Custom Map / Aliens do nothing?

from Stardock Forums
So, I built a map with more stars than usual, map size 8x8, about 4 - 5 stars per sector, 5 planets per star. I added homeworlds for each alien race. Each homeworld is class 20 planet.
Some of the Aliens colonize, others dont. As in, not one single colony. Tested on various difficulty levels no higher than "normal"...

I used stardock to patch, and I have the deluxe edition with AP.

Can anyone help a noob out? Not much interested in playing maps with 1 or 2 star per sector... other than that its a pretty fun game :)

Let me know if you need any more info..
3,555 views 7 replies
Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top

Is that 64 sectors with 4-5 stars in each and every sector?
A total of 300-odd stars, 1500-odd planets?
If so I'd guess thats just too many too handle.

I prefer dense clusters with several stars per sector too, but not in each and every sector ...
Galactic Civilizations IV
Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top
I figured that might be the problem, so I reduced each star to 1 planet (15+ PQ), and everything seems fine now.

Glad its working, but if the calculations for 2500 planets were too much, its a limitation of the game, not todays computers... :(


Thanks
[Message Edited]
Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top
That's the funny thing about these things- sometimes it might be the game, sometimes it's the computer. It could be either in this case- it all depends on the exact algorithms used for the AI. More often than not, AI algorithms tend to be of a P^n nature, and if the planets in question are all equally good, then it might not be able to prune away any choices, forcing it to examine them all. Depending on the exact nature of the situation, you might have created a galaxy map that's only playable if you have a Cray handy to crunch all the possibilities :CONGRAT:
Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top
If it were a limitation of the computer, it would cause slow down, perhaps even lock up while the calculations were done, unless I am even more of a noob than I think I am :)

I have compiled at a minimum 500,000 lines of NWscript repeatedly while I was building a mod for NWN on this PC. Thats probably actualy a low end estimate. So its safe to say the PC is beefy enough to do some math :)


Anyways, didn't mean to start a blame game. I think the problem is fixed now, and I am enjoying a great game :)

Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top
If it were a limitation of the computer, it would cause slow down, perhaps even lock up while the calculations were done, unless I am even more of a noob than I think I am
End of quote


Not if the AI is throttled to use a certain maximum system time and run in a seperate thread.

In the case of GalCiv it definately is in a seperate thread, to allow it to continue calculations while you're playing your own turn; and considering that it doesn't reduce responsiveness to any degree I have been able to notice, it probably is throttled too.

If you pay attention closely to reports from some of the older players, you'll find that the better the system the game is running on, the better the AI tends to play. Just taking more time between turns will probably get more of the AI to move on the more-planets map.

~SDC~
Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top
Not if the AI is throttled to use a certain maximum system time and run in a seperate thread.
End of quote

Thus making it a software limitation, and not a hardware limitation.... the hardware is certainly capable of more were it not "throttled"...

Like I said tho, great game, no need to quible over silly minutia like that. The support for the game is awesome as well, its not often you find a game where the people and staff are so helpfull :)