A question on building experimentals with your mod. I think you fixed it so if a map is missing AI markers (specifically the tag that shows where to build experimentals), it will now build one - is that correct?

I usually use AI tech - sometimes it appears as though it will only build up to T3 units. Why no experimentals?

Also, I don't think I have ever seen the AI build a water experimental (eg Tempest or Atlantis). Why is this?

Lastly, on water maps, what can be done to improve AI behaviour? The Water AI will build plenty of ships, but most often they stay grouped around the naval shipyard and never venture out at all! This behaviour occurs even on FA maps (ie fully supported maps, including AI markers).

Thanks again Duncane for your mod. It is a fantastic improvement and I use it ALL the time.

Cheers

Thanks for the feedback.

Yes AIs should build experimentals on maps with no markers.

When playing the TechAI do you use the AIx one? Its much more likely to build experimentals.

I will have to look at the water experimental issue. I think I disabled them at one point (they are over priced and there are better choices), but I guess the naval AI should at least try to build one.

I thought I had fixed the naval units being stuck at the base. Are you playing with Sorians AI installed? I may have to look for a conflict.

Yes Duncane, playing with AIx Water made the difference. I saw it build an Atlantis - it actually finished up one and created some havoc with it lol Thank you for the tip. Will water experimentals be built with all AIx opponents or just the Water AIx?

As for the ships "base grouping", it was with Sorian's AI playing as well. I often play LAN games to help teach others and use both AI opponents (Sorian's and yours) in these games. It might appear that initially it sends ships out ok and nicely harass you, but if they keep getting sunk than it tends to keep them at home. When you attack them at their "home navy base" then a few will head for you but it tends to be ineffective. It is pretty easy to stay on the outskirts and pick them off one by one. If they had been sent out instead they would have created lots more action and more grief

It also appears that many T3 battleships stay in the base. A few will go out unescorted. Is it possible that if the threat level is high that they could go out with an escort? Could be a simple solution to improving both problems. Make battleships more effective and protected as well as clear out alot of ships that just sit around the navy yard waiting to be picked off later on. I think it could make water maps alot more fun. Navy is great, but always seems underused.

Cheers

Yeah its just the Naval AI. The other AIs focus on land and air experimentals.

As for ships not leave the base... sounds like I need to run some more tests! I havent really worked on the navy much.

This is my first time using this mod in a long while and ... well ... in the game after I installed it the Adaptive AI walked all the way across a 20km map and right into my base around 20 minutes into the game.

Needless to say this made the game a bit shorter than I was expecting ...
(And it was doing so well up to that point ... )

That wasn't supposed to happen was it?

You mean the ACU came into your base?

Only the land rush AI could have done that, but I will check its limited by map size.

Yup, the ACU ... and the Adaptive AI.
Here we go, I got a pic of it from the replay:



That order was issued to the ACU around 12 minutes into the game and, as you can see, he was on an attack move that would have taken him around most of the map!

Hmmm.... Im stumped. The ACU should only go for that kinda of walk on 10km and less maps and only up to 11 minutes.

Do you have sorians installed? Do you see this all the time or was it just a freak?

Yes I do have Sorian installed as well.

I haven't played enough games since adding your mod to know if this is a regular or fluke event.
I'll let you know.

I always have sorians with this and i never saw that. what map was it on?

I'm wondering is this AI affected by 3603 in anyway, or like sorian's, is some of this AI code actually used in 3603?

Duncane and I have been good about making each other aware of bugs in the AI. So far I have not seen any issues with Duncane's AI in 3603 nor do I expect to.

I havent had a chance to look at the patch in detail, but certainly some of the AI fixes such as firebases and percivals are things that Sorian and I have fixed previously.

Once the new balance is confirmed I may need to do an update so the AI uses certain units more (the obvious example is storage).

Okay I have gone through an the changes in the Beta pack and all the fixes are already in my AI patch so you can use it with the Beta patch. There are of course many more fixes in my download

From a balance point of view most of the changes will have little impact immediatly on the AI as it already tends to build a balanced unit base (so for example didnt use Restorer spam). This will have to be monitored as new tactics are seen in player matches. A couple that spring to mind are the cheaper T2 gunships and cheaper bombers in general, although the Air AI wil already use these well. The cheaper Ghettos may also be an impact, but that may just require earlier T1 AA.

As I mentioned earlier the big issue that will need addressing is that Energy storage is now going to be needed much earlier (the AI currently only builds it at T3). I will be watching and playing a few games to see what kind of effect this has and will then do a release in a few days.

I just downloaded the fa_patch_3603_beta, and test played your AI Duncane.
I was on a two player map, playing as Seraph against UEF AI. For the first time ever, I found them transporting the commander to my base. Lucky I had aircraft flying around, so the commander died with the transport.

Only used the patch with no other balance mods that I have. The only mods that were being used were the zoom (Duncanes) and the T3 anti-air.

This needs a fix, when playing on a water map, the AI load the commander on a transport, every game played. Playing Assassination now is too easy, AI sends commander and the end, AI commander is dead.

Dragon Fly.

Thanks for the info. The fac the com can ride in a T1 transport now probably caused this. I will fix it up. Can you confirm the map you saw this on?

One of my maps. I can send it or give you a download of it, it is called Distant Shore. I have been told it is similar to a map in TA.

How big is it in Km ? Is it an island map?

5km in width and 20km in length. It is a fun map to play, here is a download of the most recent map. You can play and see it for yourself. It has all the AI markers needed for it to work well.

http://www.filefront.com/14369955/Distant%20Shore.zip

Dragon Fly

@Duncane: this is most likely caused by the EngineerMoveWithSafePath() function. You can try changing line 170 in altaiutilities.lua from:



to



HTH

Thanks Sorian. I may well make that change although it might be useful to allow the com in tranports at some point. Im more interested in finding why the ACU is trying to land in the enemy base... Anyway I will check it out tonight.

Ok I done another test. The commander only does that when playing a normal AI.

I have been playing naval AI and nothing has happen as yet, I've still got to complete the game. I would do that now, but I've run out of time, have to get to school to bring my kids home.

Note I don't use the cheat multiplier when I play, I'm not good enough, to play against the AI that way!

I finished the game and the commander didn't come at all. It was a good game, took some time to defeat the AI.


Dragon Fly

Okay... Heres a very early BETA version that should work with the new BETA FA patch:

http://members.iinet.net.au/~dionysus/m ... ixBETA.zip

It fixes the ACU in T1 transport issue, adds early AI energy storage and makes sure that all AI changes in the patch are included as per GPG's changes.

Once the beta patch has been in use more I will look at how to handle the chnage to GG's and Air in general.

Duncane I have a question to ask you. First is it possible, to have the AI know that if an engineer can't get up an mountain, or to a destination, to use a transport to get the engineer there?

I have created a fairly real looking map, and it has plateaus where the expansion points are. But the AI are useless in playing it at this time, sending engies to climb the cliffs.

The second question is, how could I create a small AI lua to do this? I know absolutely nothing about the lua language, so this will not be easy for me.

Edit: It seems that only Sorians AI don't know how to do this. Yours works just fine, without a problem. /Edit

Dragon Fly

Not that I've ever mapped for sup com so I don't have a clue what I'm talking about, but are you aware of the Transport Drop marker that Sorian talks about in:

http://forums.gaspowered.com/viewtopic.php?t=33542

Sorry if this info is pointless or out of date :S