Evolving/Changing AI Personality During Game

[LordStryker]

Below is a copy/paste of a Mantis suggestion I made back in early 2015.  I'd really like to see some implementation of an 'evolving' AI personality as a game drags on.  See snippet from Mantis:

Many times we play against the almighty AI during a game for long periods of time. We learn how to approach the AI type set forth and slowly (or quickly) grind our way to victory or defeat. We become comfortable within our systematic way of dismantling the AI and its defenses one system at a time.

However... this time the tables have turned. The AI is smart... adapting... brutal... and it learns. Our approach to conquering the AI is simply brushed aside as the AI evolves. It adapts. It learns. Never again do we grind our way forward with the same repetitive strategy. The Humans must now be on their guard for their actions may provoke an AI evolution... a change... which will ultimately affect the way we approach the AI. It is time. The AI can and will evolve. Will you?

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Sorry if that sounded lame. I'm not a creative writer. I think that having a highly customizable way of implementing an AI evolution/transformation throughout a particular game will breathe new life into what can become a rather stale engagement. Allow the AI to react to a player's approach to domination. Set in-game triggers that cause the AI to change its personality type mid-game. Allow this to be a randomized switch, a pre-defined switch, or a player customized switch. The idea has been discussed here (http://www.arcengames.com/forums/index.php/topic,17092.0.html [^]). You think a particular AI personality type is a nightmare? Well we can one-up that by having it change throughout your game.

I think this sort of optional feature would add quite a bit of breadth and scope to an already deeply layered game.  Triggers don't have to be automatic.  Perhaps with increasing gametime and in-game criteria, an AI evolution progress counter (in % probability) increases.  When the AI does hit the evolution stage, a countdown timer and warning message appears to the player that an evolutionary change is imminent/detected.  What do you think?  Makes me shiver just thinking about it.

Previous discussion thread: http://www.arcengames.com/forums/index.php/topic,17092.0.html
Idea stemmed from "AI Nightmare" thread: http://www.arcengames.com/forums/index.php/topic,16929.0.html

"What is even worse than a Shadow Master/Grav Driller?  Answer?  A Shadow Master/Grav Driller turned Shadow Master/Train Master turned Stealth Master/Scorched Earth."

[PokerChen]

IMO decent expansion material, so will have to re-up on Mantis later. Also, I think such a personality would be partially moddable wthin the scope of 1.0, judging by my knowledge of the XML base.

[tadrinth]

Hrm. The AI can sort of already do this, just not on purpose.  It gets ship and guardian unlocks at the start and as the AIP passes certain thresholds. Currently it picks at random; sometimes it picks the worst possible thing for your strat, and other times it doesn't. 

You could have an AI type that does not choose at random, but instead always picks ships and guardians that have hull type bonuses against one of your bonus ship types.   

Have it unlock new ships twice as often as a regular AI and I think that would kinda cover it.

One problem with the AI unlocking new bonus types it takes a while for the reinforcement mechanic to put enough of the new ship types down to make much of a difference.  You could have this AI try to do that more aggressively in some manner. 

Reinforcement ship types are heavily affected by planetary type preferences; currently I think getting a tech unlock causes all planets to reroll their list of three preferred ships.  This AI type could also be somewhat more aggressive here as well.