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Cogmind => Competitions => Topic started by: Kyzrati on September 01, 2015, 12:30:17 AM

Title: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: Kyzrati on September 01, 2015, 12:30:17 AM
I'm still taking care of these in jimmijamjams' absence, which means none of the achievements indicated below, but instead I'll be working on planning our upcoming tournament, which will have a bunch of ongoing achievements and should be a lot of fun. In the meantime, use this seed and your own runs to get acquainted with the new mechanics!

Note: If you happened to have grabbed Alpha 3 before the 3b hotfix and want to continue using it, this seed will produce the same results in that build as well.

(I wanted to name this weekly seed "It's a trap!" only to discover that it doesn't read the seed nicely from the config file if you close the program and restart the game, because the seed name includes spaces. I didn't want to mess anyone up so I decided to use "Trapped!" instead. I'll fix that issue for the next version, and make sure it can read seeds with spaces from the config file.)

Edit 150905: For this particular seed I've written a step-by-step guide to the first few floors as I tackled them. You can read it further down in this post (http://www.gridsagegames.com/forums/index.php?topic=240.msg1999#msg1999).

This week's seed: Trapped!


The Weekly Seed is open to anyone.  High scores are not the only feature of the runs and the main reason for putting this together is to share our experiences, stories, and tactics over the course of your run.  Some super secret achievements will be selected with some RNG at the end of each week from my steadily growing list.  Please leave suggestions for the naming of next seed or other achievements to include to my list once you have finished your run!

Rules are as follows:
(https://i.imgur.com/ovpQWMl.png)

(https://i.imgur.com/Mph8No3.png)




HOW TO ENTER A SEED

Press F1 to go to the MENU, select OPTIONS, select Seed, and enter this week's seed:

(https://i.imgur.com/vx1UQW3.png)


Select GAME, select ABORT:

(https://i.imgur.com/cCLoJgu.png)


If you have followed the steps [Manual seed applied: Trapped!] should display in the log window.

Congratulations on entering the seed, now get in there!
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: zxc on September 01, 2015, 02:57:48 AM
One weird thing I've noticed is that not all items are labelled. Is that normal? You can see it in the first screenshot in the OP. The first engine isn't labelled, for one. I'm not sure if it's always been like this or it's a recent bug.
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: Kyzrati on September 01, 2015, 03:06:58 AM
Not a bug--it's actually labeled but the label appears under the one to the right for Lgt. Treads. You can see the very left edge of the label before it goes under (I see two others that are overlapped as well). There is a limited number of label orientations for a given item (six) and the UI can't always find an optimal position, or any position at all, and something will often end up being covered in cases where you have a lot of parts in close proximity.

So it's essentially caused by the limitations of a grid-based ASCII labeling system. There are some cases where as a human viewer you might be able to find a better orientation for everything, but the algorithm is already as complex as I'd want to make it (pretty complex). Any more complex would also require a lot more computing power, and might even slow down the labels if there are a hundred or more on the screen.

In high-density situations I just use mouse hover or look mode to auto-label individual items for better accuracy.

By the way, this seed has an interesting start with that armor and treads just waiting for you right there in the beginning, as if to say... COMBAT BUILD :)
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: zxc on September 01, 2015, 03:12:46 AM
I'm not shying away from combat this time round! That is all I can say for now.

edit: Not sure where else to say this, but in the Alpha 3 changelog ' MOD: Direct "Purge Threat" terminal hack doesn't show unless there are threat records to purge' - doesn't this make Alert Level a lot less useful?

Oh, I used a Detect Traps hack and found out I walked straight through some blade traps without even spotting them! Sneaky traps...
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: Gobbopathe on September 01, 2015, 03:37:38 AM
edit: Not sure where else to say this, but in the Alpha 3 changelog ' MOD: Direct "Purge Threat" terminal hack doesn't show unless there are threat records to purge' - doesn't this make Alert Level a lot less useful?

Not sure this is the correct answer, but I would say not seeing the "Purge threat" does not mean the alert level is minimum. Seeing it just tells you the alert level is not minimum.
Well, that's how I catch it
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: Kyzrati on September 01, 2015, 03:42:37 AM
Gobbopathe is right.

And zxc you're lucky you didn't get chopped to pieces then :)
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: zxc on September 01, 2015, 05:35:36 AM
Sure, if you don't see Purge Threat you don't learn anything. But seeing it means it's not minimum, which is plenty of info in itself unless you're running around destroying everything and are definitely above minimum threat.
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: Kyzrati on September 01, 2015, 05:43:22 AM
I don't mind giving that bit of information to the player, plus it shows if you're above zero, and you're almost always above zero if you've destroyed anything at all, which you'll generally be aware of, anyway.

Alert Level is mostly intended for those who are, as you describe, going around destroying everything--e.g. combat builds or those with an army at their backs (which will increase in likelihood with each release, for those who want to take advantage of it).
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: Gobbopathe on September 01, 2015, 06:27:04 AM
Just made a screenshot. I have both "Purge threat" and "alert level" entries.

(https://www.gridsagegames.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ftof.canardpc.com%2Fpreview2%2F56fdb410-11d4-4632-8eed-ab9d4525f1d6.jpg&hash=569347cc5f017351c3f30709d1be3b24b1a82bba) (http://tof.canardpc.com/view/56fdb410-11d4-4632-8eed-ab9d4525f1d6.jpg)

Alert level inform me I am still at "low security". The first step if I remember well, < 200 right ? Still I have the "purge threat" entry, which means I am above 1.
Well, I did not learn anything actually :) but indeed as Kyzrati wrote you should see it always, not a scoop
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: zxc on September 01, 2015, 06:46:23 AM
I don't mind giving that bit of information to the player, plus it shows if you're above zero, and you're almost always above zero if you've destroyed anything at all, which you'll generally be aware of, anyway.

Alert Level is mostly intended for those who are, as you describe, going around destroying everything--e.g. combat builds or those with an army at their backs (which will increase in likelihood with each release, for those who want to take advantage of it).

Ah I see. I thought Purge Threat only popped up once you reached Level 1 alert level.
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: Arnot on September 01, 2015, 04:41:54 PM
Wow! Furthest I've come so far. Traps can be really tricky but I think they add a whole new dimension to the game, especially since you can use them for your own game :). I had  a feeling that all my hacking-chances were lower than in other (pre-Alpha-3) games, but doing this run more brute force was pretty fun too :)

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: ryvn on September 01, 2015, 06:59:26 PM
Died in glorious combat on -10 facing off against a squad of Grunt-class 'bots. They opened fire as soon as they came into sight down a long hallway. I'd lost my grenade launcher earlier, so I was rocking two Assault Rifles. I reasoned that my targeting computer and more defensive treads should give me an edge in a protracted firefight, so I decided to stand my ground.

Then they shot off my targeting computer. I decided that things might go better from up close, so I stepped through a doorway to force them to come to me. It's hard to tell without the ability to distinguish between identical 'bots or watch enemy turns in sequence, but I think they were cycling which of them stood in the door to prevent me from focusing fire. I eventually lost my guns and made a dive for a nearby Medium Laser, but my core was shredded before I could fire it.

I really should stop trying to explore all of the early floors. My games tend to go well if I prioritize getting my gear upgraded to the best available on the level and then leave immediately, and every time I decide to take things slow I end up getting pulverized. I would have left earlier but I was looking for a Signal Analyzer to check out its new branch identification function.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: Kyzrati on September 01, 2015, 10:30:42 PM
Wow! Furthest I've come so far. Traps can be really tricky but I think they add a whole new dimension to the game, especially since you can use them for your own game :). I had  a feeling that all my hacking-chances were lower than in other (pre-Alpha-3) games, but doing this run more brute force was pretty fun too :)
Good to hear about traps!

No changes were made to hacking difficulty aside from the gradually decreased chance to Purge Threat after each success (and the same was applied to all Recall hacks, basically the things you can use to control difficulty level). I will always include anything like that in the changelog.

You were probably just tending to find more higher-level terminals, where the base chances are lower but you get direct access to more targets.

Then they shot off my targeting computer. I decided that things might go better from up close, so I stepped through a doorway to force them to come to me. It's hard to tell without the ability to distinguish between identical 'bots or watch enemy turns in sequence, but I think they were cycling which of them stood in the door to prevent me from focusing fire. I eventually lost my guns and made a dive for a nearby Medium Laser, but my core was shredded before I could fire it.
Make sure you're always carrying spare weapons--not being able to shoot is a bad position to be in ;). This is why once you reach the mid-game melee weapons are good for backup, because it's harder to lose those. They're not very useful in Materials, though.

I would have left earlier but I was looking for a Signal Analyzer to check out its new branch identification function.
Take out a Watcher. However, this particular goal has become all the more difficult in Alpha 3 because they now have their proper speed...
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: Kasaris on September 02, 2015, 05:28:41 AM
You could have named the seed "itsatrap!", no spaces !
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: Kyzrati on September 02, 2015, 05:37:07 AM
True, I tried that but it didn't look very good at all because I wanted to keep the proper capitalization and punctuation, e.g. "It'sATrap!" Didn't want to make it too hard to type in ;)
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: zxc on September 04, 2015, 04:17:27 AM
Just an update.

Image
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Is there a way to show automatically resized images on this forum?

Early game has been decent so far, despite some shakiness due to forgetting some stuff. Upgrading according to my theory that utilities are the best slots even with a combat build.

Locating traps with a terminal hack is very useful. I haven't stepped on one yet, also.

Just dispatched a programmer with ease. I rather like using weapons.
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: Kyzrati on September 04, 2015, 05:59:10 AM
Is there a way to show automatically resized images on this forum?
Automatically, only by including it as an attachment, which obviously isn't appropriate for inserting it along with the associated text.

In the post itself, the only way is to modify the [img] tag to something like [img width=500].

