AI concerns

[Sinapus]

Has anyone noticed that when you have a large number of races with the same atmosphere, then the number of planets with that atmosphere type appears higher? (Haven't really tested it out yet, it just seems that way.)

When that happens, I find at least one of the AI races (usually TDM) with that atmosphere type will suddenly have its score skyrocket. Usually getting higher than mine and ending up with a HUGE fleet of ships. Tactical combat becomes a survival necessity.

[ColdSteel]

Don't forget that if you change the Settings.txt file to increase the number of systems to 255 you'll need a new SystemNames.txt file with more system names so you don't run out.

-CS

[ 23 April 2002: Message edited by: ColdSteel ]

[Jmenschenfresser]

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Ahhaahh, you HAVE seen the Growltigga tactical gameplan then?

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What's so bad about it? Do you auction off your own ships for beer?

[Baron Munchausen]

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Originally posted by Sinapus:
Has anyone noticed that when you have a large number of races with the same atmosphere, then the number of planets with that atmosphere type appears higher? (Haven't really tested it out yet, it just seems that way.)

When that happens, I find at least one of the AI races (usually TDM) with that atmosphere type will suddenly have its score skyrocket. Usually getting higher than mine and ending up with a HUGE fleet of ships. Tactical combat becomes a survival necessity.

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I think that the way SE IV places the empires includes adding/changing planets to the correct type occasionally. If it does this several times per empire (i.e. it rejects a location sometimes & starts over) that would increase the number of planets of the given type. If you have lots of empires using the same atmosphere type, that would create this effect you are seeing.

[Lisif Deoral]

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Originally posted by Master Belisarius:
Anyway, every time that I want a challenging game against the AI, I like settings like this:
[...]

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Anyway, every time that I want a challenging game against the AI, I like settings like this:

Just out of curiosity, how do you set up a challenging single player game?
My setup is usually like this:

• TDM (latest -& Last- Version for SEIVv1.49)
• (standard, unmodded) large quadrant
• all warp points connected and located anywhere within the system
• standard events (low/catastrophic)
• high technology costs
• low starting resources
• 1 average starting planet
• empires are neither evenly distributed nor allowed to start in the same system
• Low starting tech
• 2000 racial points
• 19 AI empires (loaded from saved race files)
• no neutral empires, and no random empires
• high computer player difficulty
• no computer player bonus (I hate cheating AIs...)
• simultaneous movement (and, obviously, no tactical combat)

The low starting resources and the high tech cost IMO help even the odds. The main (and insuperable) AI flaw is that it can't adapt to the situation. With limited resources it's harder for the human player to use his "special ability", that is, to quickly adapt to new AI strategies. On the other hand, the AI doesn't suffer much for these settings - it blindly follows the same research/production schedule.

Just as an example, in the initial turns of a solo game I was at war with two AIs which used direct fire weapons (Xi'Chung and Sallega, IIRC). I researched CSMs and easily managed to keep them at bay. Then, the Terrans decided to break our treaty, attacked my home system with carriers and forced me to start another game .
Probably in another game I might have had enough time (I spotted the carrier about 2-3 turns before it entered my home system) to research decent point defense and to build PDC ships/sats, but I hadn't enough resources (I did not expand much due to my 2 other hostile neighbours)...

[Master Belisarius]

quote:

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Originally posted by Lisif Deoral:

Anyway, every time that I want a challenging game against the AI, I like settings like this:

Just out of curiosity, how do you set up a challenging single player game?
My setup is usually like this:

• TDM (latest -& Last- Version for SEIVv1.49)
• (standard, unmodded) large quadrant
• all warp points connected and located anywhere within the system
• standard events (low/catastrophic)
• high technology costs
• low starting resources
• 1 average starting planet
• empires are neither evenly distributed nor allowed to start in the same system
• Low starting tech
• 2000 racial points
• 19 AI empires (loaded from saved race files)
• no neutral empires, and no random empires
• high computer player difficulty
• no computer player bonus (I hate cheating AIs...)
• simultaneous movement (and, obviously, no tactical combat)

The low starting resources and the high tech cost IMO help even the odds. The main (and insuperable) AI flaw is that it can't adapt to the situation. With limited resources it's harder for the human player to use his "special ability", that is, to quickly adapt to new AI strategies. On the other hand, the AI doesn't suffer much for these settings - it blindly follows the same research/production schedule.

Just as an example, in the initial turns of a solo game I was at war with two AIs which used direct fire weapons (Xi'Chung and Sallega, IIRC). I researched CSMs and easily managed to keep them at bay. Then, the Terrans decided to break our treaty, attacked my home system with carriers and forced me to start another game .
Probably in another game I might have had enough time (I spotted the carrier about 2-3 turns before it entered my home system) to research decent point defense and to build PDC ships/sats, but I hadn't enough resources (I did not expand much due to my 2 other hostile neighbours)...

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Everybody have their own preferences, right? But think that the AI without any bonus, usually have problems managing their resources. Also, with so many AI players, my experience say that they have problems to expand their borders.

[oleg]

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Originally posted by Lisif Deoral:

no computer player bonus (I hate cheating AIs)

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IMHO, it is impossible to get a decent game against AI without giving it a bonus. And I do not consider it as "cheating". It is just... bonus. The main concept of SE IV AI is that it does NOT cheat: it doos not know a priori where are you planets and ships, what you are building in your planets, etc. Just compare SE IV with for example Civ(1,2,3), Moo(1,2) and many other well known games. In fact, I consider SE IV, bonus or no bonus, as a most honest and ethical (well, I may be getting to far) artificial intelligence around !