It's probably just a setting in the game lobby. No, the vanilla game is very playable and in my opinion quite balanced. I actually started playing vanilla again because I find these mods to remove some features and modify some core game designs. I only use the HRG compatible with metaverse.

Research anything but missile weapons in a vanilla game and the rest of the galaxy can fail to arm up.  That to me is anything but balanced.

If anything, Tolmekian's mod adds back features that were broken with the release of TA.  If some things had to be removed, there was a good reason for it.

You may know a lot more than me regarding this, given that you're an older player. But I must say that all AI personalities do colonize outside their area of influence, the AI does counter my weapon types, the AI also does build GAs and trade goods.

I always play on tough difficulty, which is 100% AI capability and no bonuses or penalties.

I've observed another weird thing in my current game:

I have a spy-level of "High" for the Drengin. So from time to time I check their colonies.

The colonies themselves are nicely built.

But they were producing nothing but scouts every turn. And they have military-tech enough to build real warships. They just for some reason decided to crank out scouts. And by now they finally make warships again and have obviously scrapped all their scouts they have wasted that much production into.

That happened in vanilla or using Tolmekian's mod? Either way, it wouldn't be the weirdest thing...

I used to play Tough-level metaverse games as well, except that when I researched beams or mass drivers a significant number of the other empires just refused to research weapons.  I got suspicious and had a look in the tech trees.  What I found was that basically, the racial-specific tech trees did not have the right categorisation on necessary military techs.  The AI would only ever research those techs as a counter to missile weapons.  This is from the stock racial tech tree for the Altarians:

        <Weapons ID="Space Weapons">
            <Category>PD</Category>
            <AIValue>120</AIValue>
            <Alignment>None</Alignment>
            <MilitaryProductionAbility>5</MilitaryProductionAbility>
            <WillingnessToTrade>100</WillingnessToTrade>
        </Weapons>

So you can see here why they would never militarise in a missile-free galaxy except for making troop transports.

Yes indeed you are right. I've looked at some other races too and indeed the Space Weapons tech is categorized wrong. I admit, vanilla is still buggy then. I'll go back to my modified version of Tolmekian's mod.

I actually tried your mod too, MarvinKosh, but I didn't like the way the techtrees are organized, I'm sure it works well for the AI, but it's a little too difficult for me to grasp. Tolmekain's mod is great because it retains the vanilla feeling. What I don't like is free starbase modules... makes influence victory free. Perhaps I'll add the costs back for my version.

Say, MarvinKosh, could you tell us about more bugs like these of which you are aware?

Well the incorrect categorisation is the most obvious bug that I know of, it is fairly widespread and not restricted to just the weapons technologies.  The rest of it is not so clear-cut.

For example, the AI can get into an early-game economic crunch by clogging up its planets with factories and labs, but it's not really a problem with the improvements, it's the AI's inability to forecast the economic impact of building those, and the utter ineffectiveness of AIValue to encourage/discourage building them when the pressure to compete in a certain category (military, production, research) is driving their decision-making.  Same deal with farms on bonus tiles creating morale problems for the AI.

Altering the availability of early factories and labs makes it easier for the AI to build a good economy before industrialising, and switching farms to provide a percentage bonus means they're less likely to run into morale problems.  But if the AI would just use these structures judiciously like the human does (well, most of the time we do, haha) there wouldn't be any need to restrict the improvements the way I have.

In my mod most of the basic factories and labs are just gone, and instead the AI and player get more early Super Projects which are brilliant at that stage because their impact on the economy is much smaller than a repeatable improvement, and they can have a great effect when used on a bonus tile or even just on their own.  It also paves the way for human and AI players to get to the point where they can support the later structures that cost more.

Arguably this is the way the early game should be, what with there being such a limited income, but again it comes back to the AI needing to have some idea of the impact its spending will have, and Super Projects just help to alleviate the problem.

The idea behind the tiered tech trees was for the human and AI players to need to build up their infrastructure before proceeding to the next lot of technologies.  They will also definitely have to research some vital techs along a path which I have called 'Core Technologies' because basically, if they don't research those they will fall behind the other races.

Unfortunately, it does make the tech tree look a bit messy.  I tend to look at it with future techs hidden so I can only see what is immediately available, which simplifies things.  If there were a way to organise it a bit better, I would do it.

The reason for it is that the AI can get a bit too obsessed with finishing out a particular branch when it is not advantageous to do so.  Advanced X Terraforming is a prime example of technologies that need to be expensive, but need to come later on in the tech tree.  This is so that the AI doesn't make it a mission to collect them all when, at the stage when those are opened up for colonisation, planting a flag is enough.

It happens in the mod and I can even tell you why:

Tolkmenian moved the Particle Beam's Requirement from "Space Weapons" to "Beam Weapon Theory". 