I could check to see if there are any SMF plugins for doing it automatically. It is somewhat annoying to have massive fullscreen shots. I always play in a 720p window, so no big deal there :P (Edit: I did some searching around and tried a few things, but it looks like there's no real good way to handle resizing that is both automatic and convenient for the viewer without adding javascript, especially since we spoiler most images and those are handled differently :/)


Hoping to start my run tonight. Everyone had better take advantage of the overheating enemies as best you can, because I'm totally fixing that soon (finished testing and tweaking today). Turns out I was a bit too lenient on that in Alpha 3.
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: Kyzrati on September 04, 2015, 10:18:47 AM
For this run I'm going to do something a little different.

Rather than blast through the first few floors without writing much (because I usually get to the Factory in about 10 minutes :P), in order to help out some newer players I'll provide a much closer blow-by-blow account of every single action taken through Materials. This is kinda like what jimmijamjams did back in seed #3 (http://www.gridsagegames.com/forums/index.php?topic=208.msg1673#msg1673) with his early game advice, only in this case it'll be specific to this seed. (Note for anyone looking at this later: This seed will produce the same world for any Alpha 3 version.)

I'll go with a combat-oriented build, because that's been my preference lately, plus they've been buffed for Alpha 3. In the starting scrapyard pictured in the OP I'll attach the Ion Engine, Lgt. Treads (x2), Assault Rifle and Med. Laser, pick up the Lgt. Assault Rifle and Lgt. Ion Engine as spares, then head up the stairs.

Spoiler: -10/Materials (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: -9/Materials (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: -8/Materials (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: -7/Factory (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: Chad on September 04, 2015, 12:06:04 PM
First time for me to participate at a weekly seed competition and it went very well :)

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

I didn't encounter any traps unit floor -7 (I think). There I jumped into a trap and fell into the garbage area (I think). Some big robots  attacked me (I even don't know their name :D) and beat the hell out of me. I was sure that this was the end!
But suddenly the walls broke and an army of robots came through, they destroyed all the bad guys and followed me. They were an amazing help through floor -7. But I had lost them all when I reached the way up to -6. There I survived a good while, lost everything several times and got new stuff, before I finally died!
But it was fun.
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: Shobalk on September 04, 2015, 02:44:49 PM
I finished this a few days ago, so I don't recall exactly what happened (too many intervening games ;)

One thing I do recall was hitting a chute trap and dropping into an event that I had not seen before.  Quite awesome!

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: Kyzrati on September 04, 2015, 06:32:37 PM
First time for me to participate at a weekly seed competition and it went very well :)

I didn't encounter any traps unit floor -7 (I think).
Oh you got the cinematic save, too ;). BoomBlip was raving about it on Reddit.

You won't start finding more traps until the Factory--the earlier levels are small and dense enough that adding more than a tiny selection of traps would cause them to be way too central to the gameplay there (and possibly frustrate beginners).

In any case, good you managed to survive falling down that chute and turn it into a good thing.

@Shobalk: Apparently you found some of the new content as well :) (Although looking at your score sheet it wasn't this particular run.)
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: Chad on September 05, 2015, 03:56:10 AM
(...)
Oh you got the cinematic save, too ;). BoomBlip was raving about it on Reddit.
Oh yeah, it was really cinematic, sad that I managed too late to take screenshot out of wine :-/
But for the next time I'll be prepared ;)
I'm exited to see more of those cinematic events in the future :)
You won't start finding more traps until the Factory--the earlier levels are small and dense enough that adding more than a tiny selection of traps would cause them to be way too central to the gameplay there (and possibly frustrate beginners).
Sounds reasonable, good work there! :)
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: Happylisk on September 05, 2015, 09:38:59 AM
First run where I totally dominated factory.  Always had tons of guns and armor, no problems.  Research though... oof.  Programmers up the wazoo and eventually my poor cogmind core couldn't take it.

Traps were fun.  Tread buff was funner.  I'll be at the surface with a blasty build before you know it. 

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: kumo on September 05, 2015, 10:28:51 AM
I don't know if I was distracted, but that was one of my worse games. Once I started getting into difficulty I should have gone back and patched myself up rather than continuing onwards...

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: boomblip on September 05, 2015, 05:16:21 PM
Best score yet.  Good one.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: jimmijamjams on September 06, 2015, 03:33:45 AM
Oh, man!  I am so rusty...

Scoresheet
Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Run down
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: Kyzrati on September 06, 2015, 03:47:25 AM
More and more Cogmind's are making it to Research, a good thing since later on there will be other tools to help get you through those levels, should you need them :)

Oh, man!  I am so rusty...
Apparently! Still not a bad run, and you got to see some of the new stuff ;). Good peak build--really heavy on thermal.

For longer games if I won't be able to finish I prefer to stop in advance, on entering a new map, since that's where pretty much everything except your parts is reset.

New release coming this week with some more improvements: Alpha 3c Tournament Edition.
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: zxc on September 06, 2015, 08:22:54 AM
Fell in a chute trap which completely ruined me. Before that I seemed to be doing OK but clearly there is a lot to learn regarding playing combat builds. One neat thing is that suddenly so many items are actually useful. This also meant that playing took much longer than with a speed build, and I was tempted to go with speed after I lost everything but I think I'll avoid anything of the sort till I win a combat run.

By the way, the crushers in that mysterious place blend in very well (at least, in ASCII) with the same-colour walls and terrain.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Code: [Select]
Cogmind - Alpha 3b

Name: zzxc

---[ CORE DESTROYED ]---

 Performance
-------------
Evolutions (3)             1500
Robots Destroyed (118)     590
Value Destroyed (3396)     3396
Prototype IDs (8)          160
Alien Tech Identified (0)  0
Bonus (0)                  0
              TOTAL SCORE: 5646

 Cogmind
---------
Core Integrity             0/700
Matter                     78/300
Energy                     191/265
System Corruption          8%
Temperature                Critical (613)
Location                   -7/Factory

 Parts
-------
Power (2)
  Improved Ion Engine
  Light Angular Momentum Engine
Propulsion (2)
  Gravmag System
Utility (7)
  High-capacity Storage Unit
  Target Analyzer
  Matter Filter
  Scan Processor
  Reactive Medium Armor
Weapon (2)
  Enhanced Force Lance
  Precision Shock Rifle

 Inventory
-----------
Heavy Missile Launcher
Improved Heat Sink
Improved Heat Sink
Shock Rifle
Lightning Gun
Shock Rifle
Gauss Rifle

 Peak State
------------
Power
  Nuclear Core
  Nuclear Core
Propulsion
  Improved Treads
  Light Treads
Utility
  Target Analyzer
  High-capacity Storage Unit
  Advanced Heat Sink
  Improved Signal Interpreter
  Improved Sensor Array
  Reflective Light Armor
  Improved Core Analyzer
Weapon
  Precision Grenade Launcher
  Heavy Missile Launcher
[Rating: 40]

 Favorites
-----------
Power                      Light Angular Momentum Engine
  Engine                   Light Angular Momentum Engine
  Power Core               Nuclear Core
Propulsion                 Light Treads
  Treads                   Light Treads
  Leg                      Aluminum Leg
  Hover Unit               Gravmag System
Utility                    High-capacity Storage Unit
  Device                   Advanced Heat Sink
  Storage                  High-capacity Storage Unit
  Processor                Improved Signal Interpreter
  Protection               Hardened Light Armor Plating
Weapon                     Heavy Assault Rifle
  Energy Gun               Medium Laser
  Energy Cannon            Advanced Beam Cannon
  Ballistic Gun            Heavy Assault Rifle
  Ballistic Cannon         Improved Light Cannon
  Launcher                 Grenade Launcher
  Slashing Weapon          Scythe

