test SMAC AI patch, version l

[BFG]

No question that the original seven are awesome.

I have to agree.  That's why I always play SMAX...but only with the original 7

[Buster's Uncle]

I don't think I've ever heard anyone try to claim the X factions are as good.

On the internet.

Where there are fans for everything, no matter how lame.

[Geo]

Free-roaming Pirates anyone? 

[Green1]

Free-roaming Pirates anyone? 

The Pirates are pretty cool, but in my opinion they lack 2 things.

1) The AI does not play them as well as it should. Kyrub, if we begged hard enough, may be able to help here. AI does not do sea terraforming well or does the Pirate AI do typical player Pirate specific strats that make Sven OP. AI, for that matter, does not really do naval combat that well come to think of it.

2) Pirate Agenda: Pillage and Burn. Could use a Civ 4 Ragnar-like mechanic that allows them to "pillage" coastal bases. But, that is just me and that will NEVER happen. Bonus points for a more fleshed out story where he and his followers are marginalized by the rest of the crew to explain disdain and distrust. But, heh, I would be happy with more intelligent naval combat in general.

Pirates, though ARE a valid faction as much as the original 7. The Unity project would attract adventurers like Sven and if spectrometry had revealed a water planet around Alpha Centauri would bring someone like him. Heck, not only probably a talented PhD in Marine Biology but a stellar cartographer and astronomer too? Unfortunately, he managed to get past the psych evaluation as a nutcase.  But, viewing the other psychopaths that were in positions of power on that ship, he is not alone.

[Seleuceia]

Pirates could be seen as an antithesis to the Hives ideology, though Angels also sort of fill that role...

I will say that many of my friends who played this game with me absolutely loved the pirates...but that was the only popular SMAX faction amongst us...

[Yitzi]

The Pirates are pretty cool, but in my opinion they lack 2 things.

1) The AI does not play them as well as it should. Kyrub, if we begged hard enough, may be able to help here. AI does not do sea terraforming well or does the Pirate AI do typical player Pirate specific strats that make Sven OP. AI, for that matter, does not really do naval combat that well come to think of it.

What are those strategies, by the way?

[kyrub]

Major update of SMAC_444 patch - about 70 assembly hits for a ruthless SMAC AI.
http://alphacentauri2.info/index.php?action=downloads;sa=downfile&id=164

The patch does *not* work with SMAX (I am sorry, I had/have no time for it; I have not got even the time to finish this one).
The patch includes scient's latest patch, fixing a good number of bugs.

Features
- AI will stand up and fight in air wars. It builds a lot more AAA defenders, it uses planes for other things than bombing formers. You may see it use hit and drop tactic.
- AI will attack with while in "hurry" (with 2/3 strength etc.). It should counterattack from bases more.
- AI sees enemy probes as a primary target and may go long way to destroy them.
- AI uses more intelligent pattern for city spreading. AI colpods will now rarely walk half map somewhere.
- AIs ruthlessly exchanges technologies between themselves, hopefully this makes them competitive until later stages of the game.-
- AI likes buildings a lot more. It is able to rebuild its hedaquarters now. It loves orbital pods, tree farms etc.


This update was untested, only for crashes. I saw just 1 test game, the early signs were good, but who knows.
I'll be glad to hear reactions and feedback.

[Geo]

Yay.

[diessa]

Thank you, kyrub, for your continued work on SMAC 444. As someone who isn't playing the expansion, I appreciate it greatly! (Yitzi, your activity level with the expansion patch series is commendable, too!) I look forward to playing the newer versions.

I'm unable to access the most recent download file (file ID 164, so version [m]?); however, is file 164 the bugged patch that was removed earlier this week?

[Buster's Uncle]

You want the latest version, anyway.  http://alphacentauri2.info/index.php?action=downloads;sa=view;down=165

[diessa]

I was using version [n], so thanks for pointing me to the latest version!

[Buster's Uncle]

Bump.

[Geo]

The reason being?

[Buster's Uncle]

I've been catching up on posting the Altera Centauri scenario collection to AC2 and the auto threads here pushed a bunch of worthy recent CNN threads pages back, so when I finished for the night, I bumped several back up.

Alas, I'm not finished w/ Altera yet - but will be today or tomorrow.  It's a LOT of work.

[Geo]

Alas, I'm not finished w/ Altera yet - but will be today or tomorrow.  It's a LOT of work.

Altera? Thought that was never finished? At least not on forum-that-should-not-be-named?