Question to the other Mod Makers out there...

[Talenn]

Tampa_Gamer:

I let it use the default (or at least my modified default, but I had made no changes to anything fighter-related to that point).

Another thing that struck me as odd is that when I took over for the AI for the Amonkrie (test race) about partway through the game I noticed that it redesigned the 'Attack Fighter' every 4-8 turns regardless of whether new components were available or not. It also did not obsolete earlier Version (although identical) so it had about 12 different classes of 'Attack Fighter' on its design sheet. I havent had time to go back in and check whether or not it was building a mix of them or what.

This is very bizarre behavior and I'm beginning to think that you are correct in that its looking harder and harder to produce a 'tight' mod as you say. We'll have to do some more digging to see how it pans out. Keep me posted if you will.

Thanx,
Talenn

[Baron Munchausen]

Actually, the AI does obsolete it's old designs. It does not use the HIDE OBSOLETE button, though. So when you poke your nose in to see what its doing, you'll see all the old designs.

I agree that the AI redesigns far too often, apparently for no reason. It's weird. I guess there are basic routines that get called every time the AI for a particular race runs.

Also, there seems to be a hard-coded set of design types for the AI. YOU can create every type of ship that you want: Scout ships, Remote mining ships, etc... but the AI only understands the design types that the game comes with. Attack Ship, Defense Ship, etc. I tried to create a "Repair base" type to put repair bays over at least some AI shipyards. It would not accept this type. So, I changed the type to "Space Yard Base" and just used the NAME "Repair base" and it accepts that.

BTW, I wonder why "Defense ship" was not in the default AI designs file? I added it and it does make the AI smarter about defending itself. Hmm....

[This message has been edited by Baron Munchausen (edited 15 December 2000).]

[Tampa_Gamer]

Baron - thanks for the input, a couple of follow-up questions to your post:

(1) So the "DefaultDesignTypes" file in the \Data folder is just for us to modify OUR different design types?

(2) If you changed the name to "Repair Base" do you then place calls to (A) "Repair Base" in your "AI_Construction_Vehicles" file, or do you place a call to (B) "Space Yard Base"? If it is (B), then how would the AI differentiate between the different "Space Yard Base" designs in the design file?

Thanks

[Talenn]

No, in this case it was not obsoleting them. I know to check the 'hide obsolete' box when I take over an AI player to see what it has.

And the only time I've seen it design dupe ships with no components was on this new 'attack fighter' design spec I made which was giving it all kinds of hissy fits in the Construction Queue.

Talenn

[Baron Munchausen]

quote:

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Originally posted by Tampa_Gamer:
Baron - thanks for the input, a couple of follow-up questions to your post:

(1) So the "DefaultDesignTypes" file in the \Data folder is just for us to modify OUR different design types?

(2) If you changed the name to "Repair Base" do you then place calls to (A) "Repair Base" in your "AI_Construction_Vehicles" file, or do you place a call to (B) "Space Yard Base"? If it is (B), then how would the AI differentiate between the different "Space Yard Base" designs in the design file?

Thanks

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1) Apparently, yes. This is not so surprising if you think about it. The AI has to "think" in predetermined ways, it cannot necessarily look at a ship and judge what it's good for like a human can. So, the actual definition of the ship has to tell the AI what it is for somehow. Colony types are also apparently hard coded in the game, although I have been able to alter those in the AI files without error Messages. Dunno if that means the AI can understand what I've done or just means that there is no error message for the problems I've caused.

2) Apparently it picks and chooses for itself among the various "names" of a given design type. For my first changes to the AI files, I designed 'regular' weapons platforms with primarily direct-fire weapons and 'missile' platforms with primarily missile weapons but did not alter the vehicle construction file. One type was still called Weapons Platform, the other was called Missile Platform. Yet it has been consistently building both types for a long time now through many revisions. It's not predictable that there will be exactly as many of each type on a given world, so I don't know how it chooses. Sometimes a given AI race will build almost all one type, or almost all the other, or a nearly balanced mix. <shrug>

[Talenn]

Baron:

Yes, the description of your 'Weapons Platforms' seem to match exactly what I've been seeing with the 'Attack Fighters' I designed. The Construction_Queue is unaltered, but the AI is building an unpredictable mix of regular fighters and the new attack fighter design.

I guess its better than nothing, but I was hoping for a bit more contol in deciding what a specific AI will build. Maybe next time.

Talenn