AI designing RCE ships! Help me, AI guys!

[Suicide Junkie]

Pirates & Nomads v2.3
The xiati are causing me an RCE, by having too many engines on their ships.

Having looked at their designs, it seems obvious that the problem lies in the upgrading of their Sat layer Baseship.
It currently has 45 JP engines (max is 42), which works out OK, but next turn, they research Quantum engines, and 43 engines * 6MP each = RangeCheckError.

I do not see how they are coming to the conclusion that they should have 45 engines on this design;

I see 37.5 engines from the "1 per 40 spaces", where baseship(1500)/40 = 37.5
They could be adding the 3 minimum, and possibly two more from the emergency propulsion thing.

But, that still adds up to only 43, not 45.
The other baseship designs all have less than 31 engines and fall well within the RCE safety margins.

The actual design cooked up by the Minister goes:
B/LS/CQ - 110Kt
45 engines (JP 3)
19 Sat Bay 3
7 PSG V
Cloak
PDL
Shield regen
ECM
----------
1500/1500 KT


If any AI guys could enlighten me as to how the AI is doing this, it would be appreciated.

quote:

---

Name := Satellite Layer
Design Type := Satellite Layer
Vehicle Type := Ship
Default Strategy := Don't Get Hurt
Size Minimum Tonnage := 10
Size Maximum Tonnage := 5000
Num Must Have At Least 1 Ability := 1
Must Have Ability 1 := Launch/Recover Satellites
Minimum Speed := 3
Desired Speed := 40
Majority Weapon Family Pick 1 := 0
Majority Weapon Family Pick 2 := 0
Majority Weapon Family Pick 3 := 0
Majority Weapon Family Pick 4 := 0
Majority Weapon Family Pick 5 := 0
Secondary Weapon Family Pick 1 := 0
Secondary Weapon Family Pick 2 := 0
Secondary Weapon Family Pick 3 := 0
Secondary Weapon Family Pick 4 := 0
Secondary Weapon Family Pick 5 := 0
Shields Spaces Per One := 200
Armor Spaces Per One := 0
Majority Comp Spaces Per One := 300
Majority Comp Ability := Launch/Recover Satellites
Secondary Comp Spaces Per One := 0
Secondary Comp Ability :=
Num Misc Abilities := 7
Misc Ability 1 Name := Quantum Reactor
Misc Ability 1 Spaces Per One := 10000
Misc Ability 2 Name := Cloak Level
Misc Ability 2 Spaces Per One := 10000
Misc Ability 3 Name := Point-Defense
Misc Ability 3 Spaces Per One := 800
Misc Ability 4 Name := Shield Regeneration
Misc Ability 4 Spaces Per One := 800
Misc Ability 5 Name := Combat To Hit Defense Plus
Misc Ability 5 Spaces Per One := 10000
Misc Ability 6 Name := Emergency Resupply
Misc Ability 6 Spaces Per One := 800
Misc Ability 7 Name := Standard Ship Movement
Misc Ability 7 Spaces Per One := 40

Name := Mine Layer
Design Type := Mine Layer
Vehicle Type := Ship
Default Strategy := Don't Get Hurt
Size Minimum Tonnage := 10
Size Maximum Tonnage := 5000
Num Must Have At Least 1 Ability := 1
Must Have Ability 1 := Lay Mines
Minimum Speed := 3
Desired Speed := 40
Majority Weapon Family Pick 1 := 0
Majority Weapon Family Pick 2 := 0
Majority Weapon Family Pick 3 := 0
Majority Weapon Family Pick 4 := 0
Majority Weapon Family Pick 5 := 0
Secondary Weapon Family Pick 1 := 0
Secondary Weapon Family Pick 2 := 0
Secondary Weapon Family Pick 3 := 0
Secondary Weapon Family Pick 4 := 0
Secondary Weapon Family Pick 5 := 0
Shields Spaces Per One := 200
Armor Spaces Per One := 0
Majority Comp Spaces Per One := 300
Majority Comp Ability := Lay Mines
Secondary Comp Spaces Per One := 0
Secondary Comp Ability :=
Num Misc Abilities := 7
Misc Ability 1 Name := Quantum Reactor
Misc Ability 1 Spaces Per One := 10000
Misc Ability 2 Name := Cloak Level
Misc Ability 2 Spaces Per One := 10000
Misc Ability 3 Name := Point-Defense
Misc Ability 3 Spaces Per One := 800
Misc Ability 4 Name := Shield Regeneration
Misc Ability 4 Spaces Per One := 800
Misc Ability 5 Name := Combat To Hit Defense Plus
Misc Ability 5 Spaces Per One := 10000
Misc Ability 6 Name := Emergency Resupply
Misc Ability 6 Spaces Per One := 800
Misc Ability 7 Name := Standard Ship Movement
Misc Ability 7 Spaces Per One := 40

