Matrix Games Forums

Posted: **Tue May 15, 2012 4:32 pm**

Have a try of this MartialDoctor:
Extra Difficulty mod

I think it might be what you are looking, it will solve point 1.

Posted: **Tue May 15, 2012 7:18 pm**

[&o]

Posted: **Thu May 17, 2012 9:48 am**

ORIGINAL: Shark7
I do think that the whole AI thing is being resolved in the ship design area. The AI does fine with attacking, but it can't win wars when its ships aren't competative. With the policy changes and the ability to give the AI empires optimized designs, this will right itself IMO, though the AI may still need some tweaking.

Have you tried playing with automated ship designs? I'm not quite interested in that part of the game and never bothered designing my own ships, thus using the same ones as the AI. It is still ridiculously easy to beat any AI empire. The AI simply cannot understand that it needs bigger fleets and more colonies to beat me.

The improvement in AI design is great sure, but it won't solve most of the AI issues.

Posted: **Mon May 21, 2012 11:58 am**

ORIGINAL: Haree78
Personally I would like to see a lot of how you become friends with races be taken away from trading and more towards a combination of racial bias / government type and common enemy.
I feel that the coveting resources thing should only really affect more war like, aggressive species, with other races it having less of an effect. Non war like, passive species should be less affected by coveting resources but more influenced by reputation and if another empire is being aggressive.

You make a lot of good points here.

I decided to start up another game, since I hadn't played it a while, and give it another go [:)]

I don't know how, but, at least in this game, the AI seems to be doing a bit better than previously. I still had to hamper myself a lot and put large AI empires near me, but it's been an interesting game.

However, the same AI behavior is showing up. Basically, what I've noticed is, the instant a race gets next to you, whether the race is aggressive or passive, whether it's relations with you are positive or negative, they always start coveting your resources. In this current game, not too long after an AI race colonized near me, they'd start coveting my resources.

Now, that doesn't make a lot of sense. If someone likes you, or is a friendly and / or non-aggressive race, then there's no reason for them to start coveting what you have and disliking you simply by moving next to you. It should affect your relationship very little, if at all. Things should still work out well, barring other circumstances.

If the race is aggressive, non-friendly, and warlike, well then that would be understandable. Unless you are also an aggressive, non-friendly, warlike race, in which case they may very well like you (since everyone has friends, even aggressive and warlike people).

Anyways, just some more observations and thoughts. I hope everyone's having a good week [:)]

Posted: **Mon May 21, 2012 12:21 pm**

ORIGINAL: MartialDoctor

ORIGINAL: Haree78
Personally I would like to see a lot of how you become friends with races be taken away from trading and more towards a combination of racial bias / government type and common enemy.
I feel that the coveting resources thing should only really affect more war like, aggressive species, with other races it having less of an effect. Non war like, passive species should be less affected by coveting resources but more influenced by reputation and if another empire is being aggressive.

You make a lot of good points here.

I decided to start up another game, since I hadn't played it a while, and give it another go [:)]

I don't know how, but, at least in this game, the AI seems to be doing a bit better than previously. I still had to hamper myself a lot and put large AI empires near me, but it's been an interesting game.

However, the same AI behavior is showing up. Basically, what I've noticed is, the instant a race gets next to you, whether the race is aggressive or passive, whether it's relations with you are positive or negative, they always start coveting your resources. In this current game, not too long after an AI race colonized near me, they'd start coveting my resources.

Now, that doesn't make a lot of sense. If someone likes you, or is a friendly and / or non-aggressive race, then there's no reason for them to start coveting what you have and disliking you simply by moving next to you. It should affect your relationship very little, if at all. Things should still work out well, barring other circumstances.

If the race is aggressive, non-friendly, and warlike, well then that would be understandable. Unless you are also an aggressive, non-friendly, warlike race, in which case they may very well like you (since everyone has friends, even aggressive and warlike people).

Anyways, just some more observations and thoughts. I hope everyone's having a good week [:)]

It is quite possible that you have a resource they are severely short of. And lets face it, historically wars have been fought over less (in fact, the basis for all wars is greed...that is one country coveting another country's resources).

