Next Patch wishes....

[CW]

Atraikius beated me to it. I also want to see a much improved combat and ship building AI. The current one is so stupid that it would charge head first into a cloud of murdering hot plasma thrown up by the enemy. I would like to see my AI admiral knowning things like:

If the defense on a planet is too tough, then stay out of range, move in - shoot - move out.

If there is a self-destruct device on an enemy ship then don't try to board it until it is destroyed unless ordered otherwise.

Other things that I would like to see is a ship building minister that is responsive to enemy designs; AI that doesn't keep sending single ships through known defended chock points; and most of all, if possible, a script language for AI modders.

One more thing, interface improvement. All of my friends who tried their hands on this game think the game interface needs extra work. The first thing that comes to mind is setting colony type. I can never figure out why this function can't be directly accessed on the star map, instead we have to click "colony" -> find the planet -> click "set colony type" -> find the planet AGAIN -> choose one from the list. Why not just make the "Colony Type" entry on the main screen (in the planet info that appears when you click on a planet) a choose box?

The other thing is to make the Esc key on the keyboard do what is expected. Let's say you clicked on the "move" button, but then you decide against it. Currently to cancel the select destination prompt you have to either click on the originating planet or click on a button that opens a window. Most people would expect that a simple push on the Esc key should do it.


[This message has been edited by CW (edited 14 August 2001).]

[Atraikius]

Thought of another one - inclusion of formations in the xxx_AI_files, with making the position type work in restricting that formation position to certian types.

And, making the AI demand surrender/subjugation/etc... work, and enableing the pop. required for operating facilities.

[Suicide Junkie]

quote:

---

nature shrines should get back their system wide abilities, pleeeaaase

---

Um, they do have system wide abilities... at least AFAIK (v1.35). I'm playing a "finite" resources game, and with a nature shrine in my home system I get the bonus to all planets.

In fact, with a nature shrine III, my homeworld gets 3,000 *0.03 = 90K resources per year. I dig only 13K out each turn with a monolith & mineral miner, so my homeworld's value is quickly rising to infinity
In fact, it's even better than that, since I've got a pair of Value improvement plants 2. 3,000 * 0.07 = 210,000 of each resource each year.
And my resource increase goes up (ie. resource acceleration) by 15,000 each year! The power of compound interest is staggering...
But, that's even more off-topic.

[dogscoff]

Tactical combat- "resolve combat peacefully" buttton.

Ship orders - "Wait X turns" option.


I have are plenty more but there's no point crying for all of them at once=-)

------------------
"Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?"
"I think so Brain but, if you replace the P with an O, my name would be Oinky, wouldn't it?"

[Rollo]

Most of the improvements I would like to see involve the AI. In order of importance:

• Captured planets and ships should be used by the Ministers.
  
• The AI should analyze/scrap captured ships.
  
• The bug in the research file should be fixed. So that the AI does not ignore the parameters anymore.
  
• The AI should stick to the research file and not make changes "of its own will" (i.e. research higher level of mines). At least the "mines override" should be limited to levels 2 or 3.
  
• The ability to construct a specific Ship type in the constructoin_vehicles file. Not just attack ship, but Attack Ship (A), Missile Ship, PD Ship etc. these types could be defined in the designcreation file.
  
• A new AI file that tells the AI how to put fleets together. For example: 2 Attack Ships (A), 3 PD ships, 5 missile ships, 2 carriers, 4 tankers.
  
• "Beware of strange warp points!" maybe the AI should heed its own advice a little better . [/list]
  Rollo
  [edit]: forgot something
  
  [This message has been edited by Rollo (edited 14 August 2001).]

[PsychoTechFreak]

quote:

---

Originally posted by suicide_junkie:

nature shrines should get back their system wide abilities, pleeeaaase

---

Um, they do have system wide abilities... at least AFAIK (v1.35) ...

...try it with v1.41 ...I was surprised also.


[This message has been edited by PsychoTechFreak (edited 14 August 2001).]

[Taqwus]

AI diplomacy is still a bit odd.

For instance, an irritated AI might refuse a trade treaty -- even if it's subjugated right now. It's a touch odd, since the trade treaty is strictly better from its POV (at least, when the ratio is so large that the trade it would get dwarfs the resources that it produces by itself).

I'm tempted to think that as a measure of scorn, instead of refusing a gift, they could accept it and then discard it... or simply accept it, but basically ignore it for the purposes of relations.

The player should probably be told when one of his allies declares war, or has war declared on him.

AIs that are willing to surrender should be willing to enter into other treaties, as well, to end the war -- especially non-aggression and non-intercourse. Unless, of course, one wants to make an AI with a massive self-esteem problem... "Rule us! Rule us!"

AIs doing poorly in a war could consider asking their allies for help, specifying whether they need resources, or ships, or a DOW...

The state of war isn't particularly distinct from having no treaty/war. Possibly --

- aggression outside of war should hurt relations with everybody
- losses outside of war should have higher happiness penalties (especially, loss of colonies)
- a long war, perhaps, should cause happiness penalties (war fatigue)?
- increased maintenance costs during war



------------------
-- The thing that goes bump in the night