Massive AI Satellite Overproduction

[Omega]

I have a new and truly baffling AI production problem. My new AI is building huge masses of recon satellites and I don’t know why. The production amounts specified in the AI_Construction_Vehicles file are being completely ignored.

In all AI modes except exploration, the recon satellite build section is as follows:

Entry 8 Type := Recon Satellite
Entry 8 Planet Per Item := 10
Entry 8 Must Have At Least := 0

According to the way the file is supposed to work, this should produce 1 recon satellite for every planet that the AI owns. In my latest test the AI has 403 planets and 1618 recon satellites, with hundreds more (quite literally) in production. That is more like 4 per planet with the amount increasing rapidly.

Does anyone have any idea why the AI would be creating so many recon satellites? Does the AI ignore the Planet Per Item specification in the AI_Construction_Vehicles file under certain circumstances? Has anyone else seem the AI players do this?

[Droplede]

Haven't looked at the stock AI design files for satellites, but I have seen it in action in my games. Often I'll see from 4 to 8 sensor satellites per sensor generation hovering above an AI race's planet. Seems very wasteful -- especially as a lot of 'em seem more enamored of the long-research-chain tachyon sensors than the more efficient gravitic variety.

I think taming the satellite-producing machine is a very good idea to help an AI build more intelligently. Hope you can find a way to do it.

[Alpha Kodiak]

Is the recon sat the Last entry in the list to build? Just wondering if the AI builds the Last thing in the list if it runs out of things to build.

[God Emperor]

Omega,
The AI default file is only 1 per 5 planets so I think the problem is not there. Do any of your standard satellites have the sensor level ability?
Regards,
GE

[Aristoi]

I've seen the big stacks of sensor sats in my 1.35 stock game. It is really wasteful. They do blow up nicely, though.

[Q]

I am not 100% sure about this, but after what I observed the AI does only count the units/ships that are completed and ignores items under construction for the choice of further constructions. So it will add recon sats even if the construction line has more than enough. And once the items will be on the construction line the AI will not remove them. You can test this be removing in your game manually all recon sats from the construction line. If I am right, the AI should now not add any more new recon sat to the construction line. But if he does we have to investigate further.
Anyway 1 recon sat per planet is IMO too much. I would recommend 1 unit per 5.

[Mephisto]

IIRC there was a note in the bug fixes that stated that "units in space were not counted" so maybe the AI did not count the launched satellites and kept on building.

[This message has been edited by [K126]Mephisto (edited 10 June 2001).]

[Omega]

Alpha Kodiak,

I thought of that too. Recon satellites were the Last item in the queue. I placed mines there instead. This had no effect on the amount of either produced.

God Emperor,

My AI does not build any normal satellites. I don’t find them to be very effective. I would rather use the max number of units in space for mines. I have tried both armed and unarmed recon satellites.

Q,

That can’t be it. In my latest test I had more than 2800 satellites for 416 planets, with still hundreds more on the way. Also, if the AI did not check what was already in the queues, ship construction would be a real nightmare.

[K126]Mephisto,

That could be the problem. In fact, that makes a certain amount of sense. The AI is building recon satellites like it has no idea how many of them it already has. Since they are launched almost immediately after being built, the AI would think that it needs to build more. I wonder when the next patch will be out?


Thanks for the help guys. I am hoping that the next patch will resolve this for me.