Cost (Multiplier)
Flag: | Cost |
File(s): | rules(md).ini |
Values: | Float |
Default: | 1.0 |
Applicable to: | Country sections, difficulty sections |
Next to the "normal" usage of Cost, Cost can also be used as a multiplier in the Country Statistics and Difficulty Settings. Different to normal Cost, these multipliers accept float values, and there is a default value of 1.0. In both cases, the Cost= in these sections is a direct multiplier to the Cost= setting on the object purchased.
Country Statistics
A new system is put in place for cost multiplier like CostBuildingsMult.
Difficulty Settings
Cost put on a difficulty setting only applies to the game's AI. Again, it is a direct multiplier (object's cost) x (multiplier's cost).
This flag(s) can change the course of the game significantly, not only because of the financial aspects, but also because (if not overridden) the time to build is determined by the cost. So if a unit costs you $1000 and the AI only $500, it can build this unit twice as fast as you (that'd be a Cost=.5 (or 0.5) multiplier).
In addition, it is highly probable that both flags cumulate their effects, meaning that an AI-player could be subject to the effects of (object's cost) x (country's cost) x (difficulty cost). To the extreme, this could mean that you pay $1000 for a unit, while the AI only pays $250, giving it the ability to produce four tanks vs. one - in the same time, to the same cost ($1000 x 0.5 x 0.5).
Cost multiplier in Difficulty Settings works in TS but not in RA2 and YR.