Improving TDM AI´s

[Makinus]

Whitout using diplomacy (bo teatries with anyone) i can consistently beat 19 TDM AIs with low bonus, while with medium bonus i can beat the AIs around half of the time...

While the AIs have good ship numbers/design and resource production is on par with me, i noticed that, shortly after the initial game stages, my research production is always the double of any other AI empire and probably the main cause that the AIs are so easy to defeat, since my tech tends to be always more advanced...

I do some modding, but i´m too lazy to mod all the AI files, so, there is any modification that i could do in facilities/components that would increase AI reserch without increasing my own?

Thanks

[Kana]

Yeah play on High Bonus.

[Suicide Junkie]

If you're looking for more challenge from the AIs because you can stomp high bonus TDM, and want to play with modded files, you could try Carrier Battles.

I play CB with no bonus, team mode, ~6-8 AIs and it is tough. No cheating! Anything they can do (except treaties of course), you can do too... but you need to pull out all the stops and play your hardest just to survive.
A low bonus game might theoretically be possible to survive if you can play politics to keep the AIs fighting each other... Rollo tried low bonus, and had thousands of AI troops on his homeworld by turn 30 or so.

[Makinus]

Does Carrier Battles have that "quasi-newtonian" engine system? I don´t like that system and prefer to play only mods with the tradtional engine scheme...

If it don´t have that system i´ll try it...

thanks

[Suicide Junkie]

It uses an anti-QNP system.
Put on enough thrusters to get 1 or 2 speed, then add a drive reactor for bonus movement.

What's the problem with QNP anyways? You like huge ships with 60kt of engines running around as fast as little ships with 60kt of engines?

[Urendi Maleldil]

There's also a mod that adds special AI only mounts that makes crystal and organic races crazy hard. I forgot what it's called.

[Suicide Junkie]

That's pretty blatant cheating for the AIs tho
I prefer to have them fight fair, but fight well.

[capnq]

Makinus said: there is any modification that i could do in facilities/components that would increase AI reserch without increasing my own?

You could go at the problem from the opposite direction. Mod a research facility that produces less points than the standard Research Center. The AIs will never build it, but you can voluntarily limit yourself to building the weaker modded version. Your only standard Research Centers would be the ones your homeworld starts with.

[Possum]

Another option would be to setup the game with 5000 race points, and not allow yourself to use any.

Or perhaps, for even more challenge, give yourself -1000 points

[Makinus]

I think i found a solution: In my race design i set research to the minimum (50%), while using the points gained in other areas...

So now i have a more challenging game, where the AI more or less keep the same research pace than myself...