Unit tweaks to Alphax.txt?

[Alinestra Covelia]

Heya all.

I was thinking about the game and how the AI doesn't build good units. I heard there's a way to force these to appear on the unit design slots, but don't know how.

What should I be doing to alphax.txt, and what units are your personal favorites to insert for the AI to use?

I think Needlejet Colony Pods and Drop Colony Pods are a real omission for the AI. Anything else?

(Bear in mind that I'm resolutely banning all choppers from my games. This shouldn't prevent you from sharing your unit ideas with others who view this thread, but I'm looking primarily for other units that you all like to use and the AI doesn't know how to.)

[Maniac]

There's the classical Googlie suggestion, to add to the #UNITS list:

Foil Probe, Cruiser, Probe Team, Scout, 11, 0, 0, DocInit, -1, 00000000000000000000000000

[Googlie]

And the AI builds scads of them

remember, though, to increase the actual number of the #UNITS.

I've also added sea trawlers to my #UNITS, but in gameplay only the Pirates seem to use them, and only on mineral tiles:

Foil Supply, Foil, Supply, Scout, 10, 0, 0, AdapDoc, -1, 00000000000000000000000000

The graphics for the foil probe are as expected, but the ones for the trawlers can be problematical - sometimes they appear as IoD's with a Manhattan skyline

G.

[Alinestra Covelia]

I remember those. Like the big weird floating cities in Independence Day.

You might remember that I built a couple in AXT-029 just to see what they did. Rather disappointing...

[SteveB]

More probes!

Gravship Probe, Gravship, Probe Team, Synthmetal,11, 0, 0, Gravity, -1, 00000000000000000000001000

E Probe Team, Speeder, Probe Team, Scout, 11, 0, 0, Hackers, -1,10000000000000000000000000000

These are taken from my own modified alphax.txt, so watch the prereq and ability flags in your alphax as they may not work. The AI builds 'em and uses 'em.

This was a nice idea
Chopper Lift , Copter, Transport, Scout, -1, 8, 0, None, -1,01000000000000000010000000000
but was massivley overbuilt by the AI in my experience and I had to remove it.

One more
Psi Patrol, Infantry, Psi, Synthmetal, 2, 7, 0, CentPsi, -1, 00010001010000000000000000

I have experimented a lot in my alphax but I hate the fact that anything under #UNITS is built with a level 1 reactor, even when you/the AI have researched level 2 or above. Limits the usefulness of certain special military units.

Have you noticed that the AI quickly utilises certain abilities when designing/upgrading it's own units, like AAA, but dosen't bother with others, like Drop, Amphibious or Sub. Those pesky programmers!

SteveB

[Maniac]

Gravship Probe, Gravship, Probe Team, Synthmetal,11, 0, 0, Gravity, -1, 00000000000000000000001000

Nice idea! How does the AU use them? Have you tried the same with chopper and needlejet chassis?