Fleet Ops AI

posted on August 3rd, 2007, 10:28 pm

Well, even though FO is a multiplayer oriented game, players often have to resort to playing with AI if he/she can't find a suitable game on the internet. The only problem is that the FO AI is dumb, although better than the A2 AI.

This is how a normal AI Hard would do against a human player.
1) Sends a scout-ship to my base, and even if it has a cloaking device, it doesn't even bother to activate it.
2) Sends a small wave of forces to my base. Gets itself killed by the indigenous starbase + defense platforms + ships
3) Keeps sending small wave of forces (4~6 ships). (Some don't even attack you, they try and go for the Starbase)
4) Keeps sending more waves of forces.
5) I then send about 30 ships to its base, moderately defended, but eventually wins.
6) I destroy its outlying outposts, and the game is over.

Basically, the AI does not know how to perform sneak attacks, or even send a huge fleet altogether, or even do any sort of strategic assessment whatsoever. They just build, and send, and get killed. That's it.

So is the FO AI going to be upgraded to something smarter, or will it be the same in V3?

posted on August 3rd, 2007, 10:39 pm

I think there's something on the homepage saying that V3 will have a re-vamped AI. I'm not sure what this means exactly, I guess we'll have to wait and see.

A good way to have a difficult game against the V2 AI is to set yourself against two computer opponents on AI Hard. It's a bit like fighting a difficult insurgency war in Iraq - picking off the smaller bands of warriors using your mighty force, but hoping that your hometown doesn't get "bombed" in the process.

Just kidding. I'm sure you've already done that plently of times. Great fun though 

posted on August 3rd, 2007, 10:47 pm

i did a three played game agianst three hard ai in an all versus all, in the end the remaining 2 hard AI [Romuland and Klingon] nearly beat me on several occasions, but this is simple to over come by building a ship building stations on the other side of the map and then  going in for the kill since all they do is focus there main attacks on your main base witch will still be overly defended by lots and lots of ships.

Dan

posted on August 3rd, 2007, 10:55 pm

Very true that. I suppose that's one of the criticisms, that the AI is too narrowly focused on attacking your starbase so it is a distraction for it. I have noticed that in some circumstances the AI Hard will go for a new mining base I've built, so it does alter its behaviour a little in a long game. Once I had to devote half my energies to defending my base, and half to defending my mining bases. I was building at full steam, and I had to introduce several more shipyards to actually attack their base and win. If they improve on this in V3 we're in for a rough ride. God (won't) help us...

posted on August 4th, 2007, 2:32 am

The AI should really be designed to plan out their attacks before sending any ships, and should actually try and deceive the player, lay traps, etc. I mean, that's what strategy games are all about..rite?

posted on August 6th, 2007, 2:01 pm

There was a thread a little while back (months) about this very issue: I think that the designers that be made the AI much, much, much better than we have currently witnessed, in that the top dogs of FO privy to this improved AI lost against medium (or was it hard AI). I think it was due to improved priorities and build strategies for the AI. Looking for the thread right now...
-dn