AI Campaign => For a Challenging AI opponent

[JLS]

Originally posted by desdinova:
again with auto upgrade, the sg1 when is upgraded to sg2+ it says i have gone over the limit for the size of the ship by 10kt for every sg1 upgraded. just to avoid this problem i would suggest making the sg1 40kt just like the other shield generators. i have already done this with the games i am playing, but i am not sure if others have experienced this problem. i may be the only one who just hits upgrade and does not design upgrades from scratch for all i know, or others may not bother with lvl 1 shields.

I like your idea on standardizing the Shield KT thru out.

Maybe 30kt for ALL standard Shield Generators
Phased - Shield Generators; stay at 40kt.
Regenerating Shield Generator; stay 45kt.

What do you think?

[Desdinova]

i like that idea
so now for the annoying question. when is the update coming out, hunh, hunh, gotta have the update. come on, hurry up with the update already (in a nasal whiney voice).

[JLS]

Originally posted by desdinova:
i like that idea
so now for the annoying question. when is the update coming out, hunh, hunh, gotta have the update. come on, hurry up with the update already (in a nasal whiney voice).

I will have most of the list done; for this Friday. This will include most of the Finite Tweaks for the AI’s.
EDIT: friday March 28, 2003.

However, PTF and I may not be ready with the; AI HW Resource Re-facilitating; in Finite Balanceing, by then though. But we plan at chipping away at that, this week

John


[ March 22, 2003, 21:25: Message edited by: JLS ]

[JLS]

AI Campaign UPDATE 2.02
~(coming soon)~
==============
With extra Hours on the Job for most of us, and the distractions due to war in Iraq; testing was delayed .

Expected release date will be; this Friday, April 4th 2003.
~

Major rework for the AI in Finite. AI tests out fine for AIC Version 2.02. The AI will go thru a major resource re-facilitating much later in the game now.
I slowed the AI players starting progress a little to give the Human Player a little edge if they are close and to colonize a midway planet before the AI.
Fighters have been revised to the majority of players input.
Base Yard tech has been lowered 50%; as to accelerate your first Base Yard upgrade.
OutPosts, Stations and Domes no longer need a Sat Bridge. They now have a small weapon built in, as to encourage the unfriendly AI's to pick them off.

John


[ April 05, 2003, 04:11: Message edited by: JLS ]

[JLS]

AI Campaign UPDATE 2.02
==================

Included with Upgrade:

Slowed AI Players starting progress.
Large Star Liner added room for Solar Collectors :~ Thanks, Desdinova.
Temporal BSY Tree :~Thanks desdinova
Mining Complex same family upgrade from a mining Colony Facility : ~Thanks, GLV.
Fast Colonizers : ~Thanks GLV
Temporal Base Yards adjusted : ~Thanks GLV.
Space Yard Tech: Early Tech cost lowered: ~Thanks LAN,PTF.
Revised Mining OutPosts and Organic Domes. : ~Thanks LAN
Improved Combat to-hit Sats : ~Thanks LAN
Improved Fighter weapons : ~Thanks LAN
Reduced AI Mega Evil : ~Thanks Oleg
Improved Fighter Shields : ~Thanks Oleg
Turreted Cannons lowered and only targets Fighters now :~ Thanks, Oleg
AI Tweaks (No Warp Games & Finite) :~ Many thanks to PsychoTechFreak for Time, Effort and Help with SE4batch tester.
Major Balance Tweaks for Finite play :~Thanks PsychoTechFreak,GLV,LAN
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DOWNLOADS

AIC Version 2.02 files only . (size 224kb)Updates ALL AIC Versions. (Will break existing games)

~

Note: PATCH v2.02p (size 225kb) is for v2.01 only.
The top line in the Components File should read AIC v2.01, and not followed by a p; see example below
~
If you just patched the original release (check top line in the Components File AIC v2.01p) , then this patch may break current game in progress.
With either patch, when your game is finished it is recommended you update AI Campaign with the AIC Version 2.02 files only download. (size 224kb)

Enjoy

John


[ April 05, 2003, 15:55: Message edited by: JLS ]

[PsychoTechFreak]

Space Yard Tech: Early Tech cost lowered: ~Thanks LAN,PTF.

Errr, planet yards need to be improved, that's what I was complaining about, not Spacestation yards. The first facility on a planet has to be a yard, because you have downgraded the population modifiers extremely against proportions modifiers. But it still takes about 45 turns until you get the first small production rate bonus from the planet yard.
Another observation: Race setup has repair ability of 80%, 2 orbital SYs over the homeplanet (planet yard with "can repair 1 component per turn", usually works with 80% also...). I upgraded both orbital SYs in the same turn, but they get no repairs in the following turns -> scrrrrraaaaappppp !

