I just got back from Colorado, and am catching up on all sorts of things, but some quick clarifications (although you guys are figuring it out well by yourselves):
* Games using any Version earlier that 3.0 (even the 3.0 preview Version) will be officially screwed up by updating to 3.0. Actually, it might not even run. (Only recommended for people who want things to be randomized to weird stuff, and perhaps for avid fans of Space 1999.
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* The main reason the AI is mixed up in 3.0 is just the new tech tree changes. The AI doesn't know how to research some things... such as... the new colonizers, or the new laser weapons, or DUC 6+, etc, Phased Shields, etc. I do have a somewhat improved Version of all the included AI's available though, which I'll try to post tonight.
* As dogscoff says, yes you can mod working AI's by changing the AI research files to include smart research choices for the new mod Version. Any such files I would be thrilled to include in future patches, if anyone wants to contribute. It isn't complicated, but it is a lot of work. I don't think it's really necessary, except maybe to use the new lasers, but adjustments could be made to the ship design files too, for the new hull sizes and tweaked for other changes, but that would be even more work.
* Shoe, what you could do is put them all on human control, and then turn on all the AI ministers EXCEPT the research minister, and do their research for them. That should work fine. If you write down the order you do the research as you do it, then you or I or anyone could turn that into an AI research file pretty easily, which could also be a neat thing to do.
* I know the tech tree view has been generating access error dialogs, but I haven't figured out why, and it doesn't really seem to cause problems. Until further information, I am assuming it is a harmless but annoying SE4 bug which I can't or don't know how to mod away.
* Shoe, yep you caught some typos in the cultural facilties' abilities. Thanks - I will fix those.
* For the colonizers and the AI, thanks again Shoe. It is a bug that the AI builds units which are illegal, and this is annoying side-effect of it. Yes, one solution would be to put the ability in the hull, which would be good also for JLS' reasons he did it in AIC mod. However I'd rather not if I can get away with it. The prototype modules are required to trick the game. The only way to make something non-researchable is with racial traits, which is what I originally planned (then everyone has to take colonization of their home type as a racial trait), but I was trying to avoid that so that people in the new PBW games would not need to re-do their EMP files. I'll give it some more thought. Meanwhile, shoe, I'd check in to control your AI opponents, and scrap their cargo colonizers for them.
* Shoe, thanks too for your note about the weapon families. The basic pulse lasers should be weapon family 3, and will be in the next Version.
PvK