AI War Beta 6.032 "Tumbleweeds In The Stars" Released!

[keith.lamothe]

(Crossposted from this blog post)

This one is the first non-hotfix release we've done since starting the private alpha of the upcoming Vengeance of the Machine expansion.

The release has a number of non-expansion changes that we hope help (we're particularly curious to hear how that target sorting performance improvement works out), but the main addition is the new "Showdown Devices" minor faction for the expansion.

Won't spoil the details on the faction for now, but we will mention the ultimate point of the faction: provide another alternate way to win, and an ultimate stalemate-breaker :)

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.

[7cardcha]

Awesome! Any idea/are you allowed to tell us the general pricepoint of the expansion? Thinking of buying like 10 copies for friends

[keith.lamothe]

Awesome! Any idea/are you allowed to tell us the general pricepoint of the expansion? Thinking of buying like 10 copies for friends

Thanks for the support   List price will be $4.99 and I'm sure there'll be some kind of initial promotional discount.

[Coppermantis]

Showdown devices seem interesting.

[orzelek]

And I don't get to see them... sad panda.
Name sounds ominous....

[Arkillion]

Awwww now I won't be able to sleep until I can see it 
Dam you AI you ruined too mane of my nights already !

[TechSY730]

Awwww now I won't be able to sleep until I can see it 
Dam you AI you ruined too mane of my nights already !

Ah you are falling prey to one of the most insidious plots of the AI. Changing up the stuff the do and have to maintain your interest, to the point where you forgo sleep and eventually your performance starts to suffer due to sleep deprivation.

[Toranth]

So, I was playing some AI War when suddenly my favorite TV show came on:

When ARSs Attack!



Yup.  I think something went a little off in the recent AI logic updates.

Here's the individual AI output.  Kept a save, too, if you want it.

Code: [Select]

5/23/2013 4:29:24 PM (6.032)
-----------------------------------

*** In AITactics::ShipCombatTactics, considering planet Ulpira which contains unit 235 (type=AdvancedResearchStation).
Reasonably interesting human presence detected.  Considering Unit for Attack Orders.
Provisionally Accepting Attack Orders, considering possible priority overrides.
Set shouldPrioritizeRetreating to false based on an AND of all the following: we're outnumbered here (false), threat does not have a major galaxy-wide advantage (true), unit has attack (false), unit has movement (true), unit can move through wormholes (true), unit is not strategic-reserve (true), unit has been on the planet at least 30 seconds (true).
Set shouldPrioritizeGoingAfterBestUnshieldedIrreplaceable to true based on an AND of all the following: there's an irreplaceable on this planet that's not currently covered by a forcefield (true,LogisticalOrbitalCommandStationIII), threat has local superiority or major galactic superiority (local=true,galactic=false), this is not an AI planet (true), this unit type does not use "bullheaded" targeting (true), this unit type does not always prioritize command stations or no command station is present (doesNotPrioritize=true,noCS=true).
Taking prioritize-unshielded-irreplaceable logic-branch.  Best unshielded irreplaceable: LogisticalOrbitalCommandStationIII
Accepting Attack order against best unshielded irreplaceable.  That'll teach 'em to leave it there!
Sending Attack Command for unit, CommandNumber=7342

*** In AITactics::ShipCombatTactics, considering planet Ulpira which contains unit 235 (type=AdvancedResearchStation).
Skipping planet because this AI player (9) does not have any units here that should be getting orders from ShipCombatTactics.

***In AITactics.ShipWaiting, considering unit 235 (AdvancedResearchStation) on planet Ulpira for wait or clear-wait
Skipping unit because has no wait point and is not heading to a wormhole

***AIUnitUpdate.ParseDataIntoAILoop called with FGObjectNumber 235
Found existing record, performing update.
DestinationPoint: (-38846,-32557) => (-39680,-32698)
LastAISyncCycle: 5141 => 5146
LastAICommandExecutedBeforeSync: 7341 => 7342

