AI no better...

Jon Brave · #1 July 10th, 2001, 08:15 PM

Have returned to SEIV after giving it a break for a while to improve its AI. Upgraded from previous 1.19 (I think) to latest 1.41. Sat down with great hopes...

Thought I'd try letting it run a few turns then switch who I was to one of the AI players to get a feeling for what it's up to (this is the right way to do it, isn't it?). Anyway, my very first investigation showed an AI building up his first colonised new world. He built several Rad Extractors as his first buildings. Fair enough --- but the planet was rated 0% for rad stuff!

I thought this sort of thing was going to be sorted out. Fine game, but this is *so* disappointing. So my question, if I have one, is: is the AI going to give me any more of a challenge than it used to? I don't claim to be a great player, and I'm not asking for miracles, but I would like some more competition than this seemed to indicate I am going to get...

Baal · #2 July 10th, 2001, 08:44 PM

Yeah the AI is kind stupid but progress is being made. Most of the user made AIs do well in terms of giving you a good fight. I suggest that you go play some PBW. Playing with other people is definitely more realistic and fun. Though you must be ready to really fight and think about each action you take, right down to the units you build.

Master Belisarius · #3 July 10th, 2001, 10:29 PM

Have you installed the TDM-Modpack? IF you use this MOD, you will see that the type of planets and constructions to build, was really improved.

Also, if the AI is lack of resources (for example Radioactives), the next time that the AI go to colonize a planet, the colony will be a Radioactive Extraction Colony... seems to be that the AI has bad luck!

LazarusLong42 · #4 July 10th, 2001, 10:59 PM

Go to http://seiv.pbw.cc/

Play against people, and you'll forget the AI was ever crappy.

LL

Cranex · #5 July 11th, 2001, 05:08 AM

The AI does not do well against MINES. You can blow the AI's ships to kingdom come by
placing 10-100 mines on warp points and right in front of their planets, Har, har, har. I suggest minimizing the ability to
produce mines, perhaps only 1 each turn.

Same with Satellites on warp points equipped with Capital Missile and a mesan bLaster-thats 80 out of 80 size. The AI will usually attack and kaboom!!!!!!!!!!!

I dessimated the Borg. It does get boring.
I would suggest minamizing the ability to produce, say, 7 satellites on your home planet to 2 a turn and 1 each turn on underdeveloped worlds.

The AI DOES NOT learn from getting blown up.
It keeps coming and coming into mine fields.
Mines are the MOST devastating weapon. You don't need much research into anything else for a long time. Just place a few mines, advance, more mines, advance, etc.

I agree the AI spoils the games long replayability. If they can make M002's AI pretty good, why not SE4. And fighters are too powerful against the AI.

Bye for now, Cranex

Phoenix-D · #6 July 11th, 2001, 05:16 AM

"I would suggest minamizing the ability to produce, say, 7 satellites on your home planet to 2 a turn and 1 each turn on underdeveloped worlds."

Can't do that. The only way to restrict production is to increase the cost. BUT make it so space yard I can produce 1 mine means III will produce more than 1; making it so III produces one mine will make I produce LESS than one mine.

The problem the AI has with mines is twofold- it doesn't avoid them until they are swept, and it doesn't group it's sweepers.. it sends them one by one. Boom.

As for the missile+meson combo, any AI that uses Meson BLasters, PPBs, or anything else that can fire on sats will shread that.

Phoenix-D

Atraikius · #7 July 11th, 2001, 12:20 PM

It is possible to get the AI to group minesweepers into fleets, which makes a big difference in thier ability to clear minefields. After observing the AI in the attempt to make AI improvements, I noticed that they will send a minesweeper or minesweeper fleet to the minefield and will then send whatever other ships/fleets it wishes to go through the minefield timed to enter the minefield immediately after the minesweeper does, but does not change thier orders if the minesweeper is unable to sweep the mines. This is where you see the AI attempting to 'sweep' the minefield with standard ships. Also, if the AI has not researched mines yet, it seems that it will ignore the minefields as it does not have the ships to clear them.

As earlier mentioned, try some of the newer custom races and the TDM-Modpack, and ensure that the AI difficulty setting is set to high to enable all of the AI's abilities. Each release of the custom races makes them more challenging, and I've recently seen the AI begin dealing with mines effectively making it only a matter of time before mines will not be an issue to them, and against the newest custom AI's a much larger number of satellites is needed do to thier increased Point-Defense and customized tactics. The AI's biggest failings are the modding comunities lack of understanding of how the AI operates (which is steadily improving), and its inability to creatively use non-combat ships in strategic combat (such as using satellite layers offensively - picture Honor Harrington missile pods).

[This message has been edited by Atraikius (edited 11 July 2001).]