Slitherine

quote:

ORIGINAL: Sithuk

I'm holding off a new game until the starport problem is patched too...

quote:

ORIGINAL: Bingeling

I have no clue if this is related to this beta, or if it is a long standing issue. My recent AAR with the AI controlling all but the armed forces, makes me think that the following factors help explain missing space ports.

1: The AI does not build when cash flow is negative. This is true for what appears to be all kind of construction, possibly spy recruitment, but it does not stop diplomatic gifts. When cash flow is positive, it builds silly amounts of stuff. As a human I can estimate the military forces needed, and the answer is not always "whatever I can afford". For the subject here, it is relevant that space ports appear to be on the list of things not built when the cash flow is red.

2: War and the following loss of trade hurts the cash flow. Often the AI is always in war.

3: If space ports are good for the economy, this is a circle that reinforces itself.

4: Cash flow is not a true value for economic balance, which makes it less imnportant. The bonus income is a more or less steady flow which can allow a human player (and probably AI too) to accumulate money while being in the red. Introducing some kind of budgeting for this income would improve matters at least a little, but probably not solve the problem.

5: A human player can make rules like "If I got more than 100k, I don't hesitate to build space ports". My AI sits at 1.6 million and don't spend a dime, it got no understanding of having cash on hand. Admittedly, if ships were bought to the extent that the wanted in periods of positive cash flow, there would not be 1.6 million, but it is hard to estimate how much less, the bonus income would still accumulate.

Early in the AAR before the AI found wars to fight, two small space ports were built. After the first war, when cash flow went positive, a medium space port were ordered. During wars, with cash flow slightly negative (but bank balance increasing), nothing at all is ordered.

A related issue is that the AI uses explorers as scouts in war time. This is really a good idea. But scouts die, and dead explorers won't be replaced, because war makes the cash balance negative. An issue with this apart from no more war scouting, is that this stops exploration, which is needed to discover both new strike targets and the colonies of those you want to trade with.

6: I assume not knowing where you free trade partner lives inhibits the trade somewhat. This helps make the cash flow negative. See: the dead explorer issue.

My AI state departments spam territory map swap requests, but not a lot have accepted them. I guess the Atuuk are eager to extend their trade network compared to others.

Btw, I go by my AI which is Atuuk, of which the manual says:

- Quite aggressive. This may explain the war mongering.
- Extremely reckless. This may explain the crazy eagerness to raid outposts.
- Extremely friendly. This may explain why they spam territory map swap requests and have them denied.

The first two are a recipe for war, which helps introduce "no space ports". The last may show that if all were as friendly, people would swap territory maps. It swaps a lot of map with humans which are "quite friendly", and have at one time in early game swapped with Kiadian which are "slightly friendly". My best friends are the Ketarov with which I have had free trade since early days as they are natural friends, but they have never accepted a territory map swap, and are "quite unfriendly".