For Backers Only: AI building stuff

@sorian, just curious, but when you guys add a new unit, do you have to set up any more than the unit reference json files for the ai before you train it? Or does it just find out what combinations to use the units in and whether or not to use certain units during training sessions? IE, do you have to make it build units via the platoon setups and such, or does it figure it out for itself during training?

That would be awesome.

Yeah, if we could just plug in the unit and run a few training sessions that would be badass!

Speaking of training sessions. @sorian Will we ever get access to neural network training? IIRC somewhere I heard that the controls for that were disabled.

I'll be listening in

Sounds cool, so will I.

Did the AI forget how to Uber cannon?

So a couple questions about the latest changes:

Code:

        'Normal': {
            percent_vehicle: 0.25,
            percent_bot: 0.45,
            percent_air: 0.2,
            percent_naval: 0.05,
            percent_orbital: 0.05,
            metal_drain_check: 1.12,
            energy_drain_check: 1.25,
            metal_demand_check: 1.32,
            energy_demand_check: 1.40,
            micro_type: 0,
            go_for_the_kill: false,
            priority_scout_metal_spots: false,
            neural_data_mod: 1.3,
            adv_eco_mod: 1.0,
            adv_eco_mod_alone: 1.0

I hear percent_land is still supported, but the (modded) AI in my tests now only builds air units. How does percent_land differ from percent_bot and percent_vehicle?
What do adv_eco_mod and adv_eco_mod_alone do?
Do I need to make extensive changes and updates to AI json files for it to work or will it work with the old code as well?

Doesn't the AI just add bot and vehicle together to get land?

My percent_land is set to 0.55, while percent air is set to 0.2. But since I don't have percent_bot and percent_tank it must be taking those two as 0. I might need to compromise and set them both to 0.225. I don't like this change since air first is also viable (maybe even the most viable), but once it's countered you shouldn't be relying on air as much and the bulk of your forces should always be ground forces. @sorian please consider this: The best factory type to start with may not be the factory type that is needed the most through the game.

The second thing I have noticed is removal of Need*LandFabber and Need*LandFactory. Does the old code still work. Usually in RCBM a specific factory is not required, any T1 factroy will do. Again we are confronted with the fact that the generalised is better than specialised in this case. I don't want to force the AI to build a specific factory and make it more predictable. If AI decided it wants a tank only game it should have one. If (RCBM) balance doesn't allow that freedom then I need o fix the balance, not the AI.

On the more positive note: AllMetalSpotsFull and UnableToExpand will be useful for our T2 metal expansion. And I need to take a look at how did oyu get Jigs to work, because I have tried and failed to do so.

While I completely agree (and think the default AI wanting more bots than tanks is a big mistake given the meta) you can setup customised AI rules to handle the opening and bypass this.

True, but I shouldn't really need to, right? It worked without it before.

Well, no, it didn't work before because the first factory could be drawn from any category so you should have been writing custom opening rules anyway.

That's what I'm talking about. It could be drawn form ANY category, so you didn't need any special code to make it choose at random what it wanted to build.

Is the replay not up yet, or is the replay limited to paying users? I'm only seeing a "The full high-quality recording is available after editing from the PREMIUM area. It takes less than a minute to become a member!" message.