AI Wave Survival Mod Information

Rama

Just updated Guide at start with images. Hope this helps people with understanding how to configure and host the mod successfully.

Rama

Small Updated:
-Added two options for Support Bases
SB2: Support Bases Multiplier:
-Lets you increase or decrease the amount of Support Bases that spawn! No fewer than 3 Support Bases will ever spawn. Bases scale by player count, Bases = (1 + (Player Count / 2)) * Multiplier. Multiplier goes up to 4x. In an 8 player game, that would spawn 20 Bases, with each base spawning more defenses throughout the match. This may cause slowdowns and even obstruct waves, so keep that in mind (@Slykar )!
EDIT: Limited Max Support Bases to 16.
SB3: Nuke Retaliation:
-You can now disable Nukes as a retaliation for killing support bases, if you prefer to play without the worry of nuclear strikes. Note: A nuclear strike will never occur on the first Support Base destroyed.

A few other Changes:
-Games should end sooner when won during the EndGame stage.
-Retaliations are guaranteed to occur once enough Support Bases are destroyed.
-Fixed a bug where first Support Base being destroyed wasn't being detected in small team games.

Slykar

Hello Rama,

I think SMD of support bases do not work.
100% not spawning / working for bases in water on Griffin v7.

Guardian too strong, AAA too weak.:

I once had 70 or 80 Sera Carriers firing at a Guardian TMD on the edge of the HQ base and not 1 missile made it. i don't think it's supposed to be impossible on purpose.

Since TMD SMD and shields are together, I had to scale them down to AAA to do sea attacks and now the shields feel kinda weak. The HQ defenses were destroyed in my game after 8 min buildtime and 30 out of 35 min hold time.

AI ASF target Sats.

AI ASF patrol around the building that is attacked by sats

i dont remember but i think support bases always dmg HQ? Atleast i think it should be that way, because there is no point in destroying them if not. i rather do 6x 130k + schild dmg to the HQ instead of a short shield breakdown / Wave breakdown or a few t4 units.

maybe its worth balancing the loss / gains for support bases.

in nearly all cases its impossible to get the reclaim, as ACU Hunters destroy submerged SACU and Engi get destroyed by air.

With your supportbase Spawn Buff, i think its worth to at a button to determine how much Dmg a destroyed Support base deals to the HQ. Just like alternative Spawns

Doom Stage, EndGame Arty, Arty response - i suggest it spawns a few schilds too. i saw you buffed the Scathis HP, you evil genius but its not enough

Your Boss units hovering over Para and Mavor is always fun to see. If you like, you can also add it for normal t4 units for the HQ as they can catch Mavor shells or Nukes

Rama

@slykar

Not all Support Bases spawn SMD. It is a 50% chance they will receive one.
Fair point, I've added a new S-Tier that has Guardian Shields/TMD and Advanced SMD. AAA-Tier are now Guardian Shields/SMD and Vanilla TMD. I might need to tone down the Guardian TMD or add a weaker version that is a bit better than vanilla.
I take it you had no other Air units? Yeah, then ASF target sats. I'd added an exclusion to their target list. Should ignore now.
There was always a small chance Support Bases wouldn't damage the HQ. I was already considering removing that. Killing Support Bases should always trigger HQ Damage now.
The Artillery Response already does spawn in shields, though they are the weaker Advanced Shields. I didn't have EndGame Artillery spawn shields, since more shields spawn in at start of the EndGame, and it seemed too punishing for most teams.
-Actually, I just found an error I added to the Artillery Response, delaying the artillery for 10 minutes instead of 6. I was wondering why it felt like forever for them to spawn.
Boss units don't like EndGamers

Rama

Changes:
-Added a new Defense Tier option for HQ and Second Spawn.
-Killing Support Bases will now always damage HQ. Before, there was a small random chance they would not.

New Option, meant for Versus Survival where the HQ Player has human allies. Will prevent HQ Allies from building Mass Fabs, RAS Subcoms, and the special T4 weapons. This is to prevent HQ Allies from just ecoing instead of helping Waves break through defenses. Found under the BUILD restrictions section of mod.

BUILD: HQ Allies Restrictions:
-Sets if players allied with HQ can build Mass Fabs, RAS Subcoms, and the special T4 Weapons included with AI Wave Survival.

