Comments Thread

[Steve Walmsley (OP)]

Awesome. So a point-blank engagement is likely once hostilities break out.

Is the AI smart enough to garrison ground troops on contested colonies?

Yes

[vorpal+5]

Awesome. So a point-blank engagement is likely once hostilities break out.

Is the AI smart enough to garrison ground troops on contested colonies?

Yes

Steve AI is probably smarter than the ones in many commercial games...  To achieve that, you need (1) some decent strategy skills, (2) motivation (3) time, it seems our Ellan-Vanniner (how do you call the inhabitants of the Isle?) has these 3!

[Steve Walmsley (OP)]

How do you call the inhabitants of the Isle?

The inhabitants are the Manx.

[Jovus]

Do you suspect there might be a bug in how the NPRs are handling their economies, or are they just that good at it?

[Steve Walmsley (OP)]

Do you suspect there might be a bug in how the NPRs are handling their economies, or are they just that good at it?

NPRs generally start with more fleet build points than the the player, so the starting fleets are larger. However, they are a lot better at managing their economies than in VB6.

[Agoelia]

19th December 1890
The 33,300-ton Kolga class ships of the Hegemony of Titan move into in orbit of the Roanoke colony on Alpha Centauri-B III. They are apparently terraforming ships as a trace atmosphere of oxygen is forming on the previously airless body. While that appears to be good news, the surface temperature on Titan is -44C, so if the Hegemony really intends to terraform the planet, they will presumably reduce the temperature from the current 7C.

Are we about to see battling terraformers?  Does the AI need updated with code to handle competing colonies trying to move the temperature in opposite directions?  Is the intent to leave it to see what current Aurora will do and whether this will start a war one day?

As the code stands, terraformers will compete with each other, which could lead to some interesting climate changes

There is no diplomatic penalty for this at the moment, but I think that might be needed.

That should be relatively easy. Wouldn't it be enough to have the AI automatically set any body they're terraforming as their own, and then add a penalty for terraforming somebody else's moon/planet/asteroid?

[Steve Walmsley (OP)]

19th December 1890
The 33,300-ton Kolga class ships of the Hegemony of Titan move into in orbit of the Roanoke colony on Alpha Centauri-B III. They are apparently terraforming ships as a trace atmosphere of oxygen is forming on the previously airless body. While that appears to be good news, the surface temperature on Titan is -44C, so if the Hegemony really intends to terraform the planet, they will presumably reduce the temperature from the current 7C.

Are we about to see battling terraformers?  Does the AI need updated with code to handle competing colonies trying to move the temperature in opposite directions?  Is the intent to leave it to see what current Aurora will do and whether this will start a war one day?

As the code stands, terraformers will compete with each other, which could lead to some interesting climate changes

There is no diplomatic penalty for this at the moment, but I think that might be needed.

That should be relatively easy. Wouldn't it be enough to have the AI automatically set any body they're terraforming as their own, and then add a penalty for terraforming somebody else's moon/planet/asteroid?

There are a lot of different factors involved in the AI deciding how important a planet or system is and whether they are prepared to fight over it. See the various diplomatic posts in the changes thread. Also, some other race terraforming might be helpful rather than threatening.

[TMaekler]

16th August 1891
White Star Lines launches ... a liner.

Well, could you please check the trajectories of Mass Drivers, so nothing happens? 

[Karlito]

The Venusian fleet includes five 25,603-ton Yuan class battleships, three 17,078-ton Chakhar class battleships, three 17,071-ton class Timurad class battleships, two 17,050-ton Mughal class battleships, three 8,541-ton Hazara class protected cruisers and two 8,509-ton Mughal class protected cruisers. The Royal Navy squadron in Jamestown orbit comprises the Apollo class second class cruisers HMS Andromache and HMS Indefatigable, each of 3,750 tons.

Well, that's not at all a confusing designation by naval intelligence.

Good call on reducing the truce timer. Let's see some fireworks!

[Steve Walmsley (OP)]

The Venusian fleet includes five 25,603-ton Yuan class battleships, three 17,078-ton Chakhar class battleships, three 17,071-ton class Timurad class battleships, two 17,050-ton Mughal class battleships, three 8,541-ton Hazara class protected cruisers and two 8,509-ton Mughal class protected cruisers. The Royal Navy squadron in Jamestown orbit comprises the Apollo class second class cruisers HMS Andromache and HMS Indefatigable, each of 3,750 tons.

Well, that's not at all a confusing designation by naval intelligence.

Good call on reducing the truce timer. Let's see some fireworks!

Ah good spot! It's a typo - the cruisers are Manchu class - I'll update the text.

[Father Tim]

How well is the AI handling maintenance for these big fleets?  Is it building and exporting enough Maintenance Facilities (to Roanoke, for example)?  Are we going to see the Matians, Venusians, and Titans rushing their ships home for overhaul in two or three years?

[Steve Walmsley (OP)]

How well is the AI handling maintenance for these big fleets?  Is it building and exporting enough Maintenance Facilities (to Roanoke, for example)?  Are we going to see the Matians, Venusians, and Titans rushing their ships home for overhaul in two or three years?

The AI is handling fuel but not maintenance (yet).

[Zincat]

I have a question Steve. I don't think it has been answered yet, I apologize if I am wrong. Although you do not detail everything (of course, this is sort of a "speed run), the AI seems to be very aggressive in stabilizing jump points.

As a very cautious player, I've always been extremely wary when stabilizing jump points. I only stabilize what is strictly needed. Does the AI have criterias for choosing what to stabilize? Will it only stabilize jp which leads to "valuable" systems? Or will it stabilize everything?

I personally hope it's the former, as I get ULTRA paranoid when I see all the jump points close to my space being stabilized. I consider jump point defense as one of my main ways to protect myself, and mass stabilization really hampers that... And a stabilized jump point can NEVER be destabilized, so....

[vorpal+5]

How is determined by the AI if a planet should be invaded or glassed? I'm not too fond of seeing AIs wreck planets admittedly...

[Father Tim]

Does the AI have criterias for choosing what to stabilize?

In VB Aurora, pretty much every jump point it wants to use.

Will it only stabilize jp which leads to "valuable" systems?

In VB Aurora, all of them between inhabited systems, all of them between want-to-inhabit systems, all of them that their battelfleet wants to use.

Or will it stabilize everything?

In VB Aurora, pretty much.

Commercial shipping lines want to use jump gates.  NPRs will agressively and incessantly attempt to build them anywhere and everywhere they want to go (other than with only survey forces).  My empires have gone to war with countless otherwise-peaceful neighbours by ruthlessly and repeatedly blowing up their gate-builders in my territory so as not to have pre-made invasion routes.  It's a known hazard of the universe that every other space-capable race is in love with the damn things.