*** In AITactics::ShipCombatTactics, considering planet Ulpira which contains unit 235 (type=AdvancedResearchStation).
Reasonably interesting human presence detected.  Considering Unit for Attack Orders.
Provisionally Accepting Attack Orders, considering possible priority overrides.
Set shouldPrioritizeRetreating to false based on an AND of all the following: we're outnumbered here (false), threat does not have a major galaxy-wide advantage (true), unit has attack (false), unit has movement (true), unit can move through wormholes (true), unit is not strategic-reserve (true), unit has been on the planet at least 30 seconds (true).
Set shouldPrioritizeGoingAfterBestUnshieldedIrreplaceable to true based on an AND of all the following: there's an irreplaceable on this planet that's not currently covered by a forcefield (true,LogisticalOrbitalCommandStationIII), threat has local superiority or major galactic superiority (local=true,galactic=false), this is not an AI planet (true), this unit type does not use "bullheaded" targeting (true), this unit type does not always prioritize command stations or no command station is present (doesNotPrioritize=true,noCS=true).
Taking prioritize-unshielded-irreplaceable logic-branch.  Best unshielded irreplaceable: LogisticalOrbitalCommandStationIII
Accepting Attack order against best unshielded irreplaceable.  That'll teach 'em to leave it there!
Sending Attack Command for unit, CommandNumber=7343

*** In AITactics::ShipCombatTactics, considering planet Ulpira which contains unit 235 (type=AdvancedResearchStation).
Skipping planet because this AI player (9) does not have any units here that should be getting orders from ShipCombatTactics.

***In AITactics.ShipWaiting, considering unit 235 (AdvancedResearchStation) on planet Ulpira for wait or clear-wait
Skipping unit because has no wait point and is not heading to a wormhole

*** In AITactics::ShipCombatTactics, considering planet Ulpira which contains unit 235 (type=AdvancedResearchStation).
Reasonably interesting human presence detected.  Considering Unit for Attack Orders.
Declining Attack Orders because have already given this unit a command this turn.

*** In AITactics::ShipCombatTactics, considering planet Ulpira which contains unit 235 (type=AdvancedResearchStation).
Skipping planet because this AI player (9) does not have any units here that should be getting orders from ShipCombatTactics.

***AIUnitUpdate.ParseDataIntoAILoop called with FGObjectNumber 235
Found existing record, performing update.
DestinationPoint: (-39680,-32698) => (-38964,-33059)
LastAISyncCycle: 5146 => 5161
LastAICommandExecutedBeforeSync: 7342 => 7343

***In AITactics.ShipWaiting, considering unit 235 (AdvancedResearchStation) on planet Ulpira for wait or clear-wait
Skipping unit because has no wait point and is not heading to a wormhole

*** AITactics::CheckForCancellingNormalThreatWormholePaths considering unit 235 (AdvancedResearchStation)
Declining cancel-path because unit does not have a wormhole path.


[Cinth]

Now that is funny.

[keith.lamothe]

Haha, that's awesome.

I'm guessing that you were in the process of building the command station but hadn't finished it?  Otherwise the ARS would have been captured already.

Anyway, I just need to make that branch not apply to stuff with 0 attack

[Toranth]

Haha, that's awesome.

I'm guessing that you were in the process of building the command station but hadn't finished it?  Otherwise the ARS would have been captured already.

Correct.  When I started the command station, the ARS slowly drifted across the system.  I didn't even notice till it was already gnawing on the Command Station's toes.  When the CS finished, the ARS was captured and I was able to unlock like normal.

When I did notice the ARS moving, I was actually more concerned it would leave the system.  Trying to chase down and corner an ARS that ran away would be... interesting.

[Wingflier]

Haha, that's awesome.

I'm guessing that you were in the process of building the command station but hadn't finished it?  Otherwise the ARS would have been captured already.

Anyway, I just need to make that branch not apply to stuff with 0 attack

What, that's an attack? I thought it was a feature that made the ARS go to your building Com Station so it would be safe once it's done building

[keith.lamothe]

What, that's an attack? I thought it was a feature that made the ARS go to your building Com Station so it would be safe once it's done building

That's a separate behavior and has been around.  This one is new and makes the ARS (still under AI control) try to ram your CS before it's done building

[Kahuna]

When ARSs Attack!

HAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHA
..ok got that out of the way..
How did you make the .gif?

[TechSY730]

So, I was playing some AI War when suddenly my favorite TV show came on:

When ARSs Attack!



Yup.  I think something went a little off in the recent AI logic updates.

Haha, that's awesome.

I'm guessing that you were in the process of building the command station but hadn't finished it?  Otherwise the ARS would have been captured already.

Anyway, I just need to make that branch not apply to stuff with 0 attack

So fair WARNING: this release has some significant \"foundational upheavel\", mostly in the AI code, and may have some very strange and wonderful bugs (more strange than wonderful).

So, is this one of those "strange and wonderful" bugs you were talking about?