RabbitRedshift

Join Date 06/2009

AI sticks with Lasers/Shields??

I've played a few games now (mostly on Normal), and I notice that the AIs have been moving up the Energy Weapons Techs without regard to either Mass Drivers nor Missiles. At first, I thought maybe it was because they were trading with each other to help one another up the energy weapons techs, but when I turned Tech Trading off they still did the same thing, all four major races had researched ONLY energy weapons independently.

Why is that? Am I just not playing against intelligent enough AIs that they all take up one weapon type to make it easier on me? If I made their intelligences higher would they diversify their tech interests?

I'd prefer more diversity. So how can I achieve that?

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The easiest way that I can think of is to give/trade them techs.

That is, if you see they have researched beam theory and Laser I, getting them, say, Stinger II, will likely have them jump tracks. Same would apply for defenses. The AI will generally go with the best it has and research it further. It is one sneaky way to improve the odds that you are researching the best defense ....

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I for one think that it is because you get a beam weapon as soon as you research the weapions root. Thus, beams are the "starting" type. Maybe if you research the others, the AI will react and counteract?

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In the last five or so games I have played, each with 9 majors and 8 minors, beams has been the rare choice.

That is, of the last ~100 AIs in my most recent games, fewer than 10 have gone beams (loser to 5, actually).

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When I first started playing, it seemed like almost the only weapons the AI used were mass drivers. I was surprised when I first saw one really pound the research line in missiles. I think part of it is random, and part of it is racial preference. Some races have unique low end weapon techs, and in my experience once a race starts with a weapon type it usually stays on that tree.

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DivineWrath

Join Date 05/2006

+135

On a related note, I have seen the AI change weapon preferences if you pile on the defenses for a weapon type they were using before. I also remember at one point the AIs seemed to really love missle weapons.

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If you want more diversity, try raising the difficulty level to Tough (AIs will be at "Intelligent" level). You can look at the levels here: https://www.galciv.wikia.com/wiki/Difficulty_level

I play on TA expansion, and raising the level worked there. So it might work on DL/DA also. (from another post RabbitRedshift said he plays on DL btw) The races seem to have a preference in TA anyhow. Drengin take lasers, Yor take mass-drivers, Alterians take missiles, Terrans buy ships off others so have a varity at first.

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Polistes

Join Date 02/2008

+19

Quoting DivineWrath,

reply 5

In TA, it can be more than mere "racial preference". Some civs have techs that unlock weapons more powerful or weaker than others. For instance, the Drengins get Ion Beams I to III, a group of techs that unlocks weapons that deal 3, 4, and 5 points of laser damage in that order. Its a far more rapid increase of firepower in comparison to the other civs who might have to wait until mid-phasers to deal 5 points of laser damage.

On a related note, I have seen the AI change weapon preferences if you pile on the defenses for a weapon type they were using before. I also remember at one point the AIs seemed to really love missle weapons.

LOL I make sure to have balanced defenses so the AI cant pull that crap, though I totally PWN'ed the dreadlords once since none had researched missile defense

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