Better Single Player AI

posted on January 28th, 2011, 6:57 am

For those that havent looked thru the file RTS_CGF.g in the root directory for any A2 install, there is a set of six lines, two per difficulty setting, that control what percentage of build cost is paid for any construction/research, and the other controls how fast things are built.

float HARD_AI_COST_HANDICAP = 0.1;
float HARD_AI_SPEED_HANDICAP = 0.1;

float MEDIUM_AI_COST_HANDICAP = 0.2;
float MEDIUM_AI_SPEED_HANDICAP = 0.2;

Those are the Hard/Merciless settings for Vanilla flops.




Basicly this project is intended to redo those numbers so the AI is less spammy and more fun.

This is NOT a build list improvement mod, the only changes this mod intends to make are the difficulty settings, and to make them more fun and less spammy.

Consequently, the easy AI will get slightly harder, the harder AIs will get slightly easier.


To that goal, I need people to test the configuration for me

Go to your flops folder, and open up RTS_CFG.h

Scroll down to the handicap lines, and change them to match the numbers below.

Code: Select all

float HARD_AI_COST_HANDICAP = 0.38;
float HARD_AI_SPEED_HANDICAP = 0.38;

float MEDIUM_AI_COST_HANDICAP = 0.45;
float MEDIUM_AI_SPEED_HANDICAP = 0.45;

float EASY_AI_COST_HANDICAP = 0.5;
float EASY_AI_SPEED_HANDICAP = 0.47;

Basicly, the AI is allowed to cheat way too much in vanilla flops.

This just reduces how much the AI cheats by, so its not an annoying spam experince.

posted on January 28th, 2011, 7:07 am

Tokra, you don't even have to go into any files to do what you're doing.  You just have to use the in game sliders to do what you're suggesting.  Much easier.

And why is your avatar pic a Japanese girl with cat ears?

posted on January 28th, 2011, 7:13 am

The ingame sliders can cause issues, if you set them too far to one side the AI will go dead as it runs out of resources (or never do anything but maybe build a yard)

I've raised that issue allready.


The fact is that the AI cheats way too much in the hard coded settings. Im just changing them for those that also would enjoy such change..

posted on January 28th, 2011, 7:49 am

Right, but if you don't slide them too far, then those issues don't occur, do they.

And why is your avatar pic a Japanese girl with cat ears?

posted on January 28th, 2011, 11:58 am

And why is your avatar pic a Japanese girl with cat ears?

Obviously its a picture of himself. Obviously

posted on January 28th, 2011, 2:38 pm

Right, but if you don't slide them too far, then those issues don't occur, do they.

And why is your avatar pic a Japanese girl with cat ears?

All I'm doing is affecting the base values those sliders rely upon, to make things work better more easily.

Plus it means medium/hard have a bit of a differnce in between eachother now.

posted on January 28th, 2011, 3:05 pm

All I'm doing is affecting the base values those sliders rely upon, to make things work better more easily.

Plus it means medium/hard have a bit of a differnce in between eachother now.

You mean work better for you.
The entire point of the sliders is for those minority people who don't like the current AI costs and build times to adjust them to fit their needs. Why don't you fiddle around testing those until you find something you are happy with? No one is going to test for you when you are editing the game for yourself.

posted on January 28th, 2011, 4:12 pm

I think the problem about the AI is that it just builds everything there is and throws it against you. There are no strategies that could surprise you. You just have to get out many ships, kill some of its suicide ships, rank up and then move against it.
In my eyes the AI has a micro, not a macro problem. But as far as I understand it that can't be fixed via build queue changes.
I don't see what you can do Tok'ra what the sliders can't do. Everyone may adjust the AI to his/her needs/abilities. You get my congratulations if you can make a "Boggz AI" that's kicking asses without cheating;), but I don't think that's possible in Armada.

posted on January 28th, 2011, 4:16 pm

You get my congratulations if you can make a "Boggz AI" that's kicking asses without cheating;)

who said boggz doesnt cheat

posted on January 28th, 2011, 6:31 pm

The AI cheat.  Here's what's currently in the file.

