V10 - Implemented anti-turtle logic:
- Use of T2+T3 MMLs and mobile arti to break firebases
- Ecoing (not very well, but better than before)
- Reduced turtle feeding
Misc changes:
- Large bomber attack for if we end up with lots of spare bombers
- T3 air factories can be built/upgraded
- Support factories will be built/upgraded instead of HQs
- Higher tier power is built sooner
- Engineers can request guards
- Various bug fixes (see section 3.30.2 of the guide)
- Updated the guide with details on how to run in FAF Develop offline
My AI also has a new icon
For anyone that's interested in the background to the last 5 versions/2 months - back at v5 I was crushed by gunner1069 (I usually get them to play a match every couple of weeks against the latest AI version) with a simple turtle strategy on Theta Passage - they didnt bother getting any mexes and instead just rushed T2 PD with their ACU and my AI had no answer despite having 4x the mass income. My primary focus in all the versions since then has been coming up with the logic that will give my AI a chance in that scenario.
Unfortunately, a relatively simple plan for a human (dont send units single-file into PD, upgrade mexes and then attack with MMLs) required a bunch of different bits of logic:
- Checking for PD and running away from it (so the enemy isn't fed kills/mass), without running away when we're already in range of it and able to beat it (I had some frustrating to watch games where my AI would charge in at a firebase, overwhelm the shields, be about to destroy everything, before deciding to run and turning a winning position into a loss)
- Realising there's PD when it kills our land scouts without being picked up by their radar
- Making use of air scouts to reveal 'hidden' PD to avoid suiciding units and the ACU into the PD
- Quickly expanding to uncontested mexes (including on enemy side of the map)
- Focusing on maintaining map control and ecoing if faced with a turtle rather than trying to break them immediately, which in turn requires various logic for identifying if we're against a turtle, upgrading mexes, building T2+ buildings, upgrading factories, making use of support factories, etc. (I've still not got basic things done like capping mexes with mass storage)
- Using indirect fire units to attack PD/long range enemy units while both protecting them from enemy mobile attacks, and not suiciding our own units trying to protect them
These changes also mean my AI will be worse in other situations - e.g. against a non-turtle it might choose to eco when it would be able to finish the game by pressing the attack, and it's also still poor at the mid-T2+ stage so extending the game via ecoing means it's more likely to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Long term though it needed to happen as a 'T1 or die' strategy only has a decent chance on 5v5 maps.