Mod Squad, need AI help for my new shipset!!

[ColdSteel]

Help. I've just finished up my new Selachii Pak Dominion shipset (think sharks) and have started trying to figure out the race AI mods to complete things.

There's very little I can find that documents this area which is frustrating. I can figure out the research files but the ship design file is something else. I need some help there.

What I want to do is have my attack ship design share two weapons components, capital missiles and phased polaron beams. I've gotten the capital missiles in there but that's all the design will use. How can I have both?

Also can I make the AI build two different attack designs? One with the above components and one with just point defense weapons only? Can I then make the AI stick them both into a fleet? Humans will just kill the AI with combined arms tactics if not.

Is there any documentation anywhere on this aspect of modding? I'd appreciate any information and tips I can get. Thanks.

[God Emperor]

Coldsteel,
If you attach your AI_DesignCreation file, I'm happy to take a look if you like.

As for your questions regarding ship types, I am not sure whether the new patch allows creation of ship types, but, am pretty certain that you cannot specify the ratio of ship types to be built....
Regards,
God Emperor

PS: v1.19 allowed for attack ships and defence ships, and in one of my earlier mods, I did make the two types of ships quite different in design. The AI did use both although I wasnt sure what affected its decision to build more or less of each type.

[This message has been edited by God Emperor (edited 26 February 2001).]

[ColdSteel]

GE, here's the design file but it's just a copy of the standard 1.27 Terran design file. I can't figure out what to do to it to get what I want. What I really need to know is what all the parameters are and what they do. I don't see where they're documented anywhere.

I figure that what I need to do may be in this area:
Majority Weapon Family Pick 1 := 2
Majority Weapon Family Pick 2 := 25
Majority Weapon Family Pick 3 := 0
Majority Weapon Family Pick 4 := 0
Majority Weapon Family Pick 5 := 0
Secondary Weapon Family Pick 1 := 1
Secondary Weapon Family Pick 2 := 0
Secondary Weapon Family Pick 3 := 0
Secondary Weapon Family Pick 4 := 0
Secondary Weapon Family Pick 5 := 0

But I'm not sure what "Family pick" means or where the "family pick" number comes from. Does it mean pick the best available from this weapon family? I looked in the default design files but the family number there appears to be 4 digits and doesn't seem to match anything here.
??
Thanks for your help.

[God Emperor]

According to my notes compiled from v1.19, Phased Polaron Beam is Family no 8....

2 = capital missile
25 = depleted uranium cannon
1 = antiproton beam
8 = phased polaron beam


[This message has been edited by God Emperor (edited 26 February 2001).]

[This message has been edited by God Emperor (edited 26 February 2001).]

[ColdSteel]

Hey, thanks God Emperor. That'll get me started. Where did you get those notes? Just trial and error or is there a document out there somewhere that lists what all the family numbers are?
Thanks again.

[God Emperor]

After testing in the Last 15 mins, it looks like if you use a very high weapon per space number (eg 1200) for the majority weapon, the components are filled in the order of Miscellaneous Abilities and Secondary Abilities first with whatever space is left over going to the Majority components..

If you use a low number (eg 20), a ship will basically get filled up with the majority component, as the majority design rule has to be satisfied first.

The Family numbers are obtained from the Components file - at the very bottom of each weapons entry is a Weapon Family number...

eg With the following Borg settings;

Majority Comp Spaces Per One := 20
Majority Comp Ability := Weapon
Secondary Comp Spaces Per One := 200
Secondary Comp Ability := Weapon
Num Misc Abilities := 11
Misc Ability 1 Name := Point-Defense
Misc Ability 1 Spaces Per One := 70

A 500kT Cruiser ended up with 8 DUC's and 2 Point Defence.
8 * DUC's = 360 kT (large mount)(of 25 required)
Engines + bridge etc = 110 kT

Space left over = 30 kT = 2* 15kT Point Defence.

[This message has been edited by God Emperor (edited 26 February 2001).]

eg With the following Borg settings;

Majority Comp Spaces Per One := 100
Majority Comp Ability := Weapon
Secondary Comp Spaces Per One := 200
Secondary Comp Ability := Weapon
Num Misc Abilities := 11
Misc Ability 1 Name := Point-Defense
Misc Ability 1 Spaces Per One := 70

A 500kT Cruiser ended up with 6 DUC's, 2 Cap Miss's and 1 Point Defence.
5 * DUC's = 225 kT (large mount)
2 * Cap Miss = 100kT
Engines + bridge etc = 110 kT

Space left over = 65 kT

Not sure why though it built DUC#6 rather than 4 (15kT) Point Defence (as the design rule allowed).

Looks like it may be a divide error (500/100=5.00000001 = 6).
When I changed the majority weapon setting to 101, the ship was equipped with 5 DUC's, 2 Cap Miss and 4 PD as was expected from earlier settings - interesting....

[This message has been edited by God Emperor (edited 26 February 2001).]

[ColdSteel]

Hey thanks GE, great info and that helps me out a whole lot. Right now it's just putting in 1 Polaran Beam for every 8 CS missiles. I'm going to play with this a bunch and see how I can balance it out for my ships.

I think I just found a new bug in testing. I created a new design names file for my race consisting of names of different types of sharks. The name of the file (which I placed in the design names directory)is referenced from my Emp file and also from the Selachii general AI file. When I use the Emp file, all works well and the names are used properly as design names in the game. When I create a random game without using the Selachii Emp file and the race appears by chance in the game it seems to use a random design file instead of the one listed in the race's general AI file. It's the same file name both places. I've checked and rechecked the name in the general AI file and it is correct. Got any ideas what could be causing this?

[ColdSteel]

Nitram, no, it's already set up that way and it does work as long as I load up the race from the menu. That means that it's using the settings specified in the Emp file. However, whenever the race is added into the game by random chance (not specifically added to the game by me), it doesn't work. I believe that this means that it is NOT using the Emp file but instead using the settings in the race general AI file. Now in this file, the settings are the same as the ones in the Emp file for the race including the name of the design file. It just will not use it.

Either this is a bug or else something is wrong in that file.

Has anyone noticed this happening with other custom races that use their own design files?

[henk brouwer]

Yes, I noticed the same before the latest patch, randomly added races will pick a random designnames file, very annoying if you use a specific designnames file for your own race and keep getting "this name is already used" error Messages when creating ships because 3 other empires have randomly chosen the same file for use.

I once had a empire use a readme file wich I accidently copied into the designnames directory, they started naming their ships "copy all files in the races directory 001" and more things like that.

must be a bug..

[This message has been edited by henk brouwer (edited 26 February 2001).]

[Nitram Draw]

CS,
That is odd. Have you added other races since updating? Do you notice the same thing in any other downloaded race?