AI War Beta 5.027, "SuperTerminal Overload," Released!

[x4000]

Original: http://arcengames.blogspot.com/2012/02/ai-war-beta-5027-superterminal-overload.html

This one has a variety of balance tweaks, the most substantial of which is to prevent certain kinds of exploits with super-terminals.  Warbird and Beam starships also got a heck of a lot more awesome, and mapgen is no longer quite so unkind with where it is able to put Dyson Sphere planets.

Enjoy!

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.

[chemical_art]

Acid sprayers are now truly the anti bomber unit I think

[keith.lamothe]

Let me know if I overdid it

[zoutzakje]

I love the new Super Terminals. They'll finally be at least some sort of challenge. I so hope there's a Super Terminal somewhere in my current game. Can't wait to try it out (and bring that abnormally high AIP of mine down a bit).

[orzelek]

I would actually love to see something done with bombards...
They seem to be a bit to useful now - and in hands of AI it's a twofold issue:
1. Attrition fight - you always lose some of your fleet before you catch them.. or fast units sent to catch them get massacred by other AI ships.
2. Worst one - the fight planet in parts is lost - bombards do activate from all guard posts when you enter the planet.

Point 1 also causes a lot of micro or loses go up.

(It may have something to do with me rolling zenith descendant AI that has plenty of these and other "fun" ships)

[TechSY730]

I would actually love to see something done with bombards...
They seem to be a bit to useful now - and in hands of AI it's a twofold issue:
1. Attrition fight - you always lose some of your fleet before you catch them.. or fast units sent to catch them get massacred by other AI ships.
2. Worst one - the fight planet in parts is lost - bombards do activate from all guard posts when you enter the planet.

Point 1 also causes a lot of micro or loses go up.

(It may have something to do with me rolling zenith descendant AI that has plenty of these and other "fun" ships)

I'm not really sure if this is an issue. Artillery ships by their nature are great on defense, due to the fact that the defender can position them well ahead of time.
If you got bombards, you would find them doing similarly well on "alpha strikes" of incoming attack waves from the AI.

[keith.lamothe]

Just a guess on attacking AI bombards: cloaking starship + transports + whatever fleet ship (preferably cheap) you have that kills bombards.

Or no joy?

[chemical_art]

Just a guess on attacking AI bombards: cloaking starship + transports + whatever fleet ship (preferably cheap) you have that kills bombards.

Or no joy?

sounds intensely micro heavy for a dozen bombards. Besides, normally the bombards have a few dozen ships at the wormhole entrance, blowing up the cloaker starships at  least.

But I don't think it is a problem. That is their niche. They shoot at you and get a free shot or two before another ship can fire back. They are slow and fragile and take a very long while before shots.  Don't make them same-y. The fact they are extra ordinary from the average ship is why they are desired today.

[keith.lamothe]

Yea, I wasn't planning to change them, just asking if they could be ambushed in that way (and if they can see your cloaker starship, something has already gone wrong )

Another counter, less micro-y, would be teleporting units.

[TechSY730]

Another counter, less micro-y, would be teleporting units.

That is of course if your teleporters can actually survive long enough.
Except for the Spire teleporting leech, teleporting units are relatively fragile.

[Hearteater]

My TBS have been wrecking Bombards all game.  They work wonders for that.  I'm even playing against a Zenith Descendant AI.  Honestly the range waking up all the Guard Posts is just a feature of long range ships.  Bombards are nasty, but they can be handled with a variety of tactics and they make excellent reclamation targets.  So anytime you have to deal with them, you also can steal them and keep them around a long time because of their range.

[chemical_art]

Yea, I wasn't planning to change them, just asking if they could be ambushed in that way (and if they can see your cloaker starship, something has already gone wrong )

Another counter, less micro-y, would be teleporting units.

From my experience, there is a brief window of non clocking for at least other units when it group moves with cloaker starships. Even if there is a 1/10th of a second gap between when the "cloaking" effect applies it is enough to upset the effect as threat units fire on it. Not sure if it is a problem or not.

[Teal_Blue]

Just a quick question as i have been just getting into AI War. And the strategies are all new, but interesting. So far I have been taking it very, very carefully and so far i am still alive. 

But wanted to ask if after AVWW is up and launched, and i guess there will be a certain period of time getting expansions set up for it, but i was just wondering if you had considered an AI War 2 yet?

-Teal

[x4000]

Just a quick question as i have been just getting into AI War. And the strategies are all new, but interesting. So far I have been taking it very, very carefully and so far i am still alive. 

But wanted to ask if after AVWW is up and launched, and i guess there will be a certain period of time getting expansions set up for it, but i was just wondering if you had considered an AI War 2 yet?

-Teal

There will never, ever, be an AI War 2.  We only make expansions for it.  Why?  Because with a sequel you lose all the content from the first game, whereas with expansions you get new stuff AND get to keep the old.  I never plan to do a sequel to any game I ever work on; expansions, sure, but never sequels.

Of course, if hardware changes a ton and someday there is a way to do really amazing 3D for super cheap, and we want to re-visualize things in a new fashion, then maybe we'd do a sequel then.  But that sort of leap hasn't happened in the last 20 years of hardware development, and short of that I don't see doing sequels.  I much prefer deepening the investment of players and our own developers into the existing game, and making it ever bigger and better.

Same kind of reason why you likely won't ever see a Dwarf Fortress 2 -- why would you?  Dwarf Fortress itself has never stopped growing, etc.

[Wanderer]

There will never, ever, be an AI War 2.  We only make expansions for it.  Why?  Because with a sequel you lose all the content from the first game, whereas with expansions you get new stuff AND get to keep the old.  I never plan to do a sequel to any game I ever work on; expansions, sure, but never sequels.

That is excellent news, thanks Chris.

Of course, if hardware changes a ton and someday there is a way to do really amazing 3D for super cheap, and we want to re-visualize things in a new fashion, then maybe we'd do a sequel then.

Fair.

Same kind of reason why you likely won't ever see a Dwarf Fortress 2 -- why would you?  Dwarf Fortress itself has never stopped growing, etc.

That's awesome news.

Side note:

Thanks to GUDare for reporting that he shot his monitor after finding 2 Anti-Starship V fabricators. At least, that's what's on the police report.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!

EDIT: I realized this morning I was being a bit... obnoxious, at least as far as board rules were concerned.  Edited to stop being that way.