AI progress & teching

[Nibelung44]

Hi,

If AI reaches temporarily Tech 2 or 3 and then goes down below this threshold (blowing the 4th coprocessor), is it again reinforcing with lower tech ships or the level is reached permanently?


subsidiary question: anyone knows how to determine the distance between 2 points in space? (I mean in the game obviously, haha)

[TechSY730]

Hi,

If AI reaches temporarily Tech 2 or 3 and then goes down below this threshold (blowing the 4th coprocessor), is it again reinforcing with lower tech ships or the level is reached permanently?


subsidiary question: anyone knows how to determine the distance between 2 points in space? (I mean in the game obviously, haha)

Thankfully, the AI reaching higher marks is a temporary thing if you can get AIP below the "mark up point". Beware though, ship unlocks from the AI are not temporary. Once they get their N AIP unlock, they will keep it even if you bring the AIP back below N. A small mercy, for any given ship unlock point, that unlock point will only happen once per game. For example, let's say there was a difficulty that got a new ship type unlock and went from Mk. I to Mk. II at AIP 200. (Not sure if there is such a difficulty point, but just for the sake of argument), if the AIP gets to 200, then they will go to Mk. II and get a new ship type unlock. If you bring it back down less than 200, then they will go back to using Mk. I stuff, but will keep the unlock. However, if you go back up to 200 again, they will go back to Mk. II, but not get an extra unlock, as that "unlock point" was already used.

Also, of course, any ships that spawned (or will spawn, in the case of a wave announcement) a higher mark due to AIP will remain a higher mark if the AIP goes back down below the threshold, only ships spawned after that point will get bumped back down. Also, planets of Mk. III will always use at least Mk. III stuff, regardless of the current AI tech level (though I think they get a penalty in "effective ship buying power" until Mk. III tech is reached, but I am not sure). Similar story with Mk. IV planets and Mk. V planets (only the AI homeworlds are Mk. V planets), except with Mk. IV and Mk. V units. (Though Mk. V has an exception that if there is no Mk. V version of a unit type, they are allowed to use the Mk. IV version of it instead)

Hope that helps some.

[Nibelung44]

Indeed, this help a lot understanding how it works!

Is it a good thing, if it works on automation (i.e I take no permanent loss and engineer repairs automatically) to keep a beachhead grinding away AI ships on a given planet? Will it weaken overall the AI or not? Can it reduces the AI strategic reserve somehow?

[LaughingThesaurus]

It's worth mention, by the way, that the mark change doesn't just happen immediately full force. If you're halfway to tech 2 AI, then the AI will incorporate more mark II ships into its waves and reinforcements. It's a gradual introduction of more mark II ships, the closer you actually get to mark II.. and of course, this applies for all of the other marks as well.

[TechSY730]

The AI uses the strategic reserve to spawn defenders only for planets the AI deems "important". Thus, just choosing a random planet to keep on alert probably won't cause the strategic reserve to "bleed dry". In fact, the AI will only be willing to use so much of its strategic reserve for anything but defending the homeworld. The only time the AI considers using its whole strategic reserve is when they defend their homeworld, so no cheesing it that way, or at least not fully.


However, an alerted planet will make the AI spend "reinforcement points" into defending that alerted, beach-headed planet, reducing the amount of reinforcements the rest of the galaxy will get comparatively. That may make it easier to deep strike to targets you actually want to take out.

Just make sure there isn't something nasty on a neighboring planet (like a raid engine), and keep an eye out for groups of ships the AI will bring in to try to help take out the beach-head, like special forces and threat fleet.


(You know, I just realized how many important mechanics in this game seem to have really weird names, some of which aren't actually all that self-descriptive. Like, can you really keep straight what special forces, threat fleet, and strategic reserve all really mean in terms of when and where you should worry about them and their roles, especially considering that they sort of seem like they are sort of synonymous phrases to someone who hasn't "studied" this game? Maybe something to look at for future improvement)

[LaughingThesaurus]

I think threat is actually a really gracefully named thing. It's all of the ships that can be a direct threat to you. Sounds fine to me. The other things you listed really could be anything.

[Nibelung44]

thanks anyway for the details.

I would probably renamed special forces to reactions forces or something like that.

[LaughingThesaurus]

Like, special security, or the special defense reaction force. That might be a better name.

[Shrugging Khan]

Be careful with what you wish for.

If the special forces we know are no longer such but simply reaction forces, then you'll suddenly find that the next version contains ACTUAL special forces that disable your tachyon ships, send in a cloaked force and establish an AI base of operations deep within your territory.

[Zeyi]

I don't think making the names longer really helps.

Also, it's perfectly normal for a game universe to have its own names for things, and like any game, book, or movie you will pick them up as you play.

[madcow]

Is there a way to tell what units are considered special forces units?

[LordSloth]

The F3 (debug) key may be of some help, but generally speaking:

Special forces are normally the only fleet travelling between wormholes while not being a carrier.

If you have a scout picket, you can simply go to the galaxy map and look for a higher than normal concentration of AI ships in a planet that is not on alert. Turn on the threat filter... if you have no threat in that system, it is likely the patrol.

Oftentimes, if the patrol no longer has something to react to, you can catch it stalled in very obvious lines. Particularly if you have a stealthed fleet present.

Threat (depending on game options) will usually be found in a carrier (CPAs), or hovering about 20,000 or so off of any wormhole, not lying on any direct path.

Patrols will only react to your presence in particular systems, and only found in AI systems barring certain special conditions (rally guardians?). The conditions that cause a patrol to defend a system are pretty common although generally avoidable. ARS, Broken Golem, etc... if you want to take it, they'd want to defend it. However, you can find a relatively safe route between you and your destination, or draw the patrol into ambush, followed by a beachhead to wear them down.

[Shrugging Khan]

Little suggestion of relevance: http://arcengames.com/mantisbt/view.php?id=11935