 Stats
-------
Classes Destroyed          14
  Worker                   11
  Builder                  3
  Tunneler                 2
  Hauler                   8
  Recycler                 8
  Operator                 2
  Watcher                  5
  Swarmer                  16
  Grunt                    36
  Duelist                  1
  Sentry                   15
  Hunter                   4
  Programmer               6
  Executioner              1
NPCs Destroyed             0
Best Kill Streak           12
  Combat Bots Only         6
Matter Collected           2928
  Salvage Created          4788
Parts Attached             150
  Power                    15
  Propulsion               20
  Utility                  64
  Weapon                   51
Parts Lost                 44
  Power                    5
  Propulsion               4
  Utility                  23
  Weapon                   12
Average Slot Usage (%)     91
  Naked Turns              100
Spaces Moved               2759
  Fastest Speed (%)        200
  Slowest Speed (%)        22
  Overloaded Moves         0
  Propulsion Burnouts      0
  Targets Rammed           22
  Cave-ins Triggered       0
  Teleports                0
Heaviest Build             51
  Greatest Overweight (x)  12
  Average Overweight (x)   0
Largest Inventory          16
  Most Items Carried       12
Core Damage Taken          1287
Volleys Fired              307
  Largest                  2
  Hottest                  137
Shots Fired                555
  Gun                      376
  Cannon                   161
  Launcher                 18
  Special                  0
  Kinetic                  323
  Thermal                  164
  Explosive                18
  Electromagnetic          50
Overload Shots             5
  Energy Bleed             0
  Heat Surge               0
  Short Circuit            0
  Meltdown                 2
Melee Attacks              10
  Impact                   0
  Slashing                 10
  Piercing                 0
Damage Inflicted           9030
  Projectiles              7168
  Explosions               1639
  Melee                    153
  Ramming                  70
Highest Temperature        619
  Average Temperature      91
  Shutdowns                7
  Energy Bleed             1
  Interference             7
  Matter Decay             3
  Short Circuit            2
  Damage (minor)           2
  Damage (major)           0
  Damage (core)            2
Highest Corruption         8
  Message Errors           8
  Parts Rejected           2
  Data loss (map)          12
  Data loss (database)     7
  Misfires                 1
  Misdirections            2
  Targeting Errors         2
  Weapon Failures          0
Haulers Intercepted        8
Robots Corrupted           0
Robots Melted              0
Tactical Retreats          9
Communications Jammed      0
Parts Field Recycled       0
  Retrieved Matter         0
Parts Merge Repaired       0
Drone Launches             0
  Drone Recoveries         0
Derelicts Assembled        0
Traps Triggered            0
  Indirectly               0
Trap Hack Attempts         0
  Triggered                0
  Disarmed                 0
  Reprogrammed             0
  Reused                   0
Machine Familiarity        13
  Terminals                8
  Fabricators              1
  Repair Stations          3
  Recycling Units          0
  Scanalyzers              1
Machines Hacked            13
  Terminals                8
  Fabricators              1
  Repair Stations          3
  Recycling Units          0
  Scanalyzers              1
Total Hacks                47
  Successful               23
  Failed                   24
  Catastrophic             6
  Database Lockouts        0
  Manual                   1
  Terminals                28
  Fabricators              1
  Repair Stations          17
  Recycling Units          0
  Scanalyzers              1
Terminal Hacks             12
  Record                   0
  Part Schematic           2
  Robot Schematic          0
  Robot Analysis           0
  Prototype ID Bank        1
  Open Door                0
  Level Access Points      0
  Branch Access Points     0
  Emergency Access Points  2
  Machine Index            0
  Terminal Index           0
  Fabricator Index         0
  Repair Station Index     0
  Recycling Unit Index     0
  Scanalyzer Index         0
  Alert Level              2
  Unreport Threat          0
  Locate Traps             2
  Disarm Traps             0
  Reprogram Trap           0
  Dispatch Records         0
  Maintenance Status       0
  Security Status          0
  Surveillance Status      0
  Patrol Status            0
  Transport Status         0
  Investigation Status     0
  Extermination Status     0
  Reinforcement Status     0
  Assault Status           0
  Recall Investigation     0
  Recall Extermination     0
  Recall Reinforcements    0
  Recall Assault           0
  Hauler Manifests         2
  Registered Components    0
  Registered Prototypes    0
  Zone Layout              1
  Sector Layout            0
  Machine Controls         0
Hacking Detections         16
  Full Trace Events        3
  Feedback Events          0
  Feedback Corruption      0
  Feedback Part Disabled   0
  Feedback Blocked         0
Robot Schematics Acquired  0
  Robots Built             0
  Robot Fabrication Matter 0
  Robot Fabrication Time   0
Part Schematics Acquired   2
  Parts Built              0
  Part Fabrication Matter  0
  Part Fabrication Time    0
Parts Repaired             5
  Part Repair Time         195
Parts Recycled             0
  Recycled Matter          0
  Retrieved Matter         0
Parts Scanalyzed           0
  Part Schematics Acquired 0
  Parts Damaged            0
Robot Analysis Total       0
Robots Rewired             0
Robots Hacked              0
  Non-combat               0
  Combat                   0
  Parse                    0
  Link                     0
  Rebooted                 0
  Overloaded               0
  Assimilated              0
  Manual                   0
  Secondary                0
Robot Hack Failures        0
Allies Hacked              0
Hacks Repelled             0
Total Allies               6
  Largest Group            0
  Highest-Rated Group      0
  Highest-Rated Ally       0
Total Orders               0
  STAY                     0
  GOTO                     0
  ROAM                     0
  FOLLOW                   0
  GUARD                    0
  AID                      0
  BUILD                    0
  TUNNEL                   0
  DROP                     0
  PICKUP                   0
  COLLECT                  0
  EXPLORE                  0
  RETURN                   0
Terraforming Orders        0
  Walls Built              0
  Walls Tunneled           0
Ally Attacks               0
  Total Damage             0
  Kills                    0
Allies Corrupted           0
Allies Melted              0
Peak Influence             577
  Average Influence        194
Maximum Alert Level        2
  Low Security (%)         67
  Level 1                  14
  Level 2                  17
  Level 3                  0
  Level 4                  0
  Level 5                  0
Squads Dispatched          19
  Investigation            6
  Extermination            6
  Reinforcement            7
  Assault                  0
Exploration Rate (%)       19
  Regions Visited          7
Turns Passed               5911
  Depth 11                 81
  Depth 10                 768
  Depth 9                  1136
  Depth 8                  1873
  Depth 7                  2053
  Scrapyard                81
  Materials                3777
  Factory                  1833
  Waste                    220

 Prototype IDs
---------------
Heavy Ion Engine
Improved Cesium-ion Thruster
Experimental Cesium-ion Thruster
Advanced Beam Rifle
Cooled Pulse Rifle
Enhanced Force Lance
Precision Shock Rifle
Advanced Beam Cannon
Precision Grenade Launcher
Compact Tesla Bomb Launcher

 Alien Tech Recovered
----------------------
None

 Game
------
Seed: Trapped!
^Manual?: 1
Play Time: 126 min
Sessions: 8
Mod: N/A
Game No.: 33
ASCII: 1
Keyboard: 0
Font: 18/Terminus
Map View: 76x50


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596972575474642002507906495302
639242594769077956256453094036
605267252109324154442401292261
294454775114269696073272212505
490226192144441251740172912337
290943427212965444714269205111
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Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: Kyzrati on September 06, 2015, 08:43:41 PM
I was tempted to go with speed after I lost everything but I think I'll avoid anything of the sort till I win a combat run.
You'll have a chance (and should use it!) to show off your stealthy prowess in the upcoming event--do make an exception and speed run it to make a name for yourself on the charts to come :P

I've often said "I'm going to play this game with XYZ," only to half-way through encounter too much trouble and start leaning on my fallback strategies.

By the way, the crushers in that mysterious place blend in very well (at least, in ASCII) with the same-colour walls and terrain.
It is a dangerous place, but also one with interesting possibilities ;). Like other traps, the idea is that they can be a net positive for the experienced player.
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: zxc on September 06, 2015, 09:24:44 PM
My point actually was that it's hard to see the crushers which are the same colour as the walls. I would suggest a change to either the colour of the walls or the crushers. Maybe I'm the only one that had trouble with the colouring, but just my 2c. In fact I also tend to have trouble spotting the carriers in the regular floors.

After the end of that run I decided to have another go at a combat run (random seed) and this one is going a lot better.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Main issue is the state of my weaponry and the low energy cap of my power sources (I want a lot of energy for my force field). Also I noticed that stacking +resist armours doesn't give any benefits - intentional I'm sure, but it snuffed out thoughts of stacking heaps of them and becoming immune to damage!
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: Kyzrati on September 06, 2015, 09:40:38 PM
My point actually was that it's hard to see the crushers which are the same colour as the walls. I would suggest a change to either the colour of the walls or the crushers. Maybe I'm the only one that had trouble with the colouring, but just my 2c. In fact I also tend to have trouble spotting the carriers in the regular floors.
Interestingly the Compactors were originally meant to stand out, but coloring in Cogmind is based on faction, and they were later switched to a separate faction for "certain reasons," and that faction happens to be colored brown. This might bother you in the Caves when those branches are added... we'll see.

The Carriers? They're bright orange, though.

After the end of that run I decided to have another go at a combat run (random seed) and this one is going a lot better.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Main issue is the state of my weaponry and the low energy cap of my power sources (I want a lot of energy for my force field).
Tip: Remember batteries. The basic ones aren't so useful, but once you get the high-level ones... (it also helps to not use Lgt. power sources when you're running a combat build). Force fields and some other defensive gear are great, but drain you extra fast.

Also I noticed that stacking +resist armours doesn't give any benefits - intentional I'm sure, but it snuffed out thoughts of stacking heaps of them and becoming immune to damage!
Haha, yeah, that's pretty necessary ;). You can get pretty good defense later on, and even in some cases near immunity, but full immunity is not in the cards =p
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: zxc on September 06, 2015, 09:47:56 PM
Indeed I only just found the force fields and I wasn't carrying around batteries or energy wells hoping to find a force field. For some reason I just keep finding Mic. Fission Cores. I can open up a shop now.

Regarding the carriers, it might be that you see them so rarely. I also have trouble noticing the | melee guys.
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: Kyzrati on September 06, 2015, 09:53:53 PM
Haha, Mic. Fission Cores are quite common since other robots use them, too; and in general most hostiles tend to use Lgt. versions. (I do quite like Mic. versions for their excellent mass-energy ratio.)

Regarding the carriers, it might be that you see them so rarely. I also have trouble noticing the | melee guys.
But you have auto-labeling on, right? In which case as soon as you spot them the label and sfx will let you know where they are. I guess you mean after that while they're moving around within your view? Or perhaps once you've spotted them once and then see them again later? Maybe the auto-labeling could reset after a time so you'll get the label again, though that could get annoying.
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: zxc on September 06, 2015, 11:26:46 PM
Normally I love the light power sources for their mass efficiency and how well they work for flying.

I recall a time when I had a massive battle, and I thought it was completely over but then I kept hearing combat sounds and belatedly realised this thing was bashing me (the | ). I guess I'm used to looking for letters, and somehow I think that | must be part of the terrain or an item.

Also, a confirmation before stepping on traps is essential! I'm sure that is already underway, but I have to echo what others have said that there's nothing worse than detecting a trap and because you're playing fast, walking right into it immediately after.

