Note from MM - AI MODDERS MUST READ THIS

[Zarix]

I've got few more things to add.

1. Default strategy in AI_DesignCreation doesn't allways work. I.e. cargo ships have Don't Get Hurt strategy in DesignCreation but AI uses Optimal Firing Range. Kamikaze ships should work with Ram strategy because it AI uses Defaut_AI_Stategies not Default_Strategies but there seems to be a problem on it too.

2. Another way to make unit building better is to make AI keep certain amount of units stored in planets. So if a mine layer picks up few of them AI would build more.

3. There should be an option to make AI build monolithic facilities instead of miners, farms and extraction facilities.

4. AI should use Planet Value Improvement Plants and scrap them when planet value is maxed out.

[Emperor Zodd]

If we can design ships and test them in the combat simulator,why can't the AI do the same?! They should go through different combinations of designs with available components and use the one that works best against their known enemy designs! This can be programmed and added to the code. The AI won't be stuck with the same designs,they would evolve to counter their evolving enemy designs! Wouldn't that be great!

[ColdSteel]

The AI routines dealing with black holes and warp points needs to be tweaked some. The AI keeps thowing away ships and fleets this way. I just watched about 20 ships go down the old toilet bowl in a black hole system. Maybe the AI can just mark or flag these as systems to avoid if it loses X number of ships in a system to non-hostile means?

Overall, this can have a big impact on the game because some races can never keep any of the ships they build. They seem to throw them away as fast as they can build them.

[Emperor Zodd]

I lowered the damage done by unstable warp points from 200 to 50. That helps the AI in the mean time.

[This message has been edited by Emperor Zodd (edited 13 January 2001).]

[Courageous]

The AI needs to concentrate forces more
strongly vice its intended targets.

C//

[Emperor Zodd]

In tactical combat I always get the first shot in. The AI needs to try and do this itself. It can be the deciding factor for who wins the battle.

[This message has been edited by Emperor Zodd (edited 13 January 2001).]

[Tomgs]

The racial traits, for example Physical Strength, in the general.txt files in the races folders does not seem to allow a value below 100. The player can do this for his race creation and an .emp file could be created using this method but the races cannot be modified to accept this in the general.txt files.