[JLS]

I looked again on the proposed game specifications (poor homeworld, no AI bonus) and I have some doubts that any AI will not go bankrupt

As would a Human player have a tough time of it; in Poor Home World Set up
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It is very difficult to make AI for Proportions.

Agreed, as all Mods. SMAC, CTP, AOE etc.
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In a normal game all planets are more or less equal. If you have 10 planets, you are about 10 times better off than a guy with just 1 planet. Accordingly, AI files use "planet per item" as a rule. There is a resonably well operating AI feedback loop - more planets you have, more resources you produce, more ships you can afford.

Allot depends what that AI’s priority is at that time; a planet is considered for colonization. Then the Planet_Types file and the Facility_Construction files of that AI race, as it relates to the AI’s personality of the designers intent.
Also there are times the AI has a predetermined colony type locked before the colony ship is even Built and before what planet is to be considered.
More planets: do relate to more ships in most cases, however I can guarantee you this, it does not always equate to more Resources as strongly as you may think. For the reasons above and the fact that one AI may have 4 moons, domed, breathable, etc; No designer can know exactly what the next game will offer to the AI.
But if you know your MAP related files well, for the MOD you are preparing the AI for, you can do the above average job for the average game start, and hope you have done, no more then average for that average game start in respects to the AI.
Then you have succeeded
I hope that made, some sense!
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The Proportions' situation is completely different. Guy with 10 colonies + homeworld does not have 10 times more resources than the guy with one homeworld. With luck, it would be just 50% more !

Agreed, one way to look at this for example:
If in a brand new Human Multiplayer game start, I would not despair or dropout while playing Proportions; even if my Home System had no land able planets, no breathable planets even if the neighboring systems are sparse.
Because my Home World would be just as good as the other Human Player, and with that, I can and (have) grown strong enough to contend with the leaders even with the very poorest of starts.
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Hence - "planet per item" is inoperable for Proportions' AI. All Proportions' AI construction_vehicles.txt work mainly by "must have" option. As a result, there is almost no feedback and Proportions' AI are very inflexible Change AI bonus to high - it still build almost the same number of ships.
AI programmer must have some specific game set in mind up when tweaking AI. For example I target one home world, low bonus/non bonus set-up. AI should not overspend resources but must provide a challange with low-bonus. Obviously, medium/high bonuses are nice but in fact AI will underperform, it could be made much more frightening

I think what you may want to consider is the bigger picture, when you Work the AI’s Files, you are also working on the MOD, so a post-release change with the AI’s files will/could change the Mods chemistry dramatically ….

Crystals
For example: If you add
Entry 5 Type := Colony (Gas)
Entry 5 Planet Per Item := 200
Entry 5 Must Have At Least := 2
Entry 6 Type := Colony (Rock)
Entry 6 Planet Per Item := 180
Entry 6 Must Have At Least := 3
Entry 7 Type := Colony (Ice)
Entry 7 Planet Per Item := 160
Entry 7 Must Have At Least := 4
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Crystals
To what was:
Entry 3 Type := Colonizer
Entry 3 Planet Per Item := 50
Entry 3 Must Have At Least := 2

The above now possible changes to your sets that you have made available for download looks harmless but will have a bigger impact then you think on Proportions 2.53 over all…

As a recommendation only. That you make patient little changes to a Post-Release AI and then test the effect on its Parent Released Mod thoroughly.
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Now, I do not know how it will work with poor/no-bonus start. You may have to reduce all "must have" numbers by third. Just keep in mind this dumbed down AI will be a pushover in normal games ! Alternatively, You may still use low AI bonus. I do not think AI will kill you giving its poor homeworld

You can do the above average job for the average game start, and hope you have done, no more then average for that average game start, in respects to the AI. Then you have succeeded.
This way all changes from (default) may be Automatically addressed by the AI better

[ March 07, 2003, 18:45: Message edited by: JLS ]