I was surprised when my overloaded weapon blew up during the seed run. I thought maybe there was some risk of that happening, but I looked all around the manual and couldn't find anything relevant. There is a part on overloaded propulsion (no mention of weapons) but it said that the integrity of the item degraded with use, which is not what happened with this. Did I miss the right section?
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: Kyzrati on September 06, 2015, 11:37:15 PM
I recall a time when I had a massive battle, and I thought it was completely over but then I kept hearing combat sounds and belatedly realised this thing was bashing me (the | ). I guess I'm used to looking for letters, and somehow I think that | must be part of the terrain or an item.
'l' is generally more difficult to see given it's shape and size. I can look at the available glyphs and see if it could be changed, though with that one I'd already run out of "letters in name" and had to go with the ideographic approach of "pointy-looking thing." It's also kinda interesting that quick melee "rogues" can sneak up on you, though...

Also, a confirmation before stepping on traps is essential! I'm sure that is already underway
Already done and part of tomorrow's release :)

There is a warning in Alpha 3b, but it only applies to discoveries while running and pathfinding--I didn't realize at the time that yes it should be a full-featured collision prevention system enabled for all conditions and forms of movement.
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: Adraius on September 07, 2015, 12:48:32 AM
Well, for my first seed run, it was a heck of a battle.  Until I got to Research I had high hopes of scoring back-to-back victories. =( This seed was obscenely well-suited to combat runs, with armor, treads and explosives everywhere, and level access points places extremely close to the level start points.  Even with my slow treads, I didn't spend over a thousand turns on a sublevel until sublevel 7 (in contrast, I spent over a thousand turns on every level except sublevel 3 in my winning run, and not because I was dragging them out), and I only spent 74 (!!!) turns on sublevel 5.

However, it was this run that convinced me that Programmer spawns are bugged.

After playing my victorious run and this run back to back, the differences are night and day.  Both these games were full combat runs, with no significant differences in strategy.  The only significant differences between the two were:

1) this run, I spent much less time on each level and only destroyed ~75% as many bots (EDIT: run 1 had 333 kills, run 2 had 273, for a proportion of 82%)
2) this run, I did ~33% as much hacking as last run (EDIT: run 1 had 79 attempted Terminal hacks, run 2 had 20, for a proportion of 25%)
3) this run, I used several times as many explosive weapons, but that began out of necessity well after the Programmer spawns got out of hand.

Once I reached sublevel 3, Programmer spawn rates went through the roof.  Compare the number of Programmer kills between the two runs:

EDIT: to contrast with the number of Programmer kills, on run 1 I killed 91 Grunts and 30 Sentries; on run 2 I killed 49 Grunts and 17 Sentries.  Proportionally, between not spending 4000 turns fighting through Access like I did on the first run and finding some of the early exits quickly, I fought only 54% as many Grunts and 57% as many Sentries.  Meanwhile, I encountered an estimated 248% as many Programmers.  What the heck?

Between the spawn rate and my low movement speed, I was virtually unable to maneuver around the map; while looting a battle with one group of Programmers, another would encounter me, followed by another after I killed those ones and began looting them of much-needed replacements, and so on and so forth to create chain-battles of 3-7 separate 'encounters'.  To give you an idea of the attrition, on sublevel 10 I found a stockpile of seven Hcp Storage Units.  Being a storage whore, I attached one of them and took all of them with me.  I still had all of them with me when I entered subelvel 3 (I had four equipped and three spares), though a few were in the yellow.  By the time I exited sublevel 3, I had lost all of them due to critical hits from Programmers, and none to conventional damage.  I was fortunate to find the exit at all; my build was in shambles and corruption was at 47%; once at sublevel 2, the Programmers continued whittling at me right where they left off, and I was never able to find a stockpile of non-EM weapons with which to give myself a chance; I died at 75% corruption, and I'm confident I would have dragged it out to 100% corruption if I hadn't decided to drop everything and go speeding around naked looking for the exit.

In conclusion, something really fishy is going on with Programmer spawn rates, and probably needs looking at before we have a tournament.  Either I only won my combat run because something was causing too few Programmers (in which case the real spawn rate should be tuned down closer to the bugged one), or some runs experience extremely high spawn rates for no discernible reason.

P.S. this isn't unique to Research; in past runs I've noted high concentrations of Programmers on sublevel 4 and 5 as well.

P.P.S. it's the next morning now, but if anyone wants to crunch the data, here is the run's scoresheet
Code: [Select]
Cogmind - Alpha 3b

Name: Adraius

---[ CORE DESTROYED ]---

 Performance
-------------
Evolutions (8)             4000
Robots Destroyed (273)     1365
Value Destroyed (11202)    11202
Prototype IDs (24)         480
Alien Tech Identified (0)  0
Bonus (0)                  0
              TOTAL SCORE: 17047

 Cogmind
---------
Core Integrity             0/1450
Matter                     300/300
Energy                     50/50
System Corruption          75%
Temperature                Cool (1)
Location                   -2/Research

 Parts
-------
Power (4)
Propulsion (2)
Utility (12)
Weapon (5)

 Inventory
-----------
Light Particle Reactor
Medium Treads
Advanced Heat Sink
High-capacity Storage Unit

 Peak State
------------
Power
  Particle Reactor
  Micro Fission Core
  Light Anti-Matter Reactor
  Light Anti-Matter Reactor
Propulsion
  Compact Heavy Treads
  Medium Treads
Utility
  Experimental Energy Well
  Advanced Target Analyzer
  Advanced Core Analyzer
  Advanced Heat Sink
  Advanced Target Analyzer
  Large Storage Unit
  Spectral Analyzer
  Experimental Matter Compressor
  Advanced Heat Sink
  Advanced Heat Sink
  Medium Storage Unit
  Advanced Target Analyzer
Weapon
  Heavy Machine Gun
  Gamma Rifle
  Railgun
  Tesla Bomb Launcher
  Gamma Rifle
[Rating: 147]

 Favorites
-----------
Power                      Micro Fission Core
  Engine                   Improved Ion Engine
  Power Core               Micro Fission Core
  Reactor                  Light Particle Reactor
Propulsion                 Light Treads
  Treads                   Light Treads
Utility                    High-capacity Storage Unit
  Device                   Advanced Heat Sink
  Storage                  High-capacity Storage Unit
  Processor                Advanced Target Analyzer
  Hackware                 Deep Network Scanner
  Protection               Hardened Light Armor Plating
Weapon                     Gamma Rifle
  Energy Gun               Gamma Rifle
  Energy Cannon            Heavy Ion Cannon
  Ballistic Gun            Railgun
  Ballistic Cannon         Tri-rail Accelerator
  Launcher                 Tesla Bomb Launcher

 Stats
-------
Classes Destroyed          15
  Worker                   28
  Builder                  24
  Tunneler                 3
  Hauler                   12
  Recycler                 30
  Mechanic                 1
  Watcher                  5
  Swarmer                  44
  Grunt                    49
  Duelist                  1
  Protector                1
  Sentry                   17
  Hunter                   15
  Programmer               41
  Behemoth                 2
NPCs Destroyed             0
Best Kill Streak           11
  Combat Bots Only         9
Matter Collected           9289
  Salvage Created          15224
Parts Attached             470
  Power                    70
  Propulsion               34
  Utility                  168
  Weapon                   198
Parts Lost                 214
  Power                    32
  Propulsion               11
  Utility                  80
  Weapon                   91
Average Slot Usage (%)     94
  Naked Turns              80
Spaces Moved               4337
  Fastest Speed (%)        200
  Slowest Speed (%)        6
  Overloaded Moves         0
  Propulsion Burnouts      0
  Targets Rammed           5
  Cave-ins Triggered       0
  Teleports                0
Heaviest Build             154
  Greatest Overweight (x)  32
  Average Overweight (x)   1
Largest Inventory          36
  Most Items Carried       36
Core Damage Taken          2875
Volleys Fired              626
  Largest                  5
  Hottest                  407
Shots Fired                2034
  Gun                      1728
  Cannon                   224
  Launcher                 82
  Special                  0
  Kinetic                  926
  Thermal                  620
  Explosive                8
  Electromagnetic          480
Overload Shots             0
  Energy Bleed             0
  Heat Surge               0
  Short Circuit            0
  Meltdown                 0
Melee Attacks              0
  Impact                   0
  Slashing                 0
  Piercing                 0
Damage Inflicted           36089
  Projectiles              27359
  Explosions               8713
  Melee                    0
  Ramming                  17
Highest Temperature        316
  Average Temperature      69
  Shutdowns                0
  Energy Bleed             0
  Interference             0
  Matter Decay             0
  Short Circuit            0
  Damage (minor)           0
  Damage (major)           0
  Damage (core)            0
Highest Corruption         75
  Message Errors           94
  Parts Rejected           28
  Data loss (map)          108
  Data loss (database)     53
  Misfires                 16
  Misdirections            60
  Targeting Errors         374
  Weapon Failures          77
Haulers Intercepted        12
Robots Corrupted           19
Robots Melted              62
Tactical Retreats          11
Communications Jammed      0
Parts Field Recycled       0
  Retrieved Matter         0
Parts Merge Repaired       0
Drone Launches             12
  Drone Recoveries         0
Derelicts Assembled        0
Traps Triggered            3
  Indirectly               3
Trap Hack Attempts         0
  Triggered                0
  Disarmed                 0
  Reprogrammed             0
  Reused                   0
Machine Familiarity        14
  Terminals                10
  Fabricators              0
  Repair Stations          4
  Recycling Units          0
  Scanalyzers              0
Machines Hacked            14
  Terminals                10
  Fabricators              0
  Repair Stations          4
  Recycling Units          0
  Scanalyzers              0
Total Hacks                31
  Successful               10
  Failed                   21
  Catastrophic             8
  Database Lockouts        0
  Manual                   8
  Terminals                20
  Fabricators              0
  Repair Stations          11
  Recycling Units          0
  Scanalyzers              0
Terminal Hacks             4
  Record                   0
  Part Schematic           0
  Robot Schematic          0
  Robot Analysis           0
  Prototype ID Bank        0
  Open Door                0
  Level Access Points      0
  Branch Access Points     0
  Emergency Access Points  1
  Machine Index            0
  Terminal Index           0
  Fabricator Index         0
  Repair Station Index     0
  Recycling Unit Index     0
  Scanalyzer Index         0
  Alert Level              1
  Unreport Threat          1
  Locate Traps             1
  Disarm Traps             0
  Reprogram Trap           0
  Dispatch Records         0
  Maintenance Status       0
  Security Status          0
  Surveillance Status      0
  Patrol Status            0
  Transport Status         0
  Investigation Status     0
  Extermination Status     0
  Reinforcement Status     0
  Assault Status           0
  Recall Investigation     0
  Recall Extermination     0
  Recall Reinforcements    0
  Recall Assault           0
  Hauler Manifests         0
  Registered Components    0
  Registered Prototypes    0
  Zone Layout              0
  Sector Layout            0
  Machine Controls         0
Hacking Detections         16
  Full Trace Events        2
  Feedback Events          0
  Feedback Corruption      0
  Feedback Part Disabled   0
  Feedback Blocked         0
Robot Schematics Acquired  0
  Robots Built             0
  Robot Fabrication Matter 0
  Robot Fabrication Time   0
Part Schematics Acquired   0
  Parts Built              0
  Part Fabrication Matter  0
  Part Fabrication Time    0
Parts Repaired             2
  Part Repair Time         70
Parts Recycled             0
  Recycled Matter          0
  Retrieved Matter         0
Parts Scanalyzed           0
  Part Schematics Acquired 0
  Parts Damaged            0
Robot Analysis Total       0
Robots Rewired             0
Robots Hacked              0
  Non-combat               0
  Combat                   0
  Parse                    0
  Link                     0
  Rebooted                 0
  Overloaded               0
  Assimilated              0
  Manual                   0
  Secondary                0
Robot Hack Failures        0
Allies Hacked              0
Hacks Repelled             0
Total Allies               22
  Largest Group            4
  Highest-Rated Group      20
  Highest-Rated Ally       5
Total Orders               26
  STAY                     0
  GOTO                     5
  ROAM                     0
  FOLLOW                   0
  GUARD                    0
  AID                      0
  BUILD                    0
  TUNNEL                   0
  DROP                     0
  PICKUP                   0
  COLLECT                  0
  EXPLORE                  19
  RETURN                   2
Terraforming Orders        0
  Walls Built              0
  Walls Tunneled           0
Ally Attacks               0
  Total Damage             0
  Kills                    0
Allies Corrupted           1
Allies Melted              0
Peak Influence             656
  Average Influence        157
Maximum Alert Level        2
  Low Security (%)         73
  Level 1                  16
  Level 2                  9
  Level 3                  0
  Level 4                  0
  Level 5                  0
Squads Dispatched          58
  Investigation            5
  Extermination            43
  Reinforcement            9
  Assault                  1
Exploration Rate (%)       20
  Regions Visited          10
Turns Passed               12240
  Depth 11                 70
  Depth 10                 507
  Depth 9                  470
  Depth 8                  795
  Depth 7                  1409
  Depth 6                  1729
  Depth 5                  74
  Depth 4                  848
  Depth 3                  3738
  Depth 2                  2600
  Scrapyard                70
  Materials                1772
  Factory                  4060
  Research                 6338

