AI War Beta 5.093 "Apply MkIII Sanding Machine" Released!

[keith.lamothe]

(Crossposted from this blog post)

This one continues the process of polishing the game up for the 6.0 official release.  Bugfixes and balance, basically, but it's pretty important stuff.

Most significantly, the nebula scenarios have been adjusted in a few ways that should make them more enjoyable, and perhaps a bit easier.  You can now get repair and module-construction-assistance from allied large starbases (the ones with "large" in their name).  Also, The scaling (with champion count, scenario win count, and largest champion hull size) in base-vs-base scenarios is now a bit less intense due to being additively applied instead of multiplicatively, and now applies to allies as well as enemies (just less-so).

As previously mentioned, the official release date for Ancient Shadows is the 19th, which is next Friday.  So we're really just in bugfix/balance/polish (and fixing up the tutorial) mode on AIW right now, so please do let us know if you find something wrong :)

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.

[Cinth]

Looking good!

[LordSloth]

If we're discussing polish: I would recommend removing fortresses from the text description list of things Plasma Siege Starships are excellent against. Assuming you had a screen drawing fire from the fort, a full cap of mk1 would still take 5 minutes to take down 1 AI Mk1 Fort.

VV AI Tackle Drone Lauchers are hell on space, and not necessarily in a fun way. 67 of them with a CPA? Ouch. I'd vote for significantly less health, and slightly less launcher speed.

[Faulty Logic]

Tackle drones+blade spawners=ungodly power. Add riots for ungodly power².
Note: not saying this is a bad thing or balance issue. In fact, I love when fleetships go really well with each other, because it adds so much to the replay value (already quite high).

[Lancefighter]

Happy to see the nebula repair thing go through, hopefully it will help as much as I thought it would

[keith.lamothe]

Happy to see the nebula repair thing go through, hopefully it will help as much as I thought it would

Now, behold, the law of unintended consequences at work!

(I don't know what it will do, but I'm sure it will do something)

[Aklyon]

What happens if we get to MkV sanding machine?

[KDR_11k]

Hunter/Sander

[Winge]

Definitely looking forward to the nebula changes.  I just got through beating my head against a brick wall (metaphorically) at work; I wasn't sure I wanted to do it again at home 

Hunter/Sander

Sandership?

[Faulty Logic]

Nebulae just got much easier (from "the slightest mistake=instant death", to "walk in the park") . The large starbases repair your champion in less time than it takes your shields to recharge. But mostly, by the end you are fighting about 1/2 the ships you would be before this update. I would like for the construction repair rate of large allied starbases to be reduced by a factor of ~5.

Also, only EER and Grey Spire large starbases had the repair beam in the brawl (assuming anywhere, but providing context just in case).

Finally, could the AI receive a shadow battleship if you lose the brawl? And have all the enemy ships released make a beeline for home command? After all the "we don't want the enemies to get it" text in the journal entries, I was expecting a loss to be worse.

[keith.lamothe]

Nebulae just got much easier. The large starbases repair your champion in less time than it takes your shields to recharge.

Oops, and I'd even left myself a note to turn off that testing flag...

Also, only EER and Grey Spire large starbases had the repair beam in the brawl (assuming anywhere, but providing context just in case).

My tests were based on zenith ally starbases, so I think the other ones just weren't using theirs at the time.  Though if you have a save where you're hurt and sitting on top of an ally large base that isn't repairing you and no one else is repairing you either, I could take a look.

Finally, could the AI receive a shadow battleship if you lose the brawl? And have all the enemy ships released make a beeline for home command? After all the "we don't want the enemies to get it" text in the journal entries, I was expecting a loss to be worse.

I guess I could do that if you all just want to die at that point

[Faulty Logic]

I guess I could do that if you all just want to die at that point

It would hardly be instant death. By the time you get the brawl, you probably have a mod fort or three up, and you would still have your cruiser and normal fleet/defences.

Oops, and I'd even left myself a note to turn off that testing flag...

So how fast are the starbases supposed to repair a champion?

Though if you have a save where you're hurt and sitting on top of an ally large base that isn't repairing you and no one else is repairing you either, I could take a look.

Here.

Edit: Actually, this bug is *rimshot* nebulous. Sometimes all the large bases work, sometimes none of them do, and sometimes it is just the Grey Spire/EER large bases.

[Winge]

Nebulae just got much easier. The large starbases repair your champion in less time than it takes your shields to recharge.

Oops, and I'd even left myself a note to turn off that testing flag...

I was going to comment on the repair rate too, but it seems Faulty beat me to the punch .  I thought a few enemy ships could be added back in, but I'd like to see it post-repair rate fix before saying for sure.  Definitely a step in the right direction; having the multiplier stack multiplicatively got quite brutal.

Finally, could the AI receive a shadow battleship if you lose the brawl? And have all the enemy ships released make a beeline for home command? After all the "we don't want the enemies to get it" text in the journal entries, I was expecting a loss to be worse.

I guess I could do that if you all just want to die at that point

I would think of something more along the lines of 'all enemy nebula ships are freed as threat (ignored by or allied to the AI, for whatever reason).  It could also trigger an occasional spawn of Malfunctioning Gatlings or Colony Ships, if it was one of those two scenarios.  And the mini Cookie Monster scenario...yeah, let's not go there please  .  Don't forget, losing a nebula also means you have missed out on any benefits that it might give.  You are still paying the additional 20% AI response cost without reaping all of the benefits.  Kinda like losing a Golem or some Spirecraft--ok, orders of magnitude different, but the same idea.  You still pay the exo 'cost' with nothing to show for it.  At least with Human+Champion or allied Champion(s), you still get the benefit of the (slightly weaker) Champion.

Just my 2c.

[Faulty Logic]

New problem: minor faction nebula ships alert the AI planet they are on, and all adjacent AI planets. If enough of these escaped to a core world to neuter it, then this could be gg from continuous HW alert.

[keith.lamothe]

New problem: minor faction nebula ships alert the AI planet they are on, and all adjacent AI planets. If enough of these escaped to a core world to neuter it, then this could be gg from continuous HW alert.

That would be a reason to be very careful before starting a nebula that near to an AI HW

Edit: or do you mean friendly nebula ships?  They can't take out the AI command station, iirc, which means once they're gone (and they'll eventually make it back to your territory, or should) the alert goes away.

Also, if you get a powerful champion I'm not sure the game can quite gg you from HW alert; you can probably take down whatever it does build up.