Assorted constructor feature requests

[x4000]

I guess that works, but have to remember to re-target either the bombers or escorts when the group gets to the target (don't want escorts to be on forced attack.)

Why target them explicitly?  As long as the bombers are into their range, they'll fire at the target unless there is something of more immediate threat (which you were already saying you wanted them to do ).  I'm not sure what's missing.

[netWilk]

I guess that works, but have to remember to re-target either the bombers or escorts when the group gets to the target (don't want escorts to be on forced attack.)

Why target them explicitly?  As long as the bombers are into their range, they'll fire at the target unless there is something of more immediate threat (which you were already saying you wanted them to do ).  I'm not sure what's missing.

Good point.  I guess I was over-thinking it.  

[x4000]

Great!

[Quitch]

On the matter of targeting might I suggest the sniper turrets simply don't fire at shielded units? It just distracts them from making themselves useful, or being ready to fire.

[x4000]

On the matter of targeting might I suggest the sniper turrets simply don't fire at shielded units? It just distracts them from making themselves useful, or being ready to fire.

Actually, I'll do you one better -- I'm letting those fire through force fields now.  It should provide another interesting way to deal with force field planets on offense, and will make the sniper turrets even more useful than they were before.  I like having something long-range-but-weak that can fire through shields and that is available to players in every game.  Should hopefully help to make force fields not feel like such a completely impenetrable barrier in the early game (it will help, but it's not like it will negate them completely, not by a long shot).

[Quitch]

Should be interesting. How is the AI going to react to that?

[x4000]

Well, that's a good point.  I'm not really sure, they might decide to come out of the force field and attack the sniper turret.  Or they might just send stuff from neighboring systems or via reinforcements to take them out.  In some cases, they might just wind up getting whittled down over a very long period of time if there's nothing to defend.

That's part of the thing with emergent AI, it's hard to always know what it will do.  If it turns out that I need a new behaviorlet in there to accommodate this new strategic option, I'll add it, but usually it's pretty good at figuring out stuff like this on its own.  We'll have to see how that plays in practice over a number of games to really be sure.

[Quitch]

A concern with snipers at the moment, and if the AI does nothing, is that they blast away at shielded units who are little threat rather than roaming units who pose a much bigger threat. I build s few to defend my sector, but rather than targetting the raiders coming in they're hitting the shields over and over.

[x4000]

A concern with snipers at the moment, and if the AI does nothing, is that they blast away at shielded units who are little threat rather than roaming units who pose a much bigger threat. I build s few to defend my sector, but rather than targetting the raiders coming in they're hitting the shields over and over.

Well, they basically won't differentiate between shielded and non-shielded units when auto-targeting, since there is no effective difference to them now.  So they'll target whatever they are best able to hit.  With the recent addition of making them try to switch targets every 15 seconds (in this next release), they should also not get "stuck" on low-value stuff under the shields as much.  To a certain extent this is not something I can easily address, and is just one of the drawbacks of having a big forcefield full of guys on your planet, but I think the retargeting logic will help to mitigate that to a strong degree.  I guess we'll have to see how that plays out in practice to really know.

[Quitch]

Can they not check "Under shield" and "Not under shield" always targetting the later if given a choice?

Trying to hold my sector with shields is proving micro intensive, I can't rely on snipers because they attack shields, my turrets can't hit the bombers striking my exoshields because the chance is 0% and fighers put in free-roam end up suiciding against the shields.

[x4000]

Can they not check "Under shield" and "Not under shield" always targetting the later if given a choice?

That's true, I can do that.  I can see where this would be helpful based on your description.  But this only will work because of the prior change to retarget every so often (since there are presumably are not always enemy ships in that sector as well).

Trying to hold my sector with shields is proving micro intensive, I can't rely on snipers because they attack shields, my turrets can't hit the bombers striking my exoshields because the chance is 0% and fighers put in free-roam end up suiciding against the shields.

I would suggest Attack-Move mode instead of Free-Roaming Defender in this sort of situation, to keep some groups of your ships near to the wormholes.  But I see where the targeting logic update will be helpful in general, that's now on my list.

[Quitch]

Attack move is what I'm using since posting, but they venture outside of anti-sniper turret cover and die that way instead.

[x4000]

Ah -- well, that's a really tough map position, what can I say.  You're options get really reduced when your position is that bad...

You might do better with just turrets and tractor beams instead of mobile ships.  And LOTS of those turrets and tractor beams.

[Quitch]

We seem to be holding there now, AI is starting to put the pressure on in other sectors now, but fear me AI for I am starting to spread despite stupidly taking a one resource planet. Yes, fear me.

[x4000]