Why the AI builds troop transports

[JonahFalcon]

You might notice that one regular Troop Transport can't hold an entire army - and when you build a transport task force, you have to either use a few troop transports, or invent a bigger transport. The AI apparently assumes you need them constantly -- and when you're invading, you DO need as many as possible.

However, this is where it needs to be tweaked - the AI should only build one or two troop transports after it builds troops (and by the way, they have to fix the fact it only builds one troop (ie 1 marine, 1 infantry, etc) at a time, instead of 10x. (I do 5x for support units like psy ops and hackers and magazines, etc.)

I think it's just an AI oversight that will be quickly fixed. Quicksilver listens to consumer input (within reason), so hopefully Rantz will "hear" this. I'll email Bill as well, just a suggestion to them.

[Hierophant]

A option to tell the viceroys what they CAN build and what not would be very usefull (Similar to the governeur settings in SMAC).

With some races, the nommo for example, it's likely that you will play through the game without any planetary combat.
Even IF I would try to conquer someone else with the Nommo I would try to get a magnate civ and produce troops exclusivly there.
Both things, building no troops (because you don't need them) or building troops only on one location (because the combat value of your starting race is very bad) is turning the viceroys into a micromanagement hell.

A simple subpage where you could tell your viceroys if they can build - yes/no - Infantry, Marines,... , PD Ships, Carrier Ships, Longrange Ships,.. would solve almost all problems with them.

[Alexfrog]

Actually, I dont know that htis needs fixing, I think we just have to learn how to control the AI better.

Specifically: if you dont give it other options of the same size class as your transports, then worlds with that shipyard capacity will go and build them.

Also: The best way to stop it from building transports once you have enough is to go into the shipyard screen and obsolete the transports! Then it'll choose other stuff.

Always being on top of your ship designs....designing new ones of different types/sizes, and obsoleteing old ones, is very important to get the AI to build what you want.

[Hierophant]

Yes, that is working & that is what I am doing - but that is NOT working with troops (NOT -transports). You cannot make troops obsolete...

And once you are in the middle & late game you will have quite a lot obsolete designs (why are you not able to delete designs permenently, btw?), so you have to search for the ship you want to make active again each time.

[John-SJ]

Axelfrog,

I can agree that obsoleting old designs is important, but I don't think it's reasonable to obsolete your best (transport) design just because you don't want to build any for the next 10 turns.

BTW, once obsoleted, can a design be reinstated easily? (I won't have the game 'til tomorrow)

John-SJ

[Sarati]

It is trivial to unobsolete a design.

[Hierophant]

Yes, by two clicks. But if you have many older designs you have to search for it some time, as said before.

[JonahFalcon]

According to Bill Fisher, there are a ton of AI tweaks in the coming patch, including this one.

[H Tower]

good thing I'm not getting the game for a while then


It would just be awful to play with a stupid AI. Oh wait, I still play civ2...

[JonahFalcon]

The AI is NOT stupid. (rolling eyes) If it was, the game would be UNPLAYABLE, because you eventually have 200 planets under your control.

[Jamski]

Well, playing last night I never had enough troop ships. NEVER ! You need dozens of these blighters. But make the original "troopship" design obselete, and make a "troopship2" design with a bigger hull size and more capacity. Then you don't need so many of them (I don't know if this is better financially, but the AI won't fill build queues then.

-Jam

[JonahFalcon]

Yes, a single troop hold holds like, what? 6 ppl? 10 ppl?

[Grumbold]

Originally posted by War of Art
Well, playing last night I never had enough troop ships. NEVER ! You need dozens of these blighters. But make the original "troopship" design obselete, and make a "troopship2" design with a bigger hull size and more capacity. Then you don't need so many of them (I don't know if this is better financially, but the AI won't fill build queues then.

-Jam

Is this perhaps the key? If you've got military spending set high then presumably every planet will be looking to do their bit for the war effort. For young/small colonies that'll be small hulled cheap ships. If troopships are all they have available, guess what they will build. If you don't have any small hull designs they'll just have to build fighters and let the bigger planets build the real hardware.

[Jamski]

Exactly. Make troopships at least a size 5, then the "new planets" won't be able to build them.

-Jam

[Hierophant]

That won't solve the general problem, though. That way your smaller colonys will built LOTs of worthless marines when you are using mainly tanks or battleoids.