Will the A.I. utilize functional (non- artistic) mods?

from Stardock Forums
I'm interested in doing some dead simple text file mods on the ships. Maybe slow down the big guys, speed up the little guys, add some late game defensive ships, etc.

Anyone know how the A.I. chooses what ships to build? Will it be able to correctly utilize new ships or recognize that existing ones have increased or decreased in capability? CivIII had simple off/def/explore flags that seemed to more or less work, anything similar here?

Thanks in advance for any insights.
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Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top
The AI uses anti-matter missiles, so there you go. Yes, it'll use mods.

~SDC~
Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top
The AI recognizes anything added to the game, with the singular exception of techs without an AI line (and actually it does recognize those too, but fails to note their value).

~SDC~
Star Control: Origins
Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top
Thanks for the comments guys. Allow me to ask a follow-up that hopefully will clarify what I was trying to get at. I understand that the A.I. will *recognize* new ships if I set up the .ship file correctly, but will it understand how to use them in a strategic sense?

For example, if a make a reverse-antimatter missle, all defense, no offense, will the A.I. start using it as a garrison ship?
Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top
However, the AI does seem to fail to notice in-game changes to item that change only the numbers: the Transport attack to 20 UFP issue for example making Combat Transports the BEST ship pre Dreadnought by far. Because some flag, I think, in the ship's file defines it's role already for the AI and that is too strong a claim on how it will use it.

So if your mode also changes items through events, maybe consider that.

~SDC~
Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top
mod, not mode... grrr...

~SDC~
Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top
'For example, if a make a reverse-antimatter missle, all defense, no offense, will the A.I. start using it as a garrison ship?'

Maybe not, but not because it doesn't recognize it's value. In my experience, the AI tends to garrison planets with attack ships so it can make preemptive strikes when the opportunity presents itself.

~SDC~
Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top
Thanks again guys.

Arturus,
Your observation is exactly why I want to mod in a late-game defensive ship. The last one is the battleaxe, which the A.I. will use as a garrison while it's still relatively state-of-the-art but the offensive ships become so much more powerful that there it's not a suitable garrison ship before long.

I agree that an attack ship reserve used for opportunity attacks is a good strategy but I'd like it to be supplemental to the primary system defense ships. I think that's an opportunity for strategy—whether the extra attacker is worth the maintenance at a given system or not. Or even to go all-offense all the time, forgoing completely ships that can't be called up to aid your attacks.

So back to one of my original questions. Anyone know any details of how the A.I. decides what to build? I mentioned a CivIII like flag system as a possibility, and Dearmad referenced anecdotal evidence of some sort of flagging, but does anyone *know*?