AI Improvement Mod (1.05 Extended Release)

[Icemania]

Currently testing the weapon balance changes mentioned here for the Wednesday July 9th update (via the research.txt and components.txt files).

Weapons Balancing

[PsyKoSnake]

Watch out IceMania! If you continu like this.
In not time, you will make a balance mod with 200 tech, 25 new race and stronger AI, better UI and better graphic.

[Icemania]

LOL, happy to leave graphics / UI / new technology trees to others, much more interested in the AI and mechanics!

[Tcby]

I just opened your exel file for the first time...WOW

[&o]

[Icemania]

Did somebody say they like to exterminate bugs? Don't worry the feeling is mutual!

[Icemania]

It looks like the AI default for Military Ships is to "Standoff" with Stronger Opponents and "All Weapons" with Weaker Opponents.

Instead for races primarily using long-range weapons I'd like to set them to Standoff. While for races primarily using short-range weapons I'd like to set them to Point Blank. This would have a massive impact on ensuring the AI chooses the appropriate strategy.

Is there any way this can be configured?

[xepooqu80]

Quick observation from a pre-warp game i started this morning playing as Quameno.

- I researched Damage Control and for some reasons it is not added to any designs
- I have found the death ray weapon and it seems to be far superior weapon from the long-range lasers i have right now for bigger ships/bases at least.
Is there a way to force my fleet to use such superweapon if found in their automatic designs?

[Franky007]

I only see the setting DefaultMilitaryFleeWhen in Policy file.

We should ask for two new settings: one for attack and retreat in EACH ship template.

[Icemania]

ORIGINAL: acantoni

Quick observation from a pre-warp game i started this morning playing as Quameno.

- I researched Damage Control and for some reasons it is not added to any designs
- I have found the death ray weapon and it seems to be far superior weapon from the long-range lasers i have right now for bigger ships/bases at least.
Is there a way to force my fleet to use such superweapon if found in their automatic designs?

Hey acantoni!

Tormodino has highlighted the Damage Control bug in Tech Support.

I don't know how to force your fleet to use a Super Beam Weapon without including it in their Design Templates. The Large Spaceport Design Templates have a Super Beam Weapon ... does it eventually retrofit with this included?

That said, in the Capital Ship Design Templates I could include a Super Beam Weapon (it's very large in size) but you won't see it until very late game.

[Icemania]

ORIGINAL: Francoy
We should ask for two new settings: one for attack and retreat in EACH ship template.

Great idea!

[Icemania]

In the Wednesday update I'll include the Humans, Kiadian and Ikkuro as well as the Weapon Balance changes. The image below is from a test game. I knew giving the Kiadian a Torpedo focus was a bad idea, those 5 Size 600 ships just wiped out my home system.

[Sindri]

This seems to be great, I will test it during next week and give back some feedback later on Current AI struggles with economy, so maybe add them some commerce centres upgrades and make them build more small space ports so they won't lose so much money on untaxed trade. Is it possible with current mod tools?

[Icemania]

Thanks Sindri.

I'll have a look at Small Spaceports.

If Commerce Centre were improved that would also benefit human players and I expect the AI would spend more anyway. Bump up the difficulty I would suggest! [:)]

[sayke]

Icemania - Bloody fantastic work! Are you confidant that Elliot etc are seeing your bugfix/feature requests and building them into the pipeline for the next patch? I really hope so, because they act as significant force multipliers, giving modders like yourself and others the opportunity to really extend and balance the game in ways that they couldn't do with the resources they have!

[Icemania]

ORIGINAL: sayke
Icemania - Bloody fantastic work! Are you confidant that Elliot etc are seeing your bugfix/feature requests and building them into the pipeline for the next patch? I really hope so, because they act as significant force multipliers, giving modders like yourself and others the opportunity to really extend and balance the game in ways that they couldn't do with the resources they have!

I've sent a PM to Elliot and Erik about various issues that have come up in this thread. I wouldn't have even started this mod if Elliot and Erik had not implemented the ability to modify the AI Research Build Orders. Hopefully when Elliot returns he'll consider them!

[Icemania]

From the latest update you can find in the OP ...

Did someone say Fighters were supplementary?

[Icemania]

Haakonish Gravitic Weapons in a test game for the next update

[Icemania]

Here is an example of one of the topics I've asked Elliot and Erik to consider. Capital Ships are designed to be big ... Size 1100. Sometimes the AI goes overboard with shrinkage like this Capital Ship which is half the normal size with no weapons. I really shouldn't be able to build them until higher Construction Sizes are available. Have to be careful here though, the shrinkage is very useful early game with the larger designs I'm using.

[t1it]

Lol this mod is going to be so epic. In my current Boskara game (no pirates), Atuuk is systematically bombarding the crap out of them. Boskara has -50k income, much of it from from ships & bases maintenance costs. Boskara is currently crippled both economically and militarily.
A few observations:
- They have 42 explorers each with 800 maintenance and it's mid game with half of the map explored already and almost none of them have actual missions.
- Boskara capital is also only 4.5k population and currently taxing 35%. I'd expect 15k pop by now and 55% tax hmm...I didn't see how they taxed in the early game but (unnecessary) high tax has to be a significant factor to why their capital is currently underpopulated (because they do have a base 24% growth rate...)Maybe it got bombarded by the Mortalen when I wasn't looking but that's unlikely as they were winning the war against Mortalen until the Atuuk started their (entertaining) genocide-crusade.
- They're colonizing way too aggressively. I see them colonize a new planet every IRL two minute at 4x speed but their economy is nowhere enough to sustain all this expansion.
- Right now, they have two military ships despite fighting two losing wars. Those expensive and useless explorers needs to be disbanded. I'm going to intervene for this.
- Those two ships are capital ships with velocity shards & terminator auto cannons - even though they're almost done researching the last tech of their special weapon... is this intended?

Back to the game. Probably soon going to end as the atuuk seems determined to put an end to the boskara.

[Icemania]

ORIGINAL: wasa
- They have 42 explorers each with 800 maintenance and it's mid game with half of the map explored already and almost none of them have actual missions.

This is probably another one for Elliot. I think it's essential to have strong exploration early and it's been great to see the AI's with Super Weapons and Super Governments. But I agree they should start to disband as the map gets more fully explored ... nothing I can do in the Policy files.

ORIGINAL: wasa
- Boskara capital is also only 4.5k population and currently taxing 35%. I'd expect 15k pop by now and 55% tax hmm...I didn't see how they taxed in the early game but (unnecessary) high tax has to be a significant factor to why their capital is currently underpopulated (because they do have a base 24% growth rate...)Maybe it got bombarded by the Mortalen when I wasn't looking but that's unlikely as they were winning the war against Mortalen until the Atuuk started their (entertaining) genocide-crusade.

What settings? The only change I've made to tax is for the AI to apply zero tax on medium populations worlds.

ORIGINAL: wasa
- They're colonizing way too aggressively. I see them colonize a new planet every IRL two minute at 4x speed but their economy is nowhere enough to sustain all this expansion.

Not much I can suggest here other than increase the difficulty to give the other AI more cash (obviously the AI race you are watching will have less though).

ORIGINAL: wasa
- Those two ships are capital ships with velocity shards & terminator auto cannons - even though they're almost done researching the last tech of their special weapon... is this intended?

All the Boskaran Design Templates are focused on Shaktur Firestorms as is the Weapons Research Order. Could you please more information and I'll have a closer look?