AI Improvement Mod (1.05 Extended Release)

[Icemania]

The AI Improvement Mod has now been released as an Alpha, refer to the OP for details.

Your feedback to improve the mod is very welcome.

[Blackstork]

Great, Going to try it, huge thanks! thats very nice thing and research you doing here.

Please tell if there any chance you will make it compatible with extended mod?

[Icemania]

ORIGINAL: Blackstork
Please tell if there any chance you will make it compatible with extended mod?

Yes ... but I will wait for final release of this version for Vanilla first. Making changes to include so many more races will require time and I would prefer to do it only once the Vanilla Mod is final to avoid rework.

[PsyKoSnake]

ORIGINAL: Icemania

The AI Improvement Mod has now been released as an Alpha, refer to the OP for details.

Your feedback to improve the mod is very welcome.

Will do an other test this weekend.

[Icemania]

ORIGINAL: Icemania
Developer Support Wishlist
• Some Military Ships are built with no weapons (note I have a lot of larger sizes in the Design Templates) when they are shrunk by the game. There should be a minimum amount of weapons (say 50%) in the design before the AI should be allowed to build that ship.
• In monitoring the AI across various races, Helium Resource Shortages are very common, and Osalia Resource Shortages are common for Beam races (almost nothing is in stock). Could starting stocks of these resources please be increased to assist the AI?
• In the Design Templates Fighters Bays should be counted as a weapon. I’m trying to design a Fighter focused race but to avoid a crash I need to include another weapon that is not the focus for that race.

I've just tested the Patch 1.9.5.6 Beta using the Haakonish and Securan and can report these three issues look primarily to have been resolved.

Starting stocks of key resources such as Osalia and Helium have increased so less of these "common" resource shortages for the AI. I changed the Securan Cruiser designs (post Alpha) to remove the torpedo (so Fighter Bays only) and there was no crash.

Military Ships were built with weapons in all cases except one ... the new Securan Cruiser (which only has Fighter Bays) which was built at Size 300 with no Fighter Bays ... the AI built 6 of these anyway in the test.

[Elhazad]

Nice to come home and see alpha is up! ill start testing soon!

[Icemania]

For those that consider Extreme easy, give it a try ...

[sayke]

This is so cool - thank you very much Icemania!! One question though - how well does it work with very hard (480k) research, do you think? Do explorers get built etc?

[Icemania]

With the Alpha Release, Explorers and at least Escorts will be built from the start regardless. The designs are now around Size 230 and they get shrunk by the game to less than Size 160. So that is now in good shape but let me know if you encounter problems.

However, the outstanding issue is Civilian Ships as they do not get shrunk by the game. I've put this in my Developer Wishlist in the OP. Given other changes have been made already I'm hoping this is on the list. The other option, at final release, would be to issue two versions of the Mod, one with smaller Civilian Ships with much weaker performance (slower and less extraction), and one with the Civilian Ships as per the current version.

As a result I've said in the "about" text for the Alpha Release of the AI Improvement Mod theme is: "The Mod will work on all difficulties but will provide more of a challenge on higher difficulties i.e. at least hard. However, as there is no conditional logic in the Ship Design templates, Expensive Research and above should not be used in settings for this version of the Mod."

Exploration performance is vastly improved from Default. The AI builds more Explorers with designs that are faster. If starting population was > 3B they will also build earlier as I ensure that the AI builds a Medium Spaceport to start with, you won't have to wait for a Large Spaceport to build. Beyond pre-warp you'll find the AI gets it's fair share of goodies around the galaxy and you'll have less opportunities.

[Icemania]

Just to supplement the game I'm playing at the moment is on Expensive Research. I just had to accept the fact that Civilian Ships won't build until Size 230 is available.

[Scott2933]

Icemania,

First, thanks for an awesome mod! Playing on Hard (and longer research - I know you said not to but wanted to try it). Game was much more fun. I did get an error but I'm using the latest beta version 1.9.5.6. Just wanted to post the error just in case it was something with your mod (please let me know - otherwise I'll post it for Elliot in tech support). I didn't want to do that initially because I'm modded - although I only have your mod loaded.

Thanks again,

Mozo

[ParagonExile]

I'm actually considering not using extended universe for the first time ever, good work.

That said, will extreme difficulty still be testicle-crushingly easy?

[Icemania]

ORIGINAL: Scott2933

Icemania,

First, thanks for an awesome mod! Playing on Hard (and longer research - I know you said not to but wanted to try it). Game was much more fun. I did get an error but I'm using the latest beta version 1.9.5.6. Just wanted to post the error just in case it was something with your mod (please let me know - otherwise I'll post it for Elliot in tech support). I didn't want to do that initially because I'm modded - although I only have your mod loaded.

Thanks again,

Mozo

Glad you are having fun! It seems quite a few of us are having this error and it is not specific to this mod, there is already a thread in tech support, seems to be a bit of a showstopper. From the wording in the error message it seems exploration related and the AI is far more aggressive about exploration in this mod.

[Icemania]

ORIGINAL: ParagonExile

I'm actually considering not using extended universe for the first time ever, good work.

That said, will extreme difficulty still be testicle-crushingly easy?

I'm glad you asked because as you probably know I have the same view of Extreme, per my AAR. Indeed it's the main reason I wanted to do this Mod!

What I can report is that it's definitely harder but please also have reasonable expectations.

I still recommend avoiding all the obvious exploits .... like the entire diplomacy system! e.g. technology selling, trading sanctions etc.

Play a game and let me know how it goes.

[Icemania]

And by the way, if anybody actually loses a game on Extreme ... or falls way behind the AI ... I want screenshots!!! [:D]

[Icemania]

Anybody who plays this Mod on Normal, Hard or Very Hard is officially a wimp. [:'(]

[ParagonExile]

ORIGINAL: Icemania

I'm glad you asked because as you probably know I have the same view of Extreme, per my AAR. Indeed it's the main reason I wanted to do this Mod!

What I can report is that it's definitely harder but please also have reasonable expectations.

I still recommend avoiding all the obvious exploits .... like the entire diplomacy system! e.g. technology selling, trading sanctions etc.

Play a game and let me know how it goes.

Hey man, will do!

Any chance you can fix those exploits as well? :3

I wish the AI was a bit more aggressive, they just sit around as-is. I even set the galaxy to be chaotic and modded the races to be aggressive

[Icemania]

ORIGINAL: ParagonExile

Hey man, will do!

Any chance you can fix those exploits as well? :3

I wish the AI was a bit more aggressive, they just sit around as-is. I even set the galaxy to be chaotic and modded the races to be aggressive

I wish I could do something about those exploits but it's not open to Modding. Even the Extreme Game of the Month #1 was easy if you used those exploits.

The AI is more aggressive because I've significantly changed the Racial Biases (+40/-40) and I've also made changes to the Policy Files for some races e.g. WarWillingness. If you feel it is still not aggressive enough I can make further changes.

From my test games, you want to be very careful what wars you get involved in ...

[Icemania]

I double dare you to put it on Chaotic as well!

[ParagonExile]

ORIGINAL: Icemania

I double dare you to put it on Chaotic as well!

Bro, that's the way I roll 24/7.

I STILL get everyone to delighted, lol

Seriously though I'm pretty pumped.