Reasons why the AI runs out of resources

[Daynarr]

Actually, I think that if AI would just choose his planets for mining better, he would improve his playing so much, that it would look like opening Pandora's box. Right now, if AI gets lucky enough, and he builds mining colony on some large or huge breathable planet with lots of minerals, he can give you lots of headache (talking from experience). But so far it is only based on luck. He just doesn't consider the amount of resourced present on the planet when he selects his colony type.

MM should focus on this primarily because it is the biggest AI handicap at the moment. He just doesn't produce enough resources.

[Jubala]

I agree totally Daynarr. If the AI would exhibit even a modicum of sense in choosing how to use it's worlds that would improve it's playing by leaps and bounds.

[Atrocities]

This may sound a bit off, but I like to switch the AI to manual and check on there progress every 50 turns or so. I may spend hours fixing the AI's inept use of resources, and thus improving the game.

It takes a lot of time, but its well worth it. Believe me, when you finally get back to your player, you will be ready for a long deserved break, and come visit these forums. Hey look, here I am.



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"We've made too many compromises already, too many retreats! They invade our space and we fall back -- they assimilate entire worlds and we fall back! Not again! The line must be drawn here -- this far, no further! And I will make them pay for what they've done!" -- Patric Stewart as Captain Picard
UCP/TCO Ship Yards

[Daynarr]

There is a way to make a game really difficult with a minimal effort before this gets patched. All you need to do is to edit these lines in settings.txt:

Planet Value Low Percent := 0
Planet Value High Percent := 150

You can give the low percent a value of 80 or 100, and high percent (to give more variety) 200. That will make a high resource game and nullify AI stupidity at least for selecting mining colonies, simply because ALL the planets will give lots of resources.
I should also recommend playing this in 200+ system galaxy with preferably 20 Empires in it, but it will most likely cause RC errors since most of the empires will have huge fleets.

I think this is an easiest way to get a good fight from AI.

[Tampa_Gamer]

I agree. In the bug/wish list thread, I suggested that we remove these lines from the "Settings" file so that they are hardcoded. This would then enable the AI_PlanetTypes file to be useful b/c the mineral percentages criteria for choosing planets can be based on static mineral values instead of "relative" comparison values which does not appear to be working currently.

[jowe01]

Atrocities, seems you have already significantly improved the construction files for the standaard AIs. Would you mind posting your Versions ? Thanks !

[HreDaak]

I have also encountered this problem and i have been doing some tests with the AI_PlanetTypes file.

All the other lines in this file work just fine but the Mineral value, Organics value, Radioactives value lines work only partially IMO.

An example:

Mineral value := 110
Organics value := 100
Radioactives value := 100

This works as it is supposed i guess, because the AI "always" will reject this if the Mineral value on planet is not 110 or more. You could adjust this as long as you dont change the Organics value or Radioactives value from 100 and will keep the Mineral value above 100. Same thing works if you set the Radioactives value above 100 and the mineral value and organic value to 100 (as it will work with organics value too). I have made my own Version of this AI_PlanetTypes file which eliminates most of the problems with AI making a research compound or something else on a planet with mineral value 100+. This file also corrects the problem of AI making a mining colony on a planet with mineral value less than 100. I could upload it to the
mods thread or here if there is someone interested in it...

[This message has been edited by HreDaak (edited 11 January 2001).]