reactors

While yet others are just images, like SiaFu's stuff and HD Stargates.

[Watch TV, Do Nothing]

If they are still current, I recall that FAD's Worst Case Scenario and drako sylith's Insane Difficulty were both balanced and difficult. DynSys is a lot of fun; there is always tons of crazy action going on and the pace is very different than Vanilla Transcendence.

If you want a challenge with no mods, I always encourage people to try doing a run in the freighter without ever installing a reactor. The game is balanced such that it's possible to make it all the way through without ever going over 25MW, and you will likely end up using a lot of equipment that you would never even consider during a regular run.

Other good challenges:

• Never refuel; all fuel must come from solar power once you get a solar item.
• Never get a military ID
• Only using equipment that you salvage
• Only use ammunition-fed weapons (e.g. Smartcannon, Nandao bolt cannon, etc.) or only use launchers
• Only use hostile-sovereign-exclusive weapons and armor (e.g. Urak howitzer, Tharsis plate, etc.)

[digdug]

Hi Bruno,
welcome to Transcendence Forums

you can start from the "Mod of the Month" mods. they are usually good quality and bug-free and fairly balanced. (but not all of them, due to the game updates.)

Most of those mods require the beta version of the game.

Latest version of Transcendence 1.08l (L): http://neurohack.com/transcendence/foru ... =15&t=5467
Mod of the Month banners gallery: http://neurohack.com/transcendence/foru ... =24&t=3547
Mods: http://xelerus.de/index.php?s=mods

[Bruno]

Thanks you very much for answers.

I'd like to post my thoughts so far. Maybe it can help new players as well!

I decided to try out Atarlost and RPC (and others) advice, and went for some more difficulty and more life-mods, more or less what RPC suggested. I have so far played to St. Kat, the speed of game is slower for me now, wich is good.

-Dynamic systems: Wow, suddenly the universe came to life! Both a difficulty-increaser, and very much a loot-increaser!. Sometimes the action is a bit too much, with several hundred wrecks and a few strange "bugs" (that is for another discussion), but it is very enjoyable. Some exploit-removes like no hiding on planets is brilliant.

-Extended Weapons: First I was doubtful, and suspected unbalanced gun-mania, but so far not at all. Very positive, and enemies with variable weaponry and cool loadouts makes it more difficult indeed. Unknown weapons is pretty cool and removes some gaminess as you have to experient instead of going for your favourite gun right away.

-Fellow Pilgrims: Actually, I havent seen any, or maybe they just fly around and keep out of the way.

-No Domina Powers: Wanted to try, and man is it tough to play without Sustain. Nice though, as a desicion to fly into unknown territory can be your last. I like that.

This mod-selection is very good, and quite difficult. You mod-makers are very skilled and improve the Transcendence experience.

[RPC]

Thanks for trying the mods Bruno!
If there's any issues just bring them up. I like fixing mods, even if they're not my own

[Bruno]

I have three things to say today.

1) I love this game, I really do. It is fantastic in many ways.

2) Dynamic Systems has many integrated features that is good and well thought out, so good that I can infact not play without it, now.

But there is an issue with loot overflow. After some time in contested sectors, you can fly past 30+ wrecks of high value ships, with more coming in. Result: Player is swimming in money, more than it is possible to spend. Nice, but unbalanced.

3) Domina Powers are needed

2 reasons; A, nebular sight (love it, need it), B, The highest domina saving power, to prevent THIS: "Your ship has been shattered by a Sung Pilgrim"!! Fun but not when playing ironman mode.

[RPC]

Yeah, playing without Domina Powers is *really* hard. I can't believe some players forget they even exist...
Re: Dynamic Systems
Thanks for the compliment! I was playing WE on Hard mode and I was thinking that a good idea for making money would be to get lots of loot. So I increased difficulty a tad bit so I'd have some $$$ to buy WE stuff >.>

(Protip: If you've also got Playership Drones, GET THE WE NANITE SHIELD. If you've got a multihull ship it will save you many times over )

[Atarlost]

Yeah, playing without Domina Powers is *really* hard. I can't believe some players forget they even exist...
Re: Dynamic Systems
Thanks for the compliment! I was playing WE on Hard mode and I was thinking that a good idea for making money would be to get lots of loot. So I increased difficulty a tad bit so I'd have some $$$ to buy WE stuff >.>

(Protip: If you've also got Playership Drones, GET THE WE NANITE SHIELD. If you've got a multihull ship it will save you many times over )

Multihull is the station attribute for needing WMD to kill, but I know what you mean. Patch Spiders and Patcher Arms also scale with the number of armor segments you have.

[RPC]

Multihull is the station attribute for needing WMD to kill, but I know what you mean.

What's the word I'm looking for?

[shanejfilomena]

MultiHull ships : I remember this from someplace..... a NanoHull ( interior bulkhead, creates a ship within a ship: but really weak compared to the main armor ) these NanoHulls were to let you escape / give you time : but If I remember right, if your against something that takes out your main Armor, your toast.

In Transcendence there is/was a OnDestroyCheck ? I do not have the latest sources for 1.1 so I don't know...
but like sustain a "NoanoHull" would/should hold you long enough to get out of the Hot Zone.

MultiHull station attributes, I do remember but I do not recall having a WMD in Eridani )

Code: Select all

<!-- Centauri Occupation -->

	<StationType UNID="&stCentauriOccupation;"
			name=				"(Centauri occupation)"
			sovereign=			"&svCommonwealth;"
			controllingSovereign="&svCentauriWarlords;"
			dockScreen=			"Main"
			abandonedScreen=	"&dsAbandonedStation;"
			allowEnemyDocking=	"true"
			canAttack=			"true"
			noBlacklist=		"true"

			multiHull=			"true"
			armorID=			"&itPlasteelPlate;"
			maxHitPoints=		"150"
			hitPoints=			"150"
			explosionType=		"&vtBlastExplosion3;"
			ejectaType=			"&vtWreckEjecta;"

			attributes=			"centauriWarlords,enemy,envWater,envAvoidsEarth,occupation,populated"
			levelFrequency=		"uuv-- ----- ----- ----- -----"
			locationCriteria=	"+planetary,-asteroids"
			>

[TVR]

Multihull is the station attribute for needing WMD to kill, but I know what you mean.

What's the word I'm looking for?

Non-critical armor segments.

[shanejfilomena]

Multihull is the station attribute for needing WMD to kill, but I know what you mean.

What's the word I'm looking for?

Non-critical armor segments.

YES!! SALVAGER NOMADS, Polar,Polar2 & Phobos have them!!!!!!!!!! ....
why was I thinking of NanoHulls?...... too long alone in space I think....