U2 - scenario for SMAX

[Mart]

U2 Scenario

No, you are not going to see Bono ordering his cloaked gravships against your bases.

This scenario is to test:
1) New pre-defined units.
2) Enhancing AI by traits in their factional files.

This new units and factional bonuses do not require any changes to files of a player, since they are recorded in a game save file.

At this moment I tested the game to 2209. AI uses well the Unity Supply Droids - no Secret Projects cashing. Also probe teams play quite a role. So far I lost 3 bases to AI by probing, that I neglected on one of my borders. Although I gave +50% defense, still the fight is not that difficult, presently it is 8 (chaos) vs. 3 (plasma).

New Units

Probes
Probe Cruiser, Cruiser, Probe Team, Scout, 11, 0, 0, DocInit, -1, 00000000000000000000000000
Hover Probe, Hovertank,Probe Team, Scout, 11, 0, 0, NanoMin, -1, 10000000000000000000000000000
HP Probe, Hovertank,Probe Team, Psi, 11, 0, 0, Eudaim, -1, 10000000000000000000000000000
Marine Probe, Speeder, Probe Team, Scout, 11, 3, 0, DocInit, -1, 00000000000000000000000001000
Probe Sub, Foil, Probe Team, Scout, 11, 0, 0, DocInit, -1, 00000000000000000000001000000
Foil Probe, Foil, Probe Team, Scout, 11, 0, 0, DocInit, -1, 00000000000000000000000000000
Synth Probe, Infantry, Probe Team, Synthmetal,11, 0, 0, IndAuto, -1, 00000000000000000000000000000

Probe Cruiser
as in many other games

Hover Probe
algorithmic enhancement

HP Probe
Psi armor
algorithmic enhancement

Marine Probe
Amphibious pods, to enable this ability for probes, although indicated as possible, standard alphax.txt has it off. Forced cost of 3 rows, AI enhancement, so it can build it more frequently.

Probe Sub
Submersible, this makes submersible ability available with Doctrine Initiative. Makes naval warfare more important. It also improves AI against human factions.

Foil Probe
As addition to Probe Cruiser.

Synth Probe
Probe team on infantry chassis with synthmetal armor. Quite new test.

Supply
Trawler, Foil, Supply, Scout, 10, 3, 0, DocInit, -1, 00000001000000000000000000000
Unity Supply Droid, Infantry, Supply, Scout, 10, 1, 0, Disable, -1, 00000101000000000000000000000
Rover Supply, Speeder, Supply, Scout, 10, 0, 0, DocInit, -1, 00000000000000000000000000000

Trawler
Foil supply,
Repair bay for making it unique and forced cost of 3 rows. Makes crawling sea for human player much cheaper. Emphasises naval element. I do not know how AI would deal with it yet.

Unity Supply Droid
Slow and repair bay for unique features. Repair bay makes it distinguishable for its scarlet cross. Forced 1 row cost and available only by scenario editor.
An interesting help for human player in early turns.
Also AI can use it, if CMN does not want to give AI too much help in early SP building. It's only 1/3 than a standard crawler gives. Already tested, sometimes AI use it excellently by giving them crawling orders. Often end up for SP building. Sometimes remain idle.

Rover Supply
As an experiment, if AI would do it, cost 6 rows, not forced.

Formers
Eco-Formers, Infantry, Formers, Scout, 9, 3, 0, BioEng, -1, 00000010000010000000000000000
SE-Formers, Infantry, Formers, Scout, 9, 4, 0, EcoEng2, -1, 00000010000010000000000000001

Eco-formers
High morale for uniquenes
Clean reactor, forced cost of 3 rows. It is here to help AI build it.

SE-formers
High morale for uniquenes
Super and Clean formers. forced cost of 4 rows.

Air units
Support Copter, Copter, Missile, Scout, 0, 0, 0, MindMac, -1, 00000000000000000000000000000
Falcon, Needlejet,Missile, Scout, 4, 0, 0, DocAir, -1, 00000000000000000000000100000
QG Needle, Needlejet,Quantum, Scout, 0, 0, 0, Gravity, -1, 00000000000000000010000000000
QG Copter, Copter, Quantum, Scout, 0, 0, 0, Gravity, -1, 00000000000000000010000000000
QG Gravship, Gravship, Quantum, Scout, 0, 0, 0, Gravity, -1, 00000000000000000010000000000

Support Copter
Attack 6, ground combat. To help AI, maybe even attack bases?

