AI War Beta 5.083 "Core Values" Released!

[keith.lamothe]

(Crossposted from this blog post)

This one is a relatively small release, for us, but the impact on the endgame should be... interesting.  It's the last of the non-champion-related new content for Ancient Shadows and adds 3 new Core Guard Posts that the AI can use its "brutal" picks on when populating an AI homeworld's defenses during mapgen.  They're all beatable, but they'll take a chunk out of your fleet(s) first.  Balance feedback is welcome, as always.

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.

[EtherealOne]

One does not simply walk into the AI homeworld

[zoutzakje]

nice ^^ especially loving the gravity core guard post, that's gonna cause some serious problems

[Draco18s]

Keith, you are a terrible, terrifying person.

[keith.lamothe]

Keith, you are a terrible, terrifying person.

No, but I play one on TV the internet

[Lancefighter]

those wrath lance things sound awesome.

[LaughingThesaurus]

I've got this game design book that says the game designer is not the player's opponent-- The game designer is the DM. You're doing that job splendidly.

[Winge]

Keith, you are a terrible, terrifying person.

No, but I play one on TV the internet

Anything in the patch notes about the AI being named "Skynet"?  Just checking...

[Faulty Logic]

These all sound fun, but I think the HWs just got easier due to a lowered probability of CREs. Furthermore, all normal core guard posts should have firepower about equal to these new "brutal" posts.

Or these should belong to a "sub-brutal" level, below CREs but above normal core posts.

Why yes, I am evil. Why do you ask?

[Lancefighter]

easier? literally nothing was changed, except a single guard post that wouldve been on the aihw is now replaced with a brutal one.

[Faulty Logic]

No, the brutal list previously had [eye, CRE, CPA post].
Now, it has [eye, CRE, CPA, Grav, Wrath Lance, Parasite thingy].

The number of possible ways to spend its brutal pick has increased, the odds of getting what I consider actually brutal (eye, CRE) are lowered. Now the expected actual bruatality has gone from
2*(2/3)  to 3*(1/3).

I am happy about the extra brutality, though.

[pheonix89]

No, the brutal list previously had [eye, CRE, CPA post].
Now, it has [eye, CRE, CPA, Grav, Wrath Lance, Parasite thingy].

The number of possible ways to spend its brutal pick has increased, the odds of getting what I consider actually brutal (eye, CRE) are lowered. Now the expected actual bruatality has gone from
2*(2/3)  to 3*(1/3).

I am happy about the extra brutality, though.

You did catch that the parasite thingy works like a botnet, right? 1hit kill, convert to zombie.

Speaking of that, please tell me that scouts don't trigger it. Because not being able to safely keep an eye on the AI homeworld even with MKIV scout or scout SS would just be evil.

[Faulty Logic]

Yes, I did.

It will be taken out with cloaked warheads/spirecraft when I encounter it.

[TechSY730]

Yes, I did.

It will be taken out with cloaked warheads/spirecraft when I encounter it.

Actually, cloaked warheads can take out pretty much anything...
Warheads without cloaking could too if you could get them there without dying first, which the cloaking helps immensely with.

[Faulty Logic]

This is the main reason I consider the CRE/eye to be the most brutal: eyes require nuclear use, and CREs will detonate once no matter what you do (I think).