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Author Topic: The Effects of AI Progress  (Read 3452 times)

Offline BobTheJanitor

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The Effects of AI Progress
« on: February 07, 2011, 06:41:42 pm »
Does anyone have a nice specific list of everything that changes as AIP goes up? The Wiki data is a bit slap-dash about it. I know it increases wave sizes, and I'm pretty sure it increases reinforcement size, but what else? It gives you higher mark waves, does it do the same to reinforcements? Or is a Mark II planet always going to get Mark II reinforcements? Does it affect the AI's 'ship cap' (to the extent that it even has one)? Does it give the AI new ship types at any point? Does it have any affect on how the AI plays overall, its general behavior?

Here is what the wiki provides:

http://www.arcengames.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=AI_War_-_AI_Progress

Which kind of dives right in to the gritty details without any sort of introductory statement. That's what I'd like to know, exactly what AIP increases do to the game. Then I can edit it in to that page for future confused people like myself.  ;D
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Offline TechSY730

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Re: The Effects of AI Progress
« Reply #1 on: February 07, 2011, 07:01:41 pm »
Do you mean from a in-universe point of view or mechanics point of view.

Or do you want a good 1-2 sentence summary?
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Offline BobTheJanitor

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Re: The Effects of AI Progress
« Reply #2 on: February 07, 2011, 07:52:14 pm »
As specific as it needs to be. Doesn't have to be short for any reason, I just want it to be all inclusive. The exact numerical values aren't required per se, but what all is affected by it is what I'm looking for.
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Offline x4000

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Re: The Effects of AI Progress
« Reply #3 on: February 07, 2011, 07:57:36 pm »
I don't think a better summary exists, unfortunately.  At some point I need to go back to the code and redo that section based on the actual code values. 
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Offline TechSY730

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Re: The Effects of AI Progress
« Reply #4 on: February 07, 2011, 08:03:09 pm »
Informally, you could say it is the AI "Rage-O-Meter" (patent pending), though that does not quite cover everything that the AI progress conceptually represents. A closer explanation of what AI progress represents is how much the AI considers the humans as a threat.

Anyways, the AI progress influences wave sizes, reinforcement sizes (or was it reinforcement rates?), and (at certain AI progresses), the tech level of waves. Also, at certain AI progresses, the AI will get a new bonus ship unlocked.
A few minor factions, including, but not limited to, neinzul enclaves, are influenced by AI progress, becoming more frequent and/or more nasty as AI progress goes up.

This may not seem like much, but wave size plays a BIG role in how much of a chance you have winning the game. Even if you are good at taking out a large number of ships, at high AI progresses the AI planets will get EXTREMELY well defended, making it really hard to get anywhere.

This is what I have seen so far. Let me know if I am missing anything.
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Offline BobTheJanitor

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Re: The Effects of AI Progress
« Reply #5 on: February 07, 2011, 08:12:50 pm »
Well the problem with the wiki page is we only have 'what happens if I lower the AIP' and 'Tech level calculation' which I see does mention reinforcements, so I guess that answers that. Then we have 'when to worry about AIP getting too high' and 'what causes AIP to go up'. The main thing that seems to be missing is "What are the gameplay effects of increasing AI Progress?"

Thus far I think it is this:
- Wave tech levels get higher
- Reinforcement tech levels get higher
- The AI gets access to new ship types
- CPA tech levels get higher (?)
- Waves get bigger (?)

Last two I'm not sure on. Is any of that flatly incorrect, and is there anything else that I'm missing?
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Offline TechSY730

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Re: The Effects of AI Progress
« Reply #6 on: February 07, 2011, 08:15:56 pm »
Quote from: BobTheJanitor on February 07, 2011, 08:12:50 pm
Well the problem with the wiki page is we only have 'what happens if I lower the AIP' and 'Tech level calculation' which I see does mention reinforcements, so I guess that answers that. Then we have 'when to worry about AIP getting too high' and 'what causes AIP to go up'. The main thing that seems to be missing is "What are the gameplay effects of increasing AI Progress?"

