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IDProjectCategoryLast Update
0023955AI War 2SuggestionOct 12, 2020 7:37 pm
ReporterAsteroid Assigned ToChris_McElligottPark  
Severitymajor 
Status resolvedResolutionfixed 
Product Version2.608 MP Deduplication And Bugfixes 
Fixed in Version2.611 AI Defensive Huddle 
Summary0023955: Perhaps deepstrike reserves should actually not join the Hunter Fleet?
DescriptionI was actually not aware that they did until someone mentioned it in another mantis ticket. I'm trusting that info is accurate and that Reserves actually do join the Hunter fleet. It strikes me as an extremely severe punishment for the player, given how high threat can be game-ending (except you don't know it yet if you're a noob, and might not link the bum-rushing you eventually get to that innocuous-looking number at the top of the screen). Couldn't said Reserves just show up to kick your ass or block your entry if you try something funny, but then just warp out like the HRF when the threat is gone?

It seems to me that if the player needs an additional punishment for deepstriking, something more adequate than having huge threat added would be a slightly raised alert level for the planet on the planet that was targeted, now that those are more fine-grained. You're still creating trouble for yourself, but at least it's more localized.

Consider those suggestions for diff. 7 since I doubt I'll ever play higher, I just want the AI to be unshackled - diff 8 and above can be punished all they want ;) .

If the current behavior stays unchanged (please no, have mercy and so forth), it really needs to be communicated to the player better. I was happily deepstriking around with my cloaked ships not realizing that those Reserves were not the same every time and were just generating ridiculous threat. Of course I lost due to a massive Hunter attack, but something like 1 or 2 hours after doing the deep strikes in question.
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BadgerBadger

Oct 12, 2020 9:51 am

manager   ~0059160

This behaviour was requested by a number of players to make the reserves more punishing.

Strategic Sage

Oct 12, 2020 11:08 am

reporter   ~0059162

I'm with Badger, I don't think it's that severe compared to the amount of threat that you typically accumulate and have to clear out anyway. Most of the reserves don't join the hunter, it's only a fairly small percentage of it. The tooltip for the reserves notification warns that that some of them will join the hunter fleet. What would be a better way to make this clearer?

BadgerBadger

Oct 12, 2020 2:22 pm

manager   ~0059171

The hovertext for the notification says
"If you retreat before the reserves arrive then nothing will happen. Once spawned the reserves will defend the planet for a few minutes before warping out. Beware: some reserve ships will join the hunter fleet instead of warping out"

which does seem pretty clear.

Asteroid

Oct 12, 2020 2:53 pm

reporter   ~0059172

You guys are right, it does seem pretty clear. The fact that they don't ALL join makes a big difference. My bad for not reading the tooltip properly.

BadgerBadger

Oct 12, 2020 6:13 pm

manager   ~0059179

I might entirely rework the AI Reserves to make them more interesting if I feel like it.

Chris_McElligottPark

Oct 12, 2020 7:37 pm

administrator   ~0059181

This ought to sort it:

* Planets now keep track of the last time they were owned by a human, the last time they were owned by the AI sentinels, and the number of "major AI structures" that are currently on a planet.

* There is a new is_major_ai_structure boolean that can be set on ships. If this is true, then they will count as "major AI structures" for the above.
** Guard posts, the AI King command station version (not phase 2 mobile), AI command stations (normal and reconquest) all automatically get counted as this.
** Other major structures for the AI are explicitly defined as: warp gates, AI eyes, troop accelerators, black hole machines, AI fortresses, AI superfortresses, raid engines, alarm posts, and magnifiers.

* The way that "a deepstrike is happening" is calculated is a lot more complicated now, but actually does a better job.
** Previously it was "players have a big force X distance away from planets they own."
*** That might sound elegantly simple, but the problem is that if you have a planet you own way out in the middle of the AI empire and you lose that planet, suddenly you're deepstriking and getting hit by AI Reserves unexpectedly.
** Now, if the humans own the planet, or have owned the planet within the last 20 minutes, then for purposes of deepstriking calculations it acts as if you still own it.
*** That gives you 20 minutes (gametime) to get your planet recaptured before it starts thinking of you as being in enemy territory. Even if the AI recaptures the planet during that 20 minute period, it doesn't matter.
** But wait! What if you are using "aggressive command station" placement? Basically, where you go hard into an AI planet, pop their command station, and throw your own up as fast as possible... before dealing with the entire rest of their planet.
*** That's fine, but it will now still count as deepstriking. So if the AI Reserves were going to come for you, they'll still come for you if you use this tactic.
*** Essentially, if there are any "Major AI Structures" (as defined above) on a planet, then it will NOT count as a human planet, even if it is currently a human planet. And this overrides the grace period, too.
*** Actually, this means that if the AI recaptures the planet, it will be overriding the planet while it has its new command station and guard posts there. You have to kill those first, and then your grace period resumes (if you had 5 minutes left after doing that killing, then you have those 5 minutes left).
*** It also means that if somehow the AI buys something from the Zenith Trader on a planet that is neutral that you then take, or something crazy like that happens, then it could wind up blocking you. That's way less likely, though.
** The overall goal of these changes is to make deepstriking detection more accurate, and prevent the AI from sniping your command station and taking advantage of you... and to keep you from sniping their command station and taking advantage of them.

* In the planet tooltip, if a planet has any major AI structures on it, it now shows that number.
** If you hold any of the hotkeys that show more than basic detail, then it will also list what those structures are.

* In the planet tooltip, if a former AI homeworld is now owned by nobody or owned by someone else, it now says it was a former AI homeworld.
** Same deal for if the planet was once a human homeworld.

* In the planet tooltip, if a planet was owned by humans within the last 20 minutes, but is not curently owned by them, it shows how long ago it was owned by humans.
** It also tells you that "Deepstriking reprisals, if relevant, will not take place until it has been 20 minutes"
** If humans owned the planet longer ago than that, it now shows how long it has been since humans owned it, but in a drab sort of green, and without the nice message about deepstrikes.

Cheers, thanks!

Issue History

Date Modified Username Field Change
Oct 12, 2020 2:01 am Asteroid New Issue
Oct 12, 2020 9:51 am BadgerBadger Note Added: 0059160
Oct 12, 2020 11:08 am Strategic Sage Note Added: 0059162
Oct 12, 2020 2:22 pm BadgerBadger Note Added: 0059171
Oct 12, 2020 2:53 pm Asteroid Note Added: 0059172
Oct 12, 2020 6:13 pm BadgerBadger Note Added: 0059179
Oct 12, 2020 7:37 pm Chris_McElligottPark Assigned To => Chris_McElligottPark
Oct 12, 2020 7:37 pm Chris_McElligottPark Status new => resolved
Oct 12, 2020 7:37 pm Chris_McElligottPark Resolution open => fixed
Oct 12, 2020 7:37 pm Chris_McElligottPark Fixed in Version => 2.611 AI Defensive Huddle
Oct 12, 2020 7:37 pm Chris_McElligottPark Note Added: 0059181