Thoughts behind mounts

[Chris Woods]

After playing around making a few modded mounts that are better in a balance prespective, I've found that the AI will religiously put the largest possible mount it can, assuming that the size will increace the damage sufficently.

This is annoying, as I want mounts that are tactical rather than simply "better by default".

Poking around in the AI design files has made me come to beleive that there is no way to specify to the AI either a ratio of different mounts to use or a "maximum mount" on specific designs.

Does anyone who knows more about the AI files (which is basically everyone ) have any suggestions as to how I might be able to have more control over the way the AI uses mounts, or are we stuck with a system where the AI will blindly assume that the bigger mounts always yield better results?

Chris Woods

[Fyron]

The AI uses the Last mount in the list that is available to that size of vehicle, period. All you can do is put the most general mount Last, so the AIs will use it.

[ March 20, 2003, 04:48: Message edited by: Imperator Fyron ]

[Taera]

size requirements can be exploited here you know

[Chris Woods]

So, correct me if I'm wrong in assuming I could do the following:

1> Create multiple entries for each mount with respect to both the min and max vehicle size. (ie, the same mount, but an entry for vehicle sizes 150-250, 300-500, etc.) -- this should be invisible to the player so that he or she only sees one "large mount" option per ship design.

2> Order them in such a way that the AI only uses the larger stylized mounts when it seems halfway appropriate to integrate them.

3> Finally, the mounts can't be too specific else the AI ships will all have obvious weaknesses based completly upon the size of the ship. (ie- all "battlecruiser" AI ships will use "large ER mounts" which will get cut to peices by small, fast ships.)

---

Ok, so thats a challenge. And it raises another question:

Can I control the AI to use mixed arms? ie- make fleets consisting of ratios, like "1 Battlecruiser to 2 Destroyer to 2 Escort"? That would give me enough flexability to make the AI use mixed mounts that would (hopefully) make for much more intresting tactical combat.

Any help here greatly appreciated. Taking this AI apart isn't easy.

Chris Woods

[Taera]

AI just rounds random ships into fleets. Thats it.

[Baron Munchausen]

Yes, the AI offers no way to control how a fleet is put together. You can manage to make it build a mix of different sizes of ships with the constructon file, but after that it's pot-luck as to what ships get put into what fleet(s).

This is another improvement we'd like to see in either SE IV or SE V.

[ March 20, 2003, 17:46: Message edited by: Baron Munchausen ]

[gregebowman]

Atrocities mentioned it earlier, but there are a couple of mount mods out there. Since I can't access my files anymore until I get the chance to re-download everything, I don't remember the names. But they should be in the mods download area. There was a couple I was using (not in the same game, however), but I don't remember the names. But I know one of them would reduce the size of the mount the higher you got in your research. But you had to research a bunch of stuff, like physics, engines, armor, and maybe a half a dozen more areas. You might want to check out that mod.