Design notes for Mad Scientist series
The central concept of the game is the use of tech
selection machinations to attempt control of the
resource-rich but difficult-to-defend universe.
- Resource-rich means an average of 50 ag,
70 min, and 70 fuel.
- Difficult to defend means that the build
threshold is very high, 100 pop (see a
history
of build threshold experiments).
- The max ag ratio is set at 1.50 to ensure that
it will be difficult to get a planet with 100 pop.
- The good techs are all restricted. I am referring
to the flashier game-enders, ships that are used for
decisive maneuvers: Cloaker, Engineer, Jumpgate,
Minefield, Minesweeper, Morpher, Stargate.
- All other techs are pre-developed. This means
that new tech developments can only be spent
on restricted techs.
- Initial tech is set at 16.0, so everyone starts
with four tech developments available, which as I
just mentioned can only be spent on restricted techs.
But only two restricted techs are allowed!
- To exploit this surplus of tech developments,
a player must perform trade-ins. An unusually
large number of trade-ins are allowed (nine... though
I suppose that in a typical game, no more than about
3-6 trade-ins will be possible, depending on how high
a tech level is achieved). To succeed in this game,
a player must manage his trade-ins well.
- My vision of trade-in management is something
of a complicated game of scissors-paper-stone, where
each player tries to guess the current and future
selections of his enemies, and chooses his own techs
accordingly. Each player tries to outguess, surprise,
and counter the opponents.
- The low ship limit (25) helps ensure that the
player that best manages tech selections has a
decent chance against a player with a superior
econ.
