Community Request - Customized Designs

[jlevans]

I haven't yet found the magic elixer either in designing the OD file to get a more directed research path... I too am hoping the next patch fixes this as right now, the AI plays better using it's own designs than using the OD.

I also just watched my race design build only escort and frigate military ships the whole game even though the other size ships were available. I seem to remember seeing this reported recently, although this is the first time I've personally seen it.

[Shadow Tiger]

I'm playing around with the designs as I plan out the mighty Teeken armada, and something occurred to me.

What about Death Rays?
What about those nasty area effect equivalents?

Unless you create a design for them with this system the computer will never use them (if found). And if you do create a design, how would you set it up for the AI to use? Create two designs at every viable tech level, one normal and one with Ancient Tech?

[jlevans]

I believe it is Elliot's intention to add a capabilty for the AI to interpolate between designs, so if a DeathRay is discovered, the AI will create one, assuming there is enough of a gap in OD designs to trigger such a design. We'll have to see how that will work after the next patch.

[Sithuk]

I've finished re-working my earlier Dhayut shipset. File attached. I've only gone up to ship size 500, Titan beams, hydrogen reactors. I've typically won the game by then (I max tech costs so slow research). I'll expand further as time allows. For now its ready for your feedback.

I've designed bases to use torps and ships to lasers. The torp tech I research once I get to shatterforce lasers so the early bases use maxos/shatterforce until the torps come online.

State military transitions to hydrogren. Private stays on caslon to ease fuel availability.

The ship design AI doesn't seem to obsolete old designs. I have to manually tell it when a design has become obsolete due to a new tech. Am I missing something?

Why does the shipset AI keep creating Carrier, Capital and Re-supply designs even though I have created optimised designs. Doesn't happen with any other design class.

[jpwrunyan]

So correct me if I am wrong, but the devs are going to incorporate the best of these designs into the default of the next official release, right?

[ehsumrell1]

That's the idea JP! [:)]

[Shark7]

What I'd also like to see is an 'exchange' where we can trade designs amongst ourselves. After all, I can design ships for each race myself, but even so, I have a certain style and they are all going to be similar (due to my style). Now if there is a central place where I can DL other peoples designs for each race, then we can get some really diverse designs in the game.

[tjhkkr]

ORIGINAL: Shark7
What I'd also like to see is an 'exchange' where we can trade designs amongst ourselves. After all, I can design ships for each race myself, but even so, I have a certain style and they are all going to be similar (due to my style). Now if there is a central place where I can DL other peoples designs for each race, then we can get some really diverse designs in the game.

That would be fun...

[feelotraveller]

Yeah, 'design sets'?
 
I will do mine when I start playing again.  Can't face it right now with all the ersatz spaceport retrofitting I was getting.  Wouldn't say I'm holding my breath but I do hope this gets fixed in a patch soon.

[Shadow Tiger]

A bit frustrated at the moment, after spending some time on Teekan designs. Apparently if you get your whole set made for a specific role it's fine. But if you go back and make changes out of order then the most recently modified design becomes the latest. I just discovered this after going into a starting tech game to fix hab modules, then going back to a tech lvl 7 game to test more.

The starting mining bases were not the highest tech this time. Instead I had my starting design for mining stations, and my 4th (of 8) for the gas mining station. This is getting ridiculous! I'm hoping that going back and edit/saving each design in order then exporting to the design file will fix this. Will have to test it later.

[hewwo]

Bugs! I'm holding off on playing till they get fixed [:)]

[Erik Rutins]

Hi everyone,

The new v1.07.13 Public Beta update is now available, which includes some additional improvements to the new design functionality based on your feedback.

Regards,

- Erik

[ASHBERY76]

ORIGINAL: Shadow Tiger

I'm playing around with the designs as I plan out the mighty Teeken armada, and something occurred to me.

What about Death Rays?
What about those nasty area effect equivalents?

Unless you create a design for them with this system the computer will never use them (if found). And if you do create a design, how would you set it up for the AI to use? Create two designs at every viable tech level, one normal and one with Ancient Tech?

Please answer this!!!!!! Does the A.I use it owns designs with superweapons when they find them ingame.

[WiZz]

I suppose - no.

[onomastikon]

ORIGINAL: onomastikon

Thank you very much for these excellent replies. I am not a master at this, so may I pose a follow-up question here?

