Author Topic: About the new Astro Train AI Plot  (Read 3723 times)

Offline Kahuna

  • Core Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2,222
  • Kahuna Matata!
About the new Astro Train AI Plot
« on: December 02, 2012, 05:29:24 am »
What do Golems and Super Fortresses have to do with Astro Trains? Every time a "major construction thing" completes a new Golem or Super Fortress appears in one of the Core worlds. That combined with the Core Sentry Eye aka Core Reserves it's impossible to destroy the Core worlds.
set /A diff=10
if %diff%==max (
   set /A me=:)
) else (
   set /A me=SadPanda
)
echo Check out my AI War strategy guide and find your inner Super Cat!
echo 2592 hours of AI War and counting!
echo Kahuna matata!

Offline @B0FH

  • Full Member Mark II
  • ***
  • Posts: 162
Re: About the new Astro Train AI Plot
« Reply #1 on: December 02, 2012, 07:15:02 am »
I think it's more a case of what can Keith do to fix the 10/10 (and similar) bugs within the game ;)

Offline Kahuna

  • Core Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2,222
  • Kahuna Matata!
Re: About the new Astro Train AI Plot
« Reply #2 on: December 02, 2012, 07:33:05 am »
This isn't about AI Homeworlds on 10 Diff but about AI Homeworlds.
500-1500 MarkV ships (Depending on difficulty?) with fast respawn rate + 2 Golems (2 golems on one Homeworld (2 more on the other one) in ~7 hours with 4/10 Astro Trains) and a Super Fortress.
set /A diff=10
if %diff%==max (
   set /A me=:)
) else (
   set /A me=SadPanda
)
echo Check out my AI War strategy guide and find your inner Super Cat!
echo 2592 hours of AI War and counting!
echo Kahuna matata!

Offline keith.lamothe

  • Arcen Games Staff
  • Arcen Staff
  • Zenith Council Member Mark III
  • *****
  • Posts: 19,505
Re: About the new Astro Train AI Plot
« Reply #3 on: December 02, 2012, 08:48:17 am »
When a train construction project is completed, it gets the offensive spawns (which includes a golem on trains-4 and higher) but also a superfortress to put on a planet of its choosing (though it can't put it on a planet that already has a superfort).

That's just how it shows that it cares :)
Have ideas or bug reports for one of our games? Mantis for Suggestions and Bug Reports. Thanks for helping to make our games better!

Offline Hearteater

  • Core Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2,334
Re: About the new Astro Train AI Plot
« Reply #4 on: December 02, 2012, 09:47:27 am »
I almost feel like the Super Fort should be limited to a planet with a Train Station.

Offline Kahuna

  • Core Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2,222
  • Kahuna Matata!
Re: About the new Astro Train AI Plot
« Reply #5 on: December 02, 2012, 02:21:20 pm »
When a train construction project is completed, it gets the offensive spawns (which includes a golem on trains-4 and higher) but also a superfortress to put on a planet of its choosing (though it can't put it on a planet that already has a superfort).

That's just how it shows that it cares :)
Hmm. Isn't that a bit overpowered? ::) How can I win without super weapons now? :'(
set /A diff=10
if %diff%==max (
   set /A me=:)
) else (
   set /A me=SadPanda
)
echo Check out my AI War strategy guide and find your inner Super Cat!
echo 2592 hours of AI War and counting!
echo Kahuna matata!

Offline keith.lamothe

  • Arcen Games Staff
  • Arcen Staff
  • Zenith Council Member Mark III
  • *****
  • Posts: 19,505
Re: About the new Astro Train AI Plot
« Reply #6 on: December 02, 2012, 02:32:09 pm »
When a train construction project is completed, it gets the offensive spawns (which includes a golem on trains-4 and higher) but also a superfortress to put on a planet of its choosing (though it can't put it on a planet that already has a superfort).

That's just how it shows that it cares :)
Hmm. Isn't that a bit overpowered? ::) How can I win without super weapons now? :'(
Well, how would you beat a Fortress Baron (not Fortress King) AI?  They get a number of superforts (on an 80 planet map, a single Fortress Baron AI will get 5 superforts on diff 7, and 7 on diff 10).

How often are the train construction events happening for you, and on what intensity are the trains?

I'm not saying it's balanced now, it was just a first try, but I need to know what's actually going on in your situation.
Have ideas or bug reports for one of our games? Mantis for Suggestions and Bug Reports. Thanks for helping to make our games better!

Offline Kahuna

  • Core Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2,222
  • Kahuna Matata!
Re: About the new Astro Train AI Plot
« Reply #7 on: December 02, 2012, 03:18:01 pm »
Well, how would you beat a Fortress Baron (not Fortress King) AI?
Nasty Forts can be destroyed with MarkII=<HBCs, Basic and Laser Turrets. Takes long but works.

