What Keeps Neutral AI from Exploring?

Taera · #1 July 19th, 2003, 08:05 AM

never seen that happen before.. i think it is hardcoded that they're not supposed to be able to actually WARP.

Ed Kolis · #2 July 19th, 2003, 08:33 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Q:
It is hard coded that neutral race do not colonize outside their home system. However from time to time they will send a ship (e.g. a star destroyer) outside their system!

What, got hit by a neutral star destroyer?

Wonder why they'd build one in the first place... kinda like Dr. Robotnik putting a big red button in the evil-robot-fortress-o-doom (tm) that blows the whole place to bits

Seriously though, I guess it could have happened by means of one of those "freak wormhole" random events... wonder what the ship did, did it stay in the system it was warped to?

Q · #3 July 19th, 2003, 08:57 AM

Believe me! I saw this more than once in late games and it was no random event. The neutral empire ship was wandering around in other system, which of course struck me and when I attacked it I realized it was a star destroyer. In an other game the neutral empire actually succeded and blew up the star of the system adjacent to their home system!

CNCRaymond · #4 July 19th, 2003, 09:27 AM

PCP (Atrocities) asked me to help him with the Expanding issues for the races of the New Star Trek Mod.

From what I have seen the following races expand ok from game start.

8472, Romulans, Tholians, Dominion (Tholians being the best)

From what I have seen the following race do not expand at all:

Borg, Breen, Cardassians, Federation, Ferengi, Klingons.

I have tried everything. I remove the Klingon Research.txt file and they began to expand ok. Not good, but ok. So I did the same for the other races, it did not help them.

I am at wits end here. PCP is not home, and I haven't the heart to tell him that I want to give up the job. It is to frustraiting. The mod its self is good, but the AI's need help.

Any one care to take on the task?

Arkcon · #5 July 20th, 2003, 01:21 AM

Neutrals are prevented from warping out of the system. Try it and see. Start a game, put your player on computer control (turn the AI on first), and put a neutral under your control. You can't warp, the orders get cleared. If a ship gets sent to another system by an event, or you trade for a ship with the AI -- it can't leave that system.

[ July 19, 2003, 12:50: Message edited by: Arkcon ]

Rollo · #6 July 20th, 2003, 01:59 AM

To make the AI explore do the following:
1) Make a design for a scout ship (extra supplies and/or solar collectors). Use Design Type := Attack Base for that.
2) Add entries to vehicle construction for the Attack Base. Early entries in Exploration, Infrastructure and Defend (Short Term). Something like:
Entry 2 Type := Attack Base
Entry 2 Planet Per Item := 100 to 200
Entry 2 Must Have At Least := 1 or 2

The AI does not use Attack Bases in fleets. Instead it sends them out alone. So they fullfil the role as scouts quite well.

Hope that helps,
Rollo

[ July 19, 2003, 13:00: Message edited by: Rollo ]

Q · #7 July 19th, 2003, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Arkcon:
Neutrals are prevented from warping out of the system. Try it and see. Start a game, put your player on computer control (turn the AI on first), and put a neutral under your control. You can't warp, the orders get cleared. If a ship gets sent to another system by an event, or you trade for a ship with the AI -- it can't leave that system.

That seems to be correct. I can't explain then what I did see other than to be a random effect, although this is extremely improbable! Not my day today.