Rama

Bug/Options Fixes:
Fixed an error when setting Support Bases to spawn "Center N to S."
Updated "Hold to Win" settings to be more clear.

Edit:
Bug Fix/Changes:
Fixed Alternate Spawns not spawning defenses on naval maps. Added a single Guardian TMD to Alternate Spawns.

Rama

Noticed from replays, some players still having difficulty properly configuring the mod, so:
-Added more Error Warnings to alert players if something is configured wrong.
-Added a brief description, to direct players to correct settings in Map Options.
-Removed some of the message spam at the start of the game.

Rama

Fixed a bug I accidentally introduced where game wouldn't end after killing HQ, unless Hold to Win was on.
Added a map-check for spawning units to prevent units/buildings from spawning off-map (when spawns are very close to a map edge). New script should also speed up SIM when spawning in huge waves.

A slight change to the navy spawner. Please let me know if you see any navy spawning on land. Might have to change it back.

Rama

To make Support Bases more necessary to attack, and add a bit more random chaos to the game, Support Bases will now deploy Rifts that will spawn more units! This is an optional setting, and number of units each Rift Orb spawns can be set in settings. Rifts will spawn more units depending on team strength, becoming more on an issue.

For each Support Base that is alive, the Base will fire an EMP nuke that will deploy a Rift Orb. The Orbs have area shields and weapons, and will begin to spawn in land units. EMP Nukes will launch throughout the game, and any Rifts that are destroyed will eventually be redeployed. Eliminating Support Bases will reduce the number of Rift Orbs that can be deployed. Expect the situation to become much worse if the Support Bases aren't eliminated before Endgame.

SB5: Rift Orbs:
Enables Support Bases to deploy Rift Orbs, which will spawn additional units to attack players. Rift Orbs are deployed on EMP Nukes vulnerable to SMD. Every Support Base can support one Rift Orb. Rifts that are destroyed will eventually be redeployed. Any undeployed Rift Orbs are launched at Endgame. Rifts spawn more units based on team strength and building Endgamers.

Other Changes:
-All Dooms now have torpedoes and Doom Fatboy got a slight buff.
-OC Damage vs Dooms, Support Bases, and Rift Orbs has been increased to 2.5x.
-The Seraphim Lightning Tank and the Aeon T3 Mobile Artillery have both been made Hover units, to make Amphibious only waves a little more interesting.

Rama

v247
Bug Fix:
-Issued a quick fix for a bug causing an infinite loop (Where gameplay freezes, but chat and UI are still working) when Rift Orbs are enabled. Please let me know if the issue occurs while using the latest version.

Rama

v248
Bug Fix:
-Issue causing crash has been resolved. There was a risk of getting trapped in an infinite loop on maps where HQ starting position was very close to the map edge. Should no longer occur.

Changes:
Sera T4 Tac launcher has gotten a large buff:
-Full map range
-Faster missiles
-Launcher cheaper to build (but not missiles)
-Increased damage and storms have longer lives

Rama

@stec
You requested the settings for the game the other night.

For the map "Stulta Aqua Pugna"
-Map Settings not mention leave as Default.

