Thoughts behind mounts

[oleg]

Several mods use more balanced mounts. For example, large ship weapon mounts in Proportions have an accuracy penalty.

[Fyron]

Adamant mod has totally removed the base SE4 ship mounts. I am not sure if the new mounts are 100% balanced, but they are much better than the mount system of unmodded SE4.

[Chris Woods]

After playing around making a few modded mounts that are better in a balance prespective, I've found that the AI will religiously put the largest possible mount it can, assuming that the size will increace the damage sufficently.

This is annoying, as I want mounts that are tactical rather than simply "better by default".

Poking around in the AI design files has made me come to beleive that there is no way to specify to the AI either a ratio of different mounts to use or a "maximum mount" on specific designs.

Does anyone who knows more about the AI files (which is basically everyone ) have any suggestions as to how I might be able to have more control over the way the AI uses mounts, or are we stuck with a system where the AI will blindly assume that the bigger mounts always yield better results?

Chris Woods

[Fyron]

The AI uses the Last mount in the list that is available to that size of vehicle, period. All you can do is put the most general mount Last, so the AIs will use it.

[ March 20, 2003, 04:48: Message edited by: Imperator Fyron ]

[Taera]

size requirements can be exploited here you know

[Chris Woods]

So, correct me if I'm wrong in assuming I could do the following:

1> Create multiple entries for each mount with respect to both the min and max vehicle size. (ie, the same mount, but an entry for vehicle sizes 150-250, 300-500, etc.) -- this should be invisible to the player so that he or she only sees one "large mount" option per ship design.

2> Order them in such a way that the AI only uses the larger stylized mounts when it seems halfway appropriate to integrate them.

3> Finally, the mounts can't be too specific else the AI ships will all have obvious weaknesses based completly upon the size of the ship. (ie- all "battlecruiser" AI ships will use "large ER mounts" which will get cut to peices by small, fast ships.)

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Ok, so thats a challenge. And it raises another question:

Can I control the AI to use mixed arms? ie- make fleets consisting of ratios, like "1 Battlecruiser to 2 Destroyer to 2 Escort"? That would give me enough flexability to make the AI use mixed mounts that would (hopefully) make for much more intresting tactical combat.

Any help here greatly appreciated. Taking this AI apart isn't easy.

Chris Woods

[Taera]

AI just rounds random ships into fleets. Thats it.