In other words, those that have resources are grumbled about by those that don't. And yes it will sour relations when someone is always dependent...those that are dependent on another start to resent the fact, just as much as those that are depended upon resent the fact and will take advantage of it.

Posted: **Mon May 21, 2012 12:23 pm**

ORIGINAL: Imrryran

ORIGINAL: Shark7
I do think that the whole AI thing is being resolved in the ship design area. The AI does fine with attacking, but it can't win wars when its ships aren't competative. With the policy changes and the ability to give the AI empires optimized designs, this will right itself IMO, though the AI may still need some tweaking.
Have you tried playing with automated ship designs? I'm not quite interested in that part of the game and never bothered designing my own ships, thus using the same ones as the AI. It is still ridiculously easy to beat any AI empire. The AI simply cannot understand that it needs bigger fleets and more colonies to beat me.

The improvement in AI design is great sure, but it won't solve most of the AI issues.

Heh, try the Picard Era mod .It was...quite more than a challenge. Has to do with how the AI was set up in the mod files I think.

Posted: **Mon May 21, 2012 3:54 pm**

ORIGINAL: Shark7
It is quite possible that you have a resource they are severely short of. And lets face it, historically wars have been fought over less (in fact, the basis for all wars is greed...that is one country coveting another country's resources).

In other words, those that have resources are grumbled about by those that don't. And yes it will sour relations when someone is always dependent...those that are dependent on another start to resent the fact, just as much as those that are depended upon resent the fact and will take advantage of it.

You make a good point and it's quite possible that it's true in my case here. Still, you are actually reinforcing my point.

A militaristic race is going to want to forcibly take that away from someone else and, thus, it's understandable why some of those races are trying to do such. However, a friendly race or more pacifist race isn't going to start wanting to have relations sour much over this, right? That would mean they would have less beneficial trade, either by removal of a trade agreement or, possibly, even trade sanctions. It would go against what the coveting of the resource would create - a desire for this good.

For instance, if you have a friend, and he has something you really want, are you going to want to trade him for it or are you going to want to beat him up and take it from him? The same goes here.

Posted: **Tue May 22, 2012 6:32 am**

You have to look at the bottom line - the outcome of the other race´s "internal calculation".

You get to see all the relevant factors - trade, basic likes and dislikes, common friends and enemies - and yes, also "coveting of resources".

If you have a good friend - and you both desire the same thing (like a pretty girl, that top position in your company or a juicy planet) and you are really, thruthfully totally ok with him getting it instead of you - then you are a saint

Conclusion - its ok for your friend to covet your resources, as long as the total dislike/like calculation comes out in the very positive you are still friends. This actually makes diplomacy real - you have to work harder at keeping your friendship well if there are differences in play.

Jan

Posted: **Tue May 22, 2012 10:30 am**

ORIGINAL: Shark7

Remember folks, it is after all an AI. It can only do what it is programmed to do...the only way to get a human level of challenge is through a human opponent (maybe a multiplayer mode is down the road someday?).

We live in perpetual hope!!

Posted: **Wed May 23, 2012 7:32 am**

(Funny! But funny, because modern sci-fi fools such as myself and everyone else here that grew up on Star Wars et al. have learned that a couple of dudes with laser swords can defeat entire "legions" of nuclear-powered warships and troops. Or, looking at Mass Effect, for example, that 4 guys armed with shotguns can defeat a flotilla of nuclear-powered starships.)

Posted: **Thu May 24, 2012 7:58 am**

ORIGINAL: Litjan
If you have a good friend - and you both desire the same thing (like a pretty girl, that top position in your company or a juicy planet) and you are really, thruthfully totally ok with him getting it instead of you - then you are a saint

Ok, you guys have convinced me on this haha.

However, I still feel that different races should covet things to a different degree. A race of aggressive Dhayuts should covet your resources and planets much more than a group of passive Shandar, especially if they are a Utopian Paradise. It would make sense that a race that wants to expand and conquer would covet things more so than one who lives more peacefully and content with what they have.

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