Vehicle Type = WeapPlatform; Bug?

[Tenryu]

Made some 'Gound base' armor, I - III.
Tonnage 5KT
Structure 50, 60, 70 KT
Family 50010
ect,ect;

!!!VEHICLE TYPE = WeapPlatform !!!!

Everything looks corrrect and they should only be a component placable on weapon platforms.

Annoyingly, the AI somehow sticks them on Bases and Ships even when they do not appear in list as available components if you take over the empire and 'create' a ship or base.

Seems to do this when it has 5KT of space left on a hull.

Darn annoying. Anyone have any ideas, other then scrap the components? Is this a known bug?

[Rollo]

Yeah, there is a hard code thing that will use majority components, shields, and armor to fill up designs (very nice feature). I assume the AI ignores the weapon-platforms-only restriction and will make an illegal design. Does your ground base armor have the armor ability? If yes, try remove that. Maybe the AI will not use it anymore to fill up any type of design. The armor abilty will not be needed by the weapon platforms anyways, since there is no component damage just the total hitpoints. In order to put the ground armor on the WP use a bogus ability and fill the WP with:

...
Num Misc Abilities := x
...
Misc Ability x Name := <bogus ability>
Misc Ability x Spaces Per One := 5

Not a pretty solution, but it might work.

Rollo

[Tenryu]

Ah!! Thanks . That'll work, I suppose. However, removing the 'armor ability' will prolly defeat my objective of getting the AI to put them on weapon platforms(only) as armor. I suppose I could just make a 'mini' 5 KT armor component at each armor level so the AI would have a legit choice, of course, next I'll wind up with the AI using only them for armor, LOL. Typical. Probobly, have to stick them in the component list After the regular armor components. That might fool it into doing the right thing.

I'll have to monkey with this bogus ability thing though, not sure I understand exactly what the AI is doing with it or why. Might be used to solve some other issues too once I do. Thanks again.

[ June 08, 2002, 16:10: Message edited by: Tenryu ]

[Baron Munchausen]

He doesn't seem to be complaining that they aren't placed on WPs, he seems to be complaining that they aren't restricted to WPs. Yes, the AI is unfettered by the restrictions that human players have, but I've not heard of it using components in the wrong vehicle before.

Where in the components list is the armor placed? The AI assumes that the 'later' anything in the list is 'better' than something further up the list. If you place the WP armor before the other armor it might not make this mistake anymore. But then yo've got a data file that cannot be used with existing games.

[ June 08, 2002, 17:08: Message edited by: Baron Munchausen ]

[Tenryu]

Actually, Baron, these components where placed at in FRONT of the regular armor components. It would stick say two of them on some weapon platforms, I removed the weapPlat from all the other armor Vehicle Type specs and gave it WeapPlatform(only) Vehicle Type specification.
Never saw more than 1 piece of it on an ship design so I expect as Rollo said it is ignoring the vehicle type restrictions when it 'fills space' at end.
It can prolly be demonstrated by making an armor component, vehicle type = only weapon platforms, sticking up near the front of the components file, leave an extra space after it to 'cut off' the rest of the file, and run the game on hightech. In a turn or so you have all sorts of vehicles loaded up with these components, I suspect.

[Tenryu]

I think I just confirmed it. I stuck the attached component in the components file after bridges, life support,crew quarters, engines, colony modules, storage containers, and then 'entered in an extra space to cut off the rest of the file. I ran a quick game on high tech and took peek at the AI ship designs after a turn. The armor was slapped up on alot of designs. Cute.

Anyway, Thanks again for replies Rollo and Baron.

Name := Ground Fortifications I
Description := Standard titanium armor and hardening used to protect a weapons platform from assault.
Pic Num := 28
Tonnage Space Taken := 5
Tonnage Structure := 30
Cost Minerals := 50
Cost Organics := 0
Cost Radioactives := 0
Vehicle Type := WeapPlatform
Supply Amount Used := 0
Restrictions := None
General Group := Armor
Family := 50010
Roman Numeral := 1
Custom Group := 0
Number of Tech Req := 1
Tech Area Req 1 := Weapon Platforms
Tech Level Req 1 := 1
Number of Abilities := 1
Ability 1 Type := Armor
Ability 1 Descr := Is damaged before any other components on a ship.
Ability 1 Val 1 := 0
Ability 1 Val 2 := 0
Weapon Type := None