The Maddening Multiplex

[Q]

Jim I tested the multiplex in the simulator (SE IV Gold Version 1.67) and it worked as it should: my huge ship with multiplex V destroyed five attacking light cruiser in one single combat turn.

[CW]

Yea Jim, I've seen that often enough and there is no fix yet. Q, multiplex works when you are doing the shooting, but I've never seen the AI shooting at 5 targets in one turn, even if it has the weapons remaining.

[Lisif Deoral]

I think the problem might be related to the fact that bases cannot move... Am I wrong or ships move before changing targets?

[Marvin Kosh]

You know what it is? Damn those weapons technicians, but after scoring a crippling hit on a ship, they get out of their chairs and do their silly victory dance for the rest of the combat turn

[DirectorTsaarx]

Originally posted by Lisif Deoral:
I think the problem might be related to the fact that bases cannot move... Am I wrong or ships move before changing targets?

Maybe; although I've also seen the AI fire at multiple targets without moving in between. Of course, in that case it was a mostly seeker-armed ship with a couple beam weapons, and it launched a couple missiles at the largest ship, then fired it's two beam weapons at the closest ship, and finally launched the rest of it's missiles at the largest ship again. So maybe that makes a difference.

On the other hand, I do know that my Point-Defense cannons change "targets" only after moving. For instance, one of my dedicated point-defense ships will destroy all missiles in a given square, then move one space, then fire at the missiles in another square.

[Taera]

Hmm.
From my own testings i can say that usualy the AI calculates the damage from the weapons requied to kill the target(lightcruiser = 400), then adds a little from itself. Then the remaining weapons go on the rest if possible.

I do not know how accurate is that but what i've tried was base with large repulsers. I did count the damage from the repulsers, it skipped just enough to kill the ship IF it was actually damaging weapon.

I dont know though. I think this should be realy looked upon by Aaron because it makes largest ships pretty useless when swarmed by smaller ships.

[jim]

Am I right, then, that this phenomenon is a bug?

It seems worse for planet WP stacks and Bases, almost as bad for BaseShips.

Does it affect only non-Gold games?

(So far, I ignore it, and accept as just another handicap that I conceded to the AI - along with high difficulty, high bonus, no Intel, no Mines, don't use Training, and put the AI(s) ahead of me in the Player #. BTW, can anyone recommend a non-Gold AI that I will get a game with, 1-on-1 under those conditions? Small, Medium, Large, or Huge galaxy, 2K-3K-5K, I don't care. Intel led to easy wins, as did mines, as did Stellar Manipulation, as did Training - so I disable all but the Last, leaving it because some AIs do use Training.)