AI Improvement Mod (1.05 Extended Release)

[Icemania]

I've added the ability to configure Tractor Beam tactics in the Ship and Base Design Templates to the Developer Support Wishlist in the OP.

[Tcby]

I like the idea of pulling tractor beams holding at 100.

[Icemania]

If your strategy involves Wonders you will have a harder time getting them first with this Mod, particularly on Extreme. For passive races in the Beta I'm going to slightly increase the number of Labs for High Tech and slightly reduce the number of Labs for Weapons. I'm not going to change it by too much as it's important all races develop their weapons even if only for defence, but this would provide a better balance. Which will make your life even harder to get Wonders first ...

[Sithuk]

@icemania: Is there anything you can do with the mod to lessen the impact of sneak invasions? Can you increase the penalty to invading with a base in orbit?

This would make sneaky surprise invasions from human players more difficult.

[Sithuk]

@icemania: Might the AI be helped with an earlier repairbot function? It should stop ships retreating to repair when they only have a few damaged armour. The side effect for human players would mean less micromanagement of the same minor damaged ships. Will you consider the advantages to the AI of a starting tech repair bot component?

[Icemania]

ORIGINAL: Sithuk
@icemania: Is there anything you can do with the mod to lessen the impact of sneak invasions? Can you increase the penalty to invading with a base in orbit?

Unfortunately there is nothing I can do from a modding perspective (that I can see anyway).

ORIGINAL: Sithuk
@icemania: Might the AI be helped with an earlier repairbot function? It should stop ships retreating to repair when they only have a few damaged armour. The side effect for human players would mean less micromanagement of the same minor damaged ships. Will you consider the advantages to the AI of a starting tech repair bot component?

From an AI performance perspective this is a good idea, I'll move Repair Bots up the Research Order for the Beta. How early do you think? I still think Hyperdrive and Construction Size (at least up to Rapid Assembly) should take priority but I could make them the next technology to focus on.

[Sithuk]

How about introducing a new lower tech level repairbot component and associate it with a tech that is already researched fairly early on? Such as the level 1 armour? The lower tech repairbot could have a longer repair time to keep the incentive to progress towards the later tech repairbot components with faster repair times.

I appreciate that any new component should be carefully considered as the focus of your mod is AI improvement of the standard game, not to significantly alter the standard game. Introducing an existing component type, with lesser performance, at an earlier research level would appear to be "in theme" and not too significant a change?

I appreciate that modifying all the design templates to include the lower tech component would likely be a significant investment of your time. Do you think it would be worth it?

Is it possible to have an existing component, such as armour have a repairbot like ability? Or might that be changing the gameplay too much from standard?

[Icemania]

Yes I'm interested in tech tree changes ... only if they clearly help the AI. This may well fall into that category.

The changes you suggest would be trivial to implement with just some changes to components.txt and research.txt. There is no need to change the design templates as they have a damage control component (which becomes Repair Bots once available) in any case.

To avoid upsetting the balance with Rail Guns and Gravitics I agree the repair rate would have to be very slow. Maybe 30 seconds at Damage Control and 15 seconds at Enhanced Damage Control (compared to 5 seconds and 3 seconds with the current Repair Bot technologies).

There is no way to mod armour to have a repair component.

I'm interested in community views.

[Icemania]

I did some testing by letting a ship get heavily damaged, then deleted the attacking ship and waited for repairs. Unfortunately setting Repair Time in components.txt and research.txt does not work as indicated in the Modding Manual. I set the Damage Control technology to repair one component every 30 seconds but components were still being repaired every few seconds. I couldn't tell the difference to normal Repair Bots. I'll add this to the Developer Wishlist in the OP.

For info in the AI Improvement Mod note that all civilian ship and base designs have a Damage Control/Repair Bot component to avoid that repair micro when they are damaged, once the technology is available.

[Tcby]

That's a shame. Whilst I don't like the idea of getting repair bots so quickly, it would be worth it for the sake of the AI.

[ParagonExile]

If I add a single tech to the end of the tree, will it break this mod?

Please say no [&o]

[Icemania]

I don't see why it would. The AI will research anything not in the Build Orders once those Orders are complete.

What did you have in mind ParagonExile? I have already added Death Rays and Super Lasers ...

Of course, I'm still changing things, might be best to wait for formal release.

If your idea is cool I might even integrate it, with the appropriate credit of course.

[Tcby]

As long as you update your changes to factor in any changes Ice makes to research in the future (so your tech and any he adds do not have the same ID), I imagine it would be fine.

[ParagonExile]

ORIGINAL: Icemania

I don't see why it would. The AI will research anything not in the Build Orders once those Orders are complete.

