AI+Minefield/AI+Black Hole=Disaster (longish)

[UmberGryphon]

quote:

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Originally posted by jpinard:
Gryphon, anything else you do?

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I'm currently turning off intelligence projects, but I'll have to add that back in if I throw the Darlok mod into the mix. And I turn off the Applied Intelligence tech when I turn off intelligence projects, just so I'm sure the AI doesn't waste any research points on a device they can't use.

In addition to turning off Mines and Applied Intelligence technology, I turn off Computers --because the AI doesn't know how to put master computers on ships, and because the AI puts the planet-based stuff in really stupid places. It has the side effect of costing me a 30% advantage in research, which is good as I get enough of a research edge as it is. (Somebody should make a mod where an AI race builds fewer ships but more research worlds.) Besides, turning off Computers makes levels 4-9 of the resource extraction techs worthwhile (Mineral Scanners get you 10-30% additional minerals from a planet, for example), where before I was just building the automated factories that the Computers tech gives you (which boost generation of all three resources by 10-30%).

I turn off Events, because I don't think the AI knows how to evacuate planets and whatnot.

I turn off neutral empires, because they slow down the expansion of the full-blown AI empires way more than they slow me down.

I turn off gifts and tributes, because it's too easy to make the AIs happy with you if you use them.

I turn off technology trading, because the AIs are way too loose with their tech. When they ask for a trade treaty, counter that you'll give them a trade treaty if they'll give you the most expensive technology they possess (Ice Colonization, for example) and they go for it 99% of the time.

Outside of my one-line mod to turn off strange warp points, and adding in the Mephisto mod and the Xenophobe AI speech hacks, I haven't changed the data files. Although I'll probably add in the Eysk and the Darloks shortly.

I play with both AI settings at max. I've been varying how many AIs I play against, and whether I play in a large or medium galaxy.

Does anyone else have any game settings or minor mods they use to hide the ineptness of the SE4 AI?