I discovered during a soak run that the AI on normal will build constructors almost right away once it sees a resource, but once the constructor is finished, it'll ignore the resources that are two inches away from its own start location, and will send the constructors off into space to claim resources on the very edge of its own range, often getting the constructors killed by pirates in the process. I've watched as the AI ignores a pair of Promethion sources right next to its capital for the entire freaking game. I even saw it build a constructor, send it next to the Promethion, then build a Military starbase right next to them, as if it was making extra sure it couldn't somehow claim them by accident. I was almost proud of it.
Something's screwy with its Constructor priorities, and by screwy, I mean that I think something's been accidentally reversed. They heavily favor grabbing resources that are far away, to the point of their own detriment. This is a big source of their annoying behavior, and it's making them far less effective than they could be. The AI does use the resources it claims, so by ignoring the low-hanging fruit, it's only hurting itself.
If it helps at all, the AI in question was using the following personality traits:
- Aggressive
- Cruel
- Expansionist
- Opportunist