M28AI Devlog (v132)

v30 Update

24 misc changes and fixes, including:

• Improved kiting for frigates/navy generally vs enemy hover and when bombarding shorelines
• Fixed several issues with shared armies where certain units (novax, fatboy) wouldn't benefit from the inherit status game option
• Mobile shields should be less likely to suicide into enemy units
• Asfs should be less likely to suicide into enemy air units at the enemy base
• Fixed a bug for SMD where M28 would always think the enemy had a nuke launcher (and so build a pre-emptive SMD too soon)
• 4 LOUD specific changes, including reducing one of the MML builders where the enemy has TMD

Acknowledgements

• C04spoon – Identifying and providing a fix for a case where T2 arti shots could miss M28 units in LOUD
• Vortex – LOUD replay
• PurpleMossClump – LOUD replay
• Azraeelian Angel – LOUD replay
• RD – various LOUD replays
• Sioloc – replay where M28 would destroy and rebuild the same shield
• Innomen – Highlighting that inherit army status wouldn’t work for novaxes and fatboys

Heyyo Maudin. Thanks to also release the M28 for Steam , but I encountered with one problem . I'm using the Steam FA, with various mods of course + Sorian AI as well, but the UEF T2 Engineering Suite (The Kennel), when built, messes the bottom interface, you can select it, but actually the interface is missing, and I cannot upgrade it, checked the T2 Cybran E.S. The hive, there was no problems with it, neither with the T3 Kennel, only with the T2 one. And it was working properly until I installed the M28. Can you look for some solutions for me ? Cheers: Mr.P. PS: I'm using the latest M28 for Steam what I found on ModDB.

Also the AEON T4 CZAR unit seems to be broken with M28 , because when it finished, opens up and start firing to the ground, because of this, its utterly vulnerable to air and seems idiotic. Also it doesn't seem like to use units from Xtreme Wars, what is my ALL TIME favourite...

@mrphalanx I'll look into the kennel unit to see if I can reproduce and fix the issue for the next release. In respect of the Czar I'm not clear on what the issue is from your description - I'll run a sandbox test to see if there's anything obvious in how it attacks units, but I'd have expected it to be vulnerable to enemy air units (as it's primarily an anti-ground unit)

@maudlin27 Thanks for the answer mate. The problem with the CZAR is that is the AI automatically puts it into planetary annihilator mode (that means when the carrier opens up) right after it built it. And when in planetary annihilator mode, it cannot attack aircraft, the Sorian ai only opens it up when reached an enemy base/ cluster of units...

And I know maybe I'm asking too much, but can't you make at least a M28 -Experimental, what can focus on even T1 Experimentals from the start ? Because now the AI only after reaching T3 starts to build T1 Experimentals slowly (mostly from Total Mayhem, but there is plenty T1 in Xtreme Wars too), almost none of T2 Experimentals, and a ton of T3 Experimentals. Sorian AI does this part mostly properly, the only problem with it that sometimes it even rushes to build a T1 Exp, even to an extent to it forgets to build a proper economy/minimal base defenses.. Your AI is way better at this, but it does a little slowly, okay I did not use the AIX, just the AI(Turtle, Rush, Etc...).

I want to make clear the CZAR problem, I looked into it, when it opens up it still can fire an air unit, that's not a problem, the problem is, when your AI builds it, it AUTOMATICALLY FORCE ATTACK GROUND, so because of this, the unit cannot attack anything other land. Sorian AI has no problems using it properly.

I've not been able to reproduce the Czar issue you mention (even if I activate the total mayhem mod since you mentioned that in your reply), but from the description it sounds like it's broadly working as intended since it's meant to be used to attack ground units rather than air units. So while it might not be optimal (re there being some scenarios where its AA abilities would be good), the difficulty with reproducing it coupled with then the difficulty in having logic that figures out if it wants to have its air to ground attack active vs its AA attack active means it's unlikely to change.

I've fixed the bug with the kennel not upgrading though (will be in the next release).

M28 should build T1 experimental base defences, but I've no plans to have it build other T1 experimental units (e.g. tanks etc.) as M28 is setup on the assumption that engineers can only access experimentals at the T3/experimental stage (not T1-T2) so it'd be non-trivialto add and I'm not clear that it'd have a significant competitive benefit that would justify the extensive recoding required (compared with just getting T2 land or more T1 non-experimental units).

v131 Update
28 changes and fixes, including:

• 8 adjustments for when M28 hits the unit cap, primarily focused on when ctrl-king its T2 units is not enough
• Reduced M28's tendancy to overbuild aircraft carriers
• Engineers should no longer suicide into enemies firing at them that it lacks radar coverage of
• 9 LOUD specific changes (including adding a workaround to allow prioritisation of fatboys) and 1 steam change (fixing a bug with T2 kennels not being upgradable)

Acknowledgements:

• MrPhalanx – Mentioning T2 kennels couldn’t be upgraded in steam
• RD – Bitterwind Crag, Elephant Rock and Mellow Shallows replays against v1.29
• Vortex – Replay vs 1.30

v132 Update
21 changes, including:

• Gunships should group together better, and take into account how successful they've been in the game with engagements when deciding whether to attack
• Fixed some issues with transports that would e.g. prevent them dropping early when dying to inties
• Reduced tendancy to build more factories late-game
• 10 LOUD related changes, including reviewing/tweaking various LOUD focused PRs from Azraeel (covering building more T3 PD, bombers, ecoing more, and changes to unit prioritisations)

Acknowledgements:

• Azraeel - Various pull requests