Something odd about AI's scorched earth policy

from Stardock Forums
I'm currently playing a gigantic map at painful and noticed something odd when flipping systems. In AI systems with multiple planets only the AI is only "scorching" the first planet on the list in the system. Whereas this is great for me since I only have to deal with one Morale 0 planet I'm wondering if this is a bug or design.
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Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion
Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top
Destroying everything on the planet before it is taken by the enemy (ME)
Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top
So this is when a planet is about to culturally flip, or during an invasion?
Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top
So this is when a planet is about to culturally flip, or during an invasion?
Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top
Culturally flip.

Instead of ruining worlds couldn't you have the AI build its own defensive cultural starbases?
Reply #8 from Stardock Forums Top

I'll have to check into the scorched earth thing. 

Reply #9 from Stardock Forums Top
Are you saying that it wasn't designed to do that, CariElf?

OMG!! GalCiv is developing it's own strategy!!!! :SURPRISED: :SURPRISED:

Just kiddin'! :HOT:
Reply #10 from Stardock Forums Top
Thanks for answering vincible, I've been away from the forum for a few days to play Gothic II :)
Reply #11 from Stardock Forums Top
:) Well, I didn't write that code so I don't know what it's supposed to be doing.  :)
Reply #12 from Stardock Forums Top
LOL

I was thinking maybe you guys developed a sentient lifeform out of GalCiv! That actually would be kinda cool...the ultimate AI!!

:HOT:
Reply #13 from Stardock Forums Top
LOL

I must say the scorched earth thing is really really annoying (gotta rush build a colony ship to offload population, which gets repetitive), and often counterproductive for the AI. It destroys its own cultural resistance buildings for example. I have presumed that the point of this behavior is to diminish the value of the worlds that the human will soon gain.

The problem with this is that the AI is effectively conceding victory at this point. Since it's not building any cultural starbases of its own, you can just take over the galaxy sector by sector this way. The AI rarely if ever does anything to actually stop the human from taking over the galaxy by building Party Palaces. Sure the worlds the human takes may be ruined, but the human still wins.

The AI is smart enough to threaten war if you build a shopping district in its sector, but not smart enough to recognize that eight Party Palaces in the adjacent sector is a threat--even if they're in sensor range. Or sometimes it's smart enough to destroy its own worlds to diminish the reward for the human, but for some reason it won't threaten war or demand the starbases.
Reply #14 from Stardock Forums Top
That's a good suggestion, vincible.

Since influence impacts adjacent sectors, it is necessary for the AI to scan for influence threats in those sectors.

I think they do that already for military threats. I've got "I better deal with you before you deal with me" from an AI which I had parked warships/tranports in adjacent sectors. The AI went to War from Warm relations.
Reply #15 from Stardock Forums Top
The AI is smart enough to threaten war if you build a shopping district in its sector, but not smart enough to recognize that eight Party Palaces in the adjacent sector is a threat--even if they're in sensor range. Or sometimes it's smart enough to destroy its own worlds to diminish the reward for the human, but for some reason it won't threaten war or demand the starbases.
End of quote


In one of the masochistic games I played the AI demanded I hand over a cultural starbase I was building in an adjacent sector, and when I didn't they did declare war on me and proceeded to erase me as a threat.
Reply #17 from Stardock Forums Top
Was that 1.09? Because I've played something like a dozen maso games and that's never happened.