Solstice 2005 AI challenge

[Lazerus]

Originally posted by Chaos Theory
I suppose this one was a bit too easy. I'll make amends soon enough.

next time make it a faction ive played more then once !!

[Kataphraktoi]

I suppose this one was a bit too easy. I'll make amends soon enough.

can you make a special 'cataphract' difficulty thats totaly impossible? i had some time on my hands and played through the smac1 scens\etc from that smac site(cant remember it atm) but i won even the hardest ones on my first try ....i find myself constantly use very weak tactics and bad terraforming etc and not paying attention cause after the first 20-40 years i can see the games in my pocket alternatly i guess i should look into playing MP...

really sux that my xp cant run smax,period

[Flubber]

Originally posted by Cataphract887


can you make a special 'cataphract' difficulty thats totaly impossible? i had some time on my hands and played through the smac1 scens\etc from that smac site(cant remember it atm) but i won even the hardest ones on my first try ....i find myself constantly use very weak tactics and bad terraforming etc and not paying attention cause after the first 20-40 years i can see the games in my pocket alternatly i guess i should look into playing MP...

really sux that my xp cant run smax,period

Play the switching sides scenario. The challenge is to get to the top of the powergraph with a faction before switching to the weakest ( use the scenario editor). Bring that one to the top of the powergraphs before again switching to the weakest. Then WIN with that faction.

Too easy ?? Do a third switch and win with that faction. . . Oh and consider it a loss if there are not SEVEN factions in existence when it is time to switch AND NO GIFTING OF ANYTHING to a potential switchee EVER.

[Mart]

Originally posted by Cataphract887

really sux that my xp cant run smax,period

My friend has a celeron machine, that we cannot get smax running. What machine do you have?

[Kataphraktoi]

that drives me nuts trying to fix their imperfect bases and terraforming. heh when i did it last,i switched through *all* the factions (i did lose tho ). i got to the fourth faction when i lost(i played for 50 year intervals however)

[Flubber]

Originally posted by Cataphract887
that drives me nuts trying to fix their imperfect bases and terraforming. heh when i did it last,i switched through *all* the factions (i did lose tho ). i got to the fourth faction when i lost(i played for 50 year intervals however)

It is a challenge though. I believe it is tougher if you take a faction from last to first since they make a more formidable opponent later. A hey part of the challenge is getting your first two factions to pre-eminence fast enough to have enough time to make an impact with #3 (or #4)

With 50 year intervals, you can do a halfway job and the worse you play, the easier your later task will be.

[Kataphraktoi]

play halfway? you mean play bad so when you switch its easier? isnt that the same as gifting your stuff to the next faction-in-line? i played as well as i could without rigging things to make it easier. ok,i dont mean to say i can beat the ai anywhere anytime,after all i just said i lost in that setting but still,my custom ai facs have bonuses like +5 on SE table setts and the like(that way you can play random maps and have some competetion)

My friend has a celeron machine, that we cannot get smax running. What machine do you have?

hardwares fine,an amd 2100 with 512 ram(currently undeclocked at 1700 tho). same puter ive had for a year,and i have played smax on it. but the versian of xp i have wont run it,dunno why(yes ive gone through everything). i have a new laptop(also amd) in the other room,i have not tried smax on it yet tho(but thats for work anyhow and dosnt stay here)

im going to be running vmware with win98 and seeing if that works,but i dont have high speed hookup here,so it will have to wait to dl smax till the weekend at least

[Flubber]

Originally posted by Cataphract887
play halfway? you mean play bad so when you switch its easier? isnt that the same as gifting your stuff to the next faction-in-line? i played as well as i could without rigging things to make it easier.

You don't need to rig things. But the fact is the better you play with the first two factions, the HARDER the challenge will be if you use fixed intervals.

If you require a player to meet a fixed goal (like first in the powergraphs but any other measure of accomplishment could serve) then better early play rewards you by giving you more years to work the later factions.

I wasn't accusing you of INTENTIONALLY playing badly, I was just making the general observation that using fixed switch intervals, a worse player may actually find this challenge EASIER since the human created empires they face later are not as strong

I used fixed intervals a couple of times before realizing that part of the challenge would be understanding what was necessary to move up the powergraph quickly and doing it quickly so as to give myself time to win