Slow down exploration speed in AICampaign/PROPORTIONS

[oleg]

I looked again on the proposed game specifications (poor homeworld, no AI bonus) and I have some doubts that any AI will not go bankrupt.

IT is very difficult to make AI for Proportions.
In a normal game all planets are more or less equal. If you have 10 planets, you are about 10 times better off than a guy with just 1 planet. Accordingly, AI files use "planet per item" as a rule. There is a resonably well operating AI feedback loop - more planets you have, more resources you produce, more ships you can afford. Thus, a good written "normal" AI can operate in a wide variety of settings - 3 planet start - no problems, expand 3 times faster, have 3 times more ship. High AI bonus - fine ! more planets, more ships.

The Proportions' situation is completely different. Guy with 10 colonies + homeworld does not have 10 times more resources than the guy with one homeworld. With luck, it would be just 50% more ! Hence - "planet per item" is inoperable for Proportions' AI. All Proportions' AI construction_vehicles.txt work mainly by "must have" option. As a result, there is almost no feedback and Proportions' AI are very inflexible Change AI bonus to high - it still build almost the same number of ships. AI programmer must have some specific game set in mind up when tweaking AI. For example I target one homeworld, low bonus/non bonus set-up. AI should not overspend resources but must provide a challange with low-bonus. Obviously, medium/high bonuses are nice but in fact AI will underperform, it could be made much more frightening

Now, I do not know how it will work with poor/no-bonus start. You may have to reduce all "must have" numbers by third. Just keep in mind this dumbed down AI will be a pushover in normal games ! Alternatively, You may still use low AI bonus. I do not think AI will kill you giving its poor homeworld

[ March 07, 2003, 13:39: Message edited by: oleg ]