AI Campaign => For a Challenging AI opponent

[Fyron]

Originally posted by JLS:
Actually, YOUR Formations file is used in AIC if I am not mistaken and it is great. And you are right, as long as the AI has its Formation supplied within

This is what USM is there for.

Regarding DefaultStrategies files the AI in AIC require it own logic for Fighter Attack, Optimal Firing Range and Maximum Weapons Range to a lesser degree others. This is mainly for the Tactical Fighters Priorities and Satellites being shot at by AI ships that pack primarily only missiles and other miscellaneous AI reasons in AIC…

Good to know. Perhaps you should put together a help file detailing all the special considerations to help people that like making their own strategies?

FQM Standard and Deluxe I am licking my chops for this to be ADDED on AIC with your Images, your anomalies, this is outstanding work and I would like to put a few PURE FQM Quadrants in for the Players choose, from the Quadrant menu when starting a new game asap,

I have no objections, as long as credit is given.

I receive at least 2 to 3 E-mails a month to get this in with QBrigid being your biggest fan.

Heheh.

[Grand Lord Vito]

Originally posted by oleg:
I never had a patience to play Non-connected game
What is a reasonable game/race set up to have a warp point opener ASAP ? I still want to have normal tech. cost, 1 medium HW and 2K race though

Oleg our Temporals have the edge here and cluster maps are the best because most of the time you get your own Galaxy of about 8 to 12 Systems.
But you never know what may be lurking in the other cluster so BE PREPARED. I do not open warp points over my Home World. If you do then have at least 1000 to 1500 infantry and a bunch of weapons platforms and Sats. Because if you open the Warp and that should be any AI inner core system YOU CAN COUNT ON LOOSING YOUR HOME WORLD when this happened to me I was unable to recapture it back. Game over I lost.

I like playing Low Bonus in all games but not connected, the AI especially the Science, Engineering and Merchant Races that get Stellar about or sooner then me and then it becomes very interesting on keeping things in check,. This would be up to you if you want a relaxing game if so definitely go with NO AI bonus. Other wise the AI does get dang right rude, I noticed that you and I like to curse at the monitor so pucker up I did when I played the AI with a Low bonus in a no warp game.

[ September 04, 2003, 14:16: Message edited by: Grand Lord Vito ]

[oleg]

Thanks all for advise !
But should I first research other colonization techs and build up my colonies or go strait away to warp opener ?

[PvK]

Originally posted by JLS:
FQM Standard and Deluxe I am licking my chops for this to be ADDED on AIC with your Images, your anomalies, this is outstanding work and I would like to put a few PURE FQM Quadrants in for the Players choose, from the Quadrant menu when starting a new game asap, I receive at least 2 to 3 E-mails a month to get this in with QBrigid being your biggest fan. [/QB]

Hmm. The FQM I've seen tends to create vast quantities of asteroid fields, which the AI can't mine. Something to consider...

In the PBW game Adamant 0006, for instance, FQM is combined with Proportions mod, with the result that human players get practically infinite resources as long as they can build and maintain remote mining bases. The result is enormous fleets, and players complaining about what a chore it is to enter orders for each turn. AI bonus is High, but without remote mining, they are dwarfed.

In the Version of FQM used for that game, even the humans have a hard time navigating some of the systems with all the damaging sector types. I imagine the AI would tend to get rather stuck in them.

PvK

[ September 04, 2003, 18:27: Message edited by: PvK ]

[Fyron]

Adamant 006 uses a really old Version of FQM. Newer Versions have much fewer damaging WPs, which are replaced by those with other random abilities (which present no navigation hazards). Of course, there are still just as many asteroids, but that can be taken care of. Dropping asteroid values down a bunch would eliminate the remote mining bonus to the human player(s), as would eliminating most asteroids.

[ September 04, 2003, 19:43: Message edited by: Imperator Fyron ]

[JLS]

Originally posted by oleg:
Thanks all for advise !
But should I first research other colonization techs and build up my colonies or go strait away to warp opener ?

Oleg I strongly recommend you play with Neutrals included, start with Rock as a suggestion and you are most likely to start with more planets in your Solitary no warp Home System… Consider OFFER TRADE for the other Colonization TECHS as you would in any game with the AI, if you are in a TR with them; they may trade for as little as 20kt of any resource even a Comm. Link or in regards to Neutrals trade your Colonizer tech; even better if it is no use to them

Research Stellar Manipulation ASAP but also research some weapons, fighters and at least Frigates if not Destroyer to PRE defend that NEW warp hole. Mines may be of some value, since it should be around the Sixth to fourteenth year you open your first warp (Depending how Defensive, Offensive or Infrastructure investments in the style of play you may be... If playing a Cluster style Map chances are you having the entire cluster to your self so you should not have to over do defense too much.

