What does killing one AI accomplish?

[mindloss]

Supposedly they cooperate to an extent, and the game is set up so that their position is similar to human team players'... one dies, they're both still in the game. You take that massive AIP hit when you knock out the first AI, so what does it get you? Is that AI no longer able to issue reinforcements?

[Ranakastrasz]

Supposedly they cooperate to an extent, and the game is set up so that their position is similar to human team players'... one dies, they're both still in the game. You take that massive AIP hit when you knock out the first AI, so what does it get you? Is that AI no longer able to issue reinforcements?

Well, you are correct, taking out one AI is mostly a negative thing, as it makes the game harder. However, When the AI takes out a human's Home Command station, then the Humans are closer to defeat. Each command station acts as a defeat buffer. Once you take out an AI home command station, You make significant progress to winning the game. So basically, it is a goal that gives no short term gain, but rather a short term loss, while once you take the second one out, you win!

[x4000]

Yep, there is no direct gain. In fact, there's that 100 AIP penalty. I guess the one gain is that it's one less thing to do on your path to victory, and that ai's home planet won't be reinforcing anymore (since it's dead). The home planets of ai players are also resource rich if you need the m/c.

[mindloss]

Oh. Gosh. Well, I guess that underscores the optimality of doing a fast 1-2 strike.

[x4000]

Generally: yeah, it's optimal to do a fast 1-2 strike if you can.  Realistically, in most cases that's not going to be possible because just getting near enough to the AI to harm them is a Big Deal.  And you put their adjacent planets on alert the longer you hang out there, too, which makes the benefit of trying to be TOO fast in the 1-2 strike range a little questionable.  100 AIP is just like taking a few planets; it's a fair jump, sure, but that's the reaction of the other AI to its brethren getting killed off -- it's ready for an epic showdown now.

If the AIs were easy to knock off, then it would definitely be obvious that a 1-2 strike is always the way to go.  But for practical purposes you might die trying to do that in some campaigns.   Depends on the campaign, of course.

[mindloss]

I actually completed what I felt was my first pretty solid game last night; 5/6 AI on a smaller map, so not too challenging, but it felt like I made all the right moves. Except, of course, when I threw my 2000+ ship fleet into the first homeworld without realizing it had an eye. I had sacrificed so much just to get there that I said the hell with it, and went ahead and took out all nine posts and command just before being cut to shreds. Surprising and satisfying.

Anyway, I mention it because after that I saw the effect of the AIP jump virtually immediately; there was one semi-neutered system that I'd had most of the game (AI's com center still there), with a small garrison and turrets to keep it in check. Within minutes of the first AI falling, I saw my forces in that system begin to lose control.

So I booked it to the SuperTerminal, took it down back to where it was supposed to be, and had actually had a much easier time of the second guy than the first.

Related question to the topic: is it significantly advantageous to take out the harder AI first, if there are two different difficulties you're playing against? Sounds like the only real difference is that the weaker AI's homeworld will be being reinforced at a slower rate, thus slightly favoring leaving him for second.

[x4000]

It actually wouldn't really matter, because both AIs are still active and at full danger level (same as with the humans if one human loses their home in multiplayer).  The game's not over for anyone until the entire game is over!

[Coppermantis]

You can capture the planet which usually has a lot of resources, but otherwise there isn't any more gain than capturing any other planet-other than the AIP Increase and the fact that the game is half over.

[Orelius]

Even if you capture the AI homeworld, doesn't it still spawn ships with the exo-galactic wormhole that is left?

[Philo]

Best thing you can do imo if you can't just right knock them both out is to neuter the other AI Homeworld. Just kill everything except the Home Command Station. Then it'll be easy to take them both out simultaneously when you've gotten around to destroying the other homeworld.

[zoutzakje]

Related question to the topic: is it significantly advantageous to take out the harder AI first, if there are two different difficulties you're playing against? Sounds like the only real difference is that the weaker AI's homeworld will be being reinforced at a slower rate, thus slightly favoring leaving him for second.

not significantly no, but I often rather take out the toughest homeworld first while the AIP is still low. If you take out the easiest one first, the AIP will rise a lot and then you still have to take out the toughest which can be problematic, depending on how you were holding out before taking down the first homeworld.
plus I don't just look at the difficulties. I also look at the different types of Core guard posts the homeworlds have. If one of them has a Core CPA guard post for example, I'm defenitely going to take that one out first, regardless of difficulty.

[mindloss]

Oh man, yeah. I ran into my first CPA post the other day. Those !@#$ers are not fun.

[zoutzakje]

heh indeed, and don't forget the Core neinzul Spawners (not sure if that's what they're called, but it describes what they do). If any of your ships get close to this particulair type of cure, it spawns 1000 or so neinzul ships that come to attack you. Can be overwhelming if you're unprepared.

[mindloss]

Yeah... first time I saw one of those, I saw it first on the galaxy map... homeworld had jumped from like 200 ships to 3000 in a split second. That was a very exciting couple of seconds.

It's amazing how they can either tear you apart, or if you have some AoE, they get shut down immediately.

[BobTheJanitor]

Even if you capture the AI homeworld, doesn't it still spawn ships with the exo-galactic wormhole that is left?

Yeah, it's kind of fun to leave a game running after a win in a Fallen Spire campaign if you want to watch some really really big ships duke it out ad infinitum. AI War: The Screensaver.