Falcon
Missile attack 6 fighter. help AI

QG units
To enable grav struts in air units.

Land combat units
Police Guard, Infantry, Gun, Scout, -1, 1, 0, Integ, -1, 00000010000000100000000000000
AA Team, Infantry, Laser, Scout, 1, 0, 0, MilAlg, -1, 00000000000000000000100000000
AA Rover, Speeder, Laser, Scout, 1, 0, 0, MilAlg, -1, 00000000000000000000100000000
AA Squad, Infantry, Gun, 3-Pulse, 2, 0, 0, MilAlg, -1, 00000000000000000000100000000
SAM Rover, Speeder, Missile, Scout, 1, 0, 0, DocAir, -1, 00000000000000000000000100000
AA Hover, Hovertank,Gun, Silksteel, 2, 0, 0, NanoMin, -1, 00000000000000000000100000000
WS Hover, Hovertank,Fusion, Scout, 0, 0, 0, SentEco, -1, 00011000000000000000000000000
BW Hover, Hovertank,Shard, Scout, 0, 0, 0, Matter, -1, 00010000000100000000000000000

Police guard
High morale and non-letheal methods police. Forced cost 1 row. AI does them too.

AA Team
anti-aircraft, laser, no armor

AA Rover
anti-aircraft, laser, no armor

AA Squad
anti-aircraft, gun, 3-pulse armor. typical defensive unit good against rovers too.
These 3 units are here to encourage AI for anti-aircraft defense. need better testing

SAM Rover
Air superiority, for counterstrike against air offensive

AA Hover
anti-aircraft, gun, silksteel armor.

WS Hover
Dissociative Wave
Sporific gas pods
Offensive unit for AI

BW Hover
Blink displacer
Dissociative Wave
Offensive unit for AI

Naval units
Escort Cruiser, Cruiser, Gun, Probability,6, 0, 0, Metal, -1, 00000000000000000000100000000
Escort Foil, Foil, Missile, Scout, 6, 0, 0, DocAir, -1, 00000000000000000000000100000
Heavy Sea Transport, Cruiser, Transport, Scout, 7, 0, 0, DocInit, -1, 00000000010000000000000000000
Carrier, Cruiser, Transport, Scout, 7, 0, 0, DocInit, -1, 00000000000000000000010000000
Sub-Carrier, Cruiser, Transport, Scout, 7, 0, 0, DocInit, -1, 00000000000000000000011000000

Escort Cruiser
Anti-aircraft with Probability sheath armor. To help AI against air attacks. needs testing

Escort Foil
SAM unit to take down planes. Possibly great help for AI.

Heavy Sea transport
For AI and also enables heavy ability.

Carrier
For transport of air units. This moves the ability to Doctrine Initiative to emphasise naval warfare.

Sub-Carrier
Submersible, As above. Possibly will help AI, if cares to make them. Needs testing.

Missiles

XX Missile, Missile, Conventional, Scout, 0, 0, 0, Orbital, 8, 00000100000000000000000000

This is a chemical missile

Factional enhancements for AI

+2 Support
SOCIAL, ++SUPPORT
This is to help AI with minerals. Possibly encourage larger military.

5% Interest
INTEREST, 5
The easiest way of giving AI a lot of energy. 5% is test. 12% for Morgan makes him attempt to corner global energy market after around 70-80 years in the game. 8% is still a lot.

Defense 150%
DEFENSE, 150
To help AI better defend itself. Assaults on AI require now much better planning.

Technology cost 50%
TECHCOST, 50
AI can now research twice as fast

Special
All AI get
- build lots of colony pods
- build lots of formers
- build lots of probe teams

Note
This is possible to do in scenarios. Tech benefits can be removed, as you can give starting techs manually, so the limit of 8 bonuses is allright. Only 3 first bonuses are limited, techcost is not.

Starting conditions

AI:
- established base
- colony pod
- 2 scout patrols (Spartans unity rovers instead)
- 3 formers
- 6 unity supply droids (crawling pre-formed tiles)

Human:
- established base
- 2 scout patrols
- 1 former
- 2 unity supply droids (idle in the base)

Note
Established base is required, since crawlers need to be homed.

[Kataphraktoi]

interesting
lotsa predefineds...

No, you are not going to see Bono ordering his cloaked gravships against your bases.

why not?

[Lazerus]

Damn you mart ! im supposed to be studying

[Mart]

Sorry, Lazerus...

