My AI Design Q&A

[cybersol]

Originally posted by JLS:
However, what you are not excepting, Cybersol, too be true; is that your AI will NEVER return to the Prepare for Attack State, from the Defend (Short Term) State.

I re-read your previous post, which has been edited since I read it Last. You are saying it will most likely transition through an Infrastructure state before it can get back to the prepare for attack state?

Originally posted by JLS:
Respect to your hypothetical situation:
So if the AI will NOT return to Prepare for Attack State from the Defend (Short Term)" state, how can your AI start off, were it left off?

Assume all intervening queues were dummy queues with a call for one attack ship. Since the prepare for attack already build a lot of these attack ships, no new ones will be built.

The point of the example, flawed as it was, is that the AI will never rebuild anything it already has, so you do not have to worry about multiple passes close in time through the same queue of items.

Originally posted by JLS:
Regards to any other theoretical, AI State Change: Also, please, refer to se4 Rules; regarding, were the AI will start the construction queue.
How is it interpreted, by you Cybersol, that:
“ Thus the first "ship" it will add to a construction queue is exactly the one it would have added if it had never switched '' state. ”

Originally in the queue lets say it was just about to add the first ship from entry 15 to a build queue, but it never did add that ship because it just added the Last one from entry 14 when it left the Prepare for Attack state. In the example no ships were built or destroyed while in the other AI states, and no planets were colonized. When it looks at entry 1 when it returns to the "Prepare for Attack" state, it will see that PPI and MHAL are already satisfied because those ships or whatever the entry calls for have already in existence. Thus it will move on to entry 2 without adding anything to a build queue, and so on until entry 14. The Last time at entry 14, we had just added the Last ship that satisfied the PPI and MHAL criteria, so this time it will move on past entry 14 (it may still be building a few of these ships from Last time if they took a long time to build, but that counts as existence to the AI). Thus, the first ship it will ADD to a construction queue is the first one in entry 15. Right where it left off.

Originally posted by JLS:
As you recall, this is to say if you have a PPI on any of your ITEMS types, you gave in your format group of: Prepare for Attack, Attack, Incursion

And now knowing that the AI does enter the Incursion frequently, then, yes, your ships will multiply, PER the PPI every time you enter the Incursion state as I pointed out in THAT post, this will include every Item you have in your Prepare for Attack, Attack, Incursion

Again, I think multiply not the ideal description of how the queues work. Every time it enters the Incursion state it will start at the top and try to build forces, but the nth time through it will have most of the forces from the nth-1 time, so it will only build the ones it needs. How does that result in ship multiplication?

[cybersol]

Originally posted by JLS:
I have question, if, you run out of maintenance and will build no new ships. Yet your research continues, your designs are improving and you cannot retrofit, do to lack of resources and now you have a windfall of Resources. Can your AI, then retrofit considering the 50% rule.

What you suggest is an offensive, doctrine, however:
What of resources when your AI actually, will need to plan a: Prepare for Attack then Attack:
One, Nearby well defended system (Perhaps another Players, HS)

Just as important:
Now what if the AI, will need to plan for a; Prepare for Defense at some point in the game, will this be possible, if it has no resources.
(Perhaps Your AI Players, HS)

Most important:
Now what if the AI, will be in need to Defend (Long Term) at some point in the game, will this be possible, if it has no resources.

What I suggest is a difference in doctorine, to be sure. But it is not inherently an offensive or defensive doctorine. The doctorine is to utilize the AI resources of materials and building queues to their maximal extent as early as possible. This is how I, as a human player, would play the game, so why shouldn't the AI?

Now there are some minor drawbacks due to what the AI is capable of, but IMO there are major drawbacks to leaving the resources sitting idle.

On the obsolescence front, the AI will have ships that are older technology (so would I). In general this is a good thing because it means the AI is rapidly progressing in its research. It does leave the need to retrofit, which the AI will sometimes attempt to do. If you maximum maintenance percentage of revenue is set correctly, you will still have the resource reserves to retrofit. The 50% rule is always a minor problem, particularly for the mid-game LC to BC hulls. But, it will remain a problem even if I build fewer ships.

On the when your AI needs resources for attack or defense front, I beleive a large standing set of fleets is the best way to have a successful attack or defense. If I have the maximum number of ships fielded and replace them as fast as possible, then I have done the most I can to ensure a successful attack or a successful defense. There is then no need to build ships because they are already built.

Now, your way, you are invaded and you start to enter the defense state, and only then do you begin a buildup of the forces you need to defend. What if you can not build fast enough?

My way, the standing fleet engages the enemy. As loses are incurred, newer 'modern' replacements are built. The faster the loses are incurred the faster the resources are freed for new construction. In the worst case scenario my standing fleet is demolished and I begin a buildup of new forces to defend.

