AI suggestions

from Sins Forums

Okay, first I should say, the AI is very good in Sins of a Solar Empire, but there are some stupid things it does that really take away from the fun.  I'm sure this has been bitched at before but it obviously wasn't fixed (At least completely) so here goes a rant.  The overall goal would be to replace Annoying stategy by the AI with actually threatening.  If I wanted annoying, I'd play online and have some guy constantly talk about how teh ahwsum he iz 4 teh most bestest winn of uberness tuffguy go strategy.

 

*Drop of the Hat retreating:  This is both interesting and annoying, I wouldn't expect a player to waste a small fleet by arbitrarily defending a colony against a swarm of Capitals and Cruisers, but the AI seems to flee in terror even when it still has the upper hand.  Change the flee settings to be a little more difficult.  Don't have them flee the moment their ship count dips below yours, that's just irritating.  Maybe something closer to like 60% of your force strength before they consider bailing out.  Even in a hopeless situation, you can attempt to take out a level 10 capital ship at the expense of a few cruisers, and what's lost can always be rebuilt.

 

*Seige frigate spam: This is fine early, but is there some way to make the AI ease off on the Seige friages, which wind up being a waste of Fleet Supply after about the 3hr mark into a game.  Keeping a few makes sense, but I frequently find 10-20 trying to bomb my planets even with swarms of fighters there protecting it.

 

*Retarded build order and Priority: Instead of giving more difficult AI an unnatural resource bonus, how about give them some logic.  They need more credits?  Build more trade ports.  Paramaters for AI defense structure place is iffy at best.  This is painfully noticable in the Entrenchment expansion.  A starbase on it's own is no match for a fleet, but put some Gauss or appropriate Advent/Vasari defenses around it, and repair stuctures, and you multiply it's defensive value.  The AI also really doesn't like to upgrade it's starbases.

 

*Odd Fleet Composition:  Probably leading to it's cowardly retreats, the AI's fleet composition seems to favore incredibly on Carriers and Support vessels, with Minimal use of heavy hitting vessels.  This results in a painfully obvious weakness to be exploited.  A swarm of Cobalts and Gardas ensure any enemy fleet dies, since every strike craft is blown away, and all the antimatter dependent support suicide with Sabotage reactors.  Also, the light Carriers have a habit of thinking they're going to win by dying quickly or something, and often cheerfully chage into knife fight range.

 

*No Superweapons:  Why doesn't the AI build these?  It pretty much ensures victory on the players behalf once a Superweapon is up.  The AI never seems to research that far.  Even the passive civilian "Superweapons" like Insurgency.

 

*No Cheese:  No, I'm not lactose intolerant, but one thing I hate doing is playing with Locked teams, as that obliterates one key aspect of SoaSE.  However, it seems like during unlocked teams, there is still an unofficial Team, involving the AI versus your face.  In that even at the very start of the game, the AI will happily dance and frollick together staging a massive attack just outside your homeworld.  Was that intentional?

 

Okay, so there's the key problems I put against the otherwise, effective AI.  Of coures, the grand argument will come "Play online isntead" to which I respond "Up yours, not everyone likes having D-bags brag about their teleetskillsdawg"  A more respectable argument would be "Programming AI is hard, so blow off or do a better job yourself" to which I can only reply " (; ;) "

23,015 views 8 replies
Reply #1 from Sins Forums Top

Okay, so there's the key problems I put against the otherwise, effective AI.  Of coures, the grand argument will come "Play online isntead" to which I respond "Up yours, not everyone likes having D-bags brag about their teleetskillsdawg"  A more respectable argument would be "Programming AI is hard, so blow off or do a better job yourself" to which I can only reply " (; "

Sadly, at least in the near-future and perhaps during our lifetimes, AI will just never be able to simulate real human opponents.  Don't expect to see the AI do something innovative or creative or surprising.  If you want more interesting, more intense, and more challenging games, you're gonna have to come online and risk getting pelted with slings and arrows from the occassional online douchebag.

Reply #2 from Sins Forums Top

One other thing to add to the list...a Balanced AI option. All of them focus on one thing.  Can't one focus on all the things but just not as concentrated in every area. I'm sure unfair does this...but I want to play against a few Normals and feel pressure.

-Phalnax

Offworld Trading Company
Reply #3 from Sins Forums Top

Come and play online with me - I promise there will be no leet speak from me. Why? Because I don't know it... I grew up speaking ENGLISH!!!!

Reply #4 from Sins Forums Top

 

Whatabou' Downunda' speak?

Reply #5 from Sins Forums Top

*No Cheese: No, I'm not lactose intolerant, but one thing I hate doing is playing with Locked teams, as that obliterates one key aspect of SoaSE. However, it seems like during unlocked teams, there is still an unofficial Team, involving the AI versus your face. In that even at the very start of the game, the AI will happily dance and frollick together staging a massive attack just outside your homeworld. Was that intentional?

They gang up on the strongest opponent. With unlocked teams the AIs are capable of making treaties just like you, they just get away with not doing missions for it.

 

As far as suggestions:

In a grav well with a fleet and a starbase, the AI's fleet should stick by the starbase and force the attacker to attack both. Right now it's complete auto-attack. They can have a fully upgraded starbase, repair bays, and turrets but the fleet will happily rush in to meet you in the safety of the jump-in point.

Reply #6 from Sins Forums Top

I agree with most of what's listed here as I too have seen the AI leave with frigates when the fight was still in question. I rationalized the behavior as wanting to preserve some sort of fleet to avoid a string of defenseless systems. The AI typically seems unwilling to build defenses (non-entrenchment v1.13). What I have also seen (listed in another post) is the common problem of seeing a capital sit and die in a situation that can't be won (even when the system is not their homeworld) and as soon as it dies the frigates run. I can understand a "hold at all costs" kind of rule when it come to their homeworld...just seems too stupid on some of the systems.

Reply #7 from Sins Forums Top

They gang up on the strongest opponent. With unlocked teams the AIs are capable of making treaties just like you, they just get away with not doing missions for it.

I've seen the AI's form alliances as large as 4 factions by the 30 minute mark, and all come down and attack the player.  Since you'll be unlikely to get a peace treaty by this point, there's nothing a player can do about that.  Often times the AI will attack you regardless of whether you completed its mission or not. I once played a 4-way unlocked teams FFA where I completed everyone's mission, but they all refused cease-fires and rushed me anyways as a coherent team.

It's one thing if you've sitting on top of 40% of the map and three small empires ally to attack you, but entirely another if the three AI's are being predatory at the start of the game against a player.  This is what is cheesy, and is why I play locked teams.

Reply #8 from Sins Forums Top

Whatabou' Downunda' speak?

Give it a break Bruce. BTW - did you know that American beer is like having sex in a canoe???

Its XXXXing close to water!!! :D