Explanation of AI State??

[JLS]

Originally posted by Mephisto:

Exploration is the state until the AI meets another race. Then it will nearly never return to it IIRC (it will return to it for example if you cut all warp points between the AI and all other races).

(1): If the warp points are cut for any reason, or the AI has no Planets left Colonize able or not, and there is no other Players to consider an aggressive posture with (irregardless of any and all AI anger or Political files).

Then the AI will go into the Not Connected State.

After it opens a warp and only after the scout records a Planet; then it will switch to the Infrastructure State . If after the planets are colonized and (1) becomes true again then the AI will revert back to a Not Connected State .

Note: This is why it important to set up your Colonizer Builds in BOTH the AI Infrastructure State and the Not Connected State to a doable entry for the AI in the Vehicle Build file.
For example if you have minimums Planets set to high in Infrastructure and Not Connected State. With a few or a many set in the at least, and your AI just switched from Not Connected to Infrastructure, and you already have a few of the wrong type Colony ships Orbiting the Home world, your AI may get STUCK.

Not Connected MUST have at least this:

Entry x Type ~~~~~~~~~~~:= Colonizer
Entry x Planet Per Item ~~~~:= 30 (20 is good for gas races)
Entry x Must Have At Least~~:= 0

This way when the AI switches too or back to Not Connected AI state, there is a good chance it will order the appropriate colonizer to be built.
~

Infrastructure Colonizer Types; 60 gas to 80 for Rock Race over 1 is fine. 2 if you want and think you can afford aggressive Colonization, for Must Have At Least entry.

~

The AI will only return to the Exploration AI State and that would be from the AI Defend Short Term State if after (five turns):
There is no longer an enemy in or enemy nearby its clamed territory and there is still systems nearby to explore.

The 5 turns for the Defend Short term; is there to help Prevent the AI from going into a Premature and expensive Solid Defense State.

If as a Human Player, you may think you can exploit this in Proportions or AIC, you cannot… If you hang around the AIs systems with out a Treaty, the AI will continue to build ships and Bases at a reduced PPI and advantages MHAL # until it sends you right back to your Home System, with that AI in close pursuit.

This is why in some games, the AI has a very large Ship Count, it is from the AI inter-reactions.

In addition, the More ships the AI builds the Higher is its score the more vulnerable you become.

In the end it is very hard to predict to what state the AI will switch.

This is so true.

If you are really trying to follow up on the AI states, try to do this.

Have all your AI State programming avenues set up in your Vehicle Construction File.

Then have the first AI state build one BSY or what ever.
The next 2 BSY
etc. But differant BSY amounts for each AI State.

By counting the BSY being added to the Construction queue, during your supervised AI test game; you will know precisely, what State the AI just switched to.

This, works for me

It was planned that the AI would build up for an attack but as it seems it never really worked.

This is a little debatable, Mephisto.

The AI goes into the Prepare Attack State ok and will amass the Ships you programmed for it to have with the (at least of) and the (the Per Planet count) in your AI vehicle Construction File. (Resource reserves Considered of coarse) .

However, agreed. The AI backs out of the Attack State sometimes way to cautiously, and this is caused most the time of some other event. (For example: That or another player entered its space, triggering Defend Short Term considerations.)

Either way, if the AI does not comply with its original Attack Plans it has just increased its Ship Count by the settings the AI designer considered the AI could afford. With all the benefits, that this implies. Diplomacy, and the newfound localized supremacy options this AI now has for an Incursion State change, until the time that you set in the Race_AI_Settings (((Turns to Wait until next attack := 6))) passes where this AI may start back into Prepare to Attack State, to try the process again and again, until it works or it is distracted by a further prioity...


Aaron was brilliant the way he set this up

[ June 06, 2003, 07:08: Message edited by: JLS ]