In the worst case scenario, my strategy defaults to your fresh buildup as the resources are freed nearly instantaneously. If I can't build fast enough now, I am doomed, but you would have been as well. And you never had the extra chance of winning that the standing navy provided.

[JLS]

Originally posted by cybersol:

quote:

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Originally posted by JLS:
And now, that you just invested, in actuality a Prepare for attack (when a Incursion was the call). Can you say that your AI can afford another tumble thru Prepare for Attack, again, and again? Please consider, will you have exotic ships like the Planet or System Destroyer, etc… In the Prepare for Attack.
If not, then were would you request them?

So let us say my AI has plenty of resource reserves and is half way through building everything in the "Prepare for Attack" queue. Then it switches to another state, say "Defend (Short Term)" to repel a small enemy fleet from its territory. Lets say theoretically that it manages to do this without taking any loses, without building any ships, and without colonizing any planets. When it switches back to "Prepare for Attack", the first ship added to construction queues will be from what location in the "Prepare for Attack" queue? Will it be the first entry at the top, the Last entry at the bottom, or would it be the exact entry it would have produced next if it had never been interrupted by the "Defend (Short Term)" state?

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What are you talking about: Assume all intervening queues were dummy queues ???
Why would I do that.

Where was this stated that there are; intervening queues were dummy queues in your POSTED; hypothetical situation, Or all the first 15 PPI settings are unobtainable) above?

Regards to:
“And now knowing that the AI does enter the Incursion frequently, then, yes, your ships count will increase rapidly, PER the PPI every time you enter the Incursion state as I pointed out in THAT post, this will include every Item you have in your Prepare for Attack, Attack, Incursion
“
Please refer to:
Cybersol,
Now knowing that the AI does enter the Incursion frequently, then, yes, your ships count will increase rapidly, PER the PPI every time you enter the Incursion state as I pointed out in THAT post, this will include every Item you have in your Prepare for Attack, Attack, Incursion.

Cybersol, all you need to do now, is Study and Learn the:
AI CONSTRUCTION VEHICLES DATA FILE, Rules.
Focus on line 3, first sentence.
3. First item in the queue is selected
Unless of coarse your first 15, lines are, what, dummies. (Or all your first 15 (PPI) settings are what, unobtainable) In your: AI STATE: Prepare for Attack, Attack, Incursion

Please, consider what I posted in regards to the AI state Changes, and all that it implies.


[ June 25, 2003, 22:37: Message edited by: JLS ]

[cybersol]

Originally posted by JLS:
What are you talking about: Assume all intervening queues were dummy queues ???
Why would I do that.
*snip*
Where was this stated that there are; intervening queues were dummy queues in your POSTED; hypothetical situation

It was not originally stated they were dummy queues but it was stated that nothing was added to the build queues, this is a pratical way of acheiving the stated assumption.

Originally posted by JLS:
Cybersol, all you need to do now, is Study and Learn the:
AI CONSTRUCTION VEHICLES DATA FILE, Rules.
Focus on line 3, first sentence.
3. First item in the queue is selected
Unless of coarse your first 15, lines are, what, dummies. (Or all your first 15 (PPI) settings are what, unobtainable) In your: AI STATE: Prepare for Attack, Attack, Incursion

I decided to make the example more concrete by saying the 15th entry was the half way point as mentioned in the original hypothetical situation. The first fourteen entries are not dummies, they are normal construction_vehicles entries. But if I asked for 1 attack ship per 4 planets and at least 5 total the first time through the queue, and if no ships were lost and no planets colonized, then I still have 1 attack ship per 4 planets and at least 5 total the second time through the queue when I return to the Prepare for attack state. So nothing is added to the construction queue becuase I have already satisfied the construction rules. Thus the first 14 real construction_vehicle entries in the prepare for attack state do nothing the second time through the queue because the ships are already built. The first ship added to a construction queue the second time is thus the first one in the 15th entry, because of the first 15 entries only its PPI and MHAL have not been adressed yet.

In my experience, you do not get a second helping of ships from the first 14 queue entries. I have observed no ship multiplication from multiple passes through the queue.

[ June 28, 2003, 04:19: Message edited by: cybersol ]

[cybersol]

I'm still working hard on making this no special racial trait AI. I watched a previous Version soundly trounce the Sallega, who were in the top 18 in AI death match 2. The Sallega expand increadibly well, but thier ship designs could probably be better.

Since then, I have been re-working the research and design files. I've changed so much now, that if I had saved the old revision I might have two different AI's.

After I wrap up the research and design files (hopefully for the Last time), I'll go back and re-work the construction files.

[ June 28, 2003, 04:26: Message edited by: cybersol ]

[cybersol]

I am just starting work on this AI again after a two week vacation. The AI is currently trading blows with the Fazrah and continuing to undergo final ship design tweaks.

[Spectarofdeath]

How exactly do you get the AI to put missiles on their ships?