21 replies to this topic

[McDman]

How does everyone feel about the AI?

I haven't noticed a huge change from 1.1 to 1.2. Was I supposed to do something special outside of using the install program?

The AI attacks early, but with a ragtag fleet (I always play Empire, so the Rebel fleet always seems that way ) but after a few attacks just sits there. It upgrades things and apparently builds new stuff, but it never builds anything really formidable. It seems like it hits some sort of glass wall and stop building stuff.

[evilbobthebob]

What difficulty are you playing on and which map? The AI is rather slow to move on Core Worlds because the independent planets are very well defended, and it requires a certain minimum fleet size in contrast to yours before it will attack you. Check the droid advisor to make sure the AI is functioning properly: they should be spending money and their relative military strength should slowly increase as they build things. If the AI gets hemmed in on a few planets it will not be able to build very much because of the low income.

[Phoenix Rising]

v1.1 could not build stations and rarely researched/upgraded.

[smashedsaturn]

I noticed on OSH the AI broke up the main Byss fleet and left Byss with hardly any defences and palpatine on the ground, wedge in the luskanya and a formidable fleet from the Mon-Calamari sector conquered it with no losses and i was kind of disappointed by the ease of the campaign

*Whoops OSH not skyhook

Edited by smashedsaturn, 17 April 2012 - 09:54 PM.

[evilbobthebob]

I think you mean Operation Shadow Hand. The AI's use of heroes still leaves something to be desired.

[smashedsaturn]

I think you mean Operation Shadow Hand. The AI's use of heroes still leaves something to be desired.

will this be fixed in future iterations?

[McDman]

I've played Core Worlds on Medium and I'm currently cleaning house on Skyhook on Medium. It usually spends lots of money and gets plenty of things researched, but sometimes it saves up a bunch of money but doesn't build a lot of stuff. Also, there was one planet where it just threw its fleets at me without caution, for several battles it just threw whatever it had at me and didn't really change tactics. It is a lot of fun to go against, I think I've just played the game too much and have a strategy that doesn't let me loose.

[evilbobthebob]

If you're talking about Skyhook McDman, the AI has specific planets it will try to take in the "historical" campaigns. It will tend to focus on them a great deal. If it was a planet with space stealth the AI won't know your fleet strength so it will just keep throwing stuff at you. You might want to try vs Hard.

smashedsaturn, the AI is (with everything else) a work in progress. Improvements can always be made

[Phoenix Rising]

It's not a quick fix with the heroes. The AI does not recognize them as heroes because they're buildable. I think it can be fixed, at least. Then it's just a matter of overhauling how the galactic free store works...

[evilbobthebob]

As far as I'm aware, heroes are controlled in the HeroFreeStore and that just has them as a list which could feasibly be replaced by a list of our heroes. However, since there are so many with different requirements, that will probably get complex fast.

[Phoenix Rising]

Is_Hero() only recognizes named heroes. There's no alternate function to easily check for generic heroes, and I can't run through a nested if with 200 hero names every time the AI tries to service a unit.

[evilbobthebob]

The script doesn't use Is_Hero():

function Definitions()
	DebugMessage("%s -- Defining custom freestore movement perceptions", tostring(Script))

	-- Table which maps heroes to perceptions for systems they like to hang out on when not in active use
	-- The boolean is for whether or not the hero prefers to stay in space, if he has a choice
	-- Generally, this is to find the system where their abilities provide the best defensive or infrastructure bonuses
	CustomUnitPlacement = {
		EMPEROR_PALPATINE_TEAM = {"Is_Home_Planet", false}
		,GRAND_MOFF_TARKIN_TEAM = {"Is_Home_Planet", true}
		,DARTH_TEAM = {nil, false}
		,GENERAL_VEERS_TEAM = {nil, false}
		,BOBA_FETT_TEAM = {nil, true}
		,PIET_TEAM = {nil, true}
		,ARC_HAMMER = {"Is_Home_Planet", true}
		,DARTH_TEAM_EXECUTOR = {nil, true}
		,ADMONITOR_STAR_DESTROYER = {nil, true}
		
		,MON_MOTHMA_TEAM = {"Is_Home_Planet", false}
		,HOME_ONE = {nil, true}
		,HAN_SOLO_TEAM = {nil, false}
		,OBI_WAN_TEAM = {nil, false}
		,DROIDS_TEAM = {nil, false}
		,LUKE_TEAM = {nil, true}
		,LUKE_SKYWALKER_JEDI_TEAM = {nil, false}
		,YODA_TEAM = {nil,false}
		,ROGUE_SQUADRON_SPACE = {nil,true}
		
		,BOSSK_TEAM = {nil, true}
		,IG88_TEAM = {nil, true}
		,SILRI_TEAM = {nil, false}
		,URAI_FEN_TEAM = {nil, false}
		,TYBER_ZANN_TEAM = {nil, true}
	}
	
end

function Find_Custom_Target(object)
	object_type = object.Get_Type()
	object_type_name = object_type.Get_Name()

	unit_entry = CustomUnitPlacement[object_type_name]

	if unit_entry then
		perception = unit_entry[1]
		prefers_space = unit_entry[2]
		if perception then
			target = FindTarget.Reachable_Target(PlayerObject, perception, "Friendly", "No_Threat", 1.0, object)
			if TestValid(target) then
				return target
			end
		end
		
		if prefers_space then
			return Find_Space_Unit_Target(object)
		else
			return Find_Ground_Unit_Target(object)
		end
	else
		DebugMessage("%s -- Error: Type %s not found in CustomUnitPlacement table.", tostring(Script), object_type_name)
	end
end

As you can see, it just lists heroes and gives them parameters that can define their location. It allows you to use whatever perceptions you like, which could be very good. Petroglyph clearly didn't care too much about where heroes go though, since I recall rarely being attacked by them.

Edited by evilbobthebob, 18 April 2012 - 01:33 AM.

[Phoenix Rising]

Yeah, it does. That's only called by the galactic free store:

function MoveUnit(object)
	dest_target = nil
	object_type = object.Get_Type()
	if object_type.Is_Hero() then
		dest_target = Find_Custom_Target(object)
	end

	--additional code

end

[evilbobthebob]

Bah. I wonder if it would be possible to have buildable "real" heroes (instead of generic) and just cutting the GUI in the corner. Alternatively, make it so that the HeroFreeStore services without requiring a call from the GalacticFreeStore...then again that probably isn't a good idea. Seems that you will just have to restructure the free store as you said :(

[SpardaSon21]

Land Skirmish is disabled on purpose, and Space Skirmish is untouched from last version. Hopefully 1.3 has better Skirmish AI since I can do truly outrageous fights of 144 unit capacity per player, but the AI just doesn't oblige.

[Kitkun]

I was just doing some space skirmish. I believe the AI for it is broken, as it will never upgrade it's station. If you set starting cash low, all it will ever do is build cheap corvettes, but never tries to increase it's income. It does build the other available ships if starting cash is set high, though.
Also, I don't seem to have a fighter facility on any map.

[evilbobthebob]

You're choosing the wrong maps. Use the custom maps for fighter facilities. We really ought to disable the "official maps" button.

[Phoenix Rising]

I can make that happen.

[Kitkun]

Derp. Forgot that the 'official' section doesn't work. Is it possible to make it default to custom?
I'm a lot of fail lately.

Edited by Kitkun, 19 May 2012 - 01:16 AM.