Pretty logical thing to do from a players point of view.

However, the AI thinks that once it has Space-Weapons it can make ships for defense.

But it can't! It does not make the conclusion that it needs to go further in the tech-tree and designs a new scout and spam-builds it when it actually wants to build real military.

This makes it ultra-easy to rush the AI cause they won't get any of the weapon-theories any time soon after Space Weapons since those all have a relatively low AIValue as well.

I can think of 2 possible fixes: 

a.) Enable Space-Weapons to once again grant an actual weapon (maybe all 3 of the starting-weapons even).

b.) Increase the AIValue for the Beam/Missile/Massdriver Theory-Techs.

Edit:

I "fixed" it for myself by adding this to the GC2Types.xml:

<Weapon Name="SpaceGun">
<DisplayName>Space Gun</DisplayName>
<Class>G</Class>
<Type>1</Type>
<Size>16</Size>
<SizeMod>4</SizeMod>
<Cost>20</Cost>
<Damage>1</Damage>
<Model>SpaceCannon</Model>
<Description>A weapon that works in space.</Description>
<Category>Mass Driver</Category>
<Tech_Requirement>Space Weapons</Tech_Requirement>
<Animation>WFX_SpaCannon01.X</Animation>
<FrameCount>30</FrameCount>
<LaunchFrame>1</LaunchFrame>
<ImpactFrame>30</ImpactFrame>
<Explosion>explosion01.png</Explosion>
<AttackSound>battle_mini_attack</AttackSound>
<ExplosionSound0>battle_explosion_small</ExplosionSound0>
<ExplosionSound1>battle_explosion_small_2</ExplosionSound1>
<ExplosionSound2>battle_explosion_mass</ExplosionSound2>
<DeflectSound>battle_armor_deflect</DeflectSound>
<FlavorText0>Tarnis "War Giver" Railgun Level 2.</FlavorText0>
<FlavorText1>Retribution High velocity Projectile Bringer</FlavorText1>
<FlavorText2>T-1A Projectile Unit</FlavorText2>
<FlavorText3>Kli'tir Death Rock</FlavorText3>
<FlavorText4>High density persuassion provider</FlavorText4>
<FlavorText5>Death Rock.</FlavorText5>
</Weapon>

Nice catch AILST. Both your options are viable, but b.) is easier to implement I think. Give it a try and let us know how that works. I will too. I'll set the AI value to 40.

EDIT: Oh I see you fixed it already But doesn't this force everyone to use mass drivers in the beginning?

Well, yes, it does. But I thought that since the original game was designed that way anyways, it would not make a lot of a different.

What I found interesting and strange in my last 2 games was that all AIs would go for the same weapons. Or at least it seemed like that.

But it was a different weapon-spec between the two games.

I will probably make 2 the two other weapon-types like that  as well so that not all AIs will think they need only Mass-Driver-Defenses.

Can you please do that now? Or tell me how to do it myself? Where do I get these basic weapons from?

I "fixed" the starbase modules issue today. Since the AI could only see and use the first 100 modules listed, I reduced the list to exactly 100 modules. I mostly reworked the military modules, reducing their numbers, increasing their power to compensate and also reintroducing starbase modules costs. Free influence starbases just didn't seem right. Also I kept the Terror Star modules (although they are free) since players have reported seeing the AI build Terror Stars, but not using them properly. I will upload my file shortly, in case anyone is interested. Here it is.

The ship modules are in GC2Types.xml

It is pretty straighforward. Just in the example I posted above. Do the same thing for the basic Rocket and the basic Laser , change Tech Requirement to Space Weapons and then make it a little worse by increasing size and cost. (I would not increase the size above 16 tough since otherwise you could not make a tiny ship carry it).

The AI will not always build the crude particle beam onto ships when it gets it.  It does seem to think about the size and cost when considering whether to add something to its designs.

I'm not actually all that convinced that more readily available weapons makes the game easier for the AI.  They love spending themselves into a hole, and building cheap defenders is actually worse than them having lots of scouts on idle.  Scouts cost nothing in maintenance.

The approach that I took was to retain the Space Weapons tech (renamed slightly) as a necessary tech for installing Battlestations on starbases.  This allows mining bases some scant protection when everyone eventually researches the new Space Weapons tech and the following technologies.  Starbases count somewhat toward the AI's perceived military might, so it's sort of a way for them to jockey for military position without killing their early-game economy.

The new tech comes after Technology Progression I for just about every race, meaning that by the time they've got to Space Weapons, they've had the chance to build a decent economic and research infrastructure to support proper military ships and crank through the weapons research quickly.  The result is that the earliest wars don't start for some time after the beginning of the game, but when they do, they actually mean something and they aren't a futile few rounds of pew-pew.