- I don't understand how to take into account every possibility. I mean, in some games, I will first research "advanced missiles" with my race, but in another game the same race might first research "advanced rail guns". There are so many contingencies. What I mean is: For "tech level 2" (which to me seems to be an ellipsis for a general level of advancement), there are hundreds of valid possibilities, am I supposed to build and save them all?!? That seems nigh on impossible. Sorry I really don't get it.
- I am not sure the automatic control still actually understands "automatically upgrade" and "retrofit" correctly: Sometimes I do not see the ships retrofitting, sometimes I get the popup to suggest retrofitting but I am not told what will be retrofitted how, and I am still not sure how to implement subroles (e.g. one cruiser with stronger defense and more shields and scanning, one cruiser with anti-planet abilities, one cruiser with anti-fighter, one cruiser with strong beams, and one cruiser with long-range missiles). Am I missing something?

Thank you very, very much

Sorry I am slow on the uptake here and I believe my poor little questions have slipped the attention of the wise ones here. I'd like to do my part and contribute something, but I need some help here: Am I supposed to design a ship for every single contingency, that is, Destroyer_techlevel1_got_missiles_first, then Destroyer_techlevel1_got_railguns_first, then Destroyer_techlevel1_got_bigger_hulls_first -- etc. etc. for all the dozens of possibilities for tech level 1, THEN I make Destroyer_techlevel1_got_lasers_second, etc. etc., so that for each tech level I am designing a thousand ships or so per subrole? Is this what we are supposed to do?

thanks much

[Sithuk]

Designing for every conceivable tech research order is one conceivable route.

I don't recommend trying that.

Instead, I've designed for my preferred route through the tech tree. The AI is supposedly going to use the ship designs to help choose its research path. Elliot continues to tweak the code.

ORIGINAL: onomastikon

ORIGINAL: onomastikon

Thank you very much for these excellent replies. I am not a master at this, so may I pose a follow-up question here?

- I don't understand how to take into account every possibility. I mean, in some games, I will first research "advanced missiles" with my race, but in another game the same race might first research "advanced rail guns". There are so many contingencies. What I mean is: For "tech level 2" (which to me seems to be an ellipsis for a general level of advancement), there are hundreds of valid possibilities, am I supposed to build and save them all?!? That seems nigh on impossible. Sorry I really don't get it.
- I am not sure the automatic control still actually understands "automatically upgrade" and "retrofit" correctly: Sometimes I do not see the ships retrofitting, sometimes I get the popup to suggest retrofitting but I am not told what will be retrofitted how, and I am still not sure how to implement subroles (e.g. one cruiser with stronger defense and more shields and scanning, one cruiser with anti-planet abilities, one cruiser with anti-fighter, one cruiser with strong beams, and one cruiser with long-range missiles). Am I missing something?

Thank you very, very much

Sorry I am slow on the uptake here and I believe my poor little questions have slipped the attention of the wise ones here. I'd like to do my part and contribute something, but I need some help here: Am I supposed to design a ship for every single contingency, that is, Destroyer_techlevel1_got_missiles_first, then Destroyer_techlevel1_got_railguns_first, then Destroyer_techlevel1_got_bigger_hulls_first -- etc. etc. for all the dozens of possibilities for tech level 1, THEN I make Destroyer_techlevel1_got_lasers_second, etc. etc., so that for each tech level I am designing a thousand ships or so per subrole? Is this what we are supposed to do?

thanks much

[Litjan]

Sithuk is right - custom designing for every conceivable combination of "technology available" is practically impossible.

The biggest advantage to the AI with the custom designs right now is the starting designs. I find arming my initial mining stations and giving the first spaceports enough labs is changing the game in a big way.

The designs I encounter in the later game are "ok" - I think the AI would benefit more from making better strategical and tactical decisions than in improving the designs even more (although there is certainly room for improvement).

[Sithuk]

Litjan: Good point on increasing the number of research labs on the starting spaceport. A better fix would be for Elliot to code in a number of starting research bases at the HW. The AI does fine for research labs later in the game. It is just the start that it suffers from.

[Lihnit23]

I evidently am doing something wrong.

I think I've followed all the instructions for creating and saving custom ships. I tried human freighters and the explorer, starting tech. However, they never load when I start a new game as the humans. If I manually load the file after the game starts, then the modified ships show, but by then it's too late if I'm supposed to start with my new ships.

I created a "designs" folder in my "x" theme folder in the "customization" folder. The file name is "human".

Help please.

[Falokis]

ORIGINAL: Lihnit23

I evidently am doing something wrong.

I think I've followed all the instructions for creating and saving custom ships. I tried human freighters and the explorer, starting tech. However, they never load when I start a new game as the humans. If I manually load the file after the game starts, then the modified ships show, but by then it's too late if I'm supposed to start with my new ships.

I created a "designs" folder in my "x" theme folder in the "customization" folder. The file name is "human".

Help please.

It's still in beta, so it's a little quirky. Make up to level 2 or 3 designs and see if the load. You could look in the designs tab in game under the "view all designs" to see if they just got automatically obsoleted. That happens to me sometimes when my designs are better, but the AI obsoletes them. This will at least tell you if the are loading up.