Why is the player galactic enemy number 1?

from Sins Forums
I'll start by saying I don't have time to play Sins Online. I'm sure it's great but I already have one online game I play (Kohan) and that is more than I can actually spare the time for. I just can't afford the time to get good at another game and with my kids etc I certainly can't afford to play more than one hour of the same multiplayer game.

That out of the way, I'm going to complain about the AI. Not that it sucks - although there are certainly areas that it could be smarter. No, my complaint is that I like playing 6+ way free for alls. Unteamed. But I don't know why I bother. Because sure enough, once we get a bit into the game it is time for every AI player to come dump 20 planet bombing ships plus a few capital ships onto my planets.

Ouch I think. Maybe the AIs are pounding each other too and they are just managing to recover from it. So after struggling on for an hour I stop the game and look at the damage taken to planets. Mmmm. The damage my planets have taken is easily 4 times the total damage all players have taken together. And in fact it looks like most of the planet damage the AI has taken is to AIs which I HAVE ATTACKED! As in, are they attacking each others planets at all?

Why? Why offer the player the ability to put the AI into teams if they are all just going to instantly team and only attack the player anyway?

Yes, I know I can complete quests to try to get some of them off my back. Are they all completing multitudes of quests for each other? Is that why they all ally against me? I think not.

Yes, I know I can use pirates to keep them off balance. But on an open 6 player map that is only going to help against one of them... when literally ALL 5 OF THE AI have their main fleets camped at different planets of mine... well, something is very wrong.

It wasn't even like I had the best planets for Pete's sake - no artifacts and the only Terrain was my homeworld, several other AI were luckier in their initial planets and had multiple Terrain planets.
27,292 views 8 replies
Reply #1 from Sins Forums Top
You do need to do quests to get the AIs to like you. Whether they offer quests to each other, I don't know (that'd be a dev question).

If you want to force the game to be a free for all with no alliances -- truly every man for himself -- simply lock teams with everyone on their own team. In any arrangement, if you don't explciitly set teams to locked, players are free to make and break alliances after the game begins.
Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top
Strange - usually my FFA (unlocked) games are a bit easy because the AIs are always murdering each other. Perhaps you were unlucky? Or did you have a much smaller fleet than anyone else? I'm not sure, but it seems that the AIs like to hit side who are weaker than them, which makes sense, really - the problem being that they all tend to slam the same person. Try not to be the weakest.

Also "encourage" wars. Use the pirates to hit the stronger in an AI on AI fight, or send the weaker some resources. Make sure you complete missions for at least some of the AIs very early game - the first ones are usually very easy resource requests, and if the AI has a trade agreement with you (automatically accepted after one mission success) they will tend to attack someone else early on - and that gets those two sides hating each other right from the start, which will last quite a while even if you stop doing missions completely.

...but if you are fighting a common enemy, check the required missins. They're just looking for proof that you're actually helping them and not just sitting back getting ready to stab them in the back. See if any missions being offered are ones you'd like to do anyway, and just make the extra effort to finish them on time.

If you're not doing any missions (ie not seriously attempting to ally), and have a small force, it seems that humans would mob you, too. Easy kill.
Ashes of the Singularity II
Reply #3 from Sins Forums Top
Kryo: I didn't consider the locked teams option - I usually miss it because it is on the first screen where you select the map not the one where you actually assign the players to teams (something for the next patch maybe?). That could be the answer, assuming that the AI in the game in question would have happily hit each other if they weren't allowed to ally.

Smelly: I don't believe I had the weakest fleet, in fact probably one of the strongest as I am pretty sure I could handle any of them one on one. However my fleet was stacked with more capital ships and less frigates than the AI uses (because their survivability is better against the AI and once they level they are worth the 50 pop usage) which may mean that I was ranked lower (depending on how it does it's ranking).
Reply #4 from Sins Forums Top
Players tend to focus on just one enemy at a time unless forced otherwise, a computer fights everyone it encounters unless it has a previous agreement, thus the chances of a computer achieving another computer's 'quest' is higher. So the longer the game goes on, the happier the computer(s) are with each other...

Especially since humans tend to blow off how important Diplomacy/relations are and focus on teching, building up their planets/empire... Diplomacy is equally important in unlocked games.
Reply #5 from Sins Forums Top
I have had the same problem with 4 to 6 AI players. After 3 or 4 hours into the game, I find myself trying to defend myself from 2 to 3 players at once in a few systems. They I spend my money trying to rebuild and trying not to be the person the Pirates go after. On a few occasions, when the pirates were suppose to go after someone else, they actually came and attacked my system. talk about fustration.

My problem is also that I've not worked on any diplamacy at all. I'm like, Damn,
i need these resources, I don't want to be giving about a 1000 credits to my neighbor who is just going to back stab me anyways down the line. I realize I need
to work on doing missions and not just work on planet and ship development.

It's just so friggen pissed off when you get outnumbered 3 to 1 in a system.
Reply #6 from Sins Forums Top
I've seen fleets from one ai empire build up in a planet world of another ai with it's own gathering fleet, when they were neutral to each other, so they could both jump me at the same time. This has been witnessed many times.
Reply #7 from Sins Forums Top
Hey guys, I understand some of the concerns here, I get extremely frustrated with the mission idea also, not only because they use my resources to fight against me, but because the game puts you on the spot as being obligated to serve (i.e. supply the need of) empires you know nothing about. Why must I give what's mine at the command of one I have no fear of challenging in combat.
Please, don't get me wrong. This game is wonderful (even if I don't know how to reach the far out systems, or is that just for show) but forgive me guys: I'm not given up jack at the request (or demand) of an empire I have no diplomatic relation with! So in my case: everything in the galaxy would hate me and ally against me, and thus would end my illustrious dream!

1) I think there should be some form of deplomacy between the empires, and if they need resourses, let them ask, and if we choose, we give it to them.
2) I think we should be able to intercept incoming enemy fleets anywhere along the phase line. We should be able to force them (or they force us) out of the phase - into a fight in deep space, long before the planet is reached
3) I thing there should be clear and clean cut military communication and information on everything. Not "WHAT DO I DO NOW?"

Oh Snap! I'm sorry guys - I just running my lips.

In closing - there should also be borders, and Ships in a fleet should be able to randomly targe any ship in the enemy's fleet, and not all ships targeting one ship. No enemy ship or fleet should be able to simply appear lightyears behind your secured lines of defense. I've been wacked by the ai a few times like that.

I've also noticed that this game is like a cross between (or say mixture) of homeworld and sword of the stars, but both those games together could never be what this game would be, if there were serious strategy and tactics involved in ship placement, vital planetary systems and lactions that generate importance of control. This is game, in truth, has unbelieveable potential If there were planetary systems (i.e. planets that circle every star), Huge deposits of resources found in asteroid field with rocks ten time the largest ship.

OH-OH, you guys here me dreaming!!! Let me shut up. Well, any way, I feel you!




Reply #8 from Sins Forums Top
"2) I think we should be able to intercept incoming enemy fleets anywhere along the phase line. We should be able to force them (or they force us) out of the phase - into a fight in deep space, long before the planet is reached"

No. No no no no no no no. NO.

If we start in deep space, the size of the place will elminate the need for tacticle decisions, and ruin the game. NO.