Changes in Impossible mode?

Discussion on how to play against other humans.
Madwand
Posts:1
Joined:Sun Jun 28, 2009 6:18 pm
Changes in Impossible mode?

Postby Madwand » Sun Jun 28, 2009 6:27 pm

I've bee practicing VDC lately against the computer in impossible mode, and I've noticed a few things I'd like to confirm:

The computer gets to cheat, big time. It can produce BB's like crazy, sending waves against me, who can still afford to only produce cruisers even when using a production race.
It seems to be able to build starbases, battlestations, BB's, and other defenses extremely quickly - as in, "immediately", even on blockaded planets and even when that planet is the only one left to the empire. This can make a fully-defended planet a very difficult nut to crack.
Beam weapon damage, at least, seems to be vastly decreased for my ships, and/or increased for enemy AI ships. I noticed this when the enemy captured my BB once, and destroyed 5 of my own BB's - of the same model - using the captured one. Damage was an order of magnitude difference.
Enemy AI's also seem to be able to research vastly more effectively than I can. Despite owning more than half the galaxy and researching at an incredible pace, computer AI's with only 1 or 2 systems to their name are still researching faster than me and often have superior technology. This becomes most visible in the "info" screen.

Can anyone confirm these differences? Are there any others I've missed, and does anyone know exactly what the cheats are? (For example, are missiles affected by this cheating, as well as beam weapons?) Are there any differences between 1.4 "impossible" and VDC?

Thanks!

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Superchad
Posts:15
Joined:Wed Feb 15, 2006 6:03 am

Re: Changes in Impossible mode?

Postby Superchad » Tue Jun 30, 2009 12:04 am

I've bee practicing VDC lately against the computer in impossible mode, and I've noticed a few things I'd like to confirm:

The computer gets to cheat, big time. It can produce BB's like crazy, sending waves against me, who can still afford to only produce cruisers even when using a production race.
It seems to be able to build starbases, battlestations, BB's, and other defenses extremely quickly - as in, "immