AI autobuilds military ships even though set to Manual

[magogian]

Hello all,

So, I'm playing with Legends (1.7.0.7 beta) and everything set to manual (as I always do). Well, I've noticed that the AI still occasionally builds military ships. I know it isn't me because the AI builds some ships with designs that I have not made myself (and wouldn't because they are poor designs). I've never had it do this before. It is very annoying, and I can't get it to stop. What is going on?

[the1sean]

The ships that you are seeing are probably not being "autobuilt", but you gained these ships in other ways. Here are a few of the major possibilities that I have seen fairly regularly:

1. Derelict: The ships are derelict ships that your explorers have found and crewed; usually these ships have advanced tech but occasionally they suck.

2. Salvage: Similar to the above, but the ships are from a debris field and were repaired by a constructor (often automated) and then crewed by your empire.

3. Turncoat Pirates: Occasionally when you defeat a pirate faction some pirate ships (afraid of your wrath) join your fleet. These ships are usually garbage unless they contain advanced components. In that case retire them for tech bonus!

4. Captured: If you defeat another empire by invading their last colony you will inherit every ship and station in that empire's fleet. Depending on whether your war with that empire was a long destructive war or a blitzkrieg (lightning fast invasion) you could end up with either a couple of mauled ships or you could inherit an entire opponent's armada virtually intact.

NOTE: If none of the above are the reason please post the bug in the tech support forum and upload a savegame for the tech support guys to work with.

[Sithuk]

I have a suspicion that the ships that are reported as being built are not newly built at all. Ships get damaged more in Legends than in RoTS due to railguns damaging the ship regardless of shield strength. The damaged ship will be sent for repair if on auto control. We do not have a "repaired ship" message so you see a "ship built" message instead.

Can anyone confirm?

[magogian]

ORIGINAL: the1sean

The ships that you are seeing are probably not being "autobuilt", but you gained these ships in other ways. Here are a few of the major possibilities that I have seen fairly regularly:

1. Derelict: The ships are derelict ships that your explorers have found and crewed; usually these ships have advanced tech but occasionally they suck.

2. Salvage: Similar to the above, but the ships are from a debris field and were repaired by a constructor (often automated) and then crewed by your empire.

3. Turncoat Pirates: Occasionally when you defeat a pirate faction some pirate ships (afraid of your wrath) join your fleet. These ships are usually garbage unless they contain advanced components. In that case retire them for tech bonus!

4. Captured: If you defeat another empire by invading their last colony you will inherit every ship and station in that empire's fleet. Depending on whether your war with that empire was a long destructive war or a blitzkrieg (lightning fast invasion) you could end up with either a couple of mauled ships or you could inherit an entire opponent's armada virtually intact.

NOTE: If none of the above are the reason please post the bug in the tech support forum and upload a savegame for the tech support guys to work with.

Ah, that is it. I figured out that I was getting lots of pirate ships from destroying pirate bases. I wish I could set it to not allow other ships to join me. Thanks for the help! It was driving me nuts.

[Shark7]

ORIGINAL: Sithuk

I have a suspicion that the ships that are reported as being built are not newly built at all. Ships get damaged more in Legends than in RoTS due to railguns damaging the ship regardless of shield strength. The damaged ship will be sent for repair if on auto control. We do not have a "repaired ship" message so you see a "ship built" message instead.

Can anyone confirm?

That is the most likely explanation. Basically any ship that has to repair, especially at a starport, will come back with the XXXXX has been completed message. Just a note to let you know the ship is fully operational again.

[magogian]

ORIGINAL: Shark7

ORIGINAL: Sithuk

I have a suspicion that the ships that are reported as being built are not newly built at all. Ships get damaged more in Legends than in RoTS due to railguns damaging the ship regardless of shield strength. The damaged ship will be sent for repair if on auto control. We do not have a "repaired ship" message so you see a "ship built" message instead.

Can anyone confirm?

That is the most likely explanation. Basically any ship that has to repair, especially at a starport, will come back with the XXXXX has been completed message. Just a note to let you know the ship is fully operational again.

That wasn't my issue because the ships used designs that I had never used.

[Shark7]

ORIGINAL: magogian

ORIGINAL: Shark7

ORIGINAL: Sithuk

I have a suspicion that the ships that are reported as being built are not newly built at all. Ships get damaged more in Legends than in RoTS due to railguns damaging the ship regardless of shield strength. The damaged ship will be sent for repair if on auto control. We do not have a "repaired ship" message so you see a "ship built" message instead.

Can anyone confirm?

That is the most likely explanation. Basically any ship that has to repair, especially at a starport, will come back with the XXXXX has been completed message. Just a note to let you know the ship is fully operational again.

That wasn't my issue because the ships used designs that I had never used.

In that case you have salvaged a ship from a debris field, you get the message for that as well. You likely have a derelict Shakturi ship, it will out-gun everything in its own class till late in the game. Find it and put it in a fleet of its own or with similar vessels, or retire it for research bonus.

[Evrett]

you also start with a few ships..they could be relics from the dawn of your empire

[the1sean]

ORIGINAL: magogian

Ah, that is it. I figured out that I was getting lots of pirate ships from destroying pirate bases. I wish I could set it to not allow other ships to join me. Thanks for the help! It was driving me nuts.

Magogian, glad that I could help you figure it out! Whenever I get that message I open up the ships screen, go to military ships, order the list by ship class, and then send all those darned pirate ships off to retirement. Look at those unwanted ships as free raw materials that occasionally give tech boosts and you wont mind them so much [:D]

[Sithuk]

Sean: How do you list by ship class in the ship/bases screen? I've been listing by maintenance costs as a substitute for ship class which does the same thing provided no two classes have identical maintenance costs.

There is a ship name field but this does not change when the ship is retrofitted to a different class. Have you been confusing the ship name field for a ship class field?

ORIGINAL: the1sean

ORIGINAL: magogian

Ah, that is it. I figured out that I was getting lots of pirate ships from destroying pirate bases. I wish I could set it to not allow other ships to join me. Thanks for the help! It was driving me nuts.

Magogian, glad that I could help you figure it out! Whenever I get that message I open up the ships screen, go to military ships, order the list by ship class, and then send all those darned pirate ships off to retirement. Look at those unwanted ships as free raw materials that occasionally give tech boosts and you wont mind them so much [:D]

[geosch]

Well I seem to have the same experience a few times, and I had thought of the above explanations to possibly explain several unexpected ship completions, but the completion of a resupply ship convinced me that the ai was building on its own - because I had not even built (or designed, which I do before building) one resupply ship.

[the1sean]

ORIGINAL: Sithuk

Sean: How do you list by ship class in the ship/bases screen? I've been listing by maintenance costs as a substitute for ship class which does the same thing provided no two classes have identical maintenance costs.

There is a ship name field but this does not change when the ship is retrofitted to a different class. Have you been confusing the ship name field for a ship class field?

First open up the "Ships and Bases Screen" (f11), then choose "Military Ships" from the dropdown at the top center of the window. Once the window has updated, click the column named "role" to sort the list of your ships. "Role" is synonymous with the ship's classification. Attached is a screenshot to make sure things are clear.

[Sithuk]

Sean: I think we could both be right.

I define ship class as ship design, for example I could have three of four different destroyer class ships. Sorting by role does nothing for differentiating between them. They'll all appear as Military, Destroyer. That's why I use the maintenance column to differentiate between my different ship classes (i.e. designs).

The problem becomes particularly frustrating if non-human designed ships are donated to the player empire. For example, pirate ship donations or if an AI-empire is conquered and its ships are incorporated into the human-empire.There can be multiples of different class (i.e. design) ships within each role.

I do not define ship class as equating to ship role. Within the context of what I've just typed, there is no way I am aware of to sort by ship class (as I define it).

Sean: Do you agree that it would be useful to be able to sort between ship class (i.e. design) instead of ship role as currently offered?