For Backers Only: AI building stuff

I do realise that.

So the control system here will be a fix for pathfinding.

Will the AI have any control systems to deal with exploits from the system?

Because although the AI is a slave to pathfinding, so is a human.

The difference is that the human has the ability to detect when the pathfinding is interfering with his/her orders, and correct those errors. Whereas the AI does not have that ability.

Hey Sorian. Possible I missed it and it's was explained somewhere else, but what does new (Normal, Hard, Uber) difficulty levels mean? Do they affect handicap now or not?

Sorian will have to explain some of the details, but these are the first hint of the new AI personality system. These are three simple personalities, which differ in their economy checks(?), level of micro, "go_for_the_kill", and "neural_data_mod" (?) See ui/main/game/new_game/js/ai.js for the levels and range of values, and ui/main/game/galactic_war/shared/js/gw_faction_*.js for more examples. gw_start

This looks totally modable - you should be able to make an air or orbital heavy ai, although it's not clear if you can make a turtle or a comrush.

it would be so cool if the AI personalities where tied to the commanders, like the Aeson commander favors lots of tanks or Beast Commander rushes and is super aggresive!
fun stuff like those, and would make new commanders interesting, to see what sort of strategy they bring to the playing field =)

Normal Galactic War seems RIDICULOUSLY easy. I've finished every battle in a maximum of 12 minutes. AI can't deal with rushes. I'm fighting my first 'homeworld' battle next, and it's plausible me and one ally will lose to the AI Armada, especially as my Ally doesn't appear to have spawned. But my thoughts are this will be long and tedious rather than epic.... especially as still no single player save.

Did the (non G.W.) AI just get injected with cyber-steroids or something?

The normal AI alone raids you early and with LOTS of units, it's base spreads far and wide and its forces react to attacks quickly, it also gets the commander off-planet SO quickly and is RELENTLESS with interplanetary nukes.

And when there's more than 2 planets getting planet-smashed is an incredibly real threat! It's actually pretty damn awesome that I have to constantly remain on guard.

The Galactic War AI still needs work though. Unlike the regular AI, G.W. is extremely susceptible to rushes, and even when I give it time to get a big base or something they almost never attack me, and even when they do it's a force small enough to be taken out with a single Uber Cannon.
Add the sub-commanders in the equation (which somehow seem to be better than the G.W. AI despite being restricted by tech) and G.W. becomes very easy, very fast.

The faction leaders can be difficult, but so long as you lock down any asteroids they're not that big a threat.

Overall I like what's going on with the regular AI but the G.W. AI needs work, first iteration is first iteration so I hope to see improvements SOON(tm)

So, will the pathfinding be eventually as good as the pathfinding in Supreme Commander 2?

I've noticed something about the AI.
It doesn't seem to know when it's gonna win.
Like, there will be times where I'm completely surrounded by enemy forces, but once my commander starts firing at them they instantly retreat.

It's a little odd that they don't just push straight for the win.

The AI does not play to win. It never has.

your right, it plays to destroy your happiness and love

No it is a CPU. There's no ulterior motive. There's no free will here, everything is a perception or a personification of the CPU. The CPU plays. Stop. Message ends.

It'd be interesting if the AI players did everything they could to drag out the game as long as possible, just so that their existence would last a little longer.

-1 I'd rather have a starcraftian AI, where it surrenders when defeat is inevitable.

Does the latest build with its AI fixes resolve whatever it was you said broke the AI?

I had a crack at another Galactic War against an Annihilator AI, it did seem better, game took 17 minutes instead of 7.

In essence, this IS the commander trying to survive as long as possible. By surrendering rather than fighting to the death the enemy commander is trying to ensure its own survival even after the war ends by becoming a POW. Unless you believe your commander is heartless and just destroys everything in its path. Or could it be player choice with consequences for each? To general discussion forums I go!

So are the GW AIs forever going to be running away from murderous happenings/pelter rushes?

Neat idea... Perhaps enemy sub commanders could surrender / join your side? Neutral commanders in system could be interesting as well, maybe convert them to you're cause to claim as sub commanders (however if they refuse you destroy them?)...