[JLS]

Planet Space Yards Facilities have the same Production as base se4 and most mods plus AIC Yards come with a Resupply depot, which comes in handy when you need to retrofit engines at a Colony as well as free up a space for another facility.

In regards to Pop Modifiers as it relates to SY productions you get your first bonus with about a population of 5 or 6; then it scales upward from there. Basically not as liberal as base se4 but much less constringent then some other mods.
This should represent the time it takes to settle a Colony when under pop, however we encourage the employment of Starliners to transport Population to 5 or 10 or even more pop for a good planet. Starliners are the key to bring the Population levels up. Please refer to the AIC readme file.
Starliners are very inexpensive, quick to build and do this Pop Transportation task rather well.
~
In regards to repair; On Base Repair Components are unchanged from base se4… However BSY's and Yard Facility was set to 1 from 3 repair per Yard do to the fact that this mod enjoys Plate armor and most may no longer need to repair several armor Components, on any single ship, as in base se4

I suggest for those who choose to lower there repair characteristics for the benefit of others or choose a culture that has a poor repair ability but better in others; then Repair Base Station that repairs 9 components per turn may be a good course of action also one that should be considered prior to a major retro-fits, in any case

Their is also a System Maintenance Facility that repairs 6 components and that affords a 5% maintenance bonus for that system.

John


[ April 08, 2003, 15:52: Message edited by: JLS ]

[Desdinova]

base spaceyards. thanks for seperating the temporal from the regular ones.
i realize this is probably going to be considered a cheat but if you take a battlestation and put 1 spaceyard and 3 repair units the maintenance cost actually becomes a negative amount. i use three repair units since they can repair 1 ship in 1 turn in most cases. discovered when i started running out of minerals that mtc cost negative. if you put on 2 or less repair units the mtc is positive. i have not actually checked to see if the negative amount is added back into reserves or not though.

edit starliners: can you make them small, medium, and large? basically add a larger one that can carry 3 million people. i have started using the large transport and that actually lets me carry 3 million people and gives better movement, upto 9 spaces as opposed to 4 with lrg starliner and quantum engines and gravitic drive. also may want to make population life support max of 3 instead of 2 as the large xport requires 3 ls thus i am using 2 pop ls and 1 normal ls.

edit 2: forgot which component, not a home, family is 19, one of them is misnumbered as family 17 at around level 6 iirc.

[ April 08, 2003, 03:11: Message edited by: desdinova ]

[JLS]

Originally posted by desdinova:

base spaceyards. thanks for seperating the temporal from the regular ones.
i realize this is probably going to be considered a cheat but if you take a battlestation and put 1 spaceyard and 3 repair units the maintenance cost actually becomes a negative amount. i use three repair units since they can repair 1 ship in 1 turn in most cases. discovered when i started running out of minerals that mtc cost negative. if you put on 2 or less repair units the mtc is positive. i have not actually checked to see if the negative amount is added back into reserves or not though.

Thanks, the modifier on the repair bays will be removed and I will reduce their cost appropriately.

This will also reduce the building time for a Base Repair Stations, substantially

PTF, has a good point in respects to lowered Repair Char. This will be a fair resolution to his post.
~

starliners: can you allow them small, medium, and large? basically add a larger one that can carry 3 million people. i have started using the large transport and that actually lets me carry 3 million people and gives better movement, upto 9 spaces as opposed to 4 with lrg starliner and quantum engines and gravitic drive.

Raising Star Liner Cargo Storage may allow hauling cargo to the front too inexpensive.
All Transports at the right Cargo Tech, may already make for fast Transportation of Population and Equipment, as you illustrated above.
=
Thanks Desdinova, this feedback is greatly appreciated, the changes will be made.

[ April 08, 2003, 21:41: Message edited by: JLS ]

[Desdinova]

at home now. the component is ECM XII should be family 19 but is listed as family 17.

edit. found out why mtc cost is a negative.
crystalline rstructuring plant at lvl 6. -30%
starbase is listed as -50% but is discounted -75%
repair bays are -5% each and i have 3 of them.
racial bonus of 10% on mtc costs.

i think if you were to change the mtc cost of the starbase itself instead of dropping the ability from the repairbays it would be better. i would think that the repair bays would help reduce mtc costs.

[ April 08, 2003, 19:50: Message edited by: desdinova ]