And now 2212. I can see first effects of 150% defense. I have some old missile(6) units on one of the battlefields. A plasma unit with some other bonusses like rocky terrain and better health (no damage) now gives me no chance of win. I have to upgrade it. If not that additional 50%, I would probably get a chance to win better than 1:1.

Interesting is also that AI preferes now to probe bases than attack them. Between AI I can see more probing than fighting, though this occurs too. Morgan made a base on Miriam land. Soon a Believing rover destroyed it. As a human faction I do not have +50% defense so I see military coming from one side, another faction sends lots of probes - as mentioned I lost 3 bases to probing. Probes is so many that 2 my elite probe teams were defeated easily - 4 enemy probes did it, first attack sacrifice, the second killed my unit. Fifth and more did their nasty thing. Much drone riots inciting and sabotage of my facilities.
-----
I took a look at unit screen. Zakharov made 12 (and 1 producing) AAA silksteel sentinels
2/<4>/1*2
this unit is not pre-defined and with defense bonus that gives 12 against air units. With fusion laser presently my best he can effectly defend against my air invasion. But I am not fighting him at the moment. Possibly later.
-----
Maybe energy reserves of AI fell low now. I can see mostly fighting between AI. Probe teams do not mind control bases that often. And it seems like problem in mid/late game. While I have over +1100 EC/turn, the best after me is Morgan +120 EC/turn. With little energy in the banks the interest bonus is not that large.

[Mart]

I guess there will be U3 scenario with newer versions of pre-defined units. So far this one goes well. I have a lot of feedback just from the game I play.

In order not to loose some other interesting observations regarding the SAM Rover <6>-1-2

When I placed a tactical nearby (enemy plane), the rover did not attack it, but moved towards a base I took it a turn ago. AI decided, that retaking base is more important. Even that such a rover would fight <6> agains my no armor tactical.

Later in scenario editor I made 3 versions
SAM-0 (assault plan)
SAM-1 (combat plan)
SAM-4 (air supperiority plan)
placed them on tiles separately each to one tactical.
They all took tacticals down as soon as I pressed 'end turn' Good! AI knows what to do with this design

More observations. AI plan does not matter when it comes to decide what to attack first:
- missile tactical <6>-1-8
- scout patrol 1-1-1
Always tactical gets hit first (any plan, 0, 1 or 4)

I wondered if SAM Rover can "scramble" to protect a former I attacked with a tactical. At least I hoped that one with plan 4 might do it. Nope - it will not leave the base to protect a former. Apparently only tacticals can do it.

[Darsnan]

Originally posted by mart7x5
I wondered if SAM Rover can "scramble" to protect a former I attacked with a tactical. At least I hoped that one with plan 4 might do it. Nope - it will not leave the base to protect a former. Apparently only tacticals can do it.

What about a tactical with a missile chassis? I wonder if it would scramble?

[Lazerus]

2170;

Coming upto air power soon and hoping to put in a popboom in a few turns. Morgans actually beating Yang whilst i'm stalemating santiago (damn forest and sensor infront of base backfired massively with that extra 50% defense!!)
Dee and Zaks tech rates are flying but only Dee seems to be taking advantage of the interest on EC as she's so far gathered 2300 but refuses to give me any
The only secret projects i've managed to grab are the HGP and VW which have helped sort any drone problems but dee/zak are rakin in most of the others with PEG, hunter seeker, ascetic virtues, WP etc between them.

The AI hasn't been as aggressive as expected towards me with the probes (although Morgan has ALOT) and for some reason seems more receptive ! i've managed to probe techs from both Yang and Santi and just get warned they won't tolerate more espionage lol

edit - oh damn santis bringing commando 8-3p-1 troops in now, hurry up noodles

[Mart]

Lazerus, how about AI and unity supply droids. Do they still keep them? If you have infiltration, you can see it in HQ base. In my game only some were lost to mw probably. So far I think AI never used one for any SP. 2215 here

[Mart]

Originally posted by Darsnan
What about a tactical with a missile chassis? I wonder if it would scramble?

I tried this. It scrambles. I got strange results so far. If a former is attacked with a tactical - former defends itself and missile only enters the former tile and does nothing
when attacked with penetrator missile defends, but with its armor, which is 1. its air superiority attack does nothing.
I have to try this more. Maybe a gun load on a missile with an AAA armor? that would defend much better and maybe be relatively cheap.
Then a question remains - will the missile stay if wins or falls?

