AI+Minefield/AI+Black Hole=Disaster (longish)

[Emperor Zodd]

I still have unstable WP's, but I lowered the damage from 200 to 50 instesd of disabeling them completely.

[UmberGryphon]

quote:

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Originally posted by jpinard:
Gryphon, anything else you do?

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I'm currently turning off intelligence projects, but I'll have to add that back in if I throw the Darlok mod into the mix. And I turn off the Applied Intelligence tech when I turn off intelligence projects, just so I'm sure the AI doesn't waste any research points on a device they can't use.

In addition to turning off Mines and Applied Intelligence technology, I turn off Computers --because the AI doesn't know how to put master computers on ships, and because the AI puts the planet-based stuff in really stupid places. It has the side effect of costing me a 30% advantage in research, which is good as I get enough of a research edge as it is. (Somebody should make a mod where an AI race builds fewer ships but more research worlds.) Besides, turning off Computers makes levels 4-9 of the resource extraction techs worthwhile (Mineral Scanners get you 10-30% additional minerals from a planet, for example), where before I was just building the automated factories that the Computers tech gives you (which boost generation of all three resources by 10-30%).

I turn off Events, because I don't think the AI knows how to evacuate planets and whatnot.

I turn off neutral empires, because they slow down the expansion of the full-blown AI empires way more than they slow me down.

I turn off gifts and tributes, because it's too easy to make the AIs happy with you if you use them.

I turn off technology trading, because the AIs are way too loose with their tech. When they ask for a trade treaty, counter that you'll give them a trade treaty if they'll give you the most expensive technology they possess (Ice Colonization, for example) and they go for it 99% of the time.

Outside of my one-line mod to turn off strange warp points, and adding in the Mephisto mod and the Xenophobe AI speech hacks, I haven't changed the data files. Although I'll probably add in the Eysk and the Darloks shortly.

I play with both AI settings at max. I've been varying how many AIs I play against, and whether I play in a large or medium galaxy.

Does anyone else have any game settings or minor mods they use to hide the ineptness of the SE4 AI?

[Grognard]

I became conservative when travelling through STABLE warp points into black hole systems.

A colonizer has five movement points. So I never warp into a black hole with less than five movement points remaining. I have never lost a colonizer using this method. Never.

So the AI could become more conservative when warping into a black hole. Ensure the ship has at least five movement points remaining before warping. Have not tested with four movement points or less so cannot say if they would also be 100% effective.

Grognard

[Trachmyr]

Hey just curious, anyone want a mod to add diffrent sizes of blackholes...

Small: Pulls 2 spaces, Lowers shields by 1000
Medium: Pulls 3 spaces, Lowers shields by 3000
Large: Pulls 4 Spaces!, Lowers shields by 5000

Also are modified graphics to depict the diffrent sizes (the one currently in the game is the Large size), as well as the Quadrant and system txt files.

And yes, Large Black holes are rarer than the others, and all black holes do not occur with any more frequency than in the regular game (i.e., Normal game is 5%... this mod is 2% Small, 2% Medium and 1% Large)

As far as the AI goes... they almost never get out of normal black holes, so I doubt it will make too much of a diffrence... and for players... they are much more of an obstacle.

Well, let me know if you want 'em...

[Eisenhans]

Hey UmberGryphon!

Try and modify the planet-type Textfile to get the AI to build more research centers. Maybe start by changing the catchall at the end from mining to research.(There are two catchalls defaulted first is mining second is research, I think. Kill the mining entry and you are there)