AI Theory

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UesugiKenshin
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Re: AI Theory

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BotE could intentionally have buildings that promote false state religions in sectors to pacify the people in order to improve transition periods where money is tight and either ground invasions or memberships happen but might prove unstable.

Like the Nazis did and subverted local churches. Like the Communists did in the USSR. And the AI will always do it too.

If you occupy a sector and the local extratterrestrials have a building of a religion that increases sabotage as it promotes religious fanaticism, then do you scrap it? The AI will never scrap them, but will build them.
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Re: AI Theory

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Look at what players post as comments.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... views=true

The Google Playstore app is buggy and so when you are a beta tester, you can't see standard comments only what you posted as a beta tester.

BotE by doing very minor changes, can have a 5.0 rating.

Sabotage
1. Slightly alter the building data to turn off intel buildings until level 14 tech is all learned.
2. When colonizing, do NOT automatically create 4 type 2 intel buildings.
3. Minor race intel buildings mostly do not help sabotage.
4. Mostly intel buildings do espionage NOT sabotage and maybe never do military sabotage.

Those simple things automatically make sabotage happen a fraction of the time and makes it balanced.

On the community side, some of the wiki articles can more clearly document how to do things. I would be honored to write English wiki articles. Now that I invested the time, I can reduce pages and pages down to a few paragraphs. Players like understanding ways to more efficiently do things like manipulating resource prices or creating a resource route and then using transport ships as freighters delivering say iridium to a sector. Otherwise BotE is just a big black box as little documentation exists. Let me help you remedy that.

Ways to help modding.
1. If the hex data in the save games is encrypted, decrypt it so modders can understand it.
2. Write a primer so we know what hex addresses are used so we can alter it.

That means modders can reconfigure nearly everything so ready made empires exist. So I could slowly make
1 empire vs 1 empire presets or
1 vs 6 empire presets
And these would happen in say turn 600.

If this much was done, then I bet players would rate BotE a 5.0.

Eventually when you get multiplayer working, then I could create whole scenarios and campaigns so people who have a weekend can wage war instead of spending a month getting strong enough to do so.

What would happen is everything that is different about BotE versus standard 4X/RTS games would then be facilitated by loading a preset save game.

If I get a windows computer, I would create new ships, troops, tech, and buildings. Tech really isn't required as it just would have to be named. The buildings data merely needs tech level requirements so it can stay generic. Probably I would add more income buildings and add many more resource route buildings.

Then suddenly very advanced starships would exist and troops and so people could play to turn#1000.
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Re: AI Theory

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If multiplayer is turned on and we understand the hex editing in the save game data, then immediately modding will vastly increase what is available.

All kinds of text changes would occur so much more storytelling would take place.

Since this is open source, maybe someone would write a basic text/graphics window that launches when a new sector is colonized. Modders can write say 300 pages of three paragraphs that slightly vary. Thus colonization is no longer generic by vivid and invokes grandeur. It sounds like a lot of writing but basicaly a few adjectives change. Players then understand what kind of planets exist in certain sectors after terraforming alters what existed prior.

You could even randonly fire a number from 1-300 and then that same message comes up. BotE has a maximum of 1600 sectors but maybe on 75% have stars/planets. 1600 x 75% equals 1200 and so you only need 300 pages that randomly show up to 4 times. Modders can do that work. I would be happy to do so.

I can create standard indigenous lifeform buildings on certain planet classes, thus add a whole group of new buildings that players could elect to build. This adds so much to the game.

I can create ethical quandry buildings which mostly helps the AI as it will likely always build them, and players like the "obstacle" of building some as struggle with the consequences of terraforming. What this does is makes the human player feel like the underdog "good" guy versus an evil group of other extraterrestrials.
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Re: AI Theory

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If Medieval 2 Total War did not have strong presets then battles would be just skirmishes. Save game presets will do that for BotE.

Purists can still play from scratch in turn 1. That is maddeningly slow for most players. Most want to begin with a empire of some size. With multiplayer plus time plus modding, then every month new presets save games can be created. That is so much more fun.
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Re: AI Theory

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Say every empire began with 10,000 credits and lots of infrastructure and twice as many starships. Automatically players would be happier. Simple. That would be the basis upon all empires being able to reach out to the stars with an established base of operations that can immediately support colonization. The major extraterrestrial races then are legitimately strong enough to consider being the strongest and capable of building empires.