 Prototype IDs
---------------
Heavy Ion Engine
Heavy Anti-Matter Reactor
Heavy Particle Gun
Advanced Beam Rifle
Cooled Pulse Rifle
Heavy Gatling Laser
Heavy Wave Gun
Heavy Tesla Rifle
Improved Assault Rifle
Precision Assault Rifle
Anti-matter Cannon
Tri-rail Accelerator
Precision Grenade Launcher
Point Singularity Launcher
Tesla Bomb Launcher
Experimental Energy Well
Experimental Matter Compressor
Spectral Analyzer
Experimental Signal Interpreter
Centrium Medium Armor Plating
Centrium Heavy Armor Plating
Experimental Reclamation Unit
Experimental Melee Analysis Suite
Improved Footprint Analyzer

 Alien Tech Recovered
----------------------
None

 Game
------
Seed: Trapped!
^Manual?: 1
Play Time: 328 min
Sessions: 8
Mod: N/A
Game No.: 36
ASCII: 0
Keyboard: 1
Font: 16/Dina
Map View: 90x50


X=9994414029349151589335980072
308895952700770559770808882022
018703983230130050280315350335
277333573882151513258879338070
939195355555518355555555513971
572775555355575555555535555075
555553555557985555355555555555
535555333555573355555555255735
570503753325595532355253323555
558855835555387983770020859938
103307281055575355899380358300
818078059853575555550205899785
702770703285785219799007989837
821755155955788815028385033781
370830932850382277138078873573
213033381221378738270813023173
727390515155875859235029503555
530227757337572319838075552886

I can't add my winning run scoresheet as a comparison due to the post length cap, but it can be found here (http://www.gridsagegames.com/forums/index.php?topic=245.0).
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: Kyzrati on September 07, 2015, 02:13:51 AM
EDIT: to contrast with the number of Programmer kills, on run 1 I killed 91 Grunts and 30 Sentries; on run 2 I killed 49 Grunts and 17 Sentries.  Proportionally, between not spending 4000 turns fighting through Access like I did on the first run and finding some of the early exits quickly, I fought only 54% as many Grunts and 57% as many Sentries.  Meanwhile, I encountered an estimated 248% as many Programmers.  What the heck?
I don't see your data so I can't yet say anything about specific data points, but I can say that Programmer spawns are handled quite differently from all other robots, so you may see fewer or more of them depending on how lucky you are. It's a randomized food clock mechanic, and if you don't start seeing more and more towards the end of the game you can consider yourself lucky.

They're not bugged, they're just an important and sometimes unpredictable variable, though that's also why an announcement outright tells you every time Programmers are sent after you--so you can do something about it in advance. (Though note that there are Programmers simply on standard patrol as well.)

If you have a problem with too many Programmer dispatches, you can hack Terminals to tell them to go away.

Regarding patrols, depending on a number of map generation factors (unrelated to your performance or previous actions) by the end of the game you may see up to 2-3 times as many Programmer patrols as the minimum possible amount; but if that's the case, you will also see fewer other robots.

One of the biggest drawbacks to being slow is that you will tend to encounter a lot more resistance, regardless of your performance, because you can't leave a given area quickly enough. I have, however, gone ahead and slowed the Programmer patrol speed to prevent them from chaining together quite so quickly during long encounters. (This has no effect on dispatched Programmers, which always move at full speed.) Still, if chain prevention is important there are utilities and tactics for dealing with that as well.

The next version's overheating fix is also going to change the late game quite a bit (back closer to what it was).

Being a storage whore, I attached one of them and took all of them with me.
Note to storage whore: You've convinced me to at least remove the efficiency benefit of non-small Storage Units--not that it'll stop you but they'll be heavier now :P
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: Adraius on September 07, 2015, 03:48:29 AM
All right, I'll stop sounding the alarms full-blast, but this has a bad feeling in my gut.  I'm starting to feel my winning game was a bit of a fluke - for some reason Programmer spawns dropped off dramatically when I reached Access, which at the time I had guessed was tied to threat level, which I further guessed was somewhat reduced due to my ass having been handed to me by Programmers and other foes on sublevel 2.  If it wasn't for that, I wouldn't have lasted long at all in Access. (the mysteriously missing Programmers being on top of Alpha 3's overactive overheating mechanic and fewer late-game patrols)

that's also why an announcement outright tells you every time Programmers are sent after you--so you can do something about it in advance. (Though note that there are Programmers simply on standard patrol as well.)

If you have a problem with too many Programmer dispatches, you can hack Terminals to tell them to go away.
I feel this is optimistic, to put it mildly.  I don't need a notification to tell me when Programmers are in route, my default state was 1-2 squads on their way.  Even when I don't currently have any on the way, what good does a notification do me?  I can find a room to barricade myself up in, but I can't afford that - like I said, I was already struggling greatly just to move from area to area.  Terminals are great - indeed, for the first quarter or so of my time on sublevel 2 I had three Deep Network Scanners and one Imp Deep Network Scanner on standby as I desperately searched for a Terminal to run Access(Main) on, and to use to tell the Programmers to piss off right afterwards.  I found a single Terminal, but the moment I got near it, a Sentry down a hallway at right angles spotted me, and its off-target fire destroyed it. =( After that, a critical hit on a storage utility in the midst of a large field of robot parts from an ongoing battle caused those utilities to go up in smoke, as there wasn't any open spots on the ground in range.

I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but I actually feel Programmer patrol speed is fine; I found some experimental sight range thingy this run and got to watch some patrols from afar, including a pair of Programmers. =)

The next version's overheating fix is also going to change the late game quite a bit (back closer to what it was).
Sounds good.  Frankly, on my winning run, Access did feel a little too empty of patrols, and I'm not trying to complain about overall difficulty here; the issue was that, once in Research, literally the whole game revolved around Programmers - I hardly interacted with anything else.  No hacking, no exploring (just follow a stream of Programmers), virtually no stockpiles, no time to play around with prototypes, little ability to dictate what parts I'd attach, and very little enemy variation - aside from a single assault squad, it was Programmers, Programmers, Programmers.  If there's a strong random component in their frequency, that also makes me nervous.  Reading this thread, Happylisk also noted the number of Programmers on sublevel 3, and Arnot also died there.  It sounds like this seed had a high proportion of Programmers baked in?  If that's how it works, I'm worried there is a large difficulty disparity simply based on the ratio of Programmers to other squads that is determined by the seed.

