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I was reading and waiting to see where this was going. I can see only a couple of solutions that would not end up in a Risk stalemate where you just piling up armies on the other side of a jump point:
- Going back to the old advantage where NPR have no jump shock to deal with, effectively "cheating", or by giving them a reduced jump shock, so that you are still getting the advantage but for limited amount of time compared to the current and player
- AI would send a scout in advance prior jumping and if an enemy fleet is on the other side would decide if the mission they are carrying over justifies the risk and pretty much still ending up wiped out eventually
The problem with 1 is that we are trying to get away from cheating AIs in favor of a more "smart" one. The problem with 2 is that we could go back to the old peeking problem with scouts jumping in and out systems every cycle.
We could have a random zero-time jump shock, valid also for the player.
I was reading and waiting to see where this was going. I can see only a couple of solutions that would not end up in a Risk stalemate where you just piling up armies on the other side of a jump point:
- Going back to the old advantage where NPR have no jump shock to deal with, effectively "cheating", or by giving them a reduced jump shock, so that you are still getting the advantage but for limited amount of time compared to the current and player
- AI would send a scout in advance prior jumping and if an enemy fleet is on the other side would decide if the mission they are carrying over justifies the risk and pretty much still ending up wiped out eventually
The problem with 1 is that we are trying to get away from cheating AIs in favor of a more "smart" one. The problem with 2 is that we could go back to the old peeking problem with scouts jumping in and out systems every cycle.
- Aurora is very complex so the AI is never going to be competitive with an experienced human player. The AI struggles in many AAA titles with large dev teams and much simpler mechanics - plus I suspect the average Aurora player is smarter than the average gamer, which makes the AI gap wider. All I can really do is keep adding new considerations for the AI and tweaking the code as problems present themselves.
FWIW, I think the AI in Aurora is possibly more competent than the AI in the average Triple-AAA game coming out. Not least since it does, after all, continually improve.
In any case, I think regardless of AI tactical ability, the Vorchan were sunk anyways due to inferior technology and doctrine (or perhaps more accurately lack of superior technology, coupled with a poor doctrine for the situation). But you do like to see when the AI can at least mount a credible JP assault instead of getting walloped by 1/3 their tonnage in defenders. Myself, I'm still searching for that sweet spot, bumping up difficulty can work but can also leave the player in some settings facing faster, longer-ranged opposition perhaps a tad bit sooner than desired.
- Aurora is very complex so the AI is never going to be competitive with an experienced human player. The AI struggles in many AAA titles with large dev teams and much simpler mechanics - plus I suspect the average Aurora player is smarter than the average gamer, which makes the AI gap wider. All I can really do is keep adding new considerations for the AI and tweaking the code as problems present themselves.
Exciting stuff. Looks like the multi-system NPR is working as intended. Forward surveyors are a must here as is a robust auxiliary corps to establish bases as you advance through enemy territory.
Various comments I had from reading this:Probably some others I forgot in reading this majestic epic of an update...
- Will NPRs ever get suspicious that a system holds a dormant JP and resurvey it? It seems like the player could have the option to jump into a system, meet a dangerous NPR, and then just hide behind that dormant JP forever to completely mitigate the threat until they feel like invading, while the NPR doesn't really know how to defend itself in this situation.
- It seems like NPRs in general don't understand how to handle jump points. With the tech + doctrine disadvantage, I don't think this NPR would ever have a chance to win a JP assault anyways, but I don't think they at any point used a squadron jump to get out of beam range and/or reduce the jump shock time to get their weapons online quicker. Either tactic might have enabled the Vorchan to at least do some damage.
- Similarly, the NPR would have been smarter to defend at the JPs where they could fight an engagement better suited to their fleet doctrine. Missile fleets are awful on the attack, but defensively they can mass fire against a fleet dispersed after a squadron jump to at least kill something.
- I notice the Vorchan never combined fleets to achieve superior mass, despite this supposedly being added to the AI some time ago.
- I'm curious if you have other thoughts on NPR performance here. Again, they have a tech disadvantage (or at least a lack of advantage coupled to an ill-fitting doctrine), but between this and the previous Japanese campaign it seems like NPR lack of tactical skill is the major weak spot right now.
- Maybe future campaigns should be played with a difficulty above 100%, so the NPRs generally have more of a tech advantage to counter the player's advantage of not being as dumb as a bag of rocks.
Hoping that this one goes on long enough to meet other NPRs including these mythical NPR carriers we have been promised!
