Modding Q--AI DesignCreation

[DirectorTsaarx]

I have an interesting question related to this; my problem isn't getting the AI to build particular items, it's trying to get the AI to DESIGN an item. Details follow:

I had a bright idea to add a Temporal Space Yard for ships (since the Temporal races had special Yard facilities, why not ship-based ones?). Anyway, I thought I should make the new ship-based TSY's bigger than standard SY's. Well, the temporal AI's choked on that, creating space yard bases and space yard ships with no space yards (still trying to figure out why it didn't automatically choose larger ship/base sizes, but I'll leave that for further testing). So, first, I limited the new TSY to bases, then I created two designs for base space yards: one was space station sized, and I added the "Star - Unstable" ability to the standard space yard & tried to use it to force the AI to use standard space yards in the smaller base space yards. The AI never created a design for the smaller yard, even when I finally remembered to use different names for the design. At turn 41, the AI created a design for a starbase-sized base space yard, using the new TSY (and LOTS of shields, armor and PDC - kinda scary, really). Now, calling out names in the Construction file won't help because the design doesn't even exist... or will that force the AI to design the ship? Hmmmm... I'll have to test that...