Balance Mod Available for SE:V - Page 13

Captain Kwok · #**121** October 23rd, 2006, 12:05 AM

Some good news that I'm seeing in one of my AI test games. They are now building some of the new design types (like Supply and PD ships) and even sticking them in fleets. There also utilizing units more along with BSYs and defense bases. On the downside, still having trouble getting them to build "excess" ships (ie more than 10) though even when they have a nice positive resource balance.

Raapys · #**122** October 23rd, 2006, 08:18 AM

What's the deciding factor for how many ships they'll build anyway? Number of planets, or just resources? I'm wondering if it's actually useful for the AI to build bases, though. Perhaps those resources be better spent in units/ships.

I've never actually encountered AI Satellites so far: Do they place them tactically to guard the waypoints or are they just randomly placed( i.e. only on one side of the warp point so anyone can escape out the other side )?

Captain Kwok · #**123** October 23rd, 2006, 08:26 AM

They weren't building too many satellites before, but in the updated version they'll build them and actually drop some off at WPs if they've built a sat layer.

I'm not sure what the issue is in my test games, I have trouble getting the AI to build more than 10 ships - but I see Devnullicus has a game going where most AIs have 20 or so ships with less resources...

Anyway I've sent off an e-mail to Aaron asking for him to elaborate on such matters.

Raapys · #**124** October 23rd, 2006, 08:48 AM

http://img99.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sev3ha8.jpg

That's 40'ish turns in with max AI bonus and 'colonize breathable planets only'. Doesn't look like resources actually have much/anything to say about how many ships and units they build: the one with the highest resource score doesn't have the most ships/units. Notice how none of them( including me *_*) have built intelligence thingies, and few of them bother increasing research much.

Captain Kwok · #**125** October 23rd, 2006, 10:19 AM

The number of planets colonized isn't sufficient enough to ensure the AI will likely have a colony of each type. I plan on adding some extra lines for the AI to look at the available space and with resource-poor breathables to build a mix of non-resource facilities instead.

Anyway it's good to see that they are building larger numbers of ships in other people's games. I will have to double check to see if it's a setup issue on my end.

Raapys · #**126** October 23rd, 2006, 10:56 AM

The problems are mostly that he falls way too far behind regarding research, making my ships be worth several of his, and the way he suddenly stops expanding. Perhaps force the AI to have at least one colony ship and two active scouts at all times, if that's possible?

Just noticed some rather major problems:

As far as I can tell, *none* of the "Mining Colony", "Farming Colony" etc. types actually include a Resupply depot! The AI has filled up a breathable Mining Colony with 19 mining facilities and 1 space port. No wonder he can't expand, his homeworld is the only supply base! Obviously all the colony types should include at least 1 Resupply depot, and possibly a space yard if enough space?

Also, there's a *ton* of units on all the AIs homeworlds: weapon platforms, troops and fighters. Waste of resources I'd say, would be far better to use them defending the system and warp points, instead of just one planet.

Captain Kwok · #**127** October 23rd, 2006, 11:20 AM

Most of those changes have been made in v0.92 that I've been working on. Resupply Depots are now the second facility after Spaceports to be built in a new system. Although this doesn't appear as the only hiccup for expansion, but it does seem to help somewhat. Another area of code calls for the reduction of explorer ships when new races are encountered - which might be a second hiccup. The AI in v0.92 is also launching fighters into space (believe it or not, there is no code for this function in stock) and satellites as well. If the AI does decide to build troop transports it will add them to fleets and if it makes sat layers it will place sats at WPs that lead to unknown or enemy systems.

Re: Research, I know the paths are not optimized but there is also some randomness involved - the AI will be big on research if it just happens to a colonize a big breathable planet that is resource poor and already has less than 10% of its total colonies as research colonies.

In SE:IV it was easy to specify numbers and types of ships that AI should have for the number of colonies it had etc. Now it's a lot less obvious with "priority" values attached to a design type and other factors that are not exactly clear.

Captain Kwok · #**128** October 23rd, 2006, 11:38 AM

Good news! I was running through the calculations on paper and figured out what my problem was on the ship construction front in the v0.92 update. It turns out I had changed one of the base values in the wrong direction and that is what was capping the number of AI ships in my test games. Anyhow I'm going to build a spreadhsheet at lunch to facilitate new values and I'm fairly confident that I can get the AI building ships in greater numbers and in greater diversity - which will certainly help with expansion. Unfortunately I'm stuck at work so I won't be able to test it out until later.

Raapys · #**129** October 23rd, 2006, 11:55 AM

That's great! At the very least it can make the AI much harder when given bonuses, and in general create a more interesting game with the bigger variety of ships and units.

Might want to consider putting Supply Depot as the first facility? Since spaceports take 5 turns, that means a total of 8 turns before the AI gets supplies in that system, as opposed to 3 turns if the Depot is prioritized. Spaceport is probably less urgent since the colony will probably be too busy building facilities to construct ships the first few turns.

Satellites at warp points will be great. Does the computer have any way of placing them optimally, though? I've noticed that's a big issue in SE V: unless the Satellites are placed all around the warp point in the sector view, just about anything can get through and run away.

Is the AI prevented from agreeing to / proposing no-research and expansion-hindering pacts in 0.92? I've noticed alot of the AIs in my games have such pacts, which obviously is rather silly considering there's already enough AI problems: we don't need AIs that purposely wont do any research or colonize new systems because of a pact.

Tim_Ward · #**130** October 23rd, 2006, 12:00 PM

Quote:

Since spaceports take 5 turns, that means a total of 8 turns before the AI gets supplies in that system, as opposed to 3 turns if the Depot is prioritized. Spaceport is probably less urgent since the colony will probably be too busy building facilities to construct ships the first few turns.

That's space yards.

Quote:

Is the AI prevented from agreeing to / proposing no-research and expansion-hindering pacts in 0.92? I've noticed alot of the AIs in my games have such pacts, which obviously is rather silly considering there's already enough AI problems: we don't need AIs that purposely wont do any research or colonize new systems because of a pact.

Also remove the no bombardment option, until the AI is able to use troops effectively.