Would playing Vanilla AI's forever allow you to experience every unit/building?

[Buttons840]

Some AI types use more specialised buildings or units.  I'm thinking AI's like the gravity driller or counter-spy which favor a certain special unit type.

I kind of like the simplicity of the Vanilla AI - I like knowing what the rules of the game are going to be rather than have a surprise like a back-door hacker or warp jumper.  If I chose to play with Vanilla AI's exclusively what might I miss out on in the game?  Will the be certain units or building which a Vanilla AI will never build?

[Red Spot]

I think you will never find a random human settlement, thats afaik about it
Not taking in account minor factions or plots ofcourse.

I've seen AIs use Counter Spies before and I usually find "1" Gravity Driller in each game.
I am currently playing vs 2 Mad-bombers, although they arent different in what I am facing compared to for instance Assassins, it is how they bring it to you.
Assassins seem a fairly allround AI that doesnt get any advantages, it just favours a bit more agressive aproach.
Mad-bombers are mean, they arent 'just' more agressive. They have any sort of bomber-class unlocked and spam their worlds with them, ever had 8 mk4 bomber starships say hello to your home CC early game? Their waves also dont seem to tell which units they spawn, but tend to be made up out of 2 types of units where I find myself facing lots of bomber-type ships .. ouch

In the end they mostly use the same units, just in different variations, and bring it to your attention using different methods.
You'll probably find more difference in what you'll face between maps than you would between the more commen AIs.

[x4000]

In terms of bonus fleet ship types, starships, guard posts, guardians, fortresses, and things of that nature: yes, you'd encounter all of that eventually.

In terms of the specialized buildings like alarm posts, counter-spies, and so on: you'd encounter most of them in a really rare sort of fashion, but I don't think quite all of them.  There's a very low percentage chance for you to encounter a lot of that sort of thing with any AI type, but that tends to wind up playing pretty different from encountering them en-masse, for instance.

In terms of some of the really specialized behaviors of the AIs, some of which involve special ships, you'll never see any of them without playing with their relevant AIs.  For example:
- Without playing against a speed racer, you'll never see an AI with all-fast stuff like that.
- Without playing against an experimentalist, there is no other way for the AI to get experimental ships.
- Without playing against a support corps AI, there is no way for it to use those sort of ships in any significant volume.
- You will see special forces guard posts obviously without playing against a special forces captain, but having them in such high volume really changes things around.

And there are many other examples of behaviors or overall "feels" that are accessible in any other way other than playing with that AI type.

In terms of the minor factions, AI plots, etc: the only way to encounter any of them is by turning them on, but you can turn them on with a vanilla AI just as easily as with any other sort of AI.