Neutrals' AIs??

[Taera]

Hi all. The neutral races. Proving ground and canno fodder for the players. But how about actually giving them a strong AI?
The neutrals have no particular settings (all to average, no traits) and a default AI. Did anyone take care and put something good for them?
Or perharps its a new idea? I personaly would love to see the neutrals a little smarter and stronger if they get their own settings.

Wouldnt it be more challenging to beat out a neutral who is smart and continiously improves his defenses? IE about religious neutral. Put the shrines together, each ship with a talisman.
Aint its nice?

[Suicide Junkie]

The main problem with Neutral is that they don't leave their home system. A tiny pool of resources dosen't get you far against a galaxy-spanning empire.

I played a "be a neutral empire" scenario once, and I survived because the enemy only arrived in ones and twos.
Eventually my star went nova, and it was game over.

If I'd been attacked by a TDM race, I expect I would have been easily overrun.

[Val]

We tried to make slightly more interesting Neutral AI's for the races in B5 - though the only complete ones are the Gaim and the Llort. The Hurr are almost done. The Markab, Yolu and Grome are barely started. Not sure if this is in line of what you were looking for.

B5NeutralRaces.zip

Also made a standard race (the Shadri) that tends to remain Neutral in most matters (if that is more your intention), tried to focus them on research and not to get mad at simple things like ships in their systems (though they do get mad once attacked and don't forget as quickly). Also rewrote most of the speech file.

Shadri1.49_Update.zip

Shadri.zip


<Edit - added Shadri link>

[ 01 March 2002: Message edited by: Val ]

[Q]

I have designed a "neutral race technology trait" with an universal colony module, cheap atmosphere converter, value increase facilities and so on. In combination with a modded research, design and construction file the neutral AI perform now quite well in the early game, but of course in the late game due to the restriction to one solar system they are no match for a fully developed normal empire.
I will post this modification together with others when I have adapted it to SE IV Gold, but that will take time!