Thus far I think it is this:
- Wave tech levels get higher
- Reinforcement tech levels get higher
- The AI gets access to new ship types
- CPA tech levels get higher (?)
- Waves get bigger (?)

Last two I'm not sure on. Is any of that flatly incorrect, and is there anything else that I'm missing?

The only one that is flatly incorrect is reinforcement tech levels. Reinforcement tech levels are determined by the tech level of the planet (though higher level AIs and the turtle AIs can "cheat" a bit on these rules). I think the number of ships they get per reinforcement goes up with AIP though.
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Offline BobTheJanitor

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Re: The Effects of AI Progress
« Reply #7 on: February 07, 2011, 08:32:32 pm »
Okay so now I have:

- Wave tech levels get higher
- Reinforcement numbers increase
- The AI gets access to new ship types
- CPA tech levels get higher
- Waves get bigger

Anything missing? Any idea if any of this is wrong? I don't want to keep picking at it, but since I intend to go update the wiki with this I'd want to make sure I'm not just making things up.  ;)
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Offline TechSY730

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Re: The Effects of AI Progress
« Reply #8 on: February 07, 2011, 08:42:17 pm »
Quote from: BobTheJanitor on February 07, 2011, 08:32:32 pm
Okay so now I have:

- Wave tech levels get higher
- Reinforcement numbers increase
- The AI gets access to new ship types
- CPA tech levels get higher
- Waves get bigger

Anything missing? Any idea if any of this is wrong? I don't want to keep picking at it, but since I intend to go update the wiki with this I'd want to make sure I'm not just making things up.  ;)

Wait, I think event attacks can also get bigger based on AIP, but I'm not sure about that. (Event attacks are attacks due to LotS campaign progression, Golem (hard) waves, and Spirecraft (hard) waves)
Other than that, it looks pretty complete for the AI side of things.

A few minor factions are influenced by AIP though. I know that the Neinzul enclaves are, but I'm not sure what else.
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Offline x4000

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Re: The Effects of AI Progress
« Reply #9 on: February 07, 2011, 10:24:45 pm »
There is nothing on that page that was flatly incorrect.  The reinforcement tech level is indeed determined by the AI Progress.  However, that has a FLOOR of the tech level of the planet.  But if your AIP is high enough to where the enemy waves are mark V, even your mark I planets will all be making mark V ships, actually.  Most games just don't go on long enough to where this becomes an issue, but for those players who play multiple-dozens-of-hours campaigns, they can attest to this. ;)
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Offline TechSY730

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Re: The Effects of AI Progress
« Reply #10 on: February 07, 2011, 10:26:45 pm »
Quote from: x4000 on February 07, 2011, 10:24:45 pm
There is nothing on that page that was flatly incorrect.  The reinforcement tech level is indeed determined by the AI Progress.  However, that has a FLOOR of the tech level of the planet.  But if your AIP is high enough to where the enemy waves are mark V, even your mark I planets will all be making mark V ships, actually.  Most games just don't go on long enough to where this becomes an issue, but for those players who play multiple-dozens-of-hours campaigns, they can attest to this. ;)

That explains soo much. Thanks for that useful piece of info.  :)
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Offline x4000

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Re: The Effects of AI Progress
« Reply #11 on: February 07, 2011, 10:32:56 pm »
My pleasure. :)
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Offline BobTheJanitor

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Re: The Effects of AI Progress
« Reply #12 on: February 08, 2011, 04:17:32 pm »
http://www.arcengames.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=AI_War_-_AI_Progress

Well it's a small addition, but hopefully it helps anyone else who is unable to find this info. Thanks for the help!
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Offline x4000

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Re: The Effects of AI Progress
« Reply #13 on: February 08, 2011, 04:33:53 pm »
Thank you!
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Offline Echo35

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Re: The Effects of AI Progress
« Reply #14 on: February 08, 2011, 05:10:05 pm »
You want a one sentence summary?

AI Progress goes up, you die faster. :P
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