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Post by Space Borders on Jun 28, 2015 8:27:09 GMT -5
OK, so here is a quick overview, comments regarding the priority level are very welcome. I don't believe that shipyards are ever critical to the success of any of the missions, are they? Critical (10000): Odysseus Athena Titan Hercules HQ Space Portal Comm Station Comm Relays Ore Mine CargoMaster xPress Shuttle Not critical (< 10000): Shipyard (6000) Daedalus (5000) Crius (4000) Hydra (3500) Nuke Centaur (3500) OreMaster (3000) WeldMaster (2500) Harvester Drone (2000) Probe (1500) Cerberus (1000) Gladiators (700) Non-nuke Centaurs (500) Aegaeon (400) Behemoth (100) Fighters (50)
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Post by Clinkzbone on Jun 28, 2015 8:39:53 GMT -5
Not sure whether Shipyards are ever mission critical If they're not, their priority should go way down because they contribute nothing. I think the Nuke Centaur should be given higher priority, and the Harvester Drone as well. Why are non-nuke Centaurs below Gladiators, BTW?
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Post by Space Borders on Jun 28, 2015 9:01:22 GMT -5
Agreed, let's move the shipyard down. Well, the Nuke Centaurs do a lot of damage, but it takes them lots of time to recharge. Compared to the Hydra, I think it does little overall damage (over several minutes), right? You are right, Centaurs should be above the Gladiators. So here is the updated version.
Critical (10000):
Odysseus Athena Titan Hercules HQ Space Portal Comm Station Comm Relays Ore Mine CargoMaster xPress Shuttle
Not critical (< 10000):
Daedalus (5000) Crius (4000) Hydra (3500) Nuke Centaur (3500) OreMaster (3000) Harvester Drone (3000) WeldMaster (2500) Probe (1500) Cerberus (1000) Centaurs (700) Gladiators (500) Aegaeon (400) Behemoth (100) Fighters (50) Shipyard (10)
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Post by Space Borders on Jun 28, 2015 9:03:58 GMT -5
Ok, I guess you mean because the Nuke Centaur is super vulnerable, but it's (in my opinion) overall less valuable than the Hydra. They Hydra can pose a bigger thread and can also be used as defense. Getting rid of it first seems more important.
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Post by Clinkzbone on Jun 28, 2015 9:30:05 GMT -5
But isn't removing the Nuke Centaur essentially removing one of the EDF's "superweapons"?
Personally I think the nuke is more useful than the Hydra's 8 fighters because of the massive burst damage and large AoE, even if it takes a while to recharge. I can safely say that the nuke has saved my fleet many many more times than the presence of a Hydra has. Hydras are great vs fleets of small ships, less so vs multiple battlecruisers (especially when playing on max difficulty). In that instance, I just fire a nuke and boom, problem solved. That is the power of the nuke. Hydras hold the line (except when battlecruiser spam). Nukes punch holes in it.
Also, cost vs benefit. The below chunk of text is written with the assumption that the Nuke Centaur/Hydra is alone.
Nuke Centaur has less health, and thus fewer resources will be needed to get rid of it. In addition, it ties up the alien forces for a shorter duration. The benefits are huge, because the Nuke Centaur is a very powerful and very important ship, exacerbated by the fact that the player can only have 1 (the fact that only 1 is allowed also shows how powerful it is). So the costs are less when compared to engaging a Hydra, and the benefits are large. Worth it? Definitely.
That's my opinion, anyway.
Of course if the Hydra is escorting the Nuke Centaur (best combo) that's a whole different kettle of fish, but let's not go into such details just yet.
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Post by Space Borders on Jun 28, 2015 9:37:00 GMT -5
Alright, you convinced me. In this case, the Daedalus should move up a bit. Critical (10000): Odysseus Athena Titan Hercules HQ Space Portal Comm Station Comm Relays Ore Mine CargoMaster xPress Shuttle Not critical (< 10000): Daedalus (7000) Crius (4500) Nuke Centaur (4000) Hydra (3500) OreMaster (3000) Harvester Drone (3000) WeldMaster (2500) Probe (1500) Cerberus (1000) Centaurs (700) Gladiators (500) Aegaeon (400) Behemoth (100) Fighters (50) Shipyard (10)
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Post by Space Borders on Jun 28, 2015 9:40:48 GMT -5
I have implemented all the necessary functions, now the tables need to filled. Of course, that does not mean that the AI is anywhere near done, if anyone was wondering, it's just the first step. Oh, there's one more thing. For the diversion power to work it has to have the highest priority of all, otherwise it'll get useless, or at least less effective.
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Post by Clinkzbone on Jun 28, 2015 9:56:32 GMT -5
Oh yeah will the AI change targets based on priority? In the current build enemy ships will fire on the first target they encounter, and not change targets even if they get fired on by other ships. This can lead to some silly situations, like baiting the entire enemy fleet with a gladiator and leading them straight into the rest of your fleet, or flaring the enemy just before they enter firing range and then moving in for the kill while they continue to fire at small glowing balls.
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Post by Space Borders on Jun 28, 2015 10:00:33 GMT -5
Well, as long as the alien ships have a lock and can fire on a target, they don't choose a new one, but if you move that target away, then they actually do search for the next best target. This is according to the current implementation. This also means that the alien ships do change their targets, even after they have chosen one. You can try that by moving a ship near a battlecruiser, then move it away and order another ship to attack the same battlecruiser. The AI will of course choose the new ship you send in.
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Post by three3pryme on Jun 28, 2015 10:06:00 GMT -5
hmm, agreed!
i guess if the hydra is dead than the fighters have nowhere to go, unless youre trying to say something else. But good point
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Post by three3pryme on Jun 28, 2015 10:10:25 GMT -5
I do like the new table although!
but personally i think that oremaster should have more priority than harvester drone instead of it being a tie.
And good point you brought up there with the changing targets
I learned that on my encounter with the battlecruisers from offensive and the beasts at the homeworld
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Post by three3pryme on Jun 28, 2015 10:16:03 GMT -5
I hope the game doent get too hard or too screwy because of this new AI.
Also, where is the athena and titan and a few other things in this AI table? or is that a whole new story
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Post by Space Borders on Jun 28, 2015 10:27:29 GMT -5
So, yep, once the AI has dealt with whatever target (which it also chooses according to the equation mentioned earlier), it chooses the next one according to the same function again. This means it checks the targets health, it's priority, it's distance, its own rotation and health. Oh, just one thing, the tiny drones from the light and heavy carriers don't change targets, but they suck anyway.
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Post by three3pryme on Jun 28, 2015 10:44:00 GMT -5
what about the drone carriers?
IMO the Light ones suck but the heavy ones can overload me
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Post by Space Borders on Jun 28, 2015 10:46:45 GMT -5
The drone carrier is in my opinion, one of the best alien units, perhaps rivaled by the heavy battlecruiser, but not by much.
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