What did you have in mind ParagonExile? I have already added Death Rays and Super Lasers ...

Of course, I'm still changing things, might be best to wait for formal release.

If your idea is cool I might even integrate it, with the appropriate credit of course.

Ah, I was just hoping to include the planet buster laser, the Super Laser I think it's called? Death ray? I was also looking to buff the railguns, missiles and gravatic beams.

If you've already included it, then I'm a happy camper.

I'm rushing through my current game to try this... IT BETTER BE GOOD :3

[Icemania]

The Super Laser and Death Ray is already included but it needs testing. In fact I'm doing a no pop-up game at 4X to test the upgraded Shakturi as well as to see if the AI actually uses these weapons ... as they are in the Tech Tree and Research Build Orders.

Also read the Weapons Balancing thread as I've already included various weapon changes as well. Missiles performed better than I expected in the Battle Arena, I originally thought they needed a buff, although I've haven't tested Gravitics yet.

[Tanaka]

ORIGINAL: ParagonExile

ORIGINAL: Icemania

ORIGINAL: ParagonExile
Seriously though I'm pretty pumped.

Please remember it's an Alpha and I need feedback. Even so, there is no way I'm playing Vanilla again.

You've put me in a position of picking extended universe (which I basically redid and overhauled with my personal preferences) or your mod which improves the game immeasurably.

Ack, Icemania, damn you!

Same here darn it! Best DW thread ever thanks Icemania for your efforts to make this game even better! Looking forward to the extended version!

[Elhazad]

ORIGINAL: Tanaka

ORIGINAL: ParagonExile

ORIGINAL: Icemania


Please remember it's an Alpha and I need feedback. Even so, there is no way I'm playing Vanilla again.

You've put me in a position of picking extended universe (which I basically redid and overhauled with my personal preferences) or your mod which improves the game immeasurably.

Ack, Icemania, damn you!

Same here darn it! Best DW thread ever thanks Icemania for your efforts to make this game even better! Looking forward to the extended version!

I feel the same as you guys, i haven't been playing the game long, but quickly became rather bored with it, extended universe helped keep me for more but now this mode is just a whole different thing!

I cant wait for its final release so the work on making an extended version starts. Thanks a ton Icemania for your work on this!

PS. So far haven't found anything that has not been discussed before, or stuff that you cannot mod.

In a few games every empire has achieved warp drives reliably, there has not been a clear overpowered race so far and i have been just making some full auto games in 4x speed and watching how it goes and its fun as hell. Specially when an empire gets too big and another alliance gets together and just cut them down a size or two.

Pss... Gravitic weapons have serious problems vs kaltors or any space monster, it was funny to see that the quameno in last game where building escorts and frigates and it kept feeding the kaltor until it hit size 600, by then they where immune to anything the quameno could throw at them. Due to they trying to clear the kaltors it ended kiting them back to their home base and ate all the defense bases and the spaceport shutting them down lol.

So far, turning off space monsters is kinda necessary.

[Icemania]

ORIGINAL: Elhazad
Pss... Gravitic weapons have serious problems vs kaltors or any space monster, it was funny to see that the quameno in last game where building escorts and frigates and it kept feeding the kaltor until it hit size 600, by then they where immune to anything the quameno could throw at them. Due to they trying to clear the kaltors it ended kiting them back to their home base and ate all the defense bases and the spaceport shutting them down lol.

So far, turning off space monsters is kinda necessary.

I added a small number of Beam Weapons to the ship design templates, thinking that they would remain as Blasters. Gravitic Weapons are a different field in the template. But the game turns them into Gravitic Weapons anyway.

That said, I don't see why Gravitic Weapons shouldn't cause damage to a Space Monster, given the Galactopedia description. I wonder if this is a bug. I'll add this to the Developer Support Wishlist and Tech Support.

Note that in order to fix this otherwise, I'd have to artificially change the Research Order of the Gravitic races to include other weapon types (e.g. Missiles). And Gravitic Weapons require a lot of research anyway.

In the meantime a screenshot would be cool!!!

[ParagonExile]

About fifty years into an extreme game with 15 races, 1400 stars on bigest map, chaotic, weak pirates etc. Icemania, bro/possible sis, I love you... and hate you. You've utterly ruined the game for me playing any other way. Now I'll need to incorporate this into everything or the game will be unplayable. Your mod improves the game so much, it's unreal!

I have run into some problems however, which I'll post later after I've looked into them a bit more. Hopefully they're not related to your mod.

Again, stellar work, keep it up.

[Blackstork]

Agree ^^ waiting for extended compatibility... and.... i am working on Beyond mode... i want to incorporate this into it, and actually build some things already on AI mod mixed with Extended.