Wars won't immediately start as you require lots of ground troops.

But surveying sectors and exploration is facilitated so colonization happens more efficiently and predictably as a pattern that is easy to understand by new players.

All of these are simple configuration changes.
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Re: AI Theory

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If a gamer has played BotE long enough to grasp the basics, then they likely will want to play an intragalactic battle.

That is why I am creating a turn 700 sandbox Omega empire save game. I'm on turn 693. It soon will be ready. This means any player will immediately have 500 diverse ships and troops and an economy of 3 million credits, a huge amount of basic resources, and a large cache of deritium. Straight away they can attack very large minor race fleets as they have 400 colonized sectors. Straight away they can launch ground invasions as they even have all the transports ready.

Then they can use that as a tutorial to learn how to do everything but intel missions.

That is why I spent the last month making it.
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Re: AI Theory

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So instead of beginning in turn #1, I turned everything "on" straight away they can do everything. They even have super starships that exceed the basic advanced ones.

You are no longer a lowly fragile Omega in a single sector, but a would be Emperor/Empress who patiently was peaceful, and built up diplomatic relations, and memberships from many minor races, but now...if he or she wants to, can unleash annihilation.
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Re: AI Theory

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That turn#700 save game preset I developed has an established explored galaxy. That means anyone can try specific things in specific areas and then see a predictable result. Thus it's an idealized way to have a tutorial. That was the secondary purpose.

Now I can write clear documentation and people can follow steps and watch what happens.

I can give directions on assempling a specific fleet configuration and assembling troops from a sectorand sending them to destroy and occupy the Brane. Then it will be very clear how to do invasions.

I can tell them to adjust the manager to improve efficiency and every new player trying it has the exact same experience because a test save game has been made to practice.

I can descibe how to build enough defenses including energy as ready made sectors exist with the tech level ready, the resources in storage, and all they have to do is enter construction commands in the queue and wait. Then show how to power it up in the manager.

There are ways to make BotE very user friendly...so much so that even a young teenager can understand how to do it. This removes the steep learning curve.
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Re: AI Theory

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With everything enabled in this galaxy, then if players want, they can create various starships in the ship designer as revisions, and then save their game, and then fight any of the minor race fleets to see exactly how customization fights better than standard advanced ships.

I was hoping for four minor races to use their technology, but only have two: the Zhodans and the Andromeda. So gamers can use their ships as well.

Players can try persuading the Sevar and the Chewak and maybe then have their ships and customize them too and mix and match their tech with the Omega Alliance.

In testing, it's possible to get membership from the Xiborg, so then you would gain their ships and tech. Some minor races have cloaking ships. I hope some of them can be persuaded. Then gamers would get to customize their ships.

Would you rather wait 600 turns (a solid month of time) to make Omega battleships or do it immediately as dozens are ready to fight and with experience as they were trained?
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Re: AI Theory

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Random events could work IF they happened later in the game based upon the intensity of the random event. That is how to fix it. I like the random events but if you have that and sabotage going, it's impossible to cope.

Generally a 4X strategy/RTS game has "scripting". Thus the designer/programmer or modders adjust on what turn is there a percentage chance that say the Midway time travelers can show up.

Simple.

And random events could be so interesting as with 500 ships and colonizations and troops as well as 400 sectors, then at turn# 700, each turn is equivalent to two weeks of time passing. Thus one would expect issues and excitement and humorous situations and intrigue as random events happen to alter these aspects in tiny ways...for storytelling. Then the galaxy seems very dynamic regardless what the human players do.

Modders could add a lot of random events that mostly added spice and flavor. You need that as BotE has intensive micromanagement and players want the galaxy to come alive by say a reckless political marriage occurs in a sector, or the crew of ship X get sick with a pathogen or a new lifeform is documented in a sector, etc. It doesn't have to actually modify anything, but it could.

