Need recommended AI RetroFit setting

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Need recommended AI RetroFit setting - 9/13/2012 5:26:02 AM

twinkypillow

Posts: 184
Joined: 9/11/2012
Status: offline

Hi,

I am really digging into the Custom Designs. I need to know if these 2 things are possible and if so the settings to set to make it happen as right now things are going haywire!

1. I want to be able to have my small custom space port I built to automatically upgrade to the latest components and automatically retrofit to the latest Build of the same small custom port design..

2. I want the computer to stop auto retrofitting my custom small port to a Pre-IN game built Large space port (LSP-3 etc..) when I click "yes" to the Adviser asking me to "update all ships/bases to the latest designs"

** Now I know i should select "manual Retrofit" in the design screen.. but remember I want my custom small port to auto retrofit after the Ai updates the design.. (if it does) or else I press the "auto upgrade selected designs" in F8 design screen.. and then I want the AI to auto retrofit it to the next custom small space port (custom small mk2, mk3 etc..)

Hope this makes sense..

*Edit -

I also just was noticing the Private ships/bases in the (F8) design screen.. I notice that they are all on "Automatic Upgrade" which updates their builds.. thats fine.. but how often does it do that because im currently at 2763 and the builds are 2758-2759..??? thats some old builds right? Now when I press the "auto upgrade selected build" it updates it!! why isnt the computer doing that to my Private ships!?? I dont want to do that.. ((And yes i have everything checked that should be in the empire policy!)

Lastly Please clearly explain to me and everyone else that may look at this post to what "mark obsolete" is used for as opposed to just deleting or ????

**edit -- Ok, latest research I've done shows that if you go to the (F8) Design Screen and put your custom built base/ship on "automatic" in the "Upgrade" column, it appears to then check mark that in your Empire Policy Screen as well to make that design.. I just want my Custom Small space port to be there.. not the AI continuing to make its own small space port! (SSP-4) just showed up after I hit "automatic" in the "upgrade" column in (F8) Design Screen..

thanks!

thanks..

< Message edited by pumkinfacer22 -- 9/13/2012 6:32:34 AM >

Post #: 1

RE: Need recommended AI RetroFit setting - 9/13/2012 5:55:56 AM

boxleitnerb

Posts: 18
Joined: 9/7/2012
Status: offline

2. Mark the ingame prebuilt design as obsolete

As for 1., I think that happenes autmatically when you upgrade the design. Say you make a "Custom Spaceport" and upgrade it, it will say "Custom Spaceport MK2" and automatically be related to the original design for retrofitting.

But I'm not completely sure, I'm beginning to learn the game just now, too.

(in reply to twinkypillow)

Post #: 2

RE: Need recommended AI RetroFit setting - 9/13/2012 9:23:01 AM

Bingeling

Posts: 5186
Joined: 8/12/2010
Status: offline

1: Not possible. You either make your own designs, or let the AI do its things. It is possible to have your own design alongside the AI design, but the AI will always prefer the latest design (which will be the AI one in almost all cases) when it chooses its retrofit.

2: This does not sound like it is related to the "new tech" upgrades the AI ask for. Look for empire policy settings about upgrading ships and bases. The way to avoid LSP-3 is to turn off automated designs for large space ports, but you would have to update them yourself then. It could end with the AI upgrading it to your latest large space port instead.

If you want to control what things retrofit to, you must either retrofit manually (specify which design), or make sure there is only one non-obsolete design to choose from.

"Mark obsolete" sets the design as "not used". Nothing new will use it, but it may still exist ships on the old, now obsolete, designs. I would not delete designs that are not pure errors, and that are unused. The others are better left as obsolete.

You can't have both automatic and not automatic at the same time. You must choose between manual and automatic design for each ship class. The automatic design is the one made from scratch by the AI, not a modification of what you made.

(in reply to boxleitnerb)

Post #: 3

RE: Need recommended AI RetroFit setting - 9/14/2012 1:35:10 AM

twinkypillow

Posts: 184
Joined: 9/11/2012
Status: offline

Ok thanks for all the replies.,

I think ive got the auto upgrade/ Retrofit under control so far..

Lastly - anybody know how often or what triggers the AI prompts you to "retrofit" your ships/bases? (you know the adviser screen that pops up asking you "should we refit all ships/bases?" )

When does the AI upgrade designs set to "Automatically" upgrade in the design screen.[/b]. because I notice the Private sector ships designs can sometimes be a year old and If i press "auto upgrade" in design screen it upgrades it! so when does the AI do this? how often?

thanks

(in reply to Bingeling)

Post #: 4

RE: Need recommended AI RetroFit setting - 9/14/2012 2:25:44 AM

Pipewrench

Posts: 453
Joined: 1/5/2010
Status: offline

private sector

f6

cash on hand,

It cannot retrofit or build anything with negative cash on hand and will start retiring freighters and passenger routes that are not making money.
It also will resist building any new designs or retrofitting if the maintenance cost of the new designs pushes the cash flow into the negative.

solution
lower taxes
retire bases
create more efficient freighter designs
tech to save fuel, faster ships, more mining or more cargo capacity.
stop trading with other empires who are importing luxuries and diverting freighter traffic.
direct colonization policies toward developed areas and try and build mines as close and as fast a possible to a new colony.

The AI does handle this fairly well.

Balance your taxes so that the private sector has cash flow and cash on hand. The more cash on hand the faster retrofits and new freighters/passenger will be built. Overbuild or build too many poorly placed mines and you can break your private sector on hard levels.

< Message edited by pipewrench -- 9/14/2012 3:38:35 AM >

(in reply to twinkypillow)

Post #: 5

RE: Need recommended AI RetroFit setting - 9/14/2012 12:05:20 PM

twinkypillow

Posts: 184
Joined: 9/11/2012
Status: offline

Thanks for the reply. I actually havent put the difficulty up at all for all the games I've played so far but the Private sector in one of my games had massive amounts of money.. so that is definitely not a problem.. I guess the AI just randomly every so often after research breakthroughs etc.. asks to retrofit and make new designs...Thats all I can come up with.

(in reply to Pipewrench)

Post #: 6

RE: Need recommended AI RetroFit setting - 9/14/2012 12:39:14 PM

Pipewrench

Posts: 453
Joined: 1/5/2010
Status: offline

pumkinfacer22,

Your learning about the story and not having to micromanage too much and that is WAD on easier levels. This way you will not be overloaded with problems.

Only after you have the system down and are ready for a challenge put your home world on harsh conditions and expansion to starting. Then your economy will drive your expansion.
If you also limit your tech trading for cash with other empires you will have to rely on taxes for every build you make and pay maintenance fees on what you have.

(in reply to twinkypillow)

Post #: 7

RE: Need recommended AI RetroFit setting - 9/14/2012 12:41:39 PM

Bingeling

Posts: 5186
Joined: 8/12/2010
Status: offline

As far as I know, the AI designer is busy. I assume there are regular "rounds" where the AI checks for new tech, so new designs are not instant on new research available, but it will be done rather soon.

If there are no new components, there won't be new designs.

As for the private sector retrofitting, who knows? You can see the distribution of designs in use from design screen. Just make sure to display all designs, (also obsolete ones), and I would suggest to sort by subrole.

From my empire I can see that of course, all mine designs are in use, as they can't retrofit. For private ships, the oldest appears to be out of use, and that for the 4 versions of each, it appears that the large freighters are most eager to upgrade (or most eager to retire the old).

It would not surprise me if ships that are busier (more profitable) retrofit first. I would also not be surprised if large freighters are the most profitable. I have spotted freighters on a retire order when I have poked around the traffic around space ports.

(in reply to twinkypillow)

Post #: 8

RE: Need recommended AI RetroFit setting - 9/14/2012 10:08:14 PM

twinkypillow

Posts: 184
Joined: 9/11/2012
Status: offline

thanks for responses.

just want to clarify

1. What happens to ships/bases when set in the design screen the columns "Upgrade" is set "manual" and the Column "Retrofit" is set to "Automatic" .. ?

I assume this means designs will only upgrade when I press to upgrade them.. and ships after an upgraded design I did are supposed to "automatically" retrofit... but it appears they never do.. and am I supposed to wait for that adviser to ask to retrofit ships?? is that the only time ships/bases automatically retrofit?

(in reply to Bingeling)

Post #: 9

RE: Need recommended AI RetroFit setting - 9/14/2012 10:20:09 PM

Bingeling

Posts: 5186
Joined: 8/12/2010
Status: offline

"Upgrade" - will the AI take care of ship design or not?

"Retrofit" - Will it be caught by the "retrofit all ships and bases" event?

I guess that request (the player gets it) is the only time the ships retrofit. I don't believe automated ships retrofit by themselves, but I am not sure. That is state ships of course, the private sector does its own thing.

I don't believe changing a design prompts retrofit, it is rather a completed research that prompts redesign-retrofit by the AI (my guess).

(in reply to twinkypillow)

Post #: 10

RE: Need recommended AI RetroFit setting - 9/15/2012 4:38:27 PM

Sithuk

Posts: 431
Joined: 12/17/2010
Status: offline

Pumkin: I too would like to create a new design and then have the computer designer automatically upgrade the components on that design template as new research becomes available. Unfortunately I haven't found how. Setting automatic design for base types results in the AI designer ignoring my designs in favour of its own.

quote:

ORIGINAL: pumkinfacer22

Hi,

I am really digging into the Custom Designs. I need to know if these 2 things are possible and if so the settings to set to make it happen as right now things are going haywire!

1. I want to be able to have my small custom space port I built to automatically upgrade to the latest components and automatically retrofit to the latest Build of the same small custom port design..

2. I want the computer to stop auto retrofitting my custom small port to a Pre-IN game built Large space port (LSP-3 etc..) when I click "yes" to the Adviser asking me to "update all ships/bases to the latest designs"

** Now I know i should select "manual Retrofit" in the design screen.. but remember I want my custom small port to auto retrofit after the Ai updates the design.. (if it does) or else I press the "auto upgrade selected designs" in F8 design screen.. and then I want the AI to auto retrofit it to the next custom small space port (custom small mk2, mk3 etc..)

Hope this makes sense..

*Edit -

I also just was noticing the Private ships/bases in the (F8) design screen.. I notice that they are all on "Automatic Upgrade" which updates their builds.. thats fine.. but how often does it do that because im currently at 2763 and the builds are 2758-2759..??? thats some old builds right? Now when I press the "auto upgrade selected build" it updates it!! why isnt the computer doing that to my Private ships!?? I dont want to do that.. ((And yes i have everything checked that should be in the empire policy!)

Lastly Please clearly explain to me and everyone else that may look at this post to what "mark obsolete" is used for as opposed to just deleting or ????

**edit -- Ok, latest research I've done shows that if you go to the (F8) Design Screen and put your custom built base/ship on "automatic" in the "Upgrade" column, it appears to then check mark that in your Empire Policy Screen as well to make that design.. I just want my Custom Small space port to be there.. not the AI continuing to make its own small space port! (SSP-4) just showed up after I hit "automatic" in the "upgrade" column in (F8) Design Screen..

thanks!

thanks..

(in reply to twinkypillow)

Post #: 11

RE: Need recommended AI RetroFit setting - 9/15/2012 5:27:34 PM

Bingeling

Posts: 5186
Joined: 8/12/2010
Status: offline

There is no fully automatic solution, but upgrading is a one click operation on the fleet list with a bottom at the bottom.

The problem is that upgrading may change the required reactors, energy collectors, and other things, and also this will not add new items as they come available (targeting, countermeasures, damage control).

(in reply to Sithuk)

Post #: 12