Want a challenge in SEIV?

[Taqwus]

Also, in a clustered quadrant (255 systems, clusters, not all warp points connected), the AIs still don't appear to be creating warp points even 'tho I *know* they have the resources and the technology to do so.

It's well over turn 300, my travelling fleet has seen enemy DNs with pretty much maximum combat tech backed by numerous planets... and not one warp point creator among them.

As it is, I'd say that to make it harder, you want the highest connectivity possible -- partly because of the SM issue, but mostly because a person can adapt to the low connectivity and can maximize resource production, research and intelligence while the AIs still go for combat techs that'll be long obsolete by the time of first contact, and won't help nearly as much as, say, Monolith IIIs in the long run.

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-- The thing that goes bump in the night

[Nitram Draw]

Yep, I haven't seen the AI do much with the SM techs either. I turn it off when it is just me and the AI. In a hot seat it gets tricky but the AI is again at a serious disadvantage.
The only solution I have come up with is to make the SM items VERY expensive and the components VERY large. It helps for a while in my hotseat games.