Pseudonymn

Huzzah! I can't wait to give this a spin!

Ok folks..

We need more beta feedback as we need to get this out to the public.

I do have one observation:

o Has anyone noticed that the AI will send one capping squad to an LP, they'll cap it, then just sit there for minutes and minutes? I've seen this for awhile actually and not just in this current build. Sometimes during the first 5mins, a squad will go out (any kind of Tier1 capping squad and not just scouts), cap a point, then hang there for what seems tens of minutes as if the squad is "locked".

Anyone else seen this? Seems to happen to a single squad.

I've noticed something similar, although I'm not sure it this is related or not, or if it's been discussed elsewhere, but here's a shot in the dark:

Sometimes when I am queuing my build and capping orders, my capping squads will arrive at their target SP/CP/Relic, kneel as though to erect a flag and then sit their indefinitely. If left like that, the whole while, the flag animation will not play and the point will not be capped no matter how long it is left. It seems to happen most often when I queue several cap orders in advance, and seems especially prevalent where the squad had to first decap an enemy flag - it decaps, but does not progress beyond having a hole in the ground. The immediate workaround has been to select the squad, move it away from the point a step or two and resume capping. I've also found that, strangely, issuing orders to cap the same point twice (essentially a double right-click) appears to limit or even eliminate outright the occurrence of this issue.

I've also seen AI units stuck in similar fashion but become active again once attacked, provoking them to stop what they are doing and either fight or fall back.

I'm just guessing, but if your AI build orders have squads following a series of queued commands, they may well be manifesting this same bug.

I had a few points to make, but Inquisitor has already made them all for me. Two things I'd like to highlight, however, are:

[snip] If you play vs. Relic's AI you will face an even stream of more or less cheating troops.

It's confirmed "more" rather than "less" cheating troops.

The SP campaign is rife with hair-pulling moments where the stock AI is given abundant cheats in order to win the day rather than presenting an actual tactical challenge with any strategic depth. Reference the AI's borked Honor Guard system, and the its further ability to start maps with two separate and distinct, fully autonomous T4 bases on both attack and defense, providing it with double the pop cap and economic output in the first 5 minutes of play. I call definite shenanigans!

I've said it elsewhere many times before; Relic should have given the DoS boys jobs over there rather than slapped together the pathetic AI that they did. It would have been a far more interesting game. They've known about the mod since DC at least, and what they allowed IL to do with the SP campaign is unforgivable.

[snip]
If you play this AI you will play much more like you would against a well playing human because it learned to play from humans years back. Many humans play the game on increasing levels to prepare them for online play. I think this mod is highly respected amongst those guys. Why? Because it plays 'more' like what you'd expect online. I suggest you reduce the difficulty to suit your preferred challenge.

This release is about tuning the AI to play with the new release and since SS the Necron economy is on a knife's edge. They don't

I'd be one of those people who learned (and still learns) about online play through experimentation with the AI mod. It's an invaluable tool.

My earlier comments to Thudo with respect to perceived Necron IMBA since DC were not meant to address balance tuning issues for this mod. I know that balance tuning is outside the scope of what they're trying to achieve. I only wished to dispel this myth that the Necron are inherently IMBA, as it has persisted into SS where it just isn't true any longer. Yes, the AI mod does some pretty nifty things with the Cronz but they are nevertheless seated squarely at the bottom of the pile and draw either a last choice competitively or a "ZOMG O NOES! I Randomed Cronz!" by anyone who actually wants to win. That is all.

Why isn't it possible for req based economies? They can rebuild the LPs and it doesn't really make sense to say so because it's about controlling the points. If you're losing the map, you're losing the game - it doesn't matter what race you are. Necrons will not be able to field a full force and their build times increases and the enemy will gain more req to build troops. Do the math.

Because building a new LP doesn't refresh the decayed Strategic Point/Relic underneath, which is the basis for the requisition rates they provide. In order to refresh that point, it needs to be decapped. I don't know about you, but I've never heard of a situation wherein someone with a decayed SP invited his enemies over to decap it for him, in the hopes of refreshing the req rate, and had it turn out the better for him.

Necrons, however, can refresh their entire economy by deleting decayed generators in exchange for newly rebuilt ones. It sounds costly, and it is initially, but the new generators will pay for themselves over the long term at +10 vs. keeping decayed gens that idle at +4 and building additional generators that are both more expensive to produce and take longer to complete. The other advantage, as Thudo pointed out, is that the Necrons can spread the new generators around better than when the game first started.

Anyway, I don't mean to derail this topic, so I'll leave it at that. Further discussion can be found in the link that I posted in my previous comments.

Necrons have always been a little IMBA since DC. Once they hit Tier3 its massive fail time for the enemy.

Actually, that may not be entirely correct. There's been some discussion on this topic over at reclicnews' "Soulstorm Multiplayer Balance Issues" forums and there appears to be general agreement that the Necron T3-T4 army is not where it should be, specifically where NWs are concerned. Anecdotally, there was also some discussion regarding their economy weakening through those tiers due to gen decay, but most feel that it's a minor issue and balanced against the fact that gens decay for all races and can be rebuilt, potentially restoring the Necronomy to full power - a feat not possible for Req-based economies. The main concern expressed in that discussion, however, has been the poor showing NWs put forth in late-tier games where their slow speed combined with poor range (inadequate buffs from DF 1&2 researches at the SC) contributes to their being melted away before being able to leverage any significant DPS. Necrons are currently felt to be a bottom-tier race in competitive circles.

I know that balance issues are not your guys' mandate, but it does make for interesting discussion. Come check it out if you haven't already.

[Edit] Oh, and great to hear you guys are making such great progress with the mod. I can't wait to fire it up!