Awakening of the Rebellion 2.5 AI, the dreaded AI

[NeoSigma]

I posted this over at EverythingEAW boards but since they just recovered from a massive server crash in which they lost most of the forum data I doubt this will get answered anytime soon there.

As much as I want to like AotR 2.50 Open Beta I can't get the AI to work at all, or it will only partially work. I'm using Win 7 (I don't have EAW in program files but rather a separate folder to avoid the administrator stuff) and I also have the 64-bit patch installed (both to the mod and base game as otherwise it will CTD on my computer when starting). Here are some of the things I've tried in attempts to make it work:

• Doing Nothing, starting up game after installing mod: The AI is mostly the same as vanilla, after the first or second week it will start attacking every planet with no or low garrison. It can perform good ground and space invasions when needed and builds military units. The big issue here is the AI hardly or never builds facilities on the planets after taking them, nor does it improve planets it had at game start. It will build structures on the ground eventually but I've never seen the AI build any space station past level 2. This means I could invade Kuat space, destroy their shipyards, and level 5 station then leave and the AI will never rebuild it past level 1, rarely it might rebuild to a level 2 station.
• Moving the AI folder out of the XML folder in the AotR Data: I get a "perception parsing error" when starting FOC, game and campaign load fine, however the AI is dead and does nothing.
• Doing the above and then deleting the FOC AI folder: Game starts normally as does campaign, but the AI only seems to move spies and heros around, around week 3 I usually my agents and heroes start getting neutralized and the comparison graph on the droid log shows that the other factions are spending money, on what I don't know since the army numbers barely change and the enemy planets near me have the same building slots as game start, I assume it's spending on spy actions? Other than that nothing.

This basically sums up the results I've been getting. Anyone that plays or has played this mod know what to do to make the AI work at its best?

[Senza]

Okay this solution is really weird and a little tedious but it worked for me back when I still played AOTR. First what I do is to create a clone of the XML folder, which I use both for my solution to the AI problems, and to have an older copy in case my frequent XML tinkering screws something up. Anyway, first what you want to do is empty the AI folder in the actual AOTR XML folder. Next, launch the game and get to the main menu. Now, tab out and start copy pasting the AI folders from the XML clone into the original XML folder, one at a time. Each time you do this, go back into the game and click "yes" when a screen pops up telling you changes have been made and asking if you want to reload. I've found if you try to put more than one folder in at a time, it doesn't like this and sometimes crashes or something. Continue doing this until the AI folder has all the proper subfolders in it, and the AI SHOULD hopefully work.

Edit: Oh, and you also have to redo this every time you want to play . In the base game XML folder all I have is the AI folder and GAMECONSTANTS. Inside the AI folder is the Perceptual Equations AI file from AOTR. Whether or not this is actually needed to run the AI in the mod I don't remember, but if doing without it doesn't work, then try it! This I never had to redo. This MIGHT mess up your other mods though so make sure you create a renamed copy of whatever your current XML folder is.

[Corey]

That must all be done while balancing a buckt on your head, standing on one leg and humming the original Pokemon theme song....

[Senza]

That must all be done while balancing a buckt on your head, standing on one leg and humming the original Pokemon theme song....

Pretty much. But hey, it works for me! Don't knock it :p

[NeoSigma]

Okay this solution is really weird and a little tedious but it worked for me back when I still played AOTR. First what I do is to create a clone of the XML folder, which I use both for my solution to the AI problems, and to have an older copy in case my frequent XML tinkering screws something up. Anyway, first what you want to do is empty the AI folder in the actual AOTR XML folder. Next, launch the game and get to the main menu. Now, tab out and start copy pasting the AI folders from the XML clone into the original XML folder, one at a time. Each time you do this, go back into the game and click "yes" when a screen pops up telling you changes have been made and asking if you want to reload. I've found if you try to put more than one folder in at a time, it doesn't like this and sometimes crashes or something. Continue doing this until the AI folder has all the proper subfolders in it, and the AI SHOULD hopefully work.

Edit: Oh, and you also have to redo this every time you want to play . In the base game XML folder all I have is the AI folder and GAMECONSTANTS. Inside the AI folder is the Perceptual Equations AI file from AOTR. Whether or not this is actually needed to run the AI in the mod I don't remember, but if doing without it doesn't work, then try it! This I never had to redo. This MIGHT mess up your other mods though so make sure you create a renamed copy of whatever your current XML folder is.

