Skirmish AI

[Tiptoes]

So my buddies and I tend to play skirmishes against the AI from time to time, basically treating it like a co-op game (this is how I originally hooked most of them into DoW in the first place).

Now, it's been a long time since I played vanilla, but it seems like Elite changes AI behavior. Does anyone know for sure? I didn't find it in any change logs or notes I could find, so I thought maybe not. But then again, Elite's a balance mod so I thought it might not be listed, even if the AI were tweaked.

Either way, my reason for asking is I'm curious if anyone has experience with how hard it would be (for the mod, or even just for myself) to change what squads / abilities the AI will use. I really just want to remove Spore Mines from the tyranid AI because in the endgame the AI ultimately winds up with a giant blob of spore mines chilling at HQ. At which point it's failed to provide any of the fun or challenge from squashing 'nids.

I know Elite's a balance mod first, so apologies if this is off in left field, but I play Elite (even in skirmish against the AI), and I figure this is the largest active group / resource around DoW2 these days. Thanks!

[Wise Windu]

I've never tried to edit the AI myself, but if you want to try, the files are in the Elite\elitemod\Data\simulation\ai folder

It has been in changelogs, but only as a line saying something like "updated AI behavior"

[Tiptoes]

Thanks Windu, digging around in there now.

Looks like Spore Mines are already limited to 0, but maybe the AI makes them from the global ability. =/

[Swift]

The biggest indirect change is that you now must manually target power nodes, meaning the AI often clusters around power nodes and throws grenades at them to damage them. Easiest way to beat the AI is cap every point and node it.

[Tiptoes]

Yeah, unfortunately playing against the AI sometimes mean specifically not doing the things you know it can't account for.

We never node the AI's natural power. And we don't use SUTs much because the AI can see everything and just avoids them completely. It becomes a weird form of indirect area denial.

[Jes]

It doesn't help that the AI's unit value tables are all over the place, with some units being vastly more worth than they really are (devils, ork tanks) and some obvious choices being listed as nearly worthless. (guo, most non-ork tanks)
Several GK squads are missing from that table as well, essentially preventing the AI from ever making them.
Oh, and kankrusha's essential upgrades makes SM tank its econ by constantly having tacs swap between plasma and missile launcher.

Most of this is a result of AI work being low on the ELITE priority list due in large part to it being incapable of bashing gens on a viable level, and as such only being worked on when the team has spare time to do so. There ARE fixes for most of this, as well as a LOT of work that could go into finetuning values and ability weights, but again...

[Adeptus Noobus]

Two questions on this topic:

1. Is it possible to make the AI actually try to bash power again?
2. If one were to change the SGA file containing the AI features, would this in any way impede me playing online?

Btw. if I remember correctly it was somebody called KanKrusha who changed the AI: viewtopic.php?t=611

[KanKrusha]

No, the AI can't be made to bash power. AI attacks by moving to a spot and then letting auto targeting take over. As nodes are not auto targetable the AI can't shoot or melee them. The code to fix this is hidden in the game and not accessible to modders

If you Change the SGA file you will get de-sync errors on line