Vaxin Race and Ship Set 1.31
December 18, 2001

These files have been tested with Space Empires IV version 1.84 only.

Introduction:

After I created the Rage Collective, my son told me that they needed an enemy that wasn't so bent on destruction, but rather wanted to bring peace (except when it came to the Rage). So was born the concept of the mortal enemy of the Rage, the Vaxin Consortium. The are, like the Rage, a race of war machines. Their creators were wiser than those of the Rage, however. They built into the Vaxin a strong desire for peace. For better or worse, as they evolved they developed their own ideas about what constituted a threat to peace.

From the race descriptions:

The Vaxin are a race of organic machines that was created as a defensive force by a long dead race. They, like the race that created them, thrive on methane gas giant planets. Vaxin individuals vary considerably in size and shape depending on function, but an average size would be about 1.5 meters tall (or long) and about 100 kilograms in mass.

Although the Vaxin were originally created as war machines, their designers had learned from their enemies and programmed compassion and restraint into their creations. As a result, the Vaxin have evolved into a peaceful society that promotes the well-being of its members and strong relationships with its neighbors. They are generally peaceful if not attacked, but retain the ability to fight if necessary.

Long ago, a race of warrior robots known as the Rage Collective was unleashed upon the galaxy by a foolish and violent race. After destroying their creators, the Rage began systematically destroying all life that they encountered. One of their targets managed to deploy a group of defensive robots that became the Vaxin. Unfortunately, the Vaxin were not fully developed at that time, and their creators were destroyed by the Rage. A small contingent of the Vaxin managed to escape and formed the nucleus of a new, self-sustaining society. Their one driving goal is to promote peace and good will, but they remember well the Rage and wish to remove that plague from the galaxy.

The files included:
1) Vaxin race files - these files contain new Vaxin AI scripts that define the Vaxin race. These files should go in 'Pictures\Races\Vaxin' folder of your Space Empires IV.
2) Vaxin emp files - emp files for the Vaxin race that will enable players to add this race easily when starting a new game. Just use the 'Add existing race' button in player's menu when creating a new game. The emp files are created for 2000, 3000 and 5000 race point games. The files should go to the 'Empires' folder.
3) Vaxin design name file - Vaxin.txt design name file that the Vaxin will use for their ship designs. This file goes to the 'Dsgnname' folder.
4) Vaxin speech file - This file provides the text for messages sent by the Vaxin.
5) Vaxin ship set - These files should go in 'Pictures\Races\Vaxin' folder of your Space Empires IV.

Version History:

Version 1.31
	-Added Drone Attack strategy to strategy file and .emp files.

Version 1.3:
	- Added AI file settings required to be compatible with v1.57.

Version 1.2:
	- Added long range colonizers to the design and construction files.
	- Revised the planet types file to improve the balance of resource production.
	- Other construction and research tweaks to improve performance.

Version 1.11:
	- Revised the AI_General file to correctly give the 2000 point random
	  setup Organic technology.

Version 1.1:
	- Revised the research file to use the Tech Area Min Percentage field to optimize
	  research of some dependent projects.
	- Improved the research and usage of stellar manipulation technology.
	- Improved research and construction in the "Not Connected" state.
	- Other design, construction and research tweaks.

Version 1.0:
	- First version of the Vaxin Consortium.

Credits:

- Thanks to members of the Shrapnel Games Space Empires IV forum for suggestions and bug
  reports.  Without their continued support, I would not be able to keep fine tuning the
  race AIs that I have made.
- Thanks to Malfador Machinations for a game system with more depth and playability than
  I have ever seen before.

Contact Information:
- You can e-mail me at mputman@home.com

Mike (Alpha Kodiak)