Code: Select all

float HARD_AI_COST_HANDICAP = 0.1;
float HARD_AI_SPEED_HANDICAP = 0.6;

float MEDIUM_AI_COST_HANDICAP = 0.2;
float MEDIUM_AI_SPEED_HANDICAP = 0.7;

float EASY_AI_COST_HANDICAP = 0.75;
float EASY_AI_SPEED_HANDICAP = 0.8;


As you can see, on the hard and merciless settings, it is impossible to bring the AI resource costs to normal.  With these settings, it's no wonder that players get their bases decimated before they can mount a defense.  The sliders don't have any effect.  It's either going to be too easy or too hard.  The AI can afford to do it!  I would recommend these values for the AI:

Code: Select all

float HARD_AI_COST_HANDICAP = 0.75;
float HARD_AI_SPEED_HANDICAP = 0.75;

float MEDIUM_AI_COST_HANDICAP = 1.00;
float MEDIUM_AI_SPEED_HANDICAP = 1.00;

float EASY_AI_COST_HANDICAP = 1.25;
float EASY_AI_SPEED_HANDICAP = 1.25;


Now the AI won't cheat as much and it's much more offline friendly.  Players won't get their bases decimated before they can mount a defense.  The AI simply won't be able to afford it.  The AI will still build fast, but it shouldn't be any faster than a player would build.  The sliders can be used to make the game as easy or as difficult as the player wants.

PS:  The AI will gain supply at an alarming rate.  Go online and observe an AI vs AI game with no real players.  Look at how quickly the AI gain supply.  Also notice how the AI Borg build their vessels.

posted on January 28th, 2011, 7:27 pm

::)::)::)::)::)

i would recommend building at least some ships/turrets vs AI (it helps)
and
of course you get crushed if you are not building or just wasting your ships by just placing rally point to enemy base and complaining that AI cheats


[sub]hehehehe [/sub] to me it feels like AI is not as merciless as it used to be

posted on January 28th, 2011, 7:33 pm

hey mort, i like your site with replays listed now. funny thing, i accidentally deleted a couple of rays replays, for some reason it let me delete even though its your site

posted on January 29th, 2011, 12:41 am

The AI cheat.  Here's what's currently in the file.

Exactly.

I've seen the Meciless AI have 6+ cubes WITH 10+ spheres (and many many more small/medium sized craft) within the early phases of the game.

And as you said, the slider is pointless if the base values it is based on are so horribly skewed as to make sliding it pointless.


The HIGHEST the slider goes to (for the AI build cost) is 2.0.

This, I assume, is 2.0 of the base value for the difficulty setting of the AI player.

Lets say the AI wanted to build a ship. The mixed tech Akira, since I picked at random. (fed_akira_dom.odf for anyone wanting to check the stats in the .odf).

It costs: 672 Dil, 205 metal

For the defualt meciless AI it would cost: 67 dil and 20 metal

with the slider everyone is touting on full (a 2.0 modifier it says ingame) those costs WOULD increase.
It would cost 134dil and 40metal

So the slider CAN make it 'easier'

However....... the slider would JUST make it cost the same as it would for a Hard/Medium AI.






Now lets run the same math on my (admitedly still needing work) re-do of the base values of each difficulty setting.

Once again, it costs 672 Dil, 205 metal according to the .odf

.5 easy- 336dil 102metal and with the 2.0 AI build cost modifer slider 672 dil and... 205 metal (Im rounding out all decimal places, just FYI). So the easy AI is slightly harder under my easy setting, with the 2.0 modiifer with the sldier at max making it cost the .odf's defualt price (I actually need to test that, I remember that when I was playing with the slider on the vanilla settings it was pretty easy to move it too high, and the AI basicly builds a station or two, and runs out of cash and goes inanctive)
.45 Medium - 302 dil 92 metal 604dil and 184metal with teh slider to the 2.0 max
.38 Hard - 255dil 78metal 510/156 with the slider to the 2.0 max


Of course, almost noone will read this, and people will continue to chant 'shut up and play MP'

posted on January 29th, 2011, 1:26 am

Im going to say shut up and play medium because i can beat mercy so its doable

posted on January 29th, 2011, 2:00 am

Im going to say shut up and play medium because i can beat mercy so its doable

0.1% price differnce per difficulty level really doesnt mean that much of a differnce.