The new version is up. Same link as before.

I changed the Category for Xeno Communications and Universal Translator to Pure Research. The AI seems to have a much easier time going for it now. I also changed Planetary Improvements back to a Biology-tech in the tech trees for the AIP 11 races. They seem to prefer Biology over Industry.

The AIP 8 races are still very slow to arm up (in comparison to the Torians at least), so I've increased the AIValue of Space Weapons to 120 for them (50 is standard). The results, so far, are inconclusive. Planetary Invasion is also something AIP 8 is reluctant to go after. I've set it to 60 for them (30 is standard), and reduced the cost for some races. For the Arceans, Drengin, and Yor, it now costs 1000 to research, while the Thalan and Krynn now use the standard cost of 1200 (1600 and 1800 respectively was a bit expensive). However, it doesn't seem to have helped yet.

Lastly, I've reduced the cost of the Dream Conclave. The Iconians still had problems with their morale. While they do better now, I'm not entirely convinced, if it was due to the change or just random luck.

And now for something completely different:

so Gaunathor i think I can settle this. You're right in what you stated as am I. The things I observed is either the result of a bug or another routine which isn't affected by the code which Frogboy made.

Basically all AI will establish a secondary colony in total ignorrance of their sensors. They need the appropriate range though. That is, if you take the colony ship with which they started will always be directed to a close planet on turn 1, or a faraway planet on turn 2. On all difficulty settings, even on cakewalk with distances of +100 parsecs or more!

But usually this bug doesn't playout because there's a secondary habitable planet in all systems but Thalans (who in most cases use this bug). There's also the small chance that when the secondary planet is missing due to asteroids it will play out.

You can even go so far as to take away their initial colony ship and gift them your own. This (every) ship will behave in the same although it might target another planet when this planet is closer to its current location. So the AI "knows" every colonizable planet and uses this knowledge to establish a secondary colony, afterwards "forgets" about it and is bound to its sensory information.

Though it does know about the location of all resources crystals and sends his constructors out without having the necessary reliance of scouts/sensors/no-fogofwar.

edit:

BTW thanks for searching up the links. I was laughing quite about about the last one where that guy wrote something like "it could be a bug but I don't believe this"  ...

On another thing, do you know the reason why STARS.txt is about +1.500 names long, although most names are duplicates/triplicates, some show up 6-fold. I've deleted all duplicates making 550 names, and it seems to have no negative effect. For all I know even a Immense-All Abundant setting cannot have this many systems.

Furthermore I've got a list here with 175 names of reals stars who appear in our galaxy if you're interested (a few will match already existing names just as Canopus or Beteigeuze but that could be cleared out in office easily) 

I've uploaded a ZIP file to my google drive alongside a note file on my current findings. I've made changed to TechTree, PlanetImprovements and the racial techtrees. All my changes are marked with <!--MA--> to be easy to find. I haven't updated the change log because I'm still experimenting and don't want to waste time redoing updates in the change logs.

On a side note. I urge you all to keep AI values sub 25 whenever possible. We don't want all our techs to become impossible to trade and kill off an important part of the game.

Also, I suggest we turn all fleet modules into Computing/Research techs to ensure the AI leaves these techs alone because it can't use them and any time it spends researching them is completely wasted.

Another thing I've noticed is the AI builds far to few labs. Usually it runs it's economy at 30/10/60 (Mil/Soc/Res) to compensate this meaning it takes forever to finish planetary improvements. Morale on planets is fantastic though and the AI can keep it's taxes and industrial spending well above 70. But it's a little bit excessive right now. They need labs.

Edit:

Scrape that. The AI seems to be hellbend on running it's economy at 30/10/60 ish regardless of the amount of labs.

re: By the way, any particular reason for changing the Category of the Interstellar Missionaries techs from Pure Research to Research?

These techs give SB modules and the AI simply isn't that good at using them. The Research category causes the AI to all but ignore these techs. I know they give a small influence bonus but is that really what these techs are intended to do?

