HELP !

[Bonefish]

Ive just put together a shipset for my own personal use using my fav ships from other sets. It has no AI as it will be for me as a player. I then created my race with the usual method in the game, by choosing the set, giving names and traits etc. I even saved my empire for future games. But when I go to Start Game, it comes up with a whole list of errors about missing ai from the 'settings' ai file.
Ive tried various minister on and off option etc but now Im stuck.
Whats going on? Id really appreciate some help.

Thanks.

[Suicide Junkie]

Just pick one of the other AIs and copy the missing files from there.

[Bonefish]

Thanks SJ.

Does that mean a race HAS to have some ai in it? (like settings)
I thought you could just have a shipset and no ai if your the player?
And does the aio I copy come from ANY race ? Wont that make a difference?

Im also reading on another thread that it might also be the default ai not being Gold updated, but I installed from the gold cd.

[Atrocities]

If you look at all of the default races and even the neutral races will see that each have a few AI files.

From what I know, if you are missing an AI file the game will use a genetic file. That is unless you are using a mod. Even then it is suppose to use default AI. I am sure someone with more AI knowledge will post about it.

Even if you make a set for private use, you can still post it in the downloads section for others to use. You never know when something you make for yourself will be enjoyed by others. Just include a credits file if any of the images are custom made.

[Bonefish]

Thanks atro.

Ive tried starting a game with just one race. Mine. And that loads and starts fine. So that wiould indicate that my race (with NO ai files) is working, and using generic ai. But if I include ANY other races, it says theres all sorts missing. Ive also tried starting a game with a couple of other races (even just two default ones), and that came up with the same errors. Now if the other races have stuff missing, then why dont THEY use the defaults? I wondered if I had accidently copied over my updated gold ai default with old ones, but Ive tried that and that doesnt work either.
Its really odd, as one thing points to the default ai, and another points to the race ai.
Im really stumped here!

[Bonefish]

I think I might have come up with a lead here....

Ive just tried restarting my game with various paramaters...
The only thing that creates errors, is if I say yes to "Generate Random Computer Contolled Empires".
If I switch this off (even leaving Neutrals ON) the game starts ok.

This leads me to think (in my newbie 3 days with se4) that its the default ai thats stuffed

Has anyone got the most recent unmodded Gold Version (TDM?) set of default ai ?

Ive tried overwriting my default ai folders with the TDM pack I have, but that didnt work.

[Bonefish]

Right. Ive checked the TDM page. I have the Lastest TDM pack v3.30, which states in one of the update lines...

"(35) Settings.txt modified to make "Quick Start" option available for all races - including 4 additional default races and all new races and increased default max units/ships (modified by Tampa_Gamer and Mephisto)."

Could this be causing it?
Im not using the Quick start option, but maybe theres a prob or link with the settings ai file?

I have no idea.

[Krsqk]

If I have my guess right, the game is saying that certain AI files are missing specific lines in their files--such as "Can't find 'Max Systems Distance for Drone Attack' in C:\Games\Space Empires 4\Pictures\Races\HappyRace\HappyRace_AI_Settings.t xt" or some sort. Is that right?

If that's the case, the AI files are for pre-Gold SE4. Capt. Kwok (IIRC) has instructions for converting pre-Gold AI to Gold AI, and it's not all that difficult. SJ may even have a proggy to automatically do it.

[Arkcon]

Originally posted by Bonefish:
Thanks SJ.

Does that mean a race HAS to have some ai in it? (like settings)
I thought you could just have a shipset and no ai if your the player?
And does the aio I copy come from ANY race ? Wont that make a difference?

Im also reading on another thread that it might also be the default ai not being Gold updated, but I installed from the gold cd.

Yes, pretty much. The executeable requires it, probably to let you know if there were a catastrophic error in your folders. Like you've already experienced in one mod you found.

Consider further, if you had no AI files, and you turned on a minister, what would the game do?

[capnq]

Capt. Kwok (IIRC) has instructions for converting pre-Gold AI to Gold AI

Wrong captain. See the link in my sig.