AI surrendering under very little pressure?

[Laurella]

Been playing a few matches of this with friends, and it always ends up with the AI not pushing very hard into our territory, then when we move into one or two of their systems, they are instantly 'defeated'.

They weren't like this on normal difficulty back on SOSE: Trinity, used to have some intense fights where they would end up with huge numbers of ships pounding my weak defenses, making it an awesome struggle for victory! :p

[Mierci]

Increase the AI level and change them into agressor. Anything below cruel is pretty easy to handle.

[GoaFan77]

If you were just way ahead of the AI economically that can sometimes happen. We're not really sure about how the AI surrender algorythm works but that can happen occasionally (trinity had the problem too).

[Chronocrits]

But how does the game actually end? As far as I know, I had no additional victory conditions, and all 5 of our opponents were 'defeated' but the game didn't end, and the enemy kept moving ships around and attacking, and building Starbases. What the hell is the basic victory condition? Do I have to declare war on my allies and be the last one standing? I'll be playing the same match into next Week!

[Laurella]

For me they just stopped building and moving their ships, so they became sorta dead in the water :p

But yeah, will see if I can get my friend who hosts to set the AI to aggressor, might try one of those maps where everyone gets their own base system too!

[SkebbZ]

Enable allied victory I guess

[GoaFan77]

Originally posted by IIIFatalshockIII:

But how does the game actually end? As far as I know, I had no additional victory conditions, and all 5 of our opponents were 'defeated' but the game didn't end, and the enemy kept moving ships around and attacking, and building Starbases. What the hell is the basic victory condition? Do I have to declare war on my allies and be the last one standing? I'll be playing the same match into next Week!

When an AI loses, its stuff is still there and will still auto attack you but it won't give any more orders. You can tell for sure in the diplomacy screen, the player portrait will be cracked.

The basic victory condition is to kill all enemy players. The way to force this without any other victory conditions is for them to lose all their planets. If you do not have allied victory enabled you do have to kill every player.

[Chronocrits]

Okay, thanks Goa. I feel better knowing it's supposed to be this way. How many planets are there in total on the 10 players maps?

[GoaFan77]

Originally posted by IIIFatalshockIII:

Okay, thanks Goa. I feel better knowing it's supposed to be this way. How many planets are there in total on the 10 players maps?

There are at least 4 different random "huge" maps and a few premade ones, but I think they range from 80-150. Of course not all of those are colonizeable planets, some will be asteroid belts and the like.

[Chronocrits]

Does your guide have tips on income? Crystal, np, Metal, np... But I'm always short on income and at the end I'm earning way less than everyone else.

[GoaFan77]

Originally posted by IIIFatalshockIII:

Does your guide have tips on income? Crystal, np, Metal, np... But I'm always short on income and at the end I'm earning way less than everyone else.

You're doing it wrong. :p If you resource income is higher than your credit income, that means you're just not getting in to trade. Trade is by far the best way to earn resources of any type, at least 50% of your credit income should be coming from trade min-late game. I do talk about it a little bit, when the next patch comes out I think I'll make new sections for economics and planetary development.

[zzyzx]

just to add - the trade ability on the starbases is pretty hot. If you have a lot of them, you can significantly ramp up your credit income on top of the actual tradeports at the cost of a single upgrade slot.

[GoaFan77]

Originally posted by Caffinated:

just to add - the trade ability on the starbases is pretty hot. If you have a lot of them, you can significantly ramp up your credit income on top of the actual tradeports at the cost of a single upgrade slot.

Indeed, but keep in mind the starbase trade port upgrade costs more than twice as much. Against the AI, it sucks at killing starbases so its usually not a wasted investment, but online you will not have that kind of money to spend on starbase upgrades unless you are already winning. Possible exception is TEC Loyalists, with that 25% starbase upgrade discount and having two possible trade upgrades (the second is more profitable than just having the first one).

The key use for the starbase trade upgrade is to expand your trade chain through uncolonizeable gravity wells (save those blasted magnetic clouds...). That's one case where you should not hesitate to build one if you can afford it, especially if that better fortifies your defensive peremeter.

[zzyzx]

Originally posted by CPPFZGoaFan77:

The key use for the starbase trade upgrade is to expand your trade chain through uncolonizeable gravity wells (save those blasted magnetic clouds...). That's one case where you should not hesitate to build one if you can afford it, especially if that better fortifies your defensive peremeter.

Excellent point, I will keep that in mind in my games.