[BUG/improvement] AI still does not fortify properly

from Sins Forums

I have played 0.9 and was able to work with much of the diplomacy content.

I managed to work up my relationship with one AI, made several mission and was able even to set up many of the pacts, beyond the plain agreements.

Kudos to devs for so much improvement in the game.

Since you are tweaking the game, especially the AI, I have to report:

AI still sucks at working up the defenses. It have found *no* repair bays on any AI gravwell, even in late game. 

I played in a leisure pace with the intent of checking out the Diplomacy skills, not just plain winning. This should give plenty of time for the enemys to work up their defences.

Advent using that shield increasing resonance of their platforms? Forget about it. Ringing defences around the planet to make bombing harder? Not. No more that 3 hangars in one or two gravwells at the max. The'porcupine defense*' (my favorite)? Hah! in your dreams. 

It doesn't matter that the gravwell is attacked repeatedly, they just don't develop it.

I also have found hull-maxed Advent starbases, but no meteor shower against me. 

The AI does not properly lay up their defenses, and does not learn from the game history. IMO, each time a gravwell is *attacked* - not when a scout flies by, but when a bunch of combat ships attacks it, the AI should put working up the gravwell defenses on top priority. Even if the attack is from the pirates. speaking of which, when an AI is targete for pirate attack,it should preemptively start laying defenses on planets most likely to be hit by them, while also having a higher propensity of putting the flees in a more defensive mode, even bringing them to their owned gravwells.

The AI should gear up their fleets too, if they are being attacked. 

I think the AI should be smart enough to assess the incoming fleet attack power, and compare with the gravwell defending power. It should try to minimize losses by trying to lure the enemy into repair bay forests, know that missile cruisers are death to structures and jump on them like there is no tomorrow, and also discern that if there is little chance to prevent the gravwell from being wiped out, try to delay the enemy while it works a counter attack on another gravwell. 

Like e.g building 2 or 3 frigate factories on a near (1-2 jumps) gravwell to create a fleet, and instead of trickling ships to be smashed one by one, build a fleet and jump in as a block. 

 

A a minor nitpick, the AI still boasts about how I will 'say goodbye to planet X' when they are jumping in with a scout - or an envoy cruiser (if I at war with the AI)

 

Diplomacy is definitely in the right track, congrats. 

 

*porcupine defense - consists of placing a few turrets at one side of the planet to protect from bombing, and the starbase at the other side, also close to the planet. The starbase is then surrounded with repair bays and hangars, making it a bitch to attack and destroy it. 

14,299 views 16 replies
Reply #1 from Sins Forums Top

Agreed. AI defense layout sucks. Personally, I build a starbase with forced loyalty or the equivalent and then ring it with turrets/missle platforms/laser platforms and hangers with a repair bay tossed in. With fully upgraded hull/shields and weapons with maybe one or two hanger upgrades, it's pretty much impossible to take out the system. Especially if those are all ringed with mines. Advent is the worst to take out because of meteor storm, shielded laser turrets, augmented laser turrets, and moving mines. 

Reply #2 from Sins Forums Top

And the AI is still abusing siege frigates. I'd been playing for maybe 30 minutes and - big surprise - first contact with one of the computers is four siege frigates trying to run past my two patrolling capitals.

Are there going to be any AI improvements beyond the diplomatic features? I appreciate all the work Ironclad's done, but, really, we've been stuck with the same artificial idiocy for too long.

Are overall AI upgrades on the slate at all? Anything on this subject would be more than welcome.

Galactic Civilizations IV
Reply #3 from Sins Forums Top

Yeah gotta agree the AI has always been terrible at fortifying which is one of the main reasons they can never defend against a player, if they made 2/3 repair bays, a starbase, hangar bays, turret/missile platforms they would be able to defend if they used their fleet to back up the defenses. Not only that but upgrading all of their research would seriously help.