There you go:

STARS.zip

CustomPlanets.xml which fixes the bug that sometimes the secondary habitable planet is missing.

No new information has been written into the files, just positioned the secondary directly under the main starting planet. If now a planet will be missing, it's always a PQ0 one.

Okey I'm putting this out there. Is AIP8 worth the effort? My answer: no.

No matter what I do it's hell bend on researching every frigging industrial tech in the tree at the expense of everything. Since we got +6 extra Industry/Pure Research tech to get this AI to research it's research structures in the first place this is now a serious problem. 

Worst of all is that it ignores AIValues and does it's own this. You can work around this by restucturing the techtrees but is it worth the effort? I mean: we got organge research tech in half a dozen tree's just to see to this AI's 'special needs'.

Sorry. I'm frustrated but I'm getting flashbacks to APT2 and beginning to recall why I ditched AIP8.

I tried the Tech -> Hull thing, not the other way around though.

AIP8 is capable of building fleets. True. But without the tech to conquer other races it feels a bit like a filler.

Well, AIP 8 has several things going for it, like:
-it's the only AI capable of using the Super Diplomacy and Super Manipulator SAs
-it's the second best at handling approval (AIP 7 is the best)
-it's the best at researching better factories (AIP 7 is the worst, shortly followed by AIP 11)
-it uses influencer starbases somewhat decently
-it's okay at handling its economy (AIP 11 is atrocious in comparison) 

You also have to keep in mind that reducing the number of AIPs to one can make the game feel boring after a while, because every race will behave the same way. Sure, there are some differences between the three native AIP 11 races. However, those are rather minor in the grand scheme of things, and the other eight races will all use the same generic version of AIP 11.

Shit, this is turning into a really good game.

Does anyone know how to work a dll file, I opened the one in the game but am having trouble editing the files as I don't really know what I'm doing despite Trims handing me the tools for it. :/ I don't know data break points and addresses and shit. In fact this failure is depressing me. :/ (but playing the patch makes me happy again )

Still, help?

RE: Well, AIP 8 has several things going for it, like:
-it's the only AI capable of using the Super Diplomacy and Super Manipulator SAs

Really? I just ran a test game with the Drath on AIP11. When they're in the game one or more wars pop-up during the middle of 2228. Without them they don't. So it seems AIP11 can use Super Manipulator so it's a fair bet it can use Super Diplomacy as well.

-it's the second best at handling approval (AIP 7 is the best)

With the changes made to the technologies I've seen AIP11 do really well at keeping it's people happy, up in the high 70. With some AI manipulation we can make it do better.

-it's the best at researching better factories (AIP 7 is the worst, shortly followed by AIP 11)

This could be fixed with AIValue tweaking. AIP11 is really sensitive to those.

-it uses influencer starbases somewhat decently

Hmm. Yeah that's pretty cool but how likely is it the AI is going to beat a human player with Influence?

-it's okay at handling its economy (AIP 11 is atrocious in comparison) 

I've seen very little difference between the economic sliders between AIP11 and AIP7 and AIP8. Can you name an example?

----

GC2 had one AI, DA introduced the 4 personalities. I might do a test version with just AIP11 just to see how it'll work because I'm running out of idea's how to contain AIP8's mad hunger for factory technology. It does seems to run the Thalan okey, Terrans too. But for the life of me I can't get it to play te Krynn or Iconians properly, never mind the Drath.

@Gaunathor.

So we have an AI that's addicted to manufacturing and one who is repelled by it.

We just can't get a break, can we? I wish I had the source code...

The approval penalty for running a 100% tax rate is -199%. The Thalan had a bigger one, so their tax rate had to be higher than 100%. Plus, it's not the only time I've seen this, both in AI vs. AI games and regular ones. The Altarians and Arceans have done it too. Not to mention the Iconians, when I had them on AIP 11.