You could fire a news item that if clicked revealed that the empress of the Heyoun visited her obstetrician and your empire has a spy there as a secretary in billing. And she reveals that the empress is sterile and is in a panic about the succession as the current prince is mentally unstable. And the intel report is totally spurious as the secretary is a double agent working for the Heyoun. But the player doesn't know it.

It's just storytelling...and intel reports are notoriously wrong.

A creative modder who has is an amateur writer, then can make 50 of these. Ten modders can make 500. That is how to add layers of stories to a galaxy with diverse races. Some gamers would then elect to attack the Heyoun thinking they were undergoing political instability.
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Re: AI Theory

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If the AI lacks ships but has lots of credits, then it likely will buy ships (by rushing production). That isn't smart as the AI will probably end up with too much upkeep.

If a modder builds infrastructure for the AI empires as well as the human player, such that all have a full military and economy, the AI and humans have breathing room, can expand, can afford upkeep, and can experiment with strategy.

More money does not solve anything.

A way to have a strong AI (over difficulty levels) is merely have them pay an increasingly smaller percentage of upkeep and automatically have higher morale bonuses in their sectors. Then the AI has cashflow and political stability.
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Re: AI Theory

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A perfectly ordinary mechanism for creating diversity of ethos in empires is activating "political parties". The home sector begins with a special building or uses an existing building (as all likely have them) with levels as upgrades. As time passes, benefits are confered and subtractions exist reflecting the political ethos of that empire.

Like
Line 84: credits bonus
where some get more and others get less but get a different bonus. Like some are "technocrats" and so get a smaller credit bonus but instead get a research bonus. Or others get a smaller credits bonus but a better morale bonus of weaponry or defenses.

There has to be a mechanism for making income for the 80% who can't figure out how to game the resource commodity prices. That means commerce buildings and it certainly mean capitalism through trade/resource routes.

[BotE's economic system is based upon the demand to create buildings (as they require resources for construction. Thus the faster they are completed, the higher and faster the price increases for those natural resources. You build a surplus of credits, then intentionally rush production, then prices of the 5 resources rise, then you sell from the sector with the most so the lowered cache won't affect your resource routes. This nets millions in time.

Trade itself is worthless. Taxes are low.]
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Re: AI Theory

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Then in 4X gaming, government buildings reduce corruption and increase morale and income as theoretically the political "leadership has more "authority".

So sectors have empire relevant government buildings to assert that authority.

Some governments facilitate criminal organizations to get new illegal income streams. Most do not. This is like the Orion Syndicate and most likely the Ferengi.
"Grab whatever money you can, Baby."

You can bet the Klingons and the Cardassians have some degree of this.
"We will look the other way at the source of this income as we need the money. War is expensive and taxation alone will not suffice."

The Federation would not nor especially the Romulans.
"I'm shocked that as a Romulan you would do anything which encourages corruption. That money is dirty."
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Re: AI Theory

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The commodity prices of resources in a regular game can be manipulated by buying resources when the price is low in small amounts to "artificially create a demand where none exists". So even though the player could create resource routes, it may behoove them to drive up the price, and fake out the AI. The human buys small amounts and places them in new sector colonies who need them, just temprarily until mines start producing. This allows infrastructure to be built. Since you have an essentially infinite amount of ore/crystals that reloads when under 125,000 per resource (that is the artificial cap), then it's free and valueless unless you have to buy it.

But since buying stimulates demand, then sometimes whenthe value is stuck in a plateau, this invigorates demand.

Doing all of that, then manipulates the commodity market.

If the AI did that, since there are up to five of them, and one human, then the AI could outspend the human as the AI could drive down the commodities prices after profiteering.

You don't make money by trading resources and barely make money by taxation.
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Re: AI Theory

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A clever human player profits and simultaneously accelerates their infrastructure building program. That means you have a technological advantage regarding ore/crystal production which produces yet more profit to accelerate research to construct advanced starships,which have higher upkeep, so you have to keep doing this to build a financial surplus that acts as a cushion.

The AI cannot do that. So the AI likely resorts to sabotage as that is cheaper than waging conventional war.

So humans playing as the Cartare, Rotharians, and Omega do both. The hapless Khaoran who should win, never win. That is likely why in a poll on site, they have the least support.
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