How often are the train construction events happening for you, and on what intensity are the trains?
In that test game ever few hours. In-game time is 7 hours 39 minutes and both AI Homeworlds have 2 golems. Both AI Homeworlds have 1 adjacent core planet. Both of those have a Super Fortress. So I think that construction thing has happened 3 times for both AIs. It starts about as often as a CPA and takes a bit longer to complete than an Exo (About. Not sure) The in-game time is "only" 7 and half hours. Sure that's not a REAL game but.. usually completing a game takes at least ~15 hours on difficulty +9. So when I would actually attack the homeworlds there would be like 4 or 5 Golems in both AI Homeworlds :o

Astro Trains are 4/10 for both AIs.
« Last Edit: December 02, 2012, 03:22:16 pm by Kahuna »
set /A diff=10
if %diff%==max (
   set /A me=:)
) else (
   set /A me=SadPanda
)
echo Check out my AI War strategy guide and find your inner Super Cat!
echo 2592 hours of AI War and counting!
echo Kahuna matata!

Offline Faulty Logic

  • Hero Member Mark III
  • *****
  • Posts: 1,194
  • Bane of the AI
Re: About the new Astro Train AI Plot
« Reply #8 on: December 02, 2012, 05:45:24 pm »
Quote
Hmm. Isn't that a bit overpowered? How can I win without super weapons now?
Bombers. Lots of bombers. Entrench yourself, then launch wave after wave at the AI HWs. Not pretty, and can be painful, but it works.

The golems won't stay on the HW forever (or they shouldn't) they should attack at some point, as per threatfleet behaviour.

Though the superforted HWs are a substantial buff. Maybe make superforts require supply? Or remove emp immunity? And/or restrict to 9+/10?

If warheads can't solve it, use more warheads.

Offline TechSY730

  • Core Member Mark V
  • *****
  • Posts: 4,570
Re: About the new Astro Train AI Plot
« Reply #9 on: December 02, 2012, 06:00:42 pm »
Having the super forts not require supply and EMP immune is standard for Mk. V stuff, so it would be good to keep.

However, restricting their spawn on a completed construction project to Astro Trains 9 or 10 seems like a good move.

Offline keith.lamothe

  • Arcen Games Staff
  • Arcen Staff
  • Zenith Council Member Mark III
  • *****
  • Posts: 19,505
Re: About the new Astro Train AI Plot
« Reply #10 on: December 02, 2012, 07:12:00 pm »
In that test game ever few hours. In-game time is 7 hours 39 minutes and both AI Homeworlds have 2 golems.
Oh, the golems are staying on the homeworlds?  Not supposed to do that ;)  They're supposed to come attack you.  And in other tests they've done that just fine, not sure what's going on there, but thanks for letting me know.
Have ideas or bug reports for one of our games? Mantis for Suggestions and Bug Reports. Thanks for helping to make our games better!

Offline TechSY730

  • Core Member Mark V
  • *****
  • Posts: 4,570
Re: About the new Astro Train AI Plot
« Reply #11 on: December 02, 2012, 09:31:27 pm »
In that test game ever few hours. In-game time is 7 hours 39 minutes and both AI Homeworlds have 2 golems.
Oh, the golems are staying on the homeworlds?  Not supposed to do that ;)  They're supposed to come attack you.  And in other tests they've done that just fine, not sure what's going on there, but thanks for letting me know.

In case you didn't see the other thread, threat, threat fleet, and maybe special forces are all behaving rather strangely this version; getting "distracted" do something else and stalling (read, sitting on a planet and blocking your progress in un-fun ways) very often. Not really a game-breaker until the late game, but still something that needs fixing quickly.

Offline Histidine

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 581
Re: About the new Astro Train AI Plot
« Reply #12 on: December 02, 2012, 10:02:17 pm »
Damn, one superfort per cargo train project completion? That might be bearable if these were the prebuff superforts; as it is...  :-X

Couple of questions:
  • Does killing train stations reduce the train spawn rate/pop cap?
  • If there is only one station left in the galaxy, do Cargo Trains do anything?
« Last Edit: December 02, 2012, 10:40:03 pm by Histidine »

Offline kasnavada

  • Hero Member Mark II
  • *****
  • Posts: 986
Re: About the new Astro Train AI Plot
« Reply #13 on: December 03, 2012, 02:19:26 am »
This happened to me too, in my other thread, I had once a golem which never arrived. Didn't finished that game, so no idea where it went.

http://www.arcengames.com/forums/index.php/topic,12093.0.html

About trains, I devoted a world with a ridiculously large amount of def and a train station just for the purpose of killing trains one by one. Reducing the train population this way has a massive impact on the amount of "surprises" they get. However, killing a train with MANUAL interventions to shoot each of them and the ridiculous amount of HP they have make it more a grind than anything else.

IMO, the trains would be much more fun and balanced if the turrets and units didn't act like cows by just watching them pass...
« Last Edit: December 03, 2012, 02:22:12 am by kasnavada »

Offline Bognor

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 570
Re: About the new Astro Train AI Plot
« Reply #14 on: December 04, 2012, 08:58:33 am »
Every time a "major construction thing" completes a new [CENSORED] appears in one of the Core worlds.
Spoiler warnings please  :)
Your computer can help defeat malaria!
Please visit the World Community Grid to find out how.