Re: AI Design
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">nope, not a new idea. But still a good way to do it http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif .

I am curious about you other suggestion of using defense ship design type as the alternate design. In my expirience defense ships tend to make their own fleets and not mix with other ships like attack, boarding, carrier, etc. What are your observations how the AI fleets are handled?

Re: AI Design
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">What I meant was using abilitiy types to force weapons upon the vehicle.

I tried the design names, and it sure doesn't work very well. I only saw a few ships of a certain type. How bizzare..

I must say, after working for two solid weeks on my Mod, and running into this road block, I'm pretty dissapointed now that I see that the AI is severely limited in it's implementation. Sure, I've spent hours painstakingly laying out a great weapon system. But what's the point if the AI is only going to throw only one family of "weapon X" into their ship designs!?

The work around is using boarding party ships and Kamakaze ships... Does this mean that they'll never build normal boarding ships or kamakaze ships? I have a hunch that they were never effectively utilized by the AI in the first place, thus providing a viable option to get two more attack types out of it.

Re: AI Design
 

Design names do work, or they did, the Last time I was modding AI's. You might not be understanding how the construction file works, though. If you have, for example, lines to build:

Attack Ship x 10
Named Attack Ship A x 13
Named Attack Ship B x 15

where "Named Attack Ship A" and "Named Attack Ship B" have type = Attack Ship, the AI will build 10 attack ships of the "best" type in its opinion, and then 3 Named Attack Ship A's, and then 2 Named Attack Ship B's. That is, assuming no losses, the numbers subtract the number of ships of the same type (not name) that have already been built. So if you want 10 generic attack ships, 13 A's, and 15 B's, then you need to ask for:

Attack Ship x 10
Named Attack Ship A x 23
Named Attack Ship B x 38

(That is, unless I'm remembering incorrectly, but I don't think I am.)

PvK

[ February 15, 2004, 23:23: Message edited by: PvK ]

Re: AI Design
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">You're 100% right.-

Re: AI Design
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Check the PVK post...

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Was you looking some modded AIs to see how they work? Think this is the best way to learn.
Think you should check some TDM's AIs and see many things. The Orks and United Flora are great races to learn about different ship designes.

Re: AI Design
 

That's great. I haven't read that anywhere before. I thought the TDM AIs did that, but I didn't know how.

Re: AI Design
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Where are you getting this x10, x13 and x15 from? The Construction_Vehicle.txt file? If so, I still don't grasp "x10" or "x13"

Re: AI Design
 

Ok, I will do that. But surely, you guys don't use the "must have". You're using the planet : ship ratios, correct?

I think this is why the "x" 10 was lost on me.

Re: AI Design
 

A better more diverse AI would be good, thats where PBW makes up for it - you are up against human opponents.

Re: AI Design
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Where are you getting this x10, x13 and x15 from? The Construction_Vehicle.txt file? If so, I still don't grasp "x10" or "x13" </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Yes, he is talking about that file.
use "must have := number"

Just remember that numbers are cumulattive for each design type.

If you have PvK' Proportions mod, take a look on Pequeninos or Soul Hunters files, they build multiple types of attack ships.