[Mart]

I got a bit different results.
First priority was to get Industrial Automation. I tried to trade only little, but got some techs between increasing my cost. I finally got it from Morgan after he completed PTS.
Then I attempted PEG. I already got Prog Psych when I chose it when no b-line to IA was possible. And I was succesful - great help in economy. I stil consider this SP too strong.
Also CDF, I got it by opportunity, I traded many techs.

The most memorable so far was getting Planetary Datalinks. Morgan was friendly to me, I got Pact with him, as the only AI faction, quite easy. But he refused to trade Cyberethics and he was doing Planetary Datalinks already. I increased science loosing on economy. I rushed network nodes like crazy. And it was 3 turns before Morgan got PD, I saw that I would not be able to beat him. That was 2170. I got a probe team hurried near his border. In 2171, when he got 2 turns to PD I probed his base. A lot of luck, he had 3 techs I did not: EE, PE and Cyberethics. All good ones, but I got Cyber!!! Morgan declared vendetta and took over one of my bases. Then asked for truce, we soon got Pact again. I crawled PD in 2173. This now hauls my research.
One of my bases also defected to Morganities, that was after I got Clonin Vats and could not keep an eye on that base when it got 2 turns of drone riots one after another. Thus I lost 2 bases to Morgan, but overall I consider cooperation with him very fruitful.

Santiago got 3 bases from me - by probing. But presently I have counterstrike I move fast (as much as I can with few troops) to Spartan HQ. They have a fusion buster ready in 5 turns there, and I am afraid I may gt it...
Zak is doing one too, ready in 1 turn. But he has vendetta with Morgan too, so I hope he gets the package

Present SP standing for 2215:

Gaians: WP, E Guild, X Dome, Ascetic V.
Univ: HSA, Supercollider
Morgan: HGP, CN, ME, PTS, Neural Amp.,
Sparta: VW
PK: CDF, MCC, PD, PEG, CF, CA, LV, CV.

I am Planetary Governor since 2142. Dee attempted to take it once, failed, even when Morgan (I will remember this CEO...) voted for her. I already got population quite large.

[Mart]

2216
Fighting intensifies. Santiago destroyed 2 elite 0-3r-1*2 probes in 2 bases I took over. If not these fusion probes I would not be able to keep them probably. I neglected Hive though and Yang took a base with:
10-1-1*2 infantry
10-1-12*2 bomber
10-1-12*2 bomber
1-<3>p-1*2
copter transport
He spent around 1000 EC for this.
I really need more probes.
Luckily PD got silksteel this turn.

[Mart]

And the same mistake Napoleon did...
My campaign deep into Spartan territory backfired and I was not able to take over Sparta Command. I destroyed one defender and that's it. One of my probes sabotaged perimeter defense - in vain - it did not help much. Now I have to leave Fort Superiority too, I do not think the base will defend itself. I evacuate garrison with a copter transport.
So Santi has a buster now... fusion one. hmm...

Just got Advanced Spaceflight, so plan on doing Living Refinery. Need a break in all these vendettas.

[Lazerus]

Originally posted by mart7x5
Lazerus, how about AI and unity supply droids. Do they still keep them? If you have infiltration, you can see it in HQ base. In my game only some were lost to mw probably. So far I think AI never used one for any SP. 2215 here

Yep even when Dee got the empath guild i had enough votes to get the govt so i can see all AI still have them.

[Mart]

Quite an advantage, they are on tiles connected with HQ by roads. AI might use them for SP, but it does not do it. Zakharov once did a single crawler for speeding Supercolider.
I am not sure what trigers this behaviour:
- low cost of 1 row, so AI calculates it is only 1/3 benefit when compared to 3 row standard one?
- high yield from crawling? they do 5-7 minerals, 4-6 energy, much nutrients too.
- special conditioning - lots of formers and lots of colony pods? I have reason to suspect this. In one of previous scenarios I did not do these conditions and AI used the stuff, but maybe it was next
- "lurker" unit setup. These droids are deep inside territory, and no other faction units appeared. I know, it most likely works different, but maybe it is a factor. On the other hand, I have impresion I entered a tile next to a spartan droid. And they are all still there. So is it "strong lurker"?
---
Same here. Dee got Empath Guild. That is how the voting got in 2142

[Lazerus]

Trapped between a rock and a hard place currently, 2187 and Yangs just completely overrun Morgan and opened up a second front against me. Gonna have to go planned and pump out alot of noodles to cope with both Santi and Yang either side of me. Still trying to get a probe in close enough to get chaos guns from santi but shes got alot of probes now aswell, 30+