I'll do this for now, but is there any other way? I mean someone else out there had to have gotten this game to work....That or is there another mod that is similar to AotR that takes place during the same time period. Normally I'd just go over and bother the SMG on their forums (and I did a year ago) but apparently they abandoned updating AotR 2 (and support for it as well it seems) after 2.50 and skipped straight to AotR 3, essentially making a whole new mod, which went on Hiatus and is dead in the water the last time I looked. Maybe someone could fix the AI and release a fan patch? Really it's the only thing I can find wrong with 2.5, at this point all I want the AI to do is build buildings and fleets properly and actually attack.

Edit: I just noticed there was a EAW mod sub-board. Now I feel derpy...

[Senza]

I don't really know what to tell you, sorry. It worked fine without any annoying procedures on my old computer or something and then I ended up having to do this.

[Revanchist]

The easy solution is to let the bucket tip over and the water gets on your computer (probably a Windows) leading to the death of your computer. You get so upset that you buy a Mac, get Parallels and FoC for it, and resolve to only play TR, the best mod out there.

[NeoSigma]

If anyone could help me is there a way to move the new units and black sun playable faction from 2.50 to the 2.05 version? If anything I'll at least have most of the features from 2.50 plus an AI that works for the most part.

I was just going to give up and go DL Firefox's Alliance mod, but just my luck he removed downloads for the latest version for some reason.

[Corey]

Just remove the AI files from 2.5 and put 2.05's in and it should work.

[NeoSigma]

Ok, I've made a step in the right direction I think. Here is what I did:

This is using FoC 1.1 with the 64x patch.

-install AotR 2.05, then install the 2.05 patch afterwards as you normally would. Be sure to copy "GRAPHICDETAILS.xml" from your FoC XML folder (in the data folder) and overwrite the one in the AotR 2.05's XML folder.
-Next create a empty folder and install AotR 2.50 Open Beta to that.
-open the folder you have AotR 2.50 in and delete the data folder, then click mods, Aotr 2.05, then XML folder, find and delete the AI folder there.
-cut and paste the remaining files over your AotR 2.05 installed in the FoC mod folder.
-open the AotR 2.05 data folder and then go to the XML folder, cut the AI folder and paste it in the AotR data folder.

That's how I got the 2.05 AI to work with 2.50. Now can someone tell me which file I need to go to so I can enable the third faction/Black Sun Pirates?

I'll keep tinkering with this and see if I can add bits and pieces of the AI files from 2.50 and maybe single out what is causing the AI to go passive.
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Edit: So I've been digging around, one odd thing I noticed was the number of files that are in 2.50 that are actually older than files in 2.05, so I didn't overwrite the newer files with the older. Also I noticed that copying the files from the 2.50 XML folder (not the subfolders) seems to make the AI horribly passive, so it's one or a group of those files.

[Senza]

If anyone could help me is there a way to move the new units and black sun playable faction from 2.50 to the 2.05 version? If anything I'll at least have most of the features from 2.50 plus an AI that works for the most part.

I was just going to give up and go DL Firefox's Alliance mod, but just my luck he removed downloads for the latest version for some reason.

I would advise not getting Alliance, its very laggy and crashy from what I recall, and the space combat balance is all but nonexistent, it basically just requires you to use ships with power to weapons, which somehow instantly lower shields that ships otherwise cannot penetrate except with overwhelming numbers due to excessive shield regen rates. You can have huge battles with it but really thats the only thing I liked about it.

[NeoSigma]

I would advise not getting Alliance, its very laggy and crashy from what I recall, and the space combat balance is all but nonexistent, it basically just requires you to use ships with power to weapons, which somehow instantly lower shields that ships otherwise cannot penetrate except with overwhelming numbers due to excessive shield regen rates. You can have huge battles with it but really thats the only thing I liked about it.

That and the creator for it seems like he has a short temperament from what I've seen.

[Senza]

That and the creator for it seems like he has a short temperament from what I've seen.

And the hero units are enormously overpowered,  and the empire is like LOL I SPAM SUPERWEAPONS. And they created a fourth faction which isn't really new, its just the other factions mashed together without heroes.