I look forward to trying tomorrow's build, even if it will be getting harder.  It'll make me feel better returning to mostly dying in the Factory again. =P

EDIT: P.S. I don't spend much time on running speedy builds, but I can recall running a storage unit on mine was pretty difficult, and I can assure you that my combat build literally does not care about weight.  Maybe I should, considering the issues I had being mobile this run, but I'd need a much more radical change than the a somewhat lighter storage unit to get my speed up high enough to maneuver as well as I'd like - I doubt I can get as fast as I'd like on treads at all... hmmm...  Anyway, storage units may well need a nerf, but I think this one hits the wrong target.
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: Kyzrati on September 07, 2015, 04:06:48 AM
I found a single Terminal, but the moment I got near it, a Sentry down a hallway at right angles spotted me, and its off-target fire destroyed it. =(
One thing I think I'd like to do is try to make Terminals a little more common in the latter half of the game. Do you think they're a little rare as is?

It sounds like this seed had a high proportion of Programmers baked in?
Due to the way they are called into the level, the seed will not affect Programmer dispatches at all. So they're not baked in, but I think they should be. In fact, I'll add that in Alpha 4, and it will also enable to me to more accurately control them and make sure it doesn't get unfair. (The Programmer dispatch code was a remnant of the 7DRL, and I've never been all that pleased with what was essentially a quick and dirty solution. Considering how important it is to the flow towards the end, it needs to some work.)

For now: I've been looking at it more over the past hour, and just changed Programmer patrol speed back to what it was [before my last post :P], instead tweaking the existing algorithm values such that Programmer dispatches will vary less wildly. There should be less a chance of Endless Programmer Scenario.
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: Adraius on September 07, 2015, 04:20:48 AM
I found a single Terminal, but the moment I got near it, a Sentry down a hallway at right angles spotted me, and its off-target fire destroyed it. =(
One thing I think I'd like to do is try to make Terminals a little more common in the latter half of the game. Do you think they're a little rare as is?
Despite my win, I've only ever been to Research three times now, so I can't answer this as conclusively as I'd like.  I don't recall ever having too many issues finding them in the Factory, including the latter part.  But past the Factory, they felt quite rare indeed.  Part of that is intentional I think, but they could definitely have their frequency increased without them feeling common.

It sounds like this seed had a high proportion of Programmers baked in?
Due to the way they are called into the level, the seed will not affect Programmer dispatches at all. So they're not baked in, but I think they should be. In fact, I'll add that in Alpha 4, and it will also enable to me to more accurately control them and make sure it doesn't get unfair. (The Programmer dispatch code was a remnant of the 7DRL, and I've never been all that pleased with what was essentially a quick and dirty solution. Considering how important it is to the flow towards the end, it needs to some work.)

For now: I've been looking at it more over the past hour, and just changed Programmer patrol speed back to what it was [before my last post :P], instead tweaking the existing algorithm values such that Programmer dispatches will vary less wildly. There should be less a chance of Endless Programmer Scenario.
<3

I also added this to my post above before I saw yours appear.  Just another thought:
EDIT: P.S. I don't spend much time on running speedy builds, but I can recall running a storage unit on mine was pretty difficult, and I can assure you that my combat build literally does not care about weight.  Maybe I should, considering the issues I had being mobile this run, but I'd need a much more radical change than the a somewhat lighter storage unit to get my speed up high enough to maneuver as well as I'd like - I doubt I can get as fast as I'd like on treads at all... hmmm...  Anyway, storage units may well need a nerf, but I think this one hits the wrong target.
I edit posts a LOT, as you may have noticed, sometimes for addendums like this, but mostly for grammar errors, if you're confused as to why some of my posts get like 20 edits. =P

Aaaaaaand now, time for sleep, lol.
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: Kyzrati on September 07, 2015, 04:31:59 AM
Ha, yeah, I didn't see your edit since I started replying immediately.

Anyway, storage units may well need a nerf, but I think this one hits the wrong target.
This change isn't meant to be The Nerf, if one is even necessary. I just think it's a good opportunity to remove the bonus I'd given the heavier ones when designing the original set. It will now be a straight conversion, 2 mass per 2 storage, rather than allowing heavier units to store more per mass unit. (I was thinking of doing this even before releasing Alpha 1, because the current ratio dates back to the 7DRL and wasn't as well thought out, but decided to wait on it.)
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: zxc on September 07, 2015, 07:56:13 AM
Kyzrati I think you also missed one of my edits in my last post.

I kind of like the idea of terminals being rare. When you find them it's like a treasure trove... of disappointment, because you immediately fail a hack once or twice and you're at 50% detected and either wait a good while (which I think is somewhat cheesy, though I've made use of it) or just have another go so you can move on and forget about the whole experience. So many times I've had 50% failure rate for a hack and I've had to attempt it once, fail, and wait a few dozen turns and repeat the process, potentially MANY times. Rare terminals also make the terminal location hack more useful. Plus, hacking with a flying build that has a lot of hacking suites is already so strong.

I'd rather if fabricators/scanalysers/repair stations didn't have a two-step process to accomplish their main function, which results in a virtual lockout if you ever start building a trace. I'm also iffy about fabricators needing matter containers while repair stations don't need matter containers OR matter. As such, I make use of repair stations and don't bother with fabricators.

What about this: fabs/scans/repairs all changed to one step processing (don't have to scan an item and then repair it etc); fabricators don't require matter containers unless you don't have enough max matter for the process; and repair stations use a small amount of matter in proportion to the item and the integrity repaired.
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: Kyzrati on September 07, 2015, 08:11:32 AM
It's tough to balance machine hacking, though the two-step process was a very intentional attempt to address balance issues. Single-step would be either be too effective, or would require having an even lower rate of success per hack, which would be much more annoying.

The idea is that if you are a dedicated hacker you can get access to things that other builds cannot (other builds weren't really meant to do all hacking they wanted to in the first place).

Right now, however, I think dedicated hacking is not worthwhile compared to other strategies; that said, the balance has been moving in that direction with every new version. Once it's moved far enough in that direction, after analyzing the pros and cons we could possibly make hacking a little more streamlined and accessible, we'll see.

There are also still new hacking features I've yet to add. Sooner or later...

About Repair Stations, that's great you find them useful and easier to use than the others, but by comparison the repair functionality is technically not as useful, since you must already own what you want to repair (as opposed to being able to create anything from matter), and therefore comes with a lower barrier.
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: zxc on September 07, 2015, 10:19:56 AM
Kyzrati I just read through your writeup and it might be the best one I've yet read in Cogmind. I'm going to have to look into this reactor destabilising mechanic and hunters cloaking :)
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: Adraius on September 07, 2015, 11:24:16 AM
Kyzrati I just read through your writeup and it might be the best one I've yet read in Cogmind. I'm going to have to look into this reactor destabilising mechanic and hunters cloaking :)
What writeup is this?
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: zxc on September 07, 2015, 11:45:01 AM
Kyzrati I just read through your writeup and it might be the best one I've yet read in Cogmind. I'm going to have to look into this reactor destabilising mechanic and hunters cloaking :)
What writeup is this?

Earlier in this thread. http://www.gridsagegames.com/forums/index.php?topic=240.msg1999#msg1999
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: Kyzrati on September 07, 2015, 06:57:19 PM
Thanks; theoretically I could write the Ultimate Strategy Guide, but that would spoil the fun ;). (I'm waiting for players like you guys to write the guides one day!)

I decided after someone on Reddit asked for help with the seed--and after seeing a number of beginners unable to leave the early game--to do a little writeup of Materials to show just how easy it can be, explaining my decisions along the way.

Half-way through it really felt like it should be a video instead of text, simply to save time (took over two hours just to record those three floors :/), but I'm not set up for it and as a consumer and producer I do prefer written formats.
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: Reiver on September 10, 2015, 03:11:29 PM
Well! Sorry this is quite so late, but my first attempt at a combat run in a while turned into one of my best runs in a while full stop, so I decided to take my time. I hope it still counts? :)

Turns out this was a great seed for it - an all-importaint launcher just right there early on, combined with armour and a healhthy stream of weapons... yeah, this was fun.

Until the hidden level trapped me with [REDACTED]s who not only outrun a tracked Cogmind, but laugh at my puny weapons too... who knocked off everything I owned and blew up my 20-odd spare parts to boot. Which, of course, lets you run the Core hover movement, so I ran for it... and stumbled into a horde of buddies, who promptly murdered everything on the level? Honestly, I halfway expected a story element there. My one regret: My Hcp Storages were both obliterated in the initial confrontation... else I'd have taken everything with me. :D

Alas, without them, I was running well equipped but very 'lean' on spares for a while, and the just slightly pesky assassins chewed through my equipment. I died surrounded by two assassin teams, a pair of hackers, and a squad of Veterans, amidst exploding nuclear reactors.

Glorious.

