AI doesn't build factories on all planets

BUMP!!! (this had better get on the "recent" posts list)

I noticed this too. Except a couple of planets, most planets I invade mid-game only have half of their improvements built (while I've already terraformed and used all the space i had). They also tend to build improvements on random spaces, instead of using the +100/300% tiles effectively. I once stumbled on a planet that had an embassy on a +300% manufacturing tile, and a factory on a +100% influence tile...

I once stumbled on a planet that had an embassy on a +300% manufacturing tile, and a factory on a +100% influence tile...

This makes perfect sense! The AI is manufacturing influence (i.e. political lobby groups) and influencing manufacturers (i.e. unionized labor).

Proof positive of the AI's incredible sophistication!

This makes perfect sense! The AI is manufacturing influence (i.e. political lobby groups) and influencing manufacturers (i.e. unionized labor). Proof positive of the AI's incredible sophistication!

*snicker*

Anyway the AI does this very frequently. Planet managment is not the AI's strongest ability.

Isn't this dependent on difficulty setting/AI Intelligence level? What level are you guys playing at?

ive seen factories on influence spots and i play on tough (not that tough is anything crazy)

ive seen factories on influence spots and i play on tough (not that tough is anything crazy)

Well, Tough is supposed to be the smartest the AI gets before they start adding Econ bonuses.

the thing is, factories on influence bonus tiles isn't really a bad, thing, if the planet is far enough from the front lines, and manufacturing is more important than the minor benefit of an influence bonus tile. I can see myself putting something else on a influence tile, at least temporarily.

Now, there is not much excuse for an embassy on a Manufacturing bonus tile, unless the AI is really trying to defend against your ISB 'attacks'.

Cheers,
Reaver

I wonder if the AI is based on option evaluation levels with purpose-influencers. I think if done this way it would produce a better-optimized planet.

E.g.: There would be a standard evaluation level for each class of building (manufacturing, research, influence, et. al.) which would have modifiers applied base on what already existed on the planet, how close it was to the edge of the race's incluence boundary, how close it was to an enemy or a race of opposite alignment, what specialization had been assigned to the planet, and so on. The points would be summed and a "roll" from 1 to the sum would decide what would be placed. If a free special was available, and the building rolled for was of that type, it would go there.

This is vastly oversimplified, but of all the AI types I've worked with it seems the best for this kind of decision making, where many fast evaluations must be made in a short time.

Does it work this way devs? Or have you found something better?

I'm playing on Intelligent atm. Not the Arceans, nor the Iconian have built more then 2 (perhaps a single planet had 3) factories. Most factories or on planets with bonusses on them. So yes, imo the AI doesn't really focus on production. They just build lots of cultural buildings.

If I was the AI, and my planets would become takenover, I would use my production to build ships to get rid of those influence generators... But that's just me .

I agree that the AI seems to undervalue factories, e.g. I've never seen a planet with very high manufacturing output like the player would do it: A couple of factories, using special tiles if possible, the manufacturing capital and maximized economic starbases for production bonuses. Such a planet can build almost any ship in one turn, the AI doesn't seem to take advantage of that.

Besides the factory thing, the AI also doesn't seem to make good use of high PQ planets either. In my current game, I just conquered 3 high PQ planets from the Drengin (2 w/base PQ of 16, 1 w/base PQ of 15) which at most had built on only 4 squares. If the AI is going to pick a fight with me, the least it can do is properly prep its planets for my future conquest and use.

I dunno, on crippling the AI did a pretty good job here in 1.2 the Drengi managed to field (in two seperate games now) exactly the same tile builds I had.

As I said in another post, no matter what thats just plain freaking scary.

W/R
Suralle Straykat
Kat Lord @ Large

I am playing 2 levels above Tough (whatever it's called) and I also notice that planets are poorly optimized. This is THE one thing I would like to see fixed. I see manuf. capitols on planets with no factories and financial capitols on planets with no banks. Add in the fact that most AI planets are barely developed at all, and that they misuse bonus tiles and it is easy to see why the AI has a hard time competing. Imagine if all the AI's planets were well developed, this game would be HARD. I know that Stardock is always working on the AI, but this is probably where the most good could come if they can fix this.

Wihtout someone mentioning WHICH player is doing this it's relatively useless info.

Each player has its own colony management AI.

They are all doing it, the arceans, the torians, the drath, yor, every one of those poor planet management AIs that we have.
Only one [if they build all the capitals on one planet ] or two planets[ if they split the capitals up] per AI race is built properly, the rest suck really really badly. |The only reason they stay in the arms race is that the bonuses mean that they have wads and wads of cash with which to buy those fleets. And all that potential for production and research is wasted.

If they managed to get the production right, i'd never have a chance at masochistic, but i'd be happy to tough it out on tough when you manage to get this right.

P.S. Love your work Frogboy!

I second the "everyone does it!" remark. It just doesn't seem to matter who it is, they all mismanage.

I do however have a suspicion that some races do it more often than others (the Arceans for example).

It happens on suicidal. Maybe it didn't happen in prior releases, but it sure happens with 1.1. My suspicion is that it is the result of the programmers getting too fancy and trying to fix problems such as the AI ignoring farms and embassies.

If anyone of the development team is reading, keep it simple. One easy way out is to use hardcoded queue lists for smaller planets (size 7 and under). Example: factory, starport, factory, lab, entertainment, market, farm, embassy. Have a couple of different ones if some variety is desired. Don't build capitals on small planets. It is one of the great idiocies of the AI. All that production needed for a capital could build some useful ships.

After a couple of factories, one of each type of improvement is a good way to proceed and would be about 100% then the result of what is probably a huge gob of code right now. After one of each type is built (two factories), then the computer can try to get fancy.