AI wish list
 

Ideas on Ministers... please add to the list! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

I'd like to see...

Population management

- Transport ministers transporting the right populations to the right atmosferes
- Transport ministers maximizing population at construction planets
- Transport ministers moving population from inner homeworlds to forward construction bases to allow building of forward colony ships
- Political/Military minister trying to trade/capture enemy population to use them to remove the dome from own planets

Troop Transport
- Correctly ordering the troops in the transport acording to troop design (shielded in the front, artilhery in the back) (does this really make difference or is just a legend?)
- Moving built troops from inner planets to forward military bases

Colonization
- Smart race utilization: avoid colonizing a planet with the wrong population if the correct race is available and it is nearer to the planet being colonized (it may be better to colonize it with wrong population and replace the population later than build with the correct race but take too much turns to do it) (note: that would be fantastic, but would require decent transport minister planning!)

- The minister should always re-evaluate current orders of the colony ships in order to optimize the overall process.
For each new colony ship build, see the best planet to colonize. If there is already another ship enroute, cancel the order of the one which will take longer to reach the destination
( this is a simple rule that add great efficiency... )

- Never set a great tactical planet that should be used as repair/resupply/military/construction base to "Mining Colony" just because it has 120% minerals!! This is easy to implement! A bunch of ifs can do it

- Complementing the above, the colonization minister should think that each new *border* system (there are uncolonized systems that aren't border systems) should have at least one construction yard, resupply depot and planet defenses before thinking about resource production. Defenses first, colonization second, resources third, production/population fourth, offense five. (this is a min-max strategy... may be different for agressive races)

- The calculations for choosing the best planet to colonize should consider the POTENTIAL planet value, NEVER the actual value. A tiny 120% mineral planet with breathable atmosfere can hold 5 facilities. His potential is 720 (value*facilities space); A huge non-breathable 120% planet should also get 720. In case my empire has population that can breath on that huge planet, than I should evalutate 120*25! In case of two equal values, choose the larger planet, then take the one with ruins, then the one with with more moons. This way, we'll never see the computer choose tiny planets and leave the larger alone, and we'll see the computer colonizing breathable tinies/smalls more frenquently, which is smart and cool http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif
Different races may evaluate this differently, and this can be set in .txt file. For example, a researcher race could value ruins a lot, organical races evaluate organics better... Those with mineral/maintenance bonus could prefer planet size/position over mineral value... Just make a formulae and let us Users play with the variables http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

- The Minister should, as a general rule, never try to venture itself in colonizing systems too far away from a construction yard planet; (again, defensive min-max strategy... may be different for agressive races)

I'm tired... more later...

So, do you guys have anything to add? Let's compile a great thread on the subject!

[]'s
Gabriel

Re: AI wish list
 

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr> The minister should always re-evaluate current orders of the colony ships in order to optimize the overall process.
<hr></blockquote>Constant re-evaluation is one of the things that's wrong with ministers now. They have no memory of previous conditions, so they'll do things like recall an attack fleet before it reaches its target because it's running low on supplies.

Re: AI wish list
 

I think that what is needed is intelligent re-evaluation of orders, especially of colonizers. It should at least be able to determine when supplies are running out and refuel if there happens to be a resupply base within a certain deviation from its current path. I hate watching the AI chug a speed one, out-of-supply colonizer by a resupply base that would have only been a couple of spaces out of its path.

Re: AI wish list
 

I strongly agree with the re-supply issue for All ships. Currently it requires you to plot each movement to make sure they resply. That said, It is not too hard, (more of a hassle), to put re-supply near most routhes to make sure you can re-supply.
If the AI used the re-supply rule I would not be aerating AI Battle Cruisers low on fuel with desperation driven destroyers armed with Capital Ship Missile.
I put this AI request above all others.

Edit: My keyboard makes the strangest spelling mistakes.

[ 27 March 2002: Message edited by: Gryphin ]</p>