Code: [Select]
Cogmind - Alpha 3b

Name: Anonymous354423210

---[ CORE DESTROYED ]---

 Performance
-------------
Evolutions (6)             3000
Robots Destroyed (193)     965
Value Destroyed (7217)     7217
Prototype IDs (16)         320
Alien Tech Identified (0)  0
Bonus (0)                  0
              TOTAL SCORE: 11502

 Cogmind
---------
Core Integrity             0/1150
Matter                     51/300
Energy                     650/650
System Corruption          8%
Temperature                Cool (15)
Location                   -4/Factory

 Parts
-------
Power (3)
Propulsion (3)
Utility (9)
  Improved Energy Well
Weapon (4)

 Inventory
-----------
Improved Heat Sink

 Peak State
------------
Power
  Light Anti-Matter Reactor
  Light Anti-Matter Reactor
  Light Anti-Matter Reactor
Propulsion
  Medium Treads
  Heavy Treads
Utility
  Improved Energy Well
  Improved Cooling System
  Improved Cooling System
  Damper Plating
  Improved Cloaking Device
  Medium Storage Unit
  Improved Heat Sink
Weapon
  Beamcaster
  Autogun
  Railgun
  Railgun
[Rating: 102]

 Favorites
-----------
Power                      Light Nuclear Core
  Engine                   Light Angular Momentum Engine
  Power Core               Light Nuclear Core
  Reactor                  Anti-Matter Reactor
Propulsion                 Light Treads
  Treads                   Light Treads
  Leg                      Improved Titanium Leg
Utility                    Improved Heat Sink
  Device                   Improved Heat Sink
  Storage                  High-capacity Storage Unit
  Processor                Advanced Targeting Computer
  Hackware                 Connection Mask
  Protection               Hardened Light Armor Plating
Weapon                     Beamcaster
  Energy Gun               Beamcaster
  Energy Cannon            Advanced Beam Cannon
  Ballistic Gun            Assault Rifle
  Ballistic Cannon         Gauss Cannon
  Launcher                 Shock Bomb Launcher
  Slashing Weapon          Centrium Greatsword (it was faulty, darnit!)
  Special Melee Weapon     Datajack

 Stats
-------
Classes Destroyed          16
  Worker                   12
  Builder                  13
  Tunneler                 2
  Hauler                   8
  Recycler                 18
  Mechanic                 1
  Operator                 3
  Watcher                  11
  Swarmer                  31
  Grunt                    45
  Brawler                  4
  Duelist                  1
  Protector                1
  Sentry                   12
  Hunter                   4
  Programmer               27
NPCs Destroyed             0
Best Kill Streak           11
  Combat Bots Only         9
Matter Collected           5838
  Salvage Created          7911
Parts Attached             309
  Power                    42
  Propulsion               32
  Utility                  126
  Weapon                   109
Parts Lost                 98
  Power                    12
  Propulsion               8
  Utility                  40
  Weapon                   38
Average Slot Usage (%)     88
  Naked Turns              25
Spaces Moved               6123
  Fastest Speed (%)        200
  Slowest Speed (%)        8
  Overloaded Moves         0
  Propulsion Burnouts      0
  Targets Rammed           2
  Cave-ins Triggered       0
  Teleports                0
Heaviest Build             112
  Greatest Overweight (x)  24
  Average Overweight (x)   0
Largest Inventory          20
  Most Items Carried       20
Core Damage Taken          2152
Volleys Fired              500
  Largest                  4
  Hottest                  282
Shots Fired                1380
  Gun                      1033
  Cannon                   321
  Launcher                 26
  Special                  0
  Kinetic                  752
  Thermal                  362
  Explosive                15
  Electromagnetic          251
Overload Shots             0
  Energy Bleed             0
  Heat Surge               0
  Short Circuit            0
  Meltdown                 0
Melee Attacks              3
  Impact                   0
  Slashing                 0
  Piercing                 0
Damage Inflicted           18147
  Projectiles              14403
  Explosions               3732
  Melee                    0
  Ramming                  12
Highest Temperature        388
  Average Temperature      82
  Shutdowns                3
  Energy Bleed             1
  Interference             6
  Matter Decay             0
  Short Circuit            1
  Damage (minor)           0
  Damage (major)           0
  Damage (core)            0
Highest Corruption         10
  Message Errors           57
  Parts Rejected           34
  Data loss (map)          70
  Data loss (database)     32
  Misfires                 11
  Misdirections            37
  Targeting Errors         35
  Weapon Failures          9
Haulers Intercepted        8
Robots Corrupted           2
Robots Melted              9
Tactical Retreats          8
Communications Jammed      0
Parts Field Recycled       0
  Retrieved Matter         0
Parts Merge Repaired       0
Drone Launches             0
  Drone Recoveries         0
Derelicts Assembled        0
Traps Triggered            6
  Indirectly               6
Trap Hack Attempts         0
  Triggered                0
  Disarmed                 0
  Reprogrammed             0
  Reused                   0
Machine Familiarity        19
  Terminals                11
  Fabricators              2
  Repair Stations          3
  Recycling Units          1
  Scanalyzers              2
Machines Hacked            19
  Terminals                11
  Fabricators              2
  Repair Stations          3
  Recycling Units          1
  Scanalyzers              2
Total Hacks                57
  Successful               34
  Failed                   23
  Catastrophic             1
  Database Lockouts        0
  Manual                   1
  Terminals                42
  Fabricators              2
  Repair Stations          7
  Recycling Units          2
  Scanalyzers              4
Terminal Hacks             25
  Record                   16
  Part Schematic           1
  Robot Schematic          0
  Robot Analysis           0
  Prototype ID Bank        0
  Open Door                0
  Level Access Points      0
  Branch Access Points     0
  Emergency Access Points  0
  Machine Index            0
  Terminal Index           0
  Fabricator Index         0
  Repair Station Index     0
  Recycling Unit Index     0
  Scanalyzer Index         0
  Alert Level              2
  Unreport Threat          0
  Locate Traps             2
  Disarm Traps             0
  Reprogram Trap           1
  Dispatch Records         0
  Maintenance Status       1
  Security Status          0
  Surveillance Status      0
  Patrol Status            0
  Transport Status         0
  Investigation Status     0
  Extermination Status     0
  Reinforcement Status     0
  Assault Status           0
  Recall Investigation     0
  Recall Extermination     0
  Recall Reinforcements    0
  Recall Assault           0
  Hauler Manifests         0
  Registered Components    0
  Registered Prototypes    0
  Zone Layout              1
  Sector Layout            0
  Machine Controls         1
Hacking Detections         22
  Full Trace Events        3
  Feedback Events          0
  Feedback Corruption      0
  Feedback Part Disabled   0
  Feedback Blocked         0
Robot Schematics Acquired  0
  Robots Built             0
  Robot Fabrication Matter 0
  Robot Fabrication Time   0
Part Schematics Acquired   1
  Parts Built              0
  Part Fabrication Matter  0
  Part Fabrication Time    0
Parts Repaired             1
  Part Repair Time         35
Parts Recycled             0
  Recycled Matter          0
  Retrieved Matter         0
Parts Scanalyzed           1
  Part Schematics Acquired 0
  Parts Damaged            0
Robot Analysis Total       0
Robots Rewired             0
Robots Hacked              0
  Non-combat               0
  Combat                   0
  Parse                    0
  Link                     0
  Rebooted                 0
  Overloaded               0
  Assimilated              0
  Manual                   0
  Secondary                0
Robot Hack Failures        0
Allies Hacked              2
Hacks Repelled             0
Total Allies               9
  Largest Group            0
  Highest-Rated Group      0
  Highest-Rated Ally       0
Total Orders               0
  STAY                     0
  GOTO                     0
  ROAM                     0
  FOLLOW                   0
  GUARD                    0
  AID                      0
  BUILD                    0
  TUNNEL                   0
  DROP                     0
  PICKUP                   0
  COLLECT                  0
  EXPLORE                  0
  RETURN                   0
Terraforming Orders        0
  Walls Built              0
  Walls Tunneled           0
Ally Attacks               0
  Total Damage             0
  Kills                    0
Allies Corrupted           2
Allies Melted              0
Peak Influence             890
  Average Influence        250
Maximum Alert Level        3
  Low Security (%)         46
  Level 1                  30
  Level 2                  21
  Level 3                  1
  Level 4                  0
  Level 5                  0
Squads Dispatched          36
  Investigation            4
  Extermination            24
  Reinforcement            7
  Assault                  1
Exploration Rate (%)       19
  Regions Visited          10
Turns Passed               12849
  Depth 11                 245
  Depth 10                 706
  Depth 9                  1136
  Depth 8                  2060
  Depth 7                  2838
  Depth 6                  1505
  Depth 5                  3316
  Depth 4                  1043
  Scrapyard                245
  Materials                3902
  Factory                  7803
  Waste                    899

 Prototype IDs
---------------
Heavy Ion Engine
Centrium Heavy Treads
Heavy Particle Gun
High-powered Electrolaser
Improved Heavy Laser
Heavy EM Shotgun
Advanced Beam Cannon
Cooled Particle Cannon
Enhanced Autogun
Precision Grenade Launcher
Rocket Array
Centrium Greatsword
Improved Energy Well
Experimental Sensor Array
Advanced Power Amplifier
Dimensional Manipulator

 Alien Tech Recovered
----------------------
None

 Game
------
Seed: Trapped!
^Manual?: 1
Play Time: 321 min
Sessions: 4
Mod: N/A
Game No.: 2
ASCII: 0
Keyboard: 1
Font: 18/Cogmind
Map View: 76x50
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: Adraius on September 10, 2015, 05:18:03 PM
Well! Sorry this is quite so late, but my first attempt at a combat run in a while turned into one of my best runs in a while full stop, so I decided to take my time. I hope it still counts? :)

Turns out this was a great seed for it - an all-importaint launcher just right there early on, combined with armour and a healhthy stream of weapons... yeah, this was fun.

Until the hidden level trapped me with [REDACTED]s who not only outrun a tracked Cogmind, but laugh at my puny weapons too... who knocked off everything I owned and blew up my 20-odd spare parts to boot. Which, of course, lets you run the Core hover movement, so I ran for it... and stumbled into a horde of buddies, who promptly murdered everything on the level? Honestly, I halfway expected a story element there. My one regret: My Hcp Storages were both obliterated in the initial confrontation... else I'd have taken everything with me. :D

Alas, without them, I was running well equipped but very 'lean' on spares for a while, and the just slightly pesky assassins chewed through my equipment. I died surrounded by two assassin teams, a pair of hackers, and a squad of Veterans, amidst exploding nuclear reactors.

Glorious.

