EMPs and the AI

[Mad Rubicant]

Right now, I'm playing a game with Neinzul Rocket Silos, so I occasionally get EMP warheads sent at my planets. I also have 2100 threat just sitting outside of my chokepoint (it's an X map). However, when my choke gets EMPed, the AI just sits there, no attacks at all. Is this intended behavior, or do my 4 fortresses, 2 modular forts, superfortress, and half built Spire city scare the AI that much? AIP is at 726, for reference.

[Bognor]

Welcome to the forums! 

Some back-of-the-envelope calculations:

• Mod forts are balanced to be comparable to ~5 forts (assuming mark II modules), and superforts to ~25 forts, so you've got roughtly 39 forts-worth of firepower.
• I'll boldly assume (for simplicity) that all that threat is mark II triangle ships and that you're playing at normal caps.  That makes it about 42 triangle-ship-caps-worth of firepower (I just invented the least elegant unit ever).
• A single fort has a little over double the firepower of a cap of one of the triangle ships (I'm crudely averaging base and bonus DPS here).  So even while EMPed, your chokepoint still has roughly double the combined firepower of that gigantic threatball.

In short, the AI is right to be scared  >D

Of course, if the threat has a mark level greater than II, or includes many low cap ships, or you're playing on ultra-low caps, then my calculations are seriously out of whack.

Also, what difficulty are you playing at?  If I understand right, at higher difficulties, the AI becomes more reluctant to attack, waiting instead until it has an overwhelming advantage.

[Mad Rubicant]

Let's see, I'm playing on normal caps, 7/7 Support Corp and Sledgehammer.
Hybrids 4/10
Advanced Hybrids
Human Colony Rebellions 4/10, one of those declared behind a core world; that was 100 AIP
Spire Civilian Leaders, 3 are freed, so -2 AIP/hour
Human Marauders and Resistance Fighters both 4/10
Fallen Spire 4/10, one city in the chokepoint
Spirecraft, Botnet Medium, no Botnet
Tech level is at 3
I'm... 12 or so hours in; it's after the 3rd CPA of the game. The CPA that just had carriers sit outside my choke, adding to the threat
Recently, I added a Radar Jammer II and Planetary Armor Inhibitor. Not sure how much those boost defense value to the AI
Bonus ships that I know are in the threatball include Stealth Battleships, Zenith Beam Frigates, Neinzul Railpods, Armor Ships, Space Tanks, and I think some Decloakers. And there is a boatload of Stealth Battleships in that threatball. Plus Hybrids. Lots and lots of hybrids. Hybrid drones don't count for threat, do they?

Also, did you take Military Command Station III into account? Because that's there too

I'm kind of more suprised that the AI hasn't been sending the threatball in with the FS exos. I've been seeing Spire Corvette Vs leading those things. High AIP is an... interesting game. Counterattack posts throw mixed 1000 ship waves at me.