question for ai modders
 

alright, as we all know, the AI cant pass muster against a human. its the general concensus that they foul up multiplayer games, and are no fun to be around.

i have also heard mention that the AI does not follow component restrictions on design rules. (wont be limited to one-per-ship restriction for external mount missiles, was the Last i heard to this effect)

the question is this: could an AI be made that will build ships with more than the max number of engines for a hull, or more than one spaceyard? can an AI be made to break the rules intentionally?

if so, a benign AI could be made for multiplayer races. that AI would build things that players could not, and people would want to steal things or trade for them to get the edge. think of it as sanctioned AI abuse.

of course, the first player will always get the cookie unless diplomacy sequence is randomized like combat sequence should have been.

ideas?

------------------
"...the green, sticky spawn of the stars"
(with apologies to H.P.L.)

Re: question for ai modders
 

You've got the 6-SpaceYard Starbase:
12,000 KT of ship building power per turn. Millions of fighters, or baseships every turn.

And the 25 movement point baseship.

But what else?
Aside from engines & spaceyards, I can't think of anything that would be useful.

Giving a neutral race some modded ultra-special racial tech would be good though. Keep 'em valuable throughout the game as a trading partner.

Re: question for ai modders
 

resupply ships with a dozzen resupply pods?

can they also make ships that violate the size restrictions?

Re: question for ai modders
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>of course, the first player will always get the cookie unless diplomacy sequence is randomized like combat sequence should have been.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Why would diplomacy need to be randomized? I don't understand how player order could affect it.

------------------
Cap'n Q
My first SE IV mod! Hypermaze quadrant
The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the
human mind to correlate all of its contents. We live on a placid
island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was
not meant that we should go far. -- HP Lovecraft, "The Call of Cthulhu"

Re: question for ai modders
 

Well, if there is only one super shipyard to be traded on any given turn and diplomacy is by player order, player 1 could get it every time just by being in line. You almost need an auction feature where the neutral will trade to the highest bidder.

Re: question for ai modders
 

The AI builds according to the spaces per 1. I use the external missile mod for components, but felt only 1 could be justified per ship, so I added the only 1 per vehicle restrictiion - worked good for human players, but found AI still building multiples. For external missiles I gave it a weapons type of 52, put it as the secondary weapon and then changed the spaces per 1 to 10000. The AI will only build 1. If I change the spaces per 1 to 100, the AI will build many and violate the one per vehicle restriction. Anything that is controled by spaces per 1, I think the AI can violate the only 1 per vehicle restriction - like maybe the extra movement components. Engines are controlled differently and I do not think the AI can violate the limits.

As a secondary weapon, I put the external mount missiles on most all AI vehicles. It gives most ships at least one chance to do a lot of damage before dying.