1.) Chimeras are not that bad for 1 support cap. They are not great, but IG don't have much alternatives. Sentinels are only good against vehicles and buildings and useless against everything else. I once tried basilisks and it was a desaster. Hellhounds were the only alternative, but even they have significant weaknesses, especially against melee. Besides that, I already have a hellhound rush.
2.) I think I know why. The EvaluateSquadCap() method didn't have a check for existing build plans. Therefore, they've probably added a build plan to an existing one. I've fixed that by adding a plan check.
3.) I've reduced the 'either 100% dreads or 100% hellfires' problem a bit by adding a modifier that decreases the squad demand for every existing unit by 5%, but the calculation routine is still not perfect. Maybe we should increase the dread priority a bit again.
4.) We have to live with that until 1.7.
EDIT: What did you change, Arkhan that 1.6 is so much worse in helping its allies protecting their base ? It should be easy as that : If an allied base is under serious threat all nearby AI players should switch to defense and the defense location should be base under threat.
The defense code is the same as 1.5. The difference is that the AI is attacking a lot more than in 1.5 and before. The defense code seems a bit overstrained with the new dynamic gameplay. Besides that the old AI was never attacking so hard as the new one, therefore defending was much easier. Defense was never perfect. The 1.5 discussion thread had enough complaints about lacking support of AI allies, therefore it's definetly not a. 1.6 problem.
I think we're now ready for release. I've made the IG building fix and I let the hellfire/dreadnough adjustment up to Thud. Chimeras are not great, but at least cheap, cost and support cap wise.
Edited by ArkhanTheBlack, 11 December 2005 - 01:14 PM.
