Space Empires 2 and warp point defense

DirectorTsaarx · #1 September 12th, 2002, 05:05 PM

Someone mentioned SE2 in the rebate thread, and that reminded me that the AI had some good tactics back then that seem to be missing now. Specifically, the AI used to defend warp points (the neutral AI's were especially good at this). I remember warping into a new system and finding dozens of dreadnoughts waiting to rip my little ships to shreds... whatever happened to that tactic? The AI almost never defends warppoints anymore, except occasionally with mines (and not always very many of those).

Or do the TDM races do a better job of this?

Atraikius · #2 September 12th, 2002, 06:02 PM

I've seen the AI use both mines and satellites on warp points, with some TDM races using close to 100 of each.

Growltigga · #3 September 12th, 2002, 06:23 PM

I too have seen TDM races really whop mines and sats on warp points, but what they dont do is station fleets over them or build bases on them like players do.

Is there anyway this could be changed?

Tezzezar · #4 September 12th, 2002, 07:18 PM

Yeah, I remember that too.

Mines are effective early game but just a nuisance later on. I'd really like to see the AI's do a better jobe of warphole defense as well.

Then again, the reason I play against humans so oftern is that really good AI's are hard to come by.

T-

Sinapus · #5 September 12th, 2002, 09:03 PM

Mines can become effective again if you raise the numbers high enough.

(360 in my current games. 200 for satellites.)

(And AIs like the Pyrochettes do build up some very nasty minefields...)

Tezzezar · #6 September 12th, 2002, 09:22 PM

Ugh. Their annoying enough.

Good point though.

Ragnarok · #7 September 12th, 2002, 10:04 PM

Yeah, I wish the AI acted like it did in SE2. With the WP defense it had back then. Not only did they sit like ALOT of dreads on the WPs but they also built like ALOT more starbases. You would seriously have to have a fleet of 100 ships or more to punch your way through. And that figure is only if there were like 80 total ships on the WP. If they had 150 (I've seen it done) on the WP you'd have to have close to 200 ships be able to win. It was great, and it'd be awesome if someone could make it like that in SEIV.

Mephisto · #8 September 13th, 2002, 01:36 AM

Unfortunately, in SE4 there is no way to teach the Ai to defend warp points with fleets.

Rollo · #9 September 13th, 2002, 01:47 AM

Yeah, not with modding. But Aaron could teach them. The AI is supposed to use some percentage of its fleets for defense. These fleets could guard warp points between 'secure' systems and contested systems or try to cut of enemy reinforcements to contested systems. This would be a step towards a better strategic behavoir of the AI.

Rollo

DirectorTsaarx · #10 September 13th, 2002, 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Rollo:
Yeah, not with modding. But Aaron could teach them. The AI is supposed to use some percentage of its fleets for defense. These fleets could guard warp points between 'secure' systems and contested systems or try to cut of enemy reinforcements to contested systems. This would be a step towards a better strategic behavoir of the AI.

Rollo

Makes you wonder if Aaron specifically chose not to set the AI up to defend warp points in SE4. Maybe it was an issue of balancing planetary defense and warp point defense.

I'd also like to see the AI build bases in "uninhabited" systems, i.e. build bases in asteroid field systems, nebulas, etc. As long as it knew enough not to build in a black hole system

But the AI has never been good at that, not even in SE2 or SE3 (at least not that I recall).