Code: [Select]
Cogmind - Alpha 3b

Name: Anonymous354423210

---[ CORE DESTROYED ]---

 Performance
-------------
Evolutions (6)             3000
Robots Destroyed (193)     965
Value Destroyed (7217)     7217
Prototype IDs (16)         320
Alien Tech Identified (0)  0
Bonus (0)                  0
              TOTAL SCORE: 11502

 Cogmind
---------
Core Integrity             0/1150
Matter                     51/300
Energy                     650/650
System Corruption          8%
Temperature                Cool (15)
Location                   -4/Factory

 Parts
-------
Power (3)
Propulsion (3)
Utility (9)
  Improved Energy Well
Weapon (4)

 Inventory
-----------
Improved Heat Sink

 Peak State
------------
Power
  Light Anti-Matter Reactor
  Light Anti-Matter Reactor
  Light Anti-Matter Reactor
Propulsion
  Medium Treads
  Heavy Treads
Utility
  Improved Energy Well
  Improved Cooling System
  Improved Cooling System
  Damper Plating
  Improved Cloaking Device
  Medium Storage Unit
  Improved Heat Sink
Weapon
  Beamcaster
  Autogun
  Railgun
  Railgun
[Rating: 102]

 Favorites
-----------
Power                      Light Nuclear Core
  Engine                   Light Angular Momentum Engine
  Power Core               Light Nuclear Core
  Reactor                  Anti-Matter Reactor
Propulsion                 Light Treads
  Treads                   Light Treads
  Leg                      Improved Titanium Leg
Utility                    Improved Heat Sink
  Device                   Improved Heat Sink
  Storage                  High-capacity Storage Unit
  Processor                Advanced Targeting Computer
  Hackware                 Connection Mask
  Protection               Hardened Light Armor Plating
Weapon                     Beamcaster
  Energy Gun               Beamcaster
  Energy Cannon            Advanced Beam Cannon
  Ballistic Gun            Assault Rifle
  Ballistic Cannon         Gauss Cannon
  Launcher                 Shock Bomb Launcher
  Slashing Weapon          Centrium Greatsword (it was faulty, darnit!)
  Special Melee Weapon     Datajack

 Stats
-------
Classes Destroyed          16
  Worker                   12
  Builder                  13
  Tunneler                 2
  Hauler                   8
  Recycler                 18
  Mechanic                 1
  Operator                 3
  Watcher                  11
  Swarmer                  31
  Grunt                    45
  Brawler                  4
  Duelist                  1
  Protector                1
  Sentry                   12
  Hunter                   4
  Programmer               27
NPCs Destroyed             0
Best Kill Streak           11
  Combat Bots Only         9
Matter Collected           5838
  Salvage Created          7911
Parts Attached             309
  Power                    42
  Propulsion               32
  Utility                  126
  Weapon                   109
Parts Lost                 98
  Power                    12
  Propulsion               8
  Utility                  40
  Weapon                   38
Average Slot Usage (%)     88
  Naked Turns              25
Spaces Moved               6123
  Fastest Speed (%)        200
  Slowest Speed (%)        8
  Overloaded Moves         0
  Propulsion Burnouts      0
  Targets Rammed           2
  Cave-ins Triggered       0
  Teleports                0
Heaviest Build             112
  Greatest Overweight (x)  24
  Average Overweight (x)   0
Largest Inventory          20
  Most Items Carried       20
Core Damage Taken          2152
Volleys Fired              500
  Largest                  4
  Hottest                  282
Shots Fired                1380
  Gun                      1033
  Cannon                   321
  Launcher                 26
  Special                  0
  Kinetic                  752
  Thermal                  362
  Explosive                15
  Electromagnetic          251
Overload Shots             0
  Energy Bleed             0
  Heat Surge               0
  Short Circuit            0
  Meltdown                 0
Melee Attacks              3
  Impact                   0
  Slashing                 0
  Piercing                 0
Damage Inflicted           18147
  Projectiles              14403
  Explosions               3732
  Melee                    0
  Ramming                  12
Highest Temperature        388
  Average Temperature      82
  Shutdowns                3
  Energy Bleed             1
  Interference             6
  Matter Decay             0
  Short Circuit            1
  Damage (minor)           0
  Damage (major)           0
  Damage (core)            0
Highest Corruption         10
  Message Errors           57
  Parts Rejected           34
  Data loss (map)          70
  Data loss (database)     32
  Misfires                 11
  Misdirections            37
  Targeting Errors         35
  Weapon Failures          9
Haulers Intercepted        8
Robots Corrupted           2
Robots Melted              9
Tactical Retreats          8
Communications Jammed      0
Parts Field Recycled       0
  Retrieved Matter         0
Parts Merge Repaired       0
Drone Launches             0
  Drone Recoveries         0
Derelicts Assembled        0
Traps Triggered            6
  Indirectly               6
Trap Hack Attempts         0
  Triggered                0
  Disarmed                 0
  Reprogrammed             0
  Reused                   0
Machine Familiarity        19
  Terminals                11
  Fabricators              2
  Repair Stations          3
  Recycling Units          1
  Scanalyzers              2
Machines Hacked            19
  Terminals                11
  Fabricators              2
  Repair Stations          3
  Recycling Units          1
  Scanalyzers              2
Total Hacks                57
  Successful               34
  Failed                   23
  Catastrophic             1
  Database Lockouts        0
  Manual                   1
  Terminals                42
  Fabricators              2
  Repair Stations          7
  Recycling Units          2
  Scanalyzers              4
Terminal Hacks             25
  Record                   16
  Part Schematic           1
  Robot Schematic          0
  Robot Analysis           0
  Prototype ID Bank        0
  Open Door                0
  Level Access Points      0
  Branch Access Points     0
  Emergency Access Points  0
  Machine Index            0
  Terminal Index           0
  Fabricator Index         0
  Repair Station Index     0
  Recycling Unit Index     0
  Scanalyzer Index         0
  Alert Level              2
  Unreport Threat          0
  Locate Traps             2
  Disarm Traps             0
  Reprogram Trap           1
  Dispatch Records         0
  Maintenance Status       1
  Security Status          0
  Surveillance Status      0
  Patrol Status            0
  Transport Status         0
  Investigation Status     0
  Extermination Status     0
  Reinforcement Status     0
  Assault Status           0
  Recall Investigation     0
  Recall Extermination     0
  Recall Reinforcements    0
  Recall Assault           0
  Hauler Manifests         0
  Registered Components    0
  Registered Prototypes    0
  Zone Layout              1
  Sector Layout            0
  Machine Controls         1
Hacking Detections         22
  Full Trace Events        3
  Feedback Events          0
  Feedback Corruption      0
  Feedback Part Disabled   0
  Feedback Blocked         0
Robot Schematics Acquired  0
  Robots Built             0
  Robot Fabrication Matter 0
  Robot Fabrication Time   0
Part Schematics Acquired   1
  Parts Built              0
  Part Fabrication Matter  0
  Part Fabrication Time    0
Parts Repaired             1
  Part Repair Time         35
Parts Recycled             0
  Recycled Matter          0
  Retrieved Matter         0
Parts Scanalyzed           1
  Part Schematics Acquired 0
  Parts Damaged            0
Robot Analysis Total       0
Robots Rewired             0
Robots Hacked              0
  Non-combat               0
  Combat                   0
  Parse                    0
  Link                     0
  Rebooted                 0
  Overloaded               0
  Assimilated              0
  Manual                   0
  Secondary                0
Robot Hack Failures        0
Allies Hacked              2
Hacks Repelled             0
Total Allies               9
  Largest Group            0
  Highest-Rated Group      0
  Highest-Rated Ally       0
Total Orders               0
  STAY                     0
  GOTO                     0
  ROAM                     0
  FOLLOW                   0
  GUARD                    0
  AID                      0
  BUILD                    0
  TUNNEL                   0
  DROP                     0
  PICKUP                   0
  COLLECT                  0
  EXPLORE                  0
  RETURN                   0
Terraforming Orders        0
  Walls Built              0
  Walls Tunneled           0
Ally Attacks               0
  Total Damage             0
  Kills                    0
Allies Corrupted           2
Allies Melted              0
Peak Influence             890
  Average Influence        250
Maximum Alert Level        3
  Low Security (%)         46
  Level 1                  30
  Level 2                  21
  Level 3                  1
  Level 4                  0
  Level 5                  0
Squads Dispatched          36
  Investigation            4
  Extermination            24
  Reinforcement            7
  Assault                  1
Exploration Rate (%)       19
  Regions Visited          10
Turns Passed               12849
  Depth 11                 245
  Depth 10                 706
  Depth 9                  1136
  Depth 8                  2060
  Depth 7                  2838
  Depth 6                  1505
  Depth 5                  3316
  Depth 4                  1043
  Scrapyard                245
  Materials                3902
  Factory                  7803
  Waste                    899

 Prototype IDs
---------------
Heavy Ion Engine
Centrium Heavy Treads
Heavy Particle Gun
High-powered Electrolaser
Improved Heavy Laser
Heavy EM Shotgun
Advanced Beam Cannon
Cooled Particle Cannon
Enhanced Autogun
Precision Grenade Launcher
Rocket Array
Centrium Greatsword
Improved Energy Well
Experimental Sensor Array
Advanced Power Amplifier
Dimensional Manipulator

 Alien Tech Recovered
----------------------
None

 Game
------
Seed: Trapped!
^Manual?: 1
Play Time: 321 min
Sessions: 4
Mod: N/A
Game No.: 2
ASCII: 0
Keyboard: 1
Font: 18/Cogmind
Map View: 76x50
Congrats on the great run! =D
Title: Re: Weekly Seed #8 [Alpha 3b] [Seed: Trapped!]
Post by: Kyzrati on September 11, 2015, 07:36:56 PM
Turns out this was a great seed for it - an all-importaint launcher just right there early on, combined with armour and a healhthy stream of weapons... yeah, this was fun.
It was! Treads, armor, and a launcher all just waiting for you at the beginning :D