What units does the AI get?

[ledshok]

Hi, couple of quick questions:

What determines how many different types of bonus units the AI begins the game with (and which ones)?

Assuming it's a limited number, do they get access to new units at any point in the game (like we do with an ARS)?

Thanks!

[RCIX]

AFAIK, nonwithstanding any AI type special unlocks, they get triangle ships plus all of the ships you and your friends passed up on in the lobby.

[x4000]

Not quite right, RCIX, but not a bad guess.  Actually, I think no one has ever asked this before, which is interesting.  I will have to put it in the wiki.  Here's how it works:

When it comes to fleet ships:
- All players always have fighters, bombers, and frigates.
- AI players then get one unlock at random for bonus fleet ships.  This is determined based on the map seed, not based on the AI type chosen, what the players have unlocked, or similar.
- AI players then may or may not get more unlocked bonus fleet ships based on their types.  Stealth AI types get a lot of ships with cloaking, and so forth.  If the initial unlocked bonus fleet ship would have been given to the AI as part of this stage of unlocks based on their AI type, then that's just too bad for the AI, they will have a more homogeneous fleet.
- Next the AI players each get three unlocked Core/Mark V ships.  Core ships are treated entirely separately by the AI from the Mark I-IV ships, because there is not a core variant of over 2/3 of the fleet ship classes.  Each AI player gets only these three initial core ship types in a given campaign, and never gets any more.
- Lastly, if an AI player is set to difficulty 7 or higher, it gets a second bonus ship type to start out the game.  This would be one that has not already been unlocked, and which again is based on map seed -- but since it is required not to be one that was already unlocked, if it fell amongst those that have been unlocked based on the AI type, then it would instead shift to something else.  So the AI type chosen will sometimes affect which second ship type is unlocked here, but mostly it is just based on the map seed.

Once all that is taken care of, the game starts and that's what the AI has.  As far as any other non-fleet starships go (meaning Starships, special ships of various sorts, capturables, etc), that is determined as part of the initial map population algorithm based on the AI type and the map seed.

As the game progresses, the AIs will occasionally get access to a new bonus fleet ship type.  This happens when your total underlying AI Progress (before reductions) passes the following thresholds:
- 200
- 400
- 600
- 800
- 1000
- 1200
- 1400

Those newly-unlocked ships that appear later in the game will be ship types that neither AI player already has unlocked, and both AI players will get the same unlock at that time.  Rather like what happens with a team of multiple human players when an Advanced Research Station is captured.  Which ships are unlocked here are based mainly off the map seed (with the added requirement that it not have already been unlocked by the AI team, of course), which again is the same as how the Advanced Research Stations work for the human team.

[Doddler]

Aha!  I knew that the AI got new ships as the game progressed.  Thanks for the info.

[x4000]

Sure thing!

[ledshok]

Wow, comprehensive reply - thanks!

- AI players then get one unlock at random for bonus fleet ships.  This is determined based on the map seed, not based on the AI type chosen, what the players have unlocked, or similar.

Just to clarify - is the bonus unlock affected by the restriction list I choose during setup eg if I select 'Simple' can it only get Microfighters, Electric Shuttles, etc?

Those newly-unlocked ships that appear later in the game will be ship types that neither AI player already has unlocked, and both AI players will get the same unlock at that time.  Rather like what happens with a team of multiple human players when an Advanced Research Station is captured.  Which ships are unlocked here are based mainly off the map seed (with the added requirement that it not have already been unlocked by the AI team, of course), which again is the same as how the Advanced Research Stations work for the human team.

For the initial and AIP-driven unlocks - are they specifically chosen to avoid being the same as what human players have unlocked? ie will I ever see some crazy 'Cutlass on Cutlass' action?

That prompts another question - are the unlocks players receive when capturing an ARS determined by the map seed? I seem to recall reading that it doesn't matter which order you capture the ARSs, your unlocks will be the same (ie they aren't tied to specific ARSs). What I'm asking is whether that list of unlocks is dictated by the map seed or randomly at the moment you capture an ARS (the latter suggesting you could save and reload if you didn't like what you got). I'd check this myself but I'm not at my home computer at the moment and inquiring minds simply must know immediately! 

[Doddler]

I think the ARS ships are determined with the map seed because when we did the game of the month, everyone had the same unlocks.

[x4000]

My pleasure! And yes, Doddler is exactly right, ARSes are determine by the map seed. Though, starting planet and other lobby options obviously can effect that as well. But once the game is started, your ars values are set. I did it that way to prevent people from save scumming to get a "luckier unlock" -- no re-rolling, basically.

When it comes to ship restricions of whatever sort, that affects the ai and the human players. Sk if you turn off cloaking, neither they nor you get those ship classes. If you have it on simple, then that's the pool from which it pulls for both sides, as you guessed.

The ai makes no effort not to have stuff that you have, so cutlass v cutlass definitely happens. It only seems like they are weighting against what you have because there are so many different types! In larger multiplayer games there is more often overlap between the players and the ai, just by nature.

[ledshok]

Right, that makes sense. Thanks again for the prompt response. 

[x4000]

No problem.