Armored non-combat units and the AI

[The Mad Monk]

How can I make the Artificial Idiot understand that armoring non-combat units, especially transports -- ESPECIALLY transports -- is a very good idea?

[stuntman19]

I remember in original unpatched smac there were alot of armored transports and sea colony pods moving around in mid game. Then when the patches came out they nerfed this and I remember reading about it in one of the patch readme's. I think they also nerfed the amount of artillary that the AI would make as well. I'm sure you could have the AI armor transports if you want look in alphatxt, look under:

Plan = Unit "plan" for AI purposes:

[The Mad Monk]

I'll have to check that.

[stuntman19]

I took a look at the alphatxt and here is the area that you would prolly need to change to get armor on transports.

Plan = Unit "plan" for AI purposes:
; -1 = Auto Calculate
; 0 = Offensive
; 1 = Combat
; 2 = Defensive
; 3 = Reconnaisance
; 4 = Air Superiority
; 5 = Planet Buster
; 6 = Naval Superiority
; 7 = Naval Transport
; 8 = Colonization
; 9 = Terraforming
; 10 = Supply Convoy
; 11 = Info Warfare
; 12 = Alien Artifact
; Cost = Cost in minerals (0 = Autocalculate)
; Carry = Carrying capacity (0 = Autocalculate)
; Preq = Technology prerequisite (see TECHNOLOGY, above)
; Icon = Special icon, if any
; Abil = Special ability flags
;
#UNITS
14
Colony Pod, Infantry, Colony Pod, Scout, 8, 0, 0, None, -1, 000000000000000000000000
Formers, Infantry, Formers, Scout, 9, 0, 0, Ecology, -1, 000000000000000000000000
Scout Patrol, Infantry, Gun, Scout, 3, 0, 0, None, -1, 000000000000000000000000
Transport Foil, Foil, Transport, Scout, 7, 0, 0, DocFlex, -1, 000000000000000000000000
*Sea Formers, Foil, Formers, Scout, 9, 0, 0, Disable, -1, 000000000000000000000000
Supply Crawler, Infantry, Supply, Scout, 10, 0, 0, IndAuto, -1, 000000000000000000000000
Probe Team, Speeder, Probe Team, Scout, 11, 0, 0, PlaNets, -1, 000000000000000000000000
Alien Artifact, Infantry, Artifact, Scout, 12,10, 0, Disable, 2, 000000000000000000000000
Mind Worms, Infantry, Psi, Psi, 1, 5, 0, CentEmp, 3, 000000000000000000000000
Isle of the Deep, Foil, Psi, Psi, 7, 8, 4, CentMed, -1, 000000000000000000000000
Locusts of Chiron, Gravship, Psi, Psi, 4,10, 0, CentGen, -1, 000000000000000000100000
Unity Rover, Speeder, Gun, Scout, 3, 0, 0, Disable, -1, 000000000000000000000000
Unity Scout Chopper, 'Copter, Gun, Scout, 4, 0, 0, Disable, -1, 000000000000000000100000
Unity Foil, Foil, Transport, Scout, 7, 0, 0, Disable, -1, 100000000000000000000000


Just above this in alphatxt is the armor values...so just replace Scout with whatever armor you would like the AI to use for that unit. It should work, but I'm not sure if you pick a high level armor then prolly the AI will wait until that armor is available to make the unit.

[The Mad Monk]

It dosen't seem to be working that way. I inserted "armored formers" into the game, set to be buildable at Ecological Engineering, and gave all factions an Armored Former at the start (great idea, I strongly recomend this given the results), but, even though they all have EcoEng now, nobody is building them.

I'm afraid the problem is with 'plan'; it could be that the "terraform" plan tells them to disregard armor as an advantage.

[gwillybj]

Have you set the cost to "0" (zero)? That makes them cost extra because of the armor. The AI factions are likely ignoring that unit and making standard Formers in their Workshops. If you specify the cost, making it equal to the cost of a standard Former, they should build them.

[The Mad Monk]

THEY STARTED BUILDING THEM!

I didn't change anything, but suddenly, little armored formers and armored colony pods are all over the place! YAY!

...and the results are starting to roll in...where before all the AIs had 'lost' a half dozen pods or more (one in particular had lost an even dozen), not one has yet lost a single armored colony pod. I was even priveledged to see a pactmate's armored pod beat off a wild worm attack!

I...feel so happy.

[stuntman19]

Good to hear that it is working now....I have a heavily modded version of regular smac on an older PC that it works for. My main PC that has smac and smacx on is unmodded, since it causes crashing probs if I do.

[The Mad Monk]

Odd thing, I still haven't seen armored transports. I wonder why?

[Googlie]

Make it a pre-designed unit (like crawlers, etc) and the AI will build them (as they do in droves with my pre-designed cruiser probes)

G.

[The Mad Monk]

That's the thing -- it is a pre-designed unit, just like the formers and pods were.

Actually, one of my fighters may have encountered one, but I was too sleepy at the time to notice (advanced one-more-turn syndrome, donchaknow), and didn't figure till much later the implications of a missle noodle nearly getting shot down attacking a transport.

[The Mad Monk]

...and now the armored transports are out in force.

Excellent.