GLV is correct; it is best not to open early WARPS over your HW as it may facilitate the AIs invasion. Consider a scrub planet with a few Military Barracks for the cargo space, then pack on the defenses and Open your Warps there

With a Large and to some degree a Medium Cluster Style Map, you should be able to open most if not ALL Systems in your Cluster from Stellar Manipulation (1) certainly SM 2.
However, you will need SM 3 to get to the next Cluster and this is really when you have to be prepared, after all it may be your best friend the evil HIVE in the next Cluster

NOTE AI will have Inter Cluster Warp on average; in a AI no Bonus game (AFAIR):

Science and Engineering races about 8 to 16 Years.
Merchant Races about 15 to 20 Years.
Other Races depend on their Demeanor, the more violant the race the latter it will warp
Some Race are lethargic by nature and may warp when they feel like it (Abbidon for one)
Xenophobic and Neutrals do not open warps at all.

The AI is set up to Warp its Home Cluster First and then it will warp to other surrounding clusters much Later, except the Eee and some Engineering race that MAY just Bump the Stellar Techs back to back and warp out of there Home Clusters early and that may open your game right up

In addition, those serine Engineering races we like to pick on in the Standard games, you just may notice the MR HIDE in them in a NO-WARP GAME, so be on your guard.

Also please note for Xenos; though more in the way of Infrastructure. However, the Violent races, these races prefer Big Weapons and Hugh Attack Ships over the fancy Science Stellar stuff, so you just may open warps to Pandora’s Box all the way back to your Home System no borg out there but there sure is other races just as mean.
Therefore, when going to a new Cluster you may consider having a pre Warp Hole Defensive Base Built to at least attempt to block the AI from rushing your rear Colonies with there fuel thirsty fleets. 100 mix of level I Sat- missiles and Level two Sats with good beam weapons along with great sensors and a few Pure PD sats, with this and a Carrier Fleet ready and reposition able; before entering each System in that new Cluster.

===

So when QBrigid and GLV say the AI gets Frisky if not darn out and out rude; with a low AI bonus game as opposed to NONE, this is why (((TIME))) you will have little to prepair in a low bonus game and priorities will get confused. So it is recommended all play there first few NO-WARP games with the default of NONE for AI Bonus.

[ September 04, 2003, 22:58: Message edited by: JLS ]

[PsychoTechFreak]

Originally posted by JLS:
[QB]

quote:

---

Originally posted by PsychoTechFreak:
Longterm observations about 1.5 (realtime) years ago:

- galactic peace within the first 2 years, means no events from 2400.0 until 2401.9, never.
- the master planet is NEVER affected by high and catastrophic events, just by low and medium events
Definition "master planet": The planet that is selected at game start, first cursor, means in a one homeplanet game this would be the homeplanet. In a 10 planets game, the master planet would be immune from high/catastrophic events, the other 9 could be affected, this goes along also with system events, like star explosions.

Originally posted by PsychoTechFreak:
With multiple HW starts yes, but there was always one planet (master) never affected by high/catastrophic events. I checked this with a modded event.txt, just the 4 severities with a text popup for the severity which has taken place. Some thousand turns later, almost everything but the master HP has blown up.

Oleg, what are your thoughts on this, I believe PTF is on the mark here, I do not recall ever having an event; even Plague for example let alone a High or catastrophic event on a Home World with default one Planet se4 gold start.

This information is needed and is important, in other words should we worry about the Home World,for its Population and Facilities when and if we re-categorize the levels of any Events.

---

JLS, I have seen this before your mail, but ... I am not sure any more, since Fyron obviously has seen high/catastrophic events on HPs.
This is what I recall:
PvK's proportions had a cultural trait "cursed" which should increase the chance for bad events. I performed some tests with this, and we observed that any minus or plus in the cultural settings about events have been effectles. The same has been done for the faith shrine and different good/bad settings - it was absolutely effectless. PvK has communicated the test results with Aaron, and a few weeks later we got a bugfix (which I can not find in the history at the moment, somewhen about gold patch 1 or 2). The findings on top have been side results of the tests, but it could be most likely that Aaron has changed more than just the event chance bug. So I think this should be tested again.
I have used a modded event file without real effects, just the severity popped up in the news window, so I was able to do my stats for every event severity. It could be possible that "events without real effects" also have a different behaviour than usual events, so it will not be an easy task which can be performed in a couple of minutes.

[oleg]

I certainly remember that Fate Shrine' reduction of events chance has been asserted to be fixed in 1.84. It would also fix lucky/cursed trait, I think.

