0003233: AI Eye tweaks to avoid transport-buffed GP raids. - DEV Arcen

ID	Project	Category		Date Submitted	Last Update

0003233	AI War 1 / Classic	Suggestion - Balance Tweaks		Apr 8, 2011 6:38 pm	Apr 8, 2011 6:38 pm

Reporter	Prezombie	Assigned To
Status	new	Resolution	open
Product Version	5.009

Summary	0003233: AI Eye tweaks to avoid transport-buffed GP raids.
Description	I've found that taking out AI eyes is a relatively trivial challenge with transports, loaded up with 1-2 caps of triangle ships. Fly around, get as close to a GP, release as many of the strong ship as is safe, destroy, load, rinse and repeat. As long as the transports hold, the AI eye is a pushover. I can understand why the AI eye doesn't count transported ships, you want to allow passing through without having a thousand zombies spawn, but there's a few ways the AI eye can behave that allow transport through, while still penalizing transport *around. One possible change is to normally ignore transport ships, but have a visible countdown timer of 30-60 seconds that starts counting down if transports are in the system. When it hits zero, the AI eye no longer ignores transported units, and treats them like normal active ships. If all the transports leave before then, the timer resets instantly. If they don't, the eye becomes "angry", and will audit transporters until it hasn't spawned any zombies for an interval, 15 minutes should be a decent time. Another possible cure would be to audit any transporters actively used (loaded or unloaded) in the system, until they leave the system. No more "unload fifty bombers, reload, unload fifty frigates, repeat." The former solution seems easier to make, but the latter looks more elegant to the player, if you're able to properly "paint" transports with "the AI eye can see inside this transport". It also begs for a bit of flavor text, saying the transport hides it from the AI eyes, as long as the doors are kept sealed the entire time within the eye's system.
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Date Modified	Username	Field	Change
Apr 8, 2011 6:38 pm	Prezombie	New Issue