Re: Balance Mod
Did a test game after patching to 1.74 and 1.14b,
(large galaxy, full AIs, paradies quadrant, 3k races, 50k research points, medium research cost)
and this is what some spot tests showed:
@turn 10
- Drushoka (AI no.1) researched "org. engineering" @19% .. ~4.0 years at least
- Drushoka had 2 "research & intel" colonies, but only build units there with all facility spaces open except 1 which was used for a space yard
- it didn't have a single pop transport
- Norak (AI no.4) researched "religious studies" @ 40% in 3.1 years (!)
- "research compound" (max 500pop/5fac): 1 space port and units build, no research centers, no intel (later one not researched)
- no pop transport either
- minor nation: no research centers on "research compound" colony either
@turn 20
- Drushoka was happily using the single pop transport I ordered them to build in turn 10/11, but hadn't any more build
- no research centers build by any race
conclusion
=> AIs should start researching with cheaper techs and go for speicals (organics, religious etc) later when more research points are available. Past turn 20 maybe?
=> AI should build research centers. (it did fine in 1.71/114a)
=> AI should build 1-2 pop transports based on small freighter hull early: colony ship building cannot keep up with pop growth in the early turns, therefore pop growth is wasted. More pop on new colonies would help with construction/mining rate as well.
=> colony ships not build on the homeworld should be routed there before been given colonizing orders - dunno if thats possible via scripting, though.
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As for AI the most effective work around to this problem so far is to simply use an American instead, they tend to put up a bit more of a fight than your average Artificial Idiot.
... James McGuigan on rec.games.computer.stars somewhen back in 1998 ...
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