AI difficultly

You can talk about anything. (please read forum rules before posting)

Moderator: thunderchero

Post Reply
User avatar
Clogger
Cadet 3rd Year
Cadet 3rd Year
Posts: 14
Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2020 2:44 pm

AI difficultly

Post by Clogger »

I am playing the Ultimate MOD. I love the game but tbh it’s too easy. I just sit back and build up a massive army and then take over. My systems rarely get invaded. The AI never used their fleets to their advantage. I mean, it’s basically just 300 turns of play for one or two battles and then I just slowly invade systems until they are finished. Is there a way to make it harder?
User avatar
Dewbacca
Lieutenant-Commander
Lieutenant-Commander
Posts: 212
Joined: Sat Nov 14, 2009 3:00 am

Re: AI difficultly

Post by Dewbacca »

Smaller maps can be harder, no time to build massive fleets and more competition for resources.
User avatar
Clogger
Cadet 3rd Year
Cadet 3rd Year
Posts: 14
Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2020 2:44 pm

Re: AI difficultly

Post by Clogger »

Is there another way? I love the big maps and big battles. But it’s just too easy.
User avatar
thunderchero
Site Administrator aka Fleet Admiral
Site  Administrator aka Fleet Admiral
Posts: 7824
Joined: Fri Apr 25, 2008 2:00 am
Location: On a three month training mission, in command of the USS Valiant.

Re: AI difficultly

Post by thunderchero »

you can give them a tech advantage. you start t3 and start AI at t5
User avatar
Clogger
Cadet 3rd Year
Cadet 3rd Year
Posts: 14
Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2020 2:44 pm

Re: AI difficultly

Post by Clogger »

I tried that. It still doesn’t make them more aggressive. They still sit back and barely attack. Leaving me time to just build up a bigger army and destroy them. It’s too easy. I guess I’m looking for a way to make the AI attack me more and take over systems so it’s a harder game
User avatar
thunderchero
Site Administrator aka Fleet Admiral
Site  Administrator aka Fleet Admiral
Posts: 7824
Joined: Fri Apr 25, 2008 2:00 am
Location: On a three month training mission, in command of the USS Valiant.

Re: AI difficultly

Post by thunderchero »

one sure way to make game more of a challenge is to play human players
User avatar
FIXbotfPLEASE
Cadet 3rd Year
Cadet 3rd Year
Posts: 14
Joined: Mon Apr 06, 2020 8:46 am

Re: AI difficultly

Post by FIXbotfPLEASE »

Clogger wrote: Fri May 01, 2020 2:06 am I am playing the Ultimate MOD. I love the game but tbh it’s too easy. I just sit back and build up a massive army and then take over. My systems rarely get invaded. The AI never used their fleets to their advantage. I mean, it’s basically just 300 turns of play for one or two battles and then I just slowly invade systems until they are finished. Is there a way to make it harder?
Hi Clogger

if you read this thread of mine viewtopic.php?f=3&t=3903


someone had an idea for how to fix the AI

you can use the code that has allready been discovered to turn OFF the AI

then the people who are good at coding can write some new code in here for ship movement calculations to make the game more of a challenge and for the AI to behave smarter.
User avatar
DrunkenPraetor
Cadet 1st Year
Cadet 1st Year
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon May 04, 2020 2:46 pm

Re: AI difficultly

Post by DrunkenPraetor »

Try giving the AI a higher starting tech level. To be honest, the single player BOTF tends to be that way. In my usual set up if I haven't lost by turn 150ish, I will no doubt go onto win.
You start a game, hope to survive until you can build a decent fleet, at which point yo can outwit the AI and its strategy. Then at some point the game goes from being a potential win to a definite win. The AI isn't smart enough to recover.
If you can mod an advanced AI then that would be something :smile:
User avatar
Westmensch
Ensign
Ensign
Posts: 31
Joined: Thu Dec 23, 2010 3:00 am

Re: AI difficultly

Post by Westmensch »

I am gonna post in this thread because it's pretty much related to my question. During the last MP games we had we argued about AI behavior and how the AI decides to do stuff. I have never really paid much attention to the AI because apart from "impossible" it's a push over in most mods. Even then once you figure out the basic AI patterns you can defeat it pretty easily. My question mostly related to the fleet size and economy and since I dunno much about the code I wanted to ask the people who deal with it a lot.

How does the AI create fleets ?
I know it doesn't build them properly and that there are ship building queues that determine fleet size and composition. Difficulty usually just ramps up the fleet size but a couple of dozen ships or so. Are there any other factors like credits income that may increase AI fleet size ? I had argued that the AI just goes along the building queue and ignores everything else because that was my impression in the majority of games.

How does the AI economy work ?
The AI seems to be detached from game logic as it can easily outtech and outproduce you even with a fracture of your systems. 10 system suffice to build 100 ships and tech past you throughout early game. Does the AI actually spend credits and how is AI progress determined ? I had games where two AIs created an alliance, got corned into a tiny corner of the galaxy and still produce a lot of ships. In another game a lone AI was able to pretty much do the same with much more space to expand.
User avatar
Spocks-cuddly-tribble
Code Master
Code Master
Posts: 1870
Joined: Sun Apr 27, 2008 2:00 am

Re: AI difficultly

Post by Spocks-cuddly-tribble »

Basically the AI cheats via increased starting credits and total income depending on the difficulty level, plus it gets dilithium refinries for all extra starting systems even if no dilithium present: viewforum.php?f=215

One the other hand the AI has many limits beyond its usual 'stupidity'. For instance by default it cannot build shipyards on extra starting systems i.e. cannot use its cheat advantage on higher starting levels. Also it cannot use any exploits like ship scrapping for credits, phantom dilithium or insta-terraform.
I don't know how many bugs is too many but that point is reached somewhere before however many in BotF is.
User avatar
Westmensch
Ensign
Ensign
Posts: 31
Joined: Thu Dec 23, 2010 3:00 am

Re: AI difficultly

Post by Westmensch »

So the dilithium thing explains a lot. Didn't know that.

Let's say the AI has about 100 ships in turn 150 and then it gets +500 credits per turn through trade routes. From your experience, do you think that this would benefit the AI in a meaningful way or is the AI cheating so much anyway that it won't even matter ? I argued that it doesn't matter whether or not you trade with the AI since it cheats anyway.
User avatar
Spocks-cuddly-tribble
Code Master
Code Master
Posts: 1870
Joined: Sun Apr 27, 2008 2:00 am

Re: AI difficultly

Post by Spocks-cuddly-tribble »

In this situation I wouldn't worry about the 'peanuts' (albeit multiplied by income cheat), the overall strategy matters more.
I don't know how many bugs is too many but that point is reached somewhere before however many in BotF is.
User avatar
Westmensch
Ensign
Ensign
Posts: 31
Joined: Thu Dec 23, 2010 3:00 am

Re: AI difficultly

Post by Westmensch »

Thanks for the reply. It's kinda hard to discuss that topic without proper insight into the game mechanics for us.
Post Reply

Return to “General Chat”