I get beaten to the weapons tech in most games though.  The extended colonisation and growth phase before the fighting starts means that the AI can research faster than a galloping llama and I can't just turtle forward sitting on the credits I'm slowly building up (like I got used to) I need to build up my own research facilities and keep up with the Joneses.

Well, I guess it all depends on the circumstances.

Someone who just plays on gigantic maps might not have these issues. But I like smaller maps too and don't want the AI to let itself be invaded that easily.

In my last game (random everyting but galaxy size and tech-speed) there were very few colonizable worlds and the Yor beat me for one of them by 1 turn!

So I get only the most basic stuff and then go for weopons and Invasion. They had Space Weapons researched which should have enabled them to stop me but they couldn't I killed their unarmed ships, ignored their armed starbases and then invaded the system they beat me too and later on their homeworld.

While that happened they reseached 2 other non-military tech.

In that other game were the drengings built (and obviously scrapped) all those scouts, it was already pretty far into the game and making scouts just made no sense at all.

I guess when there is a lot of room to expand it makes sense for them to not get military early on. But when there's nothing left to colonize they immediately should do so.

"The AI will not always build the crude particle beam onto ships when it gets it.  It does seem to think about the size and cost when considering whether to add something to its designs."

That's another point that potentially causes troubles in this mod. The 1st weapons you get here are even bigger than the "crude particle beam". They are size 15 and the particle-beam in the original 14.

Thus even when they get the weapon-theories they might not get up basic defenses.

I've added all 3 basic weapons. Just add this in GC2Types.xml:

In two very quick play-throughs I noticed the AI does build military faster, but barely uses these basic weapons. It prefers to research on to beam/missile/MD weapon theory and use those weapons instead. This might actually be good since some civilizations, most notably the Arceans, the Altarians and maybe the Korx sometimes, get behind in the weapons race.

Will post more once I play-test more.

Okay, then let's split up in testing. I will try the attempt of leaving away the weapons for Space Weapons but increasing the AIValue for the Theories.

I will of course test it on a rush-type map.

Will do.

The approach I took with invasion was to push that further up the tech tree, so there are military forces capable of repelling transports before the Drengin start mowing down all the otehr civs.

The Drengin never win anything anyway. Even with the economic and research bonuses I gave them, they wouldn't be able to survive for long, as the neutral and good races gang up on them. So if they're able to actually invade a planet, good for them. It's just that when they get in a war, everyone jumps in to stop "the war of aggression". So I let them be powerful at least, so they pose an actual challenge. After all, that's their thing, military might. 

The AI in that mod researches a lot of stuff before even getting Weapon Theroy. (The oddest I have seen was Xeno Ethics which really takes a lot of time to research.) But the ones who got Weapon Theory would also get the next level really quickly now.

For some reason the Drengings whom I attacked 1st got 2 "Dominator Corvettes" from dunnowhere. They did not have Weapons Theory at that time.

@MarvinKosh: Pushing Invasions further back the Tech-Tree sounds like a very good idea to prevent the player from rushing! But I still have a feeling that something else needs to be done to prevent the original Scout-Spam-Issue.

I really wonder how the AI decides what to research. As far as I know all AI's in this Mod are "11" and one would think they act likewise. But the Altarians of all races were the AI that got their weapon-Tech 1st.

Xeno Ethics has an AIValue of 34 and requires 1000 RP.

Space Weapons has an AIValue of 40 and requires only 150 RP.

The Prerequisite was already researched. So why would they decide for the more expensive one with the far higher cost?

If I was an AI I would determine my next research project it with something like Cost/AIValue * Factor based on what Category I feel I need most.

And the Factor for Military would be pretty high If I did not have anything of it at all.

Edit: Okay, that spawning of the Covettes is their racial. Should have known that before attacking.

I played two test games up to 2 game years each and everything looks good in regard to the weapons. Not everyone uses those basic weapons, but the AIs seem to arm themselves earlier. Even the Arceans and the Altarians which were getting left behind most of the time in weapons technology, even if they don't have them, they'll quickly research the techs and build some sort of defense ships. This is working quite well overall.

I am using vanilla AI personalities and I've balanced the races further myself, and I only play on Tough difficulty.

During these play-tests, I had to nerf the Torians 10 influence points, because if they're lucky and get a few habitable planets at the start, they'll dominate the game because of their high birthrate and therefore their high population, which comes with high income etc.

Maybe the AI can see what it will get from a tech and seeing that they will get 3 weapons from this one tech makes them far more willing to get it soon. Have you seen if they get stuff like Xeno-Ethics before that still?

Well, I'll just try it out to see it for myself.

The Drengin have a hard time winning in vanilla TA because their AI is deficient.  They're much scarier and Drengin-like with the Terran AI, in my opinion.

Terran AI is 8 right?