Top AI scores seen?

Cyrien · #1 April 25th, 2002, 04:15 AM

Just wondering because for the first time I am seeing an AI with a score over 1 million.

I only know this because I have a score of 1.5 million and am still only second place, while at war with the race I suspect of being number 1. A few ship insurrections that succeeded early on showed a few scary sights of one or two system with fleets of mixed ships with numbers in excess of 60 and several others in the range of 12-20.

I believe I have the setting Evenly Distribute thorught Galaxy to thank for this as apparantly they started in an area with no one else cept maybe one or two others while the rest of us were clustered in 3 main areas.

So this topic is to find the best AI runs. And perhaps discuss what leads to a successful AI.

As successful as AI's get anyways.

Taz-in-Space · #2 April 25th, 2002, 05:08 AM

I guess you are talking about a single planet start? I did see some Uber scores on a game I played Months ago - of course that game had a 10 planet start and a huge map of a couple of hundred systems.

Come to think of it, I don't think I ever finished it...It was getting to be too much micromanagement!

oleg · #3 April 25th, 2002, 05:20 AM

AFAIK, there was only one person ever Banned in SE IV forum, the name shall not be mentioned. At first he was a marry chap and fun to read. But once he started "AI in Very Big Game" - single player game with dozen AI in 255 systems, every one with 10+ planets. He vowed to post the progress reports evry ten turns or so. After few days his posting detiorated to randon string of words spreading ro each and every thread. Few more days and we never heard of him again. Be afraid, be very afraid of what can come out of this thread...[sinister music]...

[ 25 April 2002: Message edited by: oleg ]

Jmenschenfresser · #4 April 25th, 2002, 05:23 AM

A real post modern horror story!

Richard · #5 April 25th, 2002, 05:54 AM

Ahh, LCC. And to think he was on of our top posters and modders at one point

.

Cyrien · #6 April 25th, 2002, 06:09 AM

I remember him. No nothing like that. This is a medium sized galaxy with all default rules cept TDM modpack. Standard 1.49. About 50-60 systems in the game. Large number seem to be asteroid or gas. 3 Black Holes. Almost none of those damaging warp points. Default catastrophe rules etc. I have never seen an AI in any of my other games ever get close to passing 1M score... and yet here I am faced with an AI that has just about finished wiping out all the other AIs (the ones I didn't get) and now has fleets of 40-60 ships in systems bordering mine.

That is the whole purpose of this thread.

Just to see if anyone else has ever had the mixed blessing of an AI that did exceptionally well.

Just for the record I know I am behind him in tech but catching up. I am pretty sure his resources are better than mine and he has about 2/3 of the galaxy with a little over half the rest under my control (Long live the Terran Confederation and its seven racial members). Good thing I have races to breathe every atmosphere cept none.

Normally this is about the stage of the game where I would get bored and stop playing because I would get MEE and no other empire could even touch me. Thus I am nicely and pleasantly surprised to find this game still a challenge at this point.

*smacks self* stop rambling.

[ 25 April 2002: Message edited by: Cyrien ]

TerranC · #7 April 25th, 2002, 07:41 AM

Oh great; A new Psychological Syndrome:

Playbyweb post-dysfuctionality syndrome.

Symptoms: Deep psychosis; inherent ramblings and uncontrollable spasms in the human hand. May be caused by the effect dark colours have on the human retina. May cause Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

Cure/Remedy: Take One pill of Prozac, Mix it up with Coffee and baseball bat to bash your computer with. Get Plenty of Rest. Repeat Computer bashing for few days to releave stress.

Also may be called PPDS. Not in affliation or caused by many uses of PDCs and/or PPBs.

[ 25 April 2002: Message edited by: TerranC ]

Mephisto · #8 April 25th, 2002, 09:38 AM

I have seen Ais with over 2.5 million points but mostly in test games against other AIs. To get a challenge out of the AI you have to use the right setup IMHO. Many people try to increase the number of AIs and think they get more challenge that way. I think that is not the case. As we all know, the AI isn't that competent if focusing on one enemy is called for. By adding a greater number of AIs the AI will just fight more with itself but will not develop. Further, the AI is not very flexible at deciding what planet should be used for what. To cover all its needs the Ai need a greater number of planets to make sure every important aspect of the game is covered. In essence, you will get a much better game out of a huge galaxy with 6 chosen AI races without neutrals then out of a 20 races game.

dogscoff · #9 April 25th, 2002, 10:48 AM

Hmm. I just started a game with 16 AIs. (no neutrals) Set it to max number of systems though (255) so I thought that might just be big enough to accomodate them all. I also switched "evenly distributed" off. Hopefully some of them will start off with enough empty space around them to become really powerful.

I don't expect to Last long though - Rage, Pyrochette, vikings, aquilean, Vorlons, Shadows, Drakol, Orks and the rest chosen by the Computer. All on high difficulty / low bonus.

I started off with 2 warp points from my system: Both were asteroids. Beyond them an organic infestation in one direction and a Xi-Chung homeworld in the other. Haven't been able to explore beyond that yet.

I've had a few scuffles with the Xi-Chung (including a disastrous assault on their homeworld) and their tech levels scare me - they are so far ahead of me at this early stage it's ridiculous.

Anyway, do you think that playing a giant map like this is what flipped LCC? Do you think the same might happen to me? I hope not. I never wanted to play this map. I never wanted to play this game at all. I always wanted to be... A lumberjack! Leaping from tree to tree as they float down the rivers of British Colombia! Ohhhh... I'm a Lumberjack and I'm OK, I sleep all night and I works all day, I cut down trees, I eat my lunch, lunch, brunch, munch, crunch, much munchety crunchety swimmety swim, catchety fishy-O, because the fish are going to take over the world, they're melting the ice-caps and my face is getting wet, let, vet, met, mat, spat, prat, Richard Whitely, Carol Vorderman Vorlon? Nice encounter suit coz fruit is a moot hoot etc etc etc etc...

Growltigga · #10 April 25th, 2002, 11:30 AM

Ahem... thank you for that Dogscoff - I think the tippex fumes are getting to you..

at least you stopped "The Lumberjack Song" before the bit where you go on about wearing high heels, suspenders and a bra!!!

for the north americans and other aliens on this forum, may I just explain that Carol Vorderman and Richard Whiteley are the hosts of a popular daytime television show here in the UK. Richard Whiteley is famous for his poor taste in ties, Carol Vorderman is a classic case of a 40 something B list celebrity who thinks she is sexy as hell and at one stage was appearing all over over TV screens.

I personally think she looks more like a Narn than a Vorlon