AI Races Expand Too Slowly.

[Omega]

I believe that I have identified a problem with all AI races for this game: they expand too slowly. Installed the TDM mod pack in hopes of getting more of a challenge out of the AI. While the new AI did provide more of a challenge, I basically left every single race in the dust in just 80 turns.

When the game starts, I expand rapidly. Very rapidly. Expand, expand, expand. I had forty planets when the other races had only ten or fewer. While the AI was busy building obsolete ships and useless satellites, I was constantly expanding. When the AI finally got their act together, I had colonized twenty percent of the map. My massive empire could turn out ships faster than all the AI players combined. I simply steamrollered over everyone who was in my way. Diplomacy? Trade? Who needs ‘em?

I decided to alter the quadrant map in hopes of helping out the AI. I made a quadrant with nothing but rock worlds. I made sure that all five atmosphere types were represented in absolutely even proportions. I modified the AI files so that every race was native to rock and that there were the same number of races breathing each type of atmosphere. Every system in the new quadrant has 9 to 15 planets. Even the most addle-brained AI should have no problem finding good worlds to colonize.

My efforts resulted in a very nice custom quadrant. (I actually modded the system types file with 100 system types so that I still get “random” maps.) The AI still managed to bumble around, expanding ever so slowly. In my current game, my score is 2.4M at turn 83, while my nearest opponent has 417K. I have 160 planets while only two of the AI have more than 25. I control 45 systems, the most any AI player has is 7. Seven? SEVEN!?!? LOSERS!!!

Does anyone know if it’s possible to alter the AI to make it focus more on expansion?