AI Modding: I have no clue, please help!

[Rollo]

Originally posted by Q:
It defines how many components of this type are added according to the ship size. In you example of a destroyer (300kT):

Misc Ability 6 Name := Point-Defense
Misc Ability 6 Spaces Per One := 200

would mean that 2 PDC will be added (300 : 200 = 1.5) because it is always rounded up to the next integer.

Therefore your line:

Misc Ability 1 Name := Armor Regeneration
Misc Ability 1 Spaces Per One := 120

will give you 3 organic armors in your destroyer (300 : 120 = 2.5, rounded up to 3).

Because your PDC are at the end of the list I think there is simple not enough space on the ship to include one. I usually add organic armor at the end of the list to fill up the space.

Hope that helps.

'Spaces per one' is NOT always rounded up. It is always rounded down, but with minimum of one.

So, 'Spaces per one' = 200 gives you one on a DS and lower. 2 on LC and CR. 3 on BC, etc.

If you want to make a DS use two compontns, you need to make a value >= 150.

Rollo

[Q]

Sorry for the mistake about rounding. Rollo is correct. It is rounded up only to 1. But if the component is specified as "must have ability" then one more is added even before the calculation of the misc abilities are made.

[Chronon]

Thanks again, Rollo and Q, for the information about "spaces per one." I tried the new numbers yesterday, and things seem to be working well. I think I'll probably add a new entry to DesignCreation.txt for each ship size, so they all come out exactly the way I want them.

BTW, Rollo - May I borrow some things from the United Flora? (I would, of course, give you full credit in the "read me" file.) The Verdurans are also a plant-based life form, and it seems a natural fit. The ship designs, general characteristics (Verdurans are not religious), speech file, and Construction vehicles would all be different. But the planet types and general research path (without the religious tree) would essentially be stolen from your excellent UF AI. If you would rather I not do this, please let me know, and I will attempt to create everything from scratch.

[Rollo]

Yes, feel free to use as much or as little as you want from the UF AI files.

Rollo

[ July 16, 2003, 17:12: Message edited by: Rollo ]

[Chronon]

Great! Borrowing from the United Flora will save me a huge amount of time, and (perhaps more importantly) make the Verduran AI a more worthy opponent for human players. Thanks Rollo, I really do appreciate it.

[Chronon]

I have another question for everyone. I know that tractor beams are only good for larger ships against smaller ships. But what happens in the following situation?

There are two dreadnoughts in a battle, one has a repulsor, the talisman, and a bunch of APBs (strategy: max range), the other has a tractor and a ton of lightning rays (strategy: point blank). Do the repulsor and tractor cancel? Can the DN with the lightning rays close to point blank? Or is the talisman so powerful that it's pointless to consider a counter-strategy?

[narf poit chez BOOM]

test it. you may have come up with a good strategy.