What Keeps Neutral AI from Exploring?
 

I was wondering what and or how the game is set up to keep the Neutral AI from exploring?

Or what would keep a Major race from exploring?

Re: What Keeps Neutral AI from Exploring?
 

as far as i know, it's built into the game.

Re: What Keeps Neutral AI from Exploring?
 

It is hard coded that neutral race do not colonize outside their home system. However from time to time they will send a ship (e.g. a star destroyer) outside their system!

Re: What Keeps Neutral AI from Exploring?
 

never seen that happen before.. i think it is hardcoded that they're not supposed to be able to actually WARP.

Re: What Keeps Neutral AI from Exploring?
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">What, got hit by a neutral star destroyer? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Wonder why they'd build one in the first place... kinda like Dr. Robotnik putting a big red button in the evil-robot-fortress-o-doom (tm) that blows the whole place to bits http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/tongue.gif

Seriously though, I guess it could have happened by means of one of those "freak wormhole" random events... wonder what the ship did, did it stay in the system it was warped to? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Re: What Keeps Neutral AI from Exploring?
 

Believe me! I saw this more than once in late games and it was no random event. The neutral empire ship was wandering around in other system, which of course struck me and when I attacked it I realized it was a star destroyer. In an other game the neutral empire actually succeded and blew up the star of the system adjacent to their home system!

Re: What Keeps Neutral AI from Exploring?
 

PCP (Atrocities) asked me to help him with the Expanding issues for the races of the New Star Trek Mod.

From what I have seen the following races expand ok from game start.

8472, Romulans, Tholians, Dominion (Tholians being the best)

From what I have seen the following race do not expand at all:

Borg, Breen, Cardassians, Federation, Ferengi, Klingons.

I have tried everything. I remove the Klingon Research.txt file and they began to expand ok. Not good, but ok. So I did the same for the other races, it did not help them.

I am at wits end here. PCP is not home, and I haven't the heart to tell him that I want to give up the job. It is to frustraiting. The mod its self is good, but the AI's need help.

Any one care to take on the task?

Re: What Keeps Neutral AI from Exploring?
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">That seems to be correct. I can't explain then what I did see other than to be a random effect, although this is extremely improbable! Not my day today.

Re: What Keeps Neutral AI from Exploring?
 

Q, wasn't that before this fix:
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">IIRC you would jump WPs most times accidentally from time to time before that.

CNC, like Rollo said, make sure that AIs can design and do build some "attack ship", "attack base" or "carrier" early in the game, since only those design types will explore.

Re: What Keeps Neutral AI from Exploring?
 

i understand, then, that some designs were forgotten to be put to "cant warp" list, including Sun Destroyers.

edit: actually this makes sense, by defenition the neutrals just choose not to leave their home system - meaning they can if realy needed to. And if a race realy pisses them off they can build their nice sun destroyers and go blow things up.

[ July 20, 2003, 04:50: Message edited by: Taera ]

Re: What Keeps Neutral AI from Exploring?
 

Neutrals are prevented from warping out of the system. Try it and see. Start a game, put your player on computer control (turn the AI on first), and put a neutral under your control. You can't warp, the orders get cleared. If a ship gets sent to another system by an event, or you trade for a ship with the AI -- it can't leave that system.

[ July 19, 2003, 12:50: Message edited by: Arkcon ]

Re: What Keeps Neutral AI from Exploring?
 

To make the AI explore do the following:
1) Make a design for a scout ship (extra supplies and/or solar collectors). Use Design Type := Attack Base for that.
2) Add entries to vehicle construction for the Attack Base. Early entries in Exploration, Infrastructure and Defend (Short Term). Something like:
Entry 2 Type := Attack Base
Entry 2 Planet Per Item := 100 to 200
Entry 2 Must Have At Least := 1 or 2

The AI does not use Attack Bases in fleets. Instead it sends them out alone. So they fullfil the role as scouts quite well.

Hope that helps,
Rollo

[ July 19, 2003, 13:00: Message edited by: Rollo ]

Re: What Keeps Neutral AI from Exploring?
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">IIRC you would jump WPs most times accidentally from time to time before that.

CNC, like Rollo said, make sure that AIs can design and do build some "attack ship", "attack base" or "carrier" early in the game, since only those design types will explore.</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">You must be right. It was a long time ago I observed this and I did not remember the change in Version 1.44 (and the fix is not explained in much detail, isn't it?). As it is now it seems really impossible for a neutral empire, even if completely under human control, to warp.

Re: What Keeps Neutral AI from Exploring?
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">If you put a Colony requirement on these Attack Bases will they use it?

Can this be done to make the AI explore with its Colony Ships?

Is it advisable for the AI to explore with its Colony Ships (cancerous expansion!)?

Re: What Keeps Neutral AI from Exploring?
 

I think the idea of a neutral race using a star destroyer is to further isolate themselves from the rest of the galaxy by eliminating the systems around them and making them worthless and unoccupied.

Perhaps they should also use Warp Closers to cut off warp points into their system too?

Re: What Keeps Neutral AI from Exploring?
 

Geo ran a game called the Neutral Challenge, a while back. Everyone played a neutral race and had to go out and meet the galaxy. Trouble was, when they converted the players from AI to Human, the hard code limits didnt let them leave their system.

I think they worked around it by copying each neutral into the regular RACES folder, so that they could be added to the game without the hard-coded "dont warp" restriction.

Re: What Keeps Neutral AI from Exploring?
 

this thread reminds me of the Krikkit kinda....

WHOP!

RUN AWAY!!!!!