I can also confirm HW rebellion can happen - i observed it few times. Thanks God, to AI, not me . I also saw HW system destruction. But indeed, i never saw HW plague or planet destruction yet.

[JLS]

Originally posted by PvK:
Hmm. The FQM I've seen tends to create vast quantities of asteroid fields, which the AI can't mine. Something to consider...

In the PBW game Adamant 0006, for instance, FQM is combined with Proportions mod, with the result that human players get practically infinite resources as long as they can build and maintain remote mining bases. The result is enormous fleets, and players complaining about what a chore it is to enter orders for each turn. AI bonus is High, but without remote mining, they are dwarfed.

In the Version of FQM used for that game, even the humans have a hard time navigating some of the systems with all the damaging sector types. I imagine the AI would tend to get rather stuck in them.

PvK

Thanks Pete, you are absolutely right. As it applies as a global overwrite, to the AI in AIC primarily.

Perhaps if we use a few of Fyron’s favorite quad setups from FQM

Modifie AIC SystemTypes, QuadrantTypes, StellarAbilityTypes, however not to change other then a few DATA files with no settings.file changes at all, it should be a easy port.

We can just tie this all into AI Campaigns {new game/Quadrant/Options menu}selection as we did with your unbelievably extraordinary Proportions maps for example:

Semi-Standard (my all time favorite)
RICH CLUSTERS
RICH SPIRAL ARM
Atypical Sidereal
Tri-Polar-wide
Ancient Bi-Polar

==============================

Example of probable FQM placement:

“~”
“~”
Atypical Sidereal
Tri-Polar-wide
FQM Standard Paradise
FQM Balanced Quadrant

>>> Below Ancient and FQM maps may be a little unfriendly for the AI. (in menu note)
Ancient
Ancient Bi-Polar
FQM Dense Mid-Life
FQM Star Heavy
FQM Asteroid fest
==============================
We can do this with Atrocities ST ship sets and only basic Star Trek stuff and with no (AST mod STUFF with out Atrocities individual say so).

The MOUNT ADD on - in conjunction with Proportion/AIC existing data will be tricky but in the end, this can be done as well. (good winter project)

Similar to the Strategic Fighter Module Add-on we did for AIC now…
All Add-ons will be included for AIC also menu driven (one menu or another that is) from with in AIC and the Players will never have to worry about overwrites.

Expect me to be knocking on your doors for some help with all this

[ September 05, 2003, 14:48: Message edited by: JLS ]

[JLS]

Originally posted by JLS:
Oleg, what are your thoughts on this, I believe PTF is on the mark here, I do not recall ever having an event; even Plague for example let alone a High or catastrophic event on a Home World with default one Planet se4 gold start.

This information is needed and is important, in other words should we worry about the Home World,for its Population and Facilities when and if we re-categorize the levels of any Events.

Originally posted by PsychoTechFreak:

JLS, I have seen this before your mail, but ... I am not sure any more, since Fyron obviously has seen high/catastrophic events on HPs.
This is what I recall:
PvK's proportions had a cultural trait "cursed" which should increase the chance for bad events. I performed some tests with this, and we observed that any minus or plus in the cultural settings about events have been effectles. The same has been done for the faith shrine and different good/bad settings - it was absolutely effectless. PvK has communicated the test results with Aaron, and a few weeks later we got a bugfix (which I can not find in the history at the moment, somewhen about gold patch 1 or 2). The findings on top have been side results of the tests, but it could be most likely that Aaron has changed more than just the event chance bug. So I think this should be tested again.
I have used a modded event file without real effects, just the severity popped up in the news window, so I was able to do my stats for every event severity. It could be possible that "events without real effects" also have a different behaviour than usual events, so it will not be an easy task which can be performed in a couple of minutes.

Originally posted by oleg:
I certainly remember that Fate Shrine' reduction of events chance has been asserted to be fixed in 1.84. It would also fix lucky/cursed trait, I think.

I can also confirm HW rebellion can happen - i observed it few times. Thanks God, to AI, not me . I also saw HW system destruction. But indeed, i never saw HW plague or planet destruction yet.

What I can say, it is understood from the players that with the average New game set up and with the past applicable events that the Home World for the Human Players is rarely scalded by a random event.

And that most - if not all Players, like the event occurrences as is. Regardless of a rare, if maybe possible and drastic event; that could and may occur on their Human Player Home World, that most have not seen as of yet.

========
However, the AI may be another case, all together.

This is what I propose; we leave status quo on the Event Occurrences even tweak a few more in, thanks to Olegs fix.

I will see what I can do to tweak the AI, so it may shun some events.

[ September 05, 2003, 14:28: Message edited by: JLS ]