HQ Settings:
HQ Spawn Spot: Player 1
HQ Shields/SMD/TMD Defnces: HQ S2-Tier Defenses
HQ Point Defenses: HQ Guardian PD S-Tier
Salvation Player
Salvation Player Slot: Half of Team
Wave Setup
1a: 6 minutes Build Time
1b: 2 wave Air Delay
1c: 3 wave Navy Delay
3a: 30 min Hold till Final
4: 40% Slower Tech Progression
6a: 8 units Land
6b: Land Special - Amphibious
6c: 2 > 1.75 > 1.5> 1.25 > 1 Land Multi
6d: 50% Land T4
7a: 9 units Air
7b: Air Special - Torps Bombers
7c: 2 > 1.75 > 1.5> 1.25 > 1 Air Multi
7d: 50% Air T4
8a: 3 units Navy
8b: 2 > 1.75 > 1.5> 1.25 > 1 Navy Multi
8c: 50% Navy T4
AirDrops
Airdrops On/Off: Transports Every 3 to 5 Mins
Airdrops per Wave: 3 Transports
Airdrops Multi: 1 > 1 > 1.5> 2 > 3 Multi
Airdrops Start Time: 0.30% Airdrop Holdtime Start
Airdrops Unit Types - Amphibious/Hover
Airdrops Rambo: 60% Rambo Drop
Airdrops Experimental: 40% T4 Airdrop
Airdrop Spawn Location: Spawn West Side
Extra Waves/Response
2a: AntiAir Response Multi 0.5x
2b: Extra ASF Multi 1.25x
3a: 0.90% Holdtime till ACU Hunters
4a: 4 min Paragon Punishment
SB2: Base Count 1.5x
SB3: Nuke Retaliation - Off
SB4: Power Stall - 5 Mins
SB5: 5 units per Rift
EndGame Settings
1a: Endless Land+Air+Navy
2a: 3 units Land Boss
2b: 0 units Land Boss
2c: 2 min Respawn Bosses
3b: 8 min till Artillery
4c: 1 +/- Units per Doom Wave
4e: 4 Doom Maximum Wave Size
EcoBoost
ECO1: 40 EcoBoost
ECO2a: 150 EcoBoost
ECO2b: 5 min Endgame EcoBoost
Nukes
Strike Start Time: 0.95% Holdtime till Nukes
Strike Frequency: Nukes Every 7 to 10 Mins

And the 13 Mods that were On:
1.5x t2 Artillery Range, 75% Cost
ACU Boost 1.5x
AI Wave Survival
50% Air Crash Damage
All Factions Quantum Gate
BlackOps FAF: ACUs
AntiNuke 50% Cost
Half Commander Upgrade Costs
Hardened T1 Point Defense
Hive Energy Stations
No Friendly Fire
Wreck Reclaim 67%
1.5x Build Range

Rama

Noticed from watching replays, new players didn't know to set land waves to amphibious units if playing maps lacking land crossings. Added a check to set land waves to amphibious if more than half of enemies cannot be pathed to. This check can be disabled in settings, if hosts do not want their wave settings over-ridden.

Also, all Black-OPs ACUs have their teleporters disabled now.

Rama

New T4 Naval Unit!

Abyss: Depth Charge Platform
-A mobile sonar platform, equipped with depth charges that heavily damage any units on the seabed, long range cruise missiles, a protective shield bubble for the fleet, and anti-torpedoes. Can be submerged, but will cause shield to be disabled and limit the cruise missiles to targeting ships only.

Seraphim T4 Storm Missiles
Another buff. Now storm tacs intercepted by TMD will spawn 1 to 2 storms where they were shot down, so that the missile isn't a total loss. Storms have also been improved with an area of effect weapon.

Rama

Some balance changes:

Abyss:
-Bugs preventing weapons from firing while submerged fixed.
-Torpedo defense doubled.
-Shield made 50% larger to help provide better fleet protection. Health increased to 12k.
-Cruise Missiles will now track targets.

Seraphim T4 Storm Missile Launcher:
-Can be built on water.
-Has an additional Laanse Tactical Missile Launcher, with tracking missiles that will put out a constant stream of fire versus enemies. Range is 180.
-Storm Missiles have been made cheaper and faster to build, so can be used more often.

Aeon, Cybran, and UEF T4 PD:
-All have had small decreases in build time and mass costs.

Utopian

Really cool mod and well executed, but I think the default settings are borderline impossible to win against, at least with a 2-man team, like we tried. I think those need a bit of tuning, since new players have no idea how an ideal setup would look like.

Rama

Doom Wave Changes:
-On some maps, Dooms could get stuck at spawn and never attack players. Stuck Dooms will now be detected, removed, and respawned. If the Doom Wave is only the size of one, this will accidentally spawn the next wave as well.
-Attack scripts have been reworked to be more aggressive. Dooms will not stand around so much after reaching their objectives.
-Dooms have all been given long range cruise missiles. These missiles track, and can strike all surface units, even submerged. Can be stopped by TMD.
-Fatboy Dooms always seemed a bit weak compared to its peers. The Fatboy has been given a health boost and has the most lethal new cruise missile system.

Support Bases:
Bug where Bases would spawn HARMS on land has been corrected.

