Default_AI_Planet_Types

[Devnullicus]

This file, IMO, is screwed. There are 2 problems that I can see which could so easily be remedied in code:

1) The planet-types are hard coded into the SE4. You cannot create new types.

2) There is no flag to check a minimum number of "spaces" on a planet or at the very least if the planet has a breathable atmosphere or not.

What this means is that the computers ends up building very bad facility choices. For example, it will many times colonize small or tiny planets with non-breathable atmospheres and classify them as farming colonies or some such. Then it will build 2 facilities of the appropriate type and a number of other facilities that don't make much sense on a small world (though they would if the planet was larger or had more spaces).

Here's what I would really love to see to make the AI build 1000x more efficiently.

in default_ai_planet_types, make the planet-type field modifiable and create a new field to check for number of spaces on the planet. So for example, you could then create a queue like this:

AI State := Exploration, Infrastructure, Prepare for Attack, Attack, Secure Holdings After Attack, Incursion, Prepare for Defense, Defend (Short Term), Defend (Long Term), Not Connected
Planet Type := Mine and Farm and Refinery Colony
Max Per System := 100
Percent of Colonies := 30
Minimum Planet Size for Type := Medium
Minimum Spaces on Planet := 10
Mineral Value := 100
Organics Value := 100
Radioactives Value := 100
Maximum Total in Empire := 0

AI State := Exploration, Infrastructure, Prepare for Attack, Attack, Secure Holdings After Attack, Incursion, Prepare for Defense, Defend (Short Term), Defend (Long Term), Not Connected
Planet Type := Small Mine and Farm and Refinery Colony
Max Per System := 100
Percent of Colonies := 30
Minimum Planet Size for Type := Tiny
Minimum Spaces on Planet := 1
Mineral Value := 100
Organics Value := 100
Radioactives Value := 100
Maximum Total in Empire := 0


And then in default_ai_construction_facilities.txt you could do something semi-efficient like this:

AI State := Prepare for Attack, Attack, Secure Holdings After Attack, Incursion, Prepare for Defense, Defend (Short Term), Defend (Long Term)
Construction Queue Type := Mine and Farm and Refinery Colony
Num Queue Entries := 15
Facility 1 Ability := Spaceport
Facility 1 Amount := 1
Facility 2 Ability := Supply Generation
Facility 2 Amount := 1
Facility 3 Ability := Resource Gen Modifier System - Minerals
Facility 3 Amount := 1
Facility 4 Ability := Resource Gen Modifier Planet - Minerals
Facility 4 Amount := 1
Facility 5 Ability := Planet - Change Atmosphere
Facility 5 Amount := 1
Facility 6 Ability := Planet Value Change - System
Facility 6 Amount := 1
Facility 7 Ability := Change Population - System
Facility 7 Amount := 1
Facility 8 Ability := Change Population Happiness - System
Facility 8 Amount := 1
Facility 9 Ability := Modify Reproduction - System
Facility 9 Amount := 1
Facility 10 Ability := Plague Prevention - System
Facility 10 Amount := 1
Facility 11 Ability := Reduced Maintenance Cost - System
Facility 11 Amount := 1
Facility 12 Ability := Combat Modifier - System
Facility 12 Amount := 1
Facility 13 Ability := Resource Generation - Radioactives
Facility 13 Amount := 4
Facility 14 Ability := Resource Generation - Organics
Facility 14 Amount := 2
Facility 15 Ability := Resource Generation - Minerals
Facility 15 Amount := 100

AI State := Exploration, Infrastructure, Not Connected, Prepare for Attack, Attack, Secure Holdings After Attack, Incursion, Prepare for Defense, Defend (Short Term), Defend (Long Term)
Construction Queue Type := Small Mine and Farm and Refinery Colony
Num Queue Entries := 7
Facility 1 Ability := Spaceport
Facility 1 Amount := 1
Facility 2 Ability := Planet - Change Atmosphere
Facility 2 Amount := 1
Facility 3 Ability := Planet Value Change - System
Facility 3 Amount := 1
Facility 4 Ability := Resource Generation - Minerals
Facility 4 Amount := 1
Facility 5 Ability := Resource Generation - Radioactives
Facility 5 Amount := 2
Facility 6 Ability := Resource Generation - Organics
Facility 6 Amount := 1
Facility 7 Ability := Resource Generation - Minerals
Facility 7 Amount := 100


This small change would allow for SO much better fine tuning and would make the AI's production almost as efficient as human-player's production. Seems like a couple of very simple code changes, really. I'm still not sure why the planet-types are hard coded. Ah well.

[Phoenix-D]

EDIT3: OK, I just went in and added a new physical planet type. I stuck a new planet type called "Itty" at the begining of the file, changed the values, and plugged it into the Sectypes.txt file (the one that says the only allowable values for planets is Small, Medium, Large, Huge and Asteroids..).

It worked once, then barfed. More testing needed..

Phoenix-D

[This message has been edited by Phoenix-D (edited 26 April 2001).]

[God Emperor]

Devnullicus,
Tend to agree with your underlying assessment, that the structure of the files makes it hard to optimise AI production.

I have spent a fair bit of time on it with my Klingons and Romulans, but, at the end of the day you still occaisionally end up with planets with 57 minerals being Mining Colonies due to the auto-mining colony rule once maintenance exceeds production. The other problem is that you are limited to setting of 101 for minerals, organics and radioactives (my observation is that any value lower than 101 results in mining colonies automatically).

With respect to the ConstructionFacilities files, I think that these can be tweaked sufficiently to ensure that the AI does sensible builds.

Anyway, it would be nice if some more time was spent on this aspect of the AI files.

[Q]

Devnullicus I think you could achieve your goal even more directly if the AI would destinguish between planets with breathable atmosphere and planets without it. After all the maximum number of the facilities on a planet is determined by these two factors. And it would avoid to build an atmosphere converter on planets that already have a breathable atmosphere. Did you realize that in your example you will build a atmosphere converter on a planet which already must have a breathable atmosphere (because minimum of ten facilities)?

[This message has been edited by Q (edited 26 April 2001).]