Reply #4 from Sins Forums Top

I noticed that there are 2 newer AI settings, I hope this means the AI will now start building more tan 2 capships per fleet.  Id like to see them building 4 or 5 capsships per fleet. I mean a well rounded fleet is a fleet that uses all 5 of the differant capships to get all the bonusus that come with it.

Reply #5 from Sins Forums Top

AI should also be nasty and evil, jumping in together with the pirates to get that extra oomph when fighting the enemy. 

But I guess this will have to wait for beta 3 at least, when pirate missions are available, so that the pirates and the attacking player who hired them cease fire and attack together, instead of fighting each other. 

 

Reply #6 from Sins Forums Top

AI should also be nasty and evil, jumping in together with the pirates to get that extra oomph when fighting the enemy.

Might be a fluke...but Ive had this happen often. But Im saying it me getting unlucky.

Reply #7 from Sins Forums Top

I've had several AI players allied against me attack at the same time on the same planet.  I think once I had 4 or 5 AI players attack my planet at the same time. 

Reply #8 from Sins Forums Top

A bit of a shameless bump, any dev can give a few words about the AI improvement in the combat strategy? I know you guys might be focused in getting the AI behave well  diplomacy, but combat needs some serious love as well, especially defense... 

Reply #9 from Sins Forums Top

"AI should also be nasty and evil, jumping in together with the pirates to get that extra oomph when fighting the enemy."

 

Is that wise? Isn't it better for the AI to wait before the pirates to have done the damage and then drop in after the party? Or even better, attack at the same time a different planet? I say this because I fear that the pirates will also start attacking the AI instead of their intended target. 

Reply #10 from Sins Forums Top

My point is that a 'cease fire' should be in place between the empire which hired the pirates and the pirates for the duration of the raid, to prevent the very phenomenon you said (which occurs currently). The attacking empire could take advanage of the pirates attack and give a stronger blow to the target. Optionally, it could use them as a diversion and attack in a different gravwell as you said. 

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Reply #11 from Sins Forums Top

there's nothing more annoying than paying the pirates to raid your enemy, then having them turn up at the enemy planet you're trying to take and kick YOUR ass...

Reply #12 from Sins Forums Top

I haven't really noticed either of these problems.  The pirates seem to attack the owner of the planet when they arrive more frequently than they attack me.  If I send them against the AI and they happen to show up at the planet I am currently attacking, I just leave and come back a minute later.  The AI will be going after the pirates, and the pirates will be busy with the AI, giving me a chance to setup my strike.  The pirates usually do little more than to keep the AI busy while I get fortified and setup (ie - My starbase to be built).

Reply #13 from Sins Forums Top

Two smaller fleets in succession don't do as much harm as one bigger fleet. waiting for the pirates to attack and jump in aftewards is just what we could always do, and not as effective. The pirates by default will keep attacking who they were attacking when you jump in, but they will be seen as enemies by your ships. If your ships start shooting them, or when they destroy their current target, attacker and ships will start attacking each other, which is undesirable. My point is simple: a cease fire with the pirates, or even just with that pirate fleet (but not others) would already do what I am asking: the ability to jump in with the pirates, if I hired them, without fear of having them turning on me.

Reply #14 from Sins Forums Top

Year I agree. A cease fire would be good with pirates, but I think that additional service should come at a pretty hefty price. After all, they are pirates. Also perhaps research should be needed before such negotiations can take place. Perhaps you would even have to pay up just to get an audiance with them to begin the negotiations.

Just a thought.

Reply #15 from Sins Forums Top

I never thought about it, but that is an EXCELLENT IDEA. If I am paying them to clobber someone, why DON'T we have a cease fire with the pirates for the duration of the raid. Just today, They had to go through 3 of my planets that I had fortified with starbases and phase destabilizers. By the time they made it to the second planet my OWN forces had all but wiped them out.

This is a GREAT Idea and it needs to be implemeted somehow..

Reply #16 from Sins Forums Top

Yes, I've long wished that non-allies of the target that's been launched against by the pirates would not trade blows with them if entering the same gravwell.