---

[Rollo]

If I understand this correctly, first the 40 engines are added as ordered by desired speed. Then at the end of the misc. abilities 1 engine per 40 space is added on top of that, thus filling up the design with engines.
When you look at the design, you can see in which order things are added. If I am correct about this, there should be 5 engines at the end of the design.
Rollo

[Suicide Junkie]

OK, in detail, what is on the baseship, in order:

Bridge
Lifesupport x 5
Crewquarters x 5
Engines x3
Sat bay
Engines x5 (So far =8)
PSG x 7
SatBay x 5 (so far =6)
Cloak
PDL
Shield Regen V
ECM
Engines x 37 (So far = 45)
SatBay x 13 (so far = 19)

The first three give 3*5=15 MP, and, ISTM come from:
Minimum Speed := 3

The next five give 8*5 = 40 MP, which may be from:
Desired Speed := 40

The Last 37 (& 1/2) could very well be from:
Misc Ability 7 Name := Standard Ship Movement
Misc Ability 7 Spaces Per One := 40

And that seems to indicate that "speed" is a variable definition, but nothing the AIs do surprises me anymore.

[This message has been edited by suicide_junkie (edited 01 September 2001).]

[Rollo]

Okay, now I got it. The first 8 engines give you the desired speed of 40. (I was thinking the AI would add 40, because it does that in the unmodded game with base speed of 1). After that it will still add 37 engines, because of the misc. ability, regardless of how many engines are already on the ship.

If you use:
Misc Ability 7 Name := Standard Ship Movement
Misc Ability 7 Spaces Per One := 46,
it should add 32 (1500/46=32.6) engines on top of the first 8 giving you a total of 40 (that's how many you wanted, right?).

Rollo

[Suicide Junkie]

Yep. Any value less than 42 KT/Engine will have the potential to allow RCEs, by having more than 42 quantum engines on a baseship.

(43'rd Quantum engine hits RCE [43*6=258 > 256])

1500/42 = 35.7
35 engines + 7 = 42 => no crash

Note: 7 * 6 = 42, so the AI will only put 7 Quantums on at the beginning, instead of 8 JPs.

[Rollo]

SJ, how does the design look for the Quantums?
I assume first three engines from minimum speed (or rather minimum engines), then another 3 for a total of 6, and finally another 37 for the misc. ability.

It seems that minimum speed actually means minimum engines, while desired speed takes the standard movement points into account. In the unmodded game that doesn't matter, because all engines have one standard movement.

Rollo

[Rollo]

Heh, typing at the same time...
okay 7 QE in the beginning for speed 42 (not 36 as I assumed).

Now, does that help you any ?
Rollo

[Suicide Junkie]

Well, no RCE, so my game continues.

The new design goes:
3 QEs
4 QEs
33 QEs
-------
40 QEs.

Note: this means the AI will not go under the desired engines setting (7 QEs=42MP), and is content to be fractional engines above the "limit".

As a bonus; 40 engines still gives full speed: 42 would not get the baseship over the hump to the next speed.

Plus: the 50KT freed up was used for a Sat bay, and two Shield-Armors.

[This message has been edited by suicide_junkie (edited 01 September 2001).]