AI fighters needs better weapons!!

[The Puke Empire]

I had a similar post before about AI fighters only using DUC L1 as their weapons. Memphisto said it was because the AI was running out of cargo space to put in new designs but after my recent game (another defeat), I think it is not so:

The AI, namely the Amon'kries, were putting out some advanced heavy fighters with ECM and Shield IIIs, but they are STILL using DUC L1...This got to be a design flaw because if the AI has the cargo space to build heavy fighters which was around turn 150 he surely has some newer better small weapon mounts than DUC I.

But even that I lost the game because my supply fleet carrying most of my fighters to the frontlines were destroyed and the AI moved in quickly.. still, 'd be nice if my advanced fighter Groups could have some tougher opponents......sound like masochism huh?

[Daynarr]

I am working to fix this (among other things). Some time tomorrow I will post a new Sergetti empire and you can check it out how they equip their fighters.
Mostly they are done, but I need to test them before I post them here.

[apache]

I wonder if the AI is told to research smaller weapons? I think I recall from another post that they do not research higher DUC levels, so they will never get a better DUC. However, if the AI is not researching smaller weapons, then it will only have level 1 DUC's available.
Now, I know I have seen and faced AIs with small anti proton beams and rocket pods, though I dont ever recall anything over level 1. I don't think the AI researches more levels of smaller weapons, and possibly some AIs do not research it at all. I don't see any other reason why the AIs would not use better weapons.

[Tomgs]

Some of them at least do research smaller weapons. I have seen level 2 on some AI fighters. Not as often as they should perhaps but they have a big tree to research and they usually have fewer research points than I do so I am not surprised there are some things they don't get to right away. They do seem to research larger levels of weapon platforms a lot earlier than I do and they usually get larger ships before me also. So they have set priorities and work their way down that list.

Edit: I just checked the Terran research files and they do research smaller weapons right after they research fighters. The problem is that if they build a lot of their first design then they won't build more untill they expand a bit more. There is a setting that tells them how many to build per planet they have I believe, and once that number is built thats it. They don't scrap the old ones and build new ones with the latest tech.

[This message has been edited by Tomgs (edited 05 January 2001).]

[Mephisto]

Cargo space is not necessarily the limiting factor but the number of fighter the AI should build. Normally it's about 10 per Planet. If your Gas Giant has 100 fighters then 9 other Planets don't get fighters.
Anyway, I just have looked up the Amonkries. They don't research the DUCs. That's the reason why they only get DUC Is for their fighters.
Try this file, it should solve the problem

[This message has been edited by [K126]Mephisto (edited 05 January 2001).]

[Sinapus]

Odd, I tend to research all the way through smaller weapons before going for fighters since it's such a cheap set of projects.

(Then I go for Missile 3 so I can start using those Small Rocket Pod III's. Muahahahaha.)