[Jourin]

Thanks,

My test environment was a custom map where I paired the AIs together. The AIs, I used where Earh Alliance (me/AI) - XiChung (AI/me), Orks - Norak, Jraenar - Colonials, Krill - Sergetti, Rage - Pryrochette.

Test #1: Increased minesweepers to 6 - Did not achieve expected results. AI would build ships and not build minesweepers.
Test #2: Increased minesweepers to 6 and moved them to the top of the queue. Achieved expected results.

In test 2, the AI would discover a minefield. The AI would then send the Ready Fleet into the minefield (and be destroyed). Then it would send in the Ready minesweepers (usually just 2) and clear some mines but then be destroyed. The AI would then build the 6 minesweepers and a new attack fleet. The AI would send in the minesweepers and then the attack fleet. Not perfect but better.

Test #3: Separated the Attack and Prepare to Attack into two separate queues. Did not achieve expected results.

Test #4: Made Defend (Long Term) into separate queue. Queue was short and I will post the actual text file later. Had the AI build mines, minelayers, satillites, satillite layer, fighters, bases, weapons platforms, and ships. Cheated in the game to set up the conditions of a very weak Earth Alliance (scrapped all the ships) and then attacked with the Xichung. Earth Alliance definitely used this queue and put up a very good defense that stopped my XiChung attack. Monitored other AIs and found previously mentioned problem with Noraks.

Test #5: Added a colonizer to the queue (but only 1), and retested Noraks. After building the colinizer, they left the defend (long term) phase. My concern that I didn't test, does the AI automatically leave defend (long term) after a colinizer is built. If so, then putting instructions into the queue to build a colinizer may defeat the purpose of a separate defend (long term) queue unless colinizer is at the end of the queue and you want to trigger a transition to another state. Conversly, having no colinizer in the queue could lead to AI growth stagnation as seen with the Noraks.

After my tests I just played a normal game for about 85 turns, but discovered my strategy of just using minefields for defense while I explore and build my economy/infrastructure didn't work anymore and I (gasp) was loosing to the AI, so I did what any good human would do. I quite the game and started playing Civ3.

PS. Played at High bonus, low tech, 1 planet start and separated each AI by five systems, so they would not meet until after colinizing the second system.

Thanks for everyone's interest.