ATTN: AI wizards
 

I've been working on an AI (for a mod) which builds huge amounts of drones during peacetime. My problem is that I can't get the AI to launch any of them. I have both anti-ship and anti-planet designs available and built. Percentage of drones to leave as planetary cargo is set at 0. Max target systems distance is at 500 http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/shock.gif which should be plenty, especially after I increased it from 100. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...s/rolleyes.gif What can I do to get these stupid things launched and useful?

While I'm at it, the mod has a racial trait with 6 levels of ships. All are the same size, but the hull abilities go up with tech level. I can't get the AI to create designs using any but the first hull, even by adding dummy abilities. Do I really have to make each one bigger to get them used?

[ March 03, 2004, 04:04: Message edited by: Krsqk ]

Re: ATTN: AI wizards
 

During the beta process, we noticed that AIs stopped launching drones independently after Drone Carriers were added to the game. When they were first added but Drone Carriers were not yet added, the AI would indeed launch drones at enemy ships if it could see them. I don't recall ever seeing it use an anti-planet drones, though. Apparently you have to make your AI build Drone Carriers now, and then it will load the drones into the carrier and send it out to attack an enemy like a regular fighter carrier. Other than that, the only time drones seem to get launched is when you attack a planet with drones in its cargo.

Re: ATTN: AI wizards
 

You could try adding the tech requirements of the 6th hull size twice, to see if this will fool the AI into using the 6th hull size. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Name := Escort
Short Name := Escort
Description :=
Code := ES
Primary Bitmap Name := Escort
Alternate Bitmap Name := Escort
Vehicle Type := Ship
Tonnage := 150
Cost Minerals := 150
Cost Organics := 0
Cost Radioactives := 0
Engines Per Move := 1
Number of Tech Req := 2
Tech Area Req 1 := Ship Construction
Tech Level Req 1 := 1
Tech Area Req 2 := Ship Construction
Tech Level Req 2 := 1

Re: ATTN: AI wizards
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Start a new game and see if it works would be my first suggestion. If you have already done that, then you know more about AI making than me, and I wish you well on figuring this out. Either way it goes, PLEASE if you figure it out, will you post about how you did so?

The information on how you get the AI to do things, ie modding, and problem solving is very important news and MUST be preserved.

Re: ATTN: AI wizards
 

Actually, I have tried duplicating tech requirements. That must have been what I meant by "dummy abilities," although it obviously didn't come out right early this morning. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/tongue.gif

I added 1kt per level to the later hulls, and the AI uses them just fine. I'll have to experiment more to see if I can teach it any new tricks.

Still no luck on launching drones. I guess I'll have to add drone launchers to the orbital bases; drone carriers would have to pick up the drones, drag them off to some fleet somewhere, find a target,...

Back to the AI crunching ground. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...s/rolleyes.gif

Re: ATTN: AI wizards
 

The AI won't launch fighters without carriers either. Neither will they launch any fighters outside of combat.

The drone AI must follow similar programming.

It's too bad. But what you could do is mod the AI to build a drone launching base in orbit of a planet. I expect that would let the AI launch drones from the same sector as a planet.

Re: ATTN: AI wizards
 

Planets can and do launch drones themselves. Unfortunately, they will launch ALL drones regardless of type or the size of the threat.

If you design bases to use units you must include both the SY to build them and the appropriate launchers. In fact, include ALL types of unit launchers on a base if you give it cargo since you cannot control what the AI will build with those SYs. The AI is not smart enough to find units in the cargo of bases, or to load the appropriate units onto bases with launchers. I discovered this by designing BSYs with cargo space. Any units built by a BSY with cargo will just sit in the cargo regardless of what the AI needs. Only when the cargo over-flows and drops units onto a planet will the AI find and use them. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif At least with all the necessary launchers the base will launch what it has if/when there is an attack.

Re: ATTN: AI wizards
 

My problem isn't getting drones on the carrier base; it already has a spaceyard and plenty drone launchers and cargo space, and this AI doesn't build any units besides drones. The base even loads any spare drones from the planets cargo, just like you would expect from a carrier.

I even get them to launch when attacked. Of course, as BM said, it launches all the drones at once, which limits their defensive usefulness.

My goal is to get the AI to use drones offensively. I haven't found a way to get them launched and fired off. I see the Devnullmod Space Monsters have drones; do they launch them, or are they just for looking pretty in ship cargo? They won't be used defensively, since Monster planets are cloaked and can't be attacked (except with star destroyers http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif ) Any ideas here?

Re: ATTN: AI wizards
 

I know that some of the TDM AI's launch drones offensively. Don't remember which ones offhand.

Slick.

Re: ATTN: AI wizards
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Do you want the AI planets launch Drones to attack enemy planet/s ships?
Have you tested it using 50% of Drones as cargo? If you put it as 0%, if I'm not wrong, the AI will try to use all the Drones for Drone Carriers.

Re: ATTN: AI wizards
 

Hmmm...I begin to see I may have misinterpreted the file. I orginally had no drone carriers but set the "% To Keep As Cargo" at 0%. I assumed that meant the AI wouldn't hold any in reserve for defense, but would launch them all. From what you're saying, that's the percent the AI doesn't devote to Drone Carriers. Are drone carriers used in fleets the same way as fighter carriers--i.e., they won't launch their drones on their own, only as part of a fleet attack? I don't want Drone Carriers in my fleets; I just want to provide an additional nuisance for players to have to deal with. Are you saying I should get rid of the Drone Carrier bases and set "% for Cargo" to 100%?

Two questions then. Why would the planet not launch the drones before—did it mark them as "Not for Planet Consumption" and idly wait for a non-existent Drone Carrier to come claim them? And are the base Drone Carriers not launching their drones because they aren't part of an attack fleet?

This might provide some additional insight into these files (and some useful info for the AI Modding Tutorial being compiled). Thanks!

Re: ATTN: AI wizards
 

Well, I still haven't convinced the AI to actually launch any drones. I tried setting the cargo % to 100%--no luck. I launched them myself, hoping the AI would know what to do with them--no luck. I gave them an order myself, and they worked beautifully. That just doesn't work for me, though. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif

I'll try setting it to 50%, just in case it makes a difference...

Re: ATTN: AI wizards
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Yes. In my view, the % for Drones works like the % for satellites.

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Exactly. And the worst thing it's that as you know, the Drones can't be recovered after launch.


<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Well, I never tested the % with 100%. In my test games, the Pyrochette used Drones in the way you said (at least some Versions ago!).
But the AI doesn't use the Drones very well... You know that usually attack a ship/planet with a lone Drone, doesn't work very well... but the AI doesn't!

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Good question! But have no answer.

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Don't think so. Maybe it was changed some patches ago, but I saw many times the Pyrochette (my only AI that used Drones in large numbers) launching drones from their planets.
Must confess really disliked this behavior... because as told you, many times sent lone drones to attack, or simply the Drone was over the Planet doing nothing until die due lack of supplies. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon8.gif

[ March 06, 2004, 13:40: Message edited by: Master Belisarius ]