Military bonus resources and starbases

from Stardock Forums
The military bonus resource is a bit overpowered.

If you have one and your enemy does not, after you upgrade it with medium level techs (nano-rig extraction, etc) your ships simply become too powerful for the AI to handle - or, if you lack them, the AI's ships become too powerful instead.

With only a single mil. resource maxed out to full, my dreadnaughts can achieve a 3-1 kill ratio against enemy dreadnaughts. If I am vastly outnumbered, all I need then to do is to defend and watch while the AI wastes all of its fleet on my planets, wherein my ships get the defense bonus. Winning wars then becomes too easy. Losing them becomes almost impossible.

Since the AI does not protect its starbases, it is a trival matter to capture one if you dont have a mil. resource bonus and destroy those which are too far within enemey territory to safely setup a new starbase there in midst of a war.

Two things need to be done: first, the AI needs to become substantially more aware of the relative difference in military abilities, and plan accordingly. If the gap is wide enough, its primary target then should be the human starbases. Second, the AI needs to defend its own starbases much more heavily. Failing these two, the mil. bonus resource should be reduced.

In fact, with it being easy to capture and hold starbases, I think all resource bonuses should be reduced significantly.

There is already another thread which discusses starbases and the AI in a more general context. (Titled "Incredible level AI and balance issues"). Concerns expressed there chime in with those that are here.



602 views 11 replies
Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top
Heh theres nothing better than 3 maxed out Mil Starbases. My dreadnaughts currently have twice the attack value and 3 times the HPs of my enemies dreadnaughts...

I don't mind the huge disparity actually. Its fairly realistic that some powers just lack the ability to build effective weaponry. When that's you...ouch.
Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top
Yes, it would be nice if the AI is more aware of the importance of certain starbases for military purposes => to take out enemy starbases

=> and to defend its own critical bases
Siege of Centauri
Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top
Might be a good idea to limit military resource bonuses to just hit points or attack/defense, but not both.
Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top
The AI does do a sort-of-good job on defending its starbases. It usually upgrades its defenses to max. You don't see much of this benefit when using capitol ships, but try taking them out with frigates and battle cruisers, and its a lot harder.

Also, the AI picks targets based on threat levels. A Dreadnaught is a much bigger threat than a military resource starbase.

The 5% bonus isn't much by itself, but the AI should upgrade its resource bonuses. I've yet to see it do that, especially when I've given them the techs for it.
Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top
Actually, no, the military resource starbase (if upgraded) is a HUGELY more valuable target than an individual dreadnaught.

Take 1 Dreadnaught from 130 HPs to 0, or take 30 Dreadnaughts from 130 HPs to 90.

Ships produced on a world with a Shipyard, Ship Foundary [sic], AQC, and OQC combined with a mid tech level tricked out Mil Starbase are obscene.

I've got my Mil Starbases guarded with Rangers.
Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top
I said threat, not value. A military starbase is less of a threat because it can't take out ships unless it is attacked. A dreadnaught can clear a system of defenders very easily, meaning that system can be taken over, or it can take out a starbase, as was pointed out in the first post. If the AI was programmed to take into account the strategic value of the targets to the enemy, it would attack military starbases.
Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top
I guess I disagree with your definition of threat.

Which is more of a threat to my future security and ability to defend myself...1 single dreadnaught that can do X damage to me. Or the starbase that turns that dreadnaught and every other one he owns into something that can do 3X damage to me.

Which is more of a threat, the dreadnaught that I can take out with one of my own dreadnaughts...or the starbase that makes that dreadnaught cut through mine like a knife through butter.

Or reverse...given the choice, which would you rather lose...

Seems to me that it isn't the dreadnaught that's threatening my security but the technology (i.e. magic space energy resource stuff)that's turning an ordinary dreadnaught into uber dreadnaught.

Reply #8 from Stardock Forums Top
threat: n.
One that is regarded as a possible danger; a menace.

value: n
Worth in usefulness or importance to the possessor; utility or merit: the value of an education.

Does the starbase pose a threat to your security when its by itself? I'm saying that the starbase is a strategic value, not a threat. It's like a food supply in a ground war.

If you want the AI to change how it percieves targets, do it yourself.
Reply #9 from Stardock Forums Top
I agree with Valamir, it is obvious that the starbase is the better military target. Arguing about semantics is pointless.
Reply #10 from Stardock Forums Top
I guess he is nicked 'Bossy' for no trivial reason.

But, Nicholas, your argument stands on one wooden peg leg. In the middle of a storm. On a ship. *nudge*
Reply #11 from Stardock Forums Top
My argument was that the AI was going after what it saw as the threat. He was arguing what was a threat, and I said that the starbase wasn't. I would have gone after the starbase myself because of its strategic value, but I'm not the AI.

Oh, and akaste, that's my real name. Don't run around calling people names, unless you want to be called immature.