AI War Beta 4.022 Released!

[x4000]

Original: http://arcengames.blogspot.com/2010/10/ai-war-beta-4022-released.html

This update addresses some stability issues some folks have on OSX, and also provides better support for single-button mice on OSX.

This is a standard update that you can download through the in-game updater itself, if you already have 4.000 or later. When you launch the game, you'll see the notice of the update having been found if you're connected to the Internet at the time.  If you don't have 4.000 or later, you can download that here.

[orzelek]

Any chance you can take a look at http://www.arcengames.com/mantisbt/view.php?id=951 ?

I'm not sure should I continue my game with quite large AIP hit (34) or wait for this to be changed. That game has almost 19 hours into it so I would like to finish it (it has a chance to be my first finished game also )

[Lancefighter]

since when have hybrids built neinzul clusters?

neinzul bomber ai uses them..

[x4000]

I'm not sure about that one either, that's Keith's area, so I've been waiting for him on it -- Hybrids are totally his bag, I've never touched them.  So I'll leave it to him to comment on that specific one..

[Vinraith]

Wasn't there some discussion awhile back about making command stations, or at least the home command station, immune to blade attacks? Getting virtually insta-killed by ships you don't even know are on your homeworld is... frustrating. Especially when said homeworld is very well defended, but the cutlasses blew past all your defenses and killed your home station in about 2 seconds (from the "being attacked" alarm to the detonation). I don't mind losing (hell, I LIKE losing sometimes) but I really don't know what I could have done to prevent that, absent foreknowledge that it was coming.

[Zeba]

Wasn't there some discussion awhile back about making command stations, or at least the home command station, immune to blade attacks? Getting virtually insta-killed by ships you don't even know are on your homeworld is... frustrating. Especially when said homeworld is very well defended, but the cutlasses blew past all your defenses and killed your home station in about 2 seconds (from the "being attacked" alarm to the detonation). I don't mind losing (hell, I LIKE losing sometimes) but I really don't know what I could have done to prevent that, absent foreknowledge that it was coming.

Try some flak turrets covering your home station.

They chew through blobs of melee ships pretty nicely if you stagger the turret groups so you get a constant barrage of fire as they close on the station.

This is so you don't end up with overkill shots and so maybe not get enough volleys in before they slice and dice you back to the last save game.

Spider turrets work well too as backup for flak so if a really huge blob comes in they can maybe whittle it down to a managable amount by the time they get to your station.

[orzelek]

Wasn't there some discussion awhile back about making command stations, or at least the home command station, immune to blade attacks? Getting virtually insta-killed by ships you don't even know are on your homeworld is... frustrating. Especially when said homeworld is very well defended, but the cutlasses blew past all your defenses and killed your home station in about 2 seconds (from the "being attacked" alarm to the detonation). I don't mind losing (hell, I LIKE losing sometimes) but I really don't know what I could have done to prevent that, absent foreknowledge that it was coming.

Try some flak turrets covering your home station.

They chew through blobs of melee ships pretty nicely if you stagger the turret groups so you get a constant barrage of fire as they close on the station.

This is so you don't end up with overkill shots and so maybe not get enough volleys in before they slice and dice you back to the last save game.

Spider turrets work well too as backup for flak so if a really huge blob comes in they can maybe whittle it down to a managable amount by the time they get to your station.

It seems now that only military command station is immune to blades. This means that even few vampire claws are capable of destroying your command station and you can't do much to prevent this. They are both immune to engine damage and not countered by flak turrets. Cutlasses and zenith shredders can be countered by flak turrets... but said turrets have currently so pathetic range that you need to surround you command center with them. Or place them exatly on way to your command center from wh and hope that they have enough time to actually kill cutlass or shredders. (I can be a bit bitter after recent encounters with 100's of vampire claws )

[zebramatt]

Lightning turrets.

[Vinraith]

It was just military stations, well that at least explains where I got that idea. Thanks for the advice, folks, I'll take some preventative measures to keep this kind of thing from happening in the future. Flak and lightning turrets eh? I'll give that a try.

Still, from what orzelek's saying and my own experience, it does seem like this might warrant a bit of rebalance. A group of 20 ships really shouldn't be able to kill my home command station before I even realize I'm being attacked.

[Zeba]

Yeah I guess I agree that the home station should be a bit beefier. Maybe make it into a hybrid military/economic station that get the blade immunity and a base short range attack that is good vs melee ships so it can wipe out any leakers trying for your other soft targets.

Also a trick to keep melee ships from blowing past your defences is to hope a zenith trader wanders through your choke system before the first big melee wave or cpa and lets you drop a black hole machine or two. That way your ions, snipers and mobile forces can at least eventually track them down and kill them off.

Oh yeah.. BOOO @ black hole machines getting a cap of 2.    WHRRRRYYYYYY!!!

[Vinraith]

Ah, I see the problem now, Vorticular Cutlass damage is completely insane at the moment. They do ~30,000 per hit, so of course 10 of them take down a station instantly. That's got to be a bug, I'll file it in mantis.

[Winter Born]

Can someone please tell me what a "home core" is?

from the 4.0 release notes:

Home Command Stations now generate 300/s metal and crystal rather than 80/s. The home cores now generate 320, 340, and 360, rather than 100, 120, and 140.

[Mánagarmr]

Home Core is the remains of a destroyed Home Command station. They only show up in multiplayer games where one or more allies have had their home stations destroyed.

The Core will the warp to a nearby ally's home station.

[Lancefighter]

alternatively, if you drop in a player, they gain a core instead of a home

[Winter Born]

Thanks Guys - I never have played muiltiplayer

alternatively, if you drop in a player, they gain a core instead of a home

Home Core is the remains of a destroyed Home Command station. They only show up in multiplayer games where one or more allies have had their home stations destroyed.

The Core will the warp to a nearby ally's home station.