@Utopian
Thanks for the feedback! The 800 rating was a guesstimate, and from before I added Rifts and other changes that increased the challenge. Rifts add such a random difficulty, it is hard to even say how much more difficult it makes the mod.

I'd greatly appreciate suggestions on changing the defaults for new players. I tend to test play with players who almost exclusively play survival, so their ranks do not accurately reflect their ability.

I did watch a replay of yours to see how it went. Some things I noticed:
-10 km map. Smaller maps are generally harder, as waves reach players sooner. Also had fewer starting mexes than most maps we like to play for survival. What map people play has a huge impact on difficulty.
-It was 2 humans and 3 bots versus the HQ. The bots count as players and therefore increase the wave size calculation. While I use bots in testing, they make terrible survival allies. They don't build proper defenses or respond correctly to artillery and T4 units. And they build structures, like T3 artillery, that can trigger retaliation scripts.
-Being new players to the mod, you started building the special defensive units included in the mod a little too late. That and the AI allies actively obstructed you by taking up some of the best areas for PD and defensive buildings.
-I did balance the survival play while using other mods that make things easier. 50% AirCrash Damage, 50% AntiNukes, and 1.5x ACU Boost, which make a big difference in difficulty.

What aspects of the survival did you feel were the most difficult for players new to the mod?

Rama

Version 262:

Rifts:
-Rifts wave tech progression has been slowed about 10% and it's chances of spawning T4 units reduced by 20% compared to waves spawned by HQ.
-When rifts start spawning larger waves, a one second delay between each unit spawning should help units from piling up.
-Rifts should hit further from unpathable terrain, which should limit units getting stuck or having trouble pathing.

Satellites:
As satellites were becoming the default meta, a countermeasure has been introduced. Satellites will occasionally be killed by the countermeasure and will need to be re-deployed. Once the HQ is under 10% health, all Satellites will be destroyed, but this event will only occur once.
Note: If using the Blackops ACU mod, there is an option to build two satellites, one being the satellite for the UEF ACU. This satellite has no weapon, and if built, will cripple the Novax Center, preventing the building from being able to build anymore satellites.

Messages:
AI will now send messages to chat, making it easier for players to review. At start of game, players can check chat to see if Land/Air/Navy is on, when Air/Navy waves start, if Hold to Win is on, and if Nukes, Dooms, Airdrops, and Rift Orbs are on. Other chat messages throughout the match will provide additional useful information.

Default Settings:
Defaults settings have been adjusted to make the mod a little easier for new players who don't know how to customize the settings. Default settings for Endgame have been made a little harder.

Sera T4 Tac:
Passive tac launcher buffed to 200 range and 300DPS.

Rama

Shields:
Both player and HQ Guardian shields have been buffed. Small increases in shield strength, with large increases in shield regeneration rate, which has been set to 0.006 of shield strength.

Satellites:
Fixed bug in countermeasure for satellite spam. Satellites also only do 1/3rd damage against HQ's buildings. Countermeasures will randomly trigger once enough satellites are built and destroy satellites in the air. The Emergency Countermeasures, which only triggers once and will destroy all satellites, has been changed to be triggered when HQ is at 20% health. The plus side of adding a satellite countermeasure is I learned satellites were counting towards the antiair response script, and have corrected the oversight.

Artillery Retaliation:
Retaliation strength has been reduced a little versus T3 artillery and Novax Centers, meaning won't spawn as many counter artillery. Previous response was too punishing versus T3 artillery, when considering DPS and the changes to satellites make them less effective.

Rama

ACU Hunter Bots:
Reduced their torpedo damage by 20%. They have a habit of wiping out entire navies.

Added New T3 Heavy Cruisers to give naval players a few more options. These units also will appear in waves:
-Cybran T3 Heavy Cruiser: A good mix of weapons for submerged, surface, and air threats. Able to walk on land. Can beat the UEF Neptune T3 Cruiser at range, but will lose in close distance fights. Good Intel support.
-Seraphim T3 Missile Cruiser: Long-range tracking missiles effective at hitting moving targets and very good AA weapons. When toe-to-toe with an Aeon Torrent T3 Cruiser, both will eliminate one another. Good Intel support.