[Rusty_Nail]

Another move strategy that humans use in tactical combat that the AI could use to advantage but doesn't is the following. This we could call "moving in and out of range". The cleanest example is in attacking a stationary target which has a certain range, say a WP or a ship with engines knocked out. The human moves into range, shoots and moves back to distance (1+opponent's range). It seems trivial, but the AI now sits still within a planet's range and lets himself get knocked to pieces unnecessarily. Once again. it can't be all that difficult to program. Perhaps the movement strategy should be split into two parts (1) before shooting (2) after shooting, to give the possibility of more variation. for example. (1) "optimal range" AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE (i.e. no parallel moves as the AI does now) followed by (2) move "just out of range" if possible.