0024280: Deepstrike counterattack is too easy to avoid now - DEV Arcen

ID	Project	Category		Date Submitted	Last Update

0024280	AI War 2	Gameplay Issue		Dec 28, 2020 8:45 am	Dec 29, 2020 8:48 pm

Reporter	Smidlee	Assigned To	Chris_McElligottPark
Status	resolved	Resolution	fixed
Product Version	2.709 Obedient Engineers
Fixed in Version	Beta 2.710 The AIs Visit An Accountant

Summary	0024280: Deepstrike counterattack is too easy to avoid now
Description	2 minute delay for deepstrike attack to become active is enough time to neuter planets, hack ARS and FCE. AI Reserves Grace Period has no effect on changing the two minute delay. What purpose is this option when you have two whole minutes to load up your ships in transports to stop the timer. Empty the transport restarts the counter. Please give the option to remove this 2 minute delay. I often like to set both sharks on and no wave warnings to give some surprise attacks to the AI. It's so easy to avoid deepstrikes now. I had a game where I attack the AI HW and the AI knocked out my forward base to trigger a deepstrike. I had to call off my attack on it's homeworld and retake my forward base. One of the most interesting battles I had in AI WAR 2. I want deepstrikes to be a real threat where I have to defend my forward bases so I beg you give this option back to the AI. While I know many will not want this option but I like surprise attacks by the AI.
Tags	No tags attached.

Arides Dec 28, 2020 2:12 pm reporter ~0060164	I believe the biggest issue might be the transports resetting the timer despite your fleet being still in deep strike territory. I've reported it as a bug (0024152), since it leads directly to situations you describe: load + unload = no fun from deep strike. The grace period after your forward base gets shot is 1m and can be changed when you're starting the game (to 0 for example; Options->AI Behavior->AI Reserves Grace Period). The problem is however the fact that any deep strike gets cancelled by simply loading all ships. If simply loading ships would stall the counter, the situation would suddenly start to be interesting again. Running flagship can get killed, timer will start ticking again.. and you'd have to get actually out to re-start the timer.

Smidlee Dec 28, 2020 3:49 pm reporter ~0060167	Nope. It's 60 seconds (default) BEFORE the 120 second count down starts. Within 2 minutes I can repair any transport and load my ships. I want to remove the 120 second delay so AI attacking my forward base is a threat again. This almost entirely remove Deepstrike counterattacks. I understand Chris did this most likely to new players but to me this removed AI counterstrikes threat from deepstrikes.

Smidlee Dec 28, 2020 3:52 pm reporter ~0060168	Please Chris give back the option of removing the 120 second delay as I like the threat of the AI knocking out my forward base.

Chris_McElligottPark Dec 29, 2020 8:48 pm administrator ~0060175	This doesn't solve the related issue, which I agree is a big problem, but this does resolve the other bits: * If players have controlled any of the planets that the AI Reserves thinks they are "attacking" any time within the last 10 minutes, then there is no warning from the AI Reserves prior to them spawning a wormhole and spewing forth ships. ** For anyone who is using the normal AI Reserves Grace Period setting, which defaults to 60 seconds, this will mean that after the 60 seconds is up, you immediately get jumped by the AI Reserves. For anyone who has turned the AI Reserves Grace Period setting down to 0 seconds, they should get jumped immediately after losing a planet if it's too far from their other planets. * The AI Reserves grace period has been updated as follows (and its tooltip now shows this): If the highest-level AI is difficulty 8, it will give you half this time. If the highest-level AI is difficulty 9 or above, this grace period does not apply at all. So when we get into very high-level play, the grace period for losing planets in hostile territory and having the AI strike back at you disappears entirely. This is how it was for all difficulty levels prior to October of this year. * Previously, some of the AI Reserves timings were hardcoded in, and now they are data fields on the main AI difficulty. ai_reserves_wormhole_spawn_interval was always 80, previously (this is how often there are new spawns after the first). ai_reserves_initial_wormhole_spawn_delay was always 120 (this is how long before the first spawn if you're deepstriking but didn't lose a planet). ai_reserves_wormhole_despawn_time was 180 (how long the reserves hang around after their work is done; keeps them from popping in and out). ai_reserves_income_increase_interval was 30 (how frequently they get more budget, which is the major balance lever for making them harder. These now are set up by difficulty as follows: * Diff 1: 140 spawn interval, 200 initial spawn, 100 despawn, 60 income increase. * Diff 2: 130 spawn interval, 180 initial spawn, 100 despawn, 55 income increase. * Diff 3: 120 spawn interval, 160 initial spawn, 110 despawn, 50 income increase. * Diff 4: 110 spawn interval, 140 initial spawn, 120 despawn, 45 income increase. * Diff 5: 100 spawn interval, 120 initial spawn, 160 despawn, 40 income increase. * Diff 6: 90 spawn interval, 100 initial spawn, 180 despawn, 35 income increase. * Diff 7: 80 spawn interval, 80 initial spawn, 200 despawn, 30 income increase. * Diff 8: 70 spawn interval, 60 initial spawn, 220 despawn, 25 income increase. * Diff 9: 60 spawn interval, 40 initial spawn, 260 despawn, 20 income increase. * Diff 10: 40 spawn interval, 20 initial spawn, 320 despawn, 15 income increase. This makes it so that on most difficulties, the AI Reserves are now less threatening, but on the higher difficulties they are even more of a big deal. ** It should be harder to sneak in on a high difficulty and neuter a planet before they can get you. Thanks!

Date Modified	Username	Field	Change
Dec 28, 2020 8:45 am	Smidlee	New Issue
Dec 28, 2020 8:56 am	Smidlee	Summary	Deepstrike is too easy to avoid now => Deepstrike counterattack is too easy to avoid now
Dec 28, 2020 8:56 am	Smidlee	Description Updated
Dec 28, 2020 9:00 am	Smidlee	Description Updated
Dec 28, 2020 2:12 pm	Arides	Note Added: 0060164
Dec 28, 2020 3:49 pm	Smidlee	Note Added: 0060167
Dec 28, 2020 3:52 pm	Smidlee	Note Added: 0060168
Dec 29, 2020 8:47 pm	Chris_McElligottPark	Relationship added	related to 0024152
Dec 29, 2020 8:48 pm	Chris_McElligottPark	Assigned To	=> Chris_McElligottPark
Dec 29, 2020 8:48 pm	Chris_McElligottPark	Status	new => resolved
Dec 29, 2020 8:48 pm	Chris_McElligottPark	Resolution	open => fixed
Dec 29, 2020 8:48 pm	Chris_McElligottPark	Fixed in Version	=> Beta 2.710 The AIs Visit An Accountant
Dec 29, 2020 8:48 pm	Chris_McElligottPark	Note Added: 0060175