So what we need is some way, of controlling the auto-attack function?

Well, yeah, some way to control the auto-attack function would be nice. For example it's not necessary for the whole fleet to chase one trade ship or scout, a few ships (scouts or lights preferably) are more than enough. The unit/fleet ai should be able to gauge how much firepower is needed to kill a target, or if the current ships has any chance of catching the target before it leave to another gravwell. Of course, when you throw in support ships and special abilities, the decision making can get quite complicated for an AI. While i want the AI the get smarter, we should give human players the tool to control our own fleets/units decision making parameters so they act according to our playing style (hey, i don't want the game to play itself ).

any other ideals or votes form any one else?

Unit AI 2 (should of been a 4 but like the posts above units dont behave like there class suggests stand off ships like to mix it up too much carriers stay back for the love of god)

Ps your never get a score of 5 if you do I'll send Sarah Connor after you


Fleets 3 (But I would love more depth to controling fleets more formations maybe a fleet bar that shows up on selecting fleet which displays skills that fleets can use lets face if hunting down that dam repair skill in a mass fleet fight can be abit tricky I know hotkeys is the answer but just not the same)

I have big problems with the ai in this game so far.

1. PC allies are really dumb, they will have huge fleets and let them sit there while you ping away for help.

2. Playing vs 1ai with pirates disabled and the bounty me? Dumb.

3. Targeting. The way shields work the absorb a % of damage, meaning that if you have everything firing at one ship, it blocks that much more. But, fighting with large fleets I've noticed that (say with 30+ ships vs 30+ ships) they will all mostly attack differnt targets, almost never destroying anything. Ships need to better group attack single ships so that they die in a reasonable time. I've seen fights go on and on when left alone, and as soon as I go and start selecting targets the enemies drop like a rock. When a ships shields go down, ships should switch targets to take advantage of this, instead of practicly fighting 1 on 1.

4. Artifacts. To the AI enemies, an artifact descovered is a big bullseye. Sending a large fleet to take the planet as soon as possible. (this is a good thing, makes sense) but, ally ai, once again dumb, doesn't seen to react the same way

5. Caps. If you make the mistake of leaving autocast on, well... don't. I understand that its just ai, but it should know when to use abilities and what to use them on. I've seen powerful attacks used on small close to dead ships, def. abilities used when they are clearly not needed. Sheild restore used on reg. ships, instead of saving for something important, and magnatize used when fighters were not close enough to be affected. It seems that autocast is well named, in that it will cast all abilities as soon as it gets the chance, using all antimatter up. Then as it restores, they will use the cheapsest ability as soon as it is available, needed or not.

Unit AI score: 2

Fleet AI score: 1

This is a great game, but the ai needs major improvment. As a cis student, I understand that programing ai must be a huge pain, I just hope its being worked on.

yes bohbohb, turning on stacking solves that problem. Is it me, or when you turn on stacking, the AI gets smarter? After I turned on stacking, the same hare v 1.04 AI from before, did things that it never did before. Like attacking the same planet, as the Pirates, after it won the bounty war against me.

Something that was done in Act of war: High Treason, is that they add a stacked repair abilitie button, that made it so, that it was easy to cast a repair power or unit, with out having to hot key that unit or building.

May be a fleet function like for the TEC an reapir button button, with a coumt, of the number of times, that this abilitie, can be used, thougth out the entire fleet. Then, we only have to hit one button and the ships that needs it. The AI finds the closes ship, and cast the abilitie.

For the Advent, you could make it turn all the shield on at once.

And for the Vasari you could coat them with reactive nanite armor just before the fight, as the abilitie can be casted, on undamaged ships.

i would like to see more formation options.
right now we get loose, standard, and tight. one thing i liked about armada II was the ability to choose the formation that best met the need.

so if i wanted a defensive formation it may be different from a bombardment formation.

idk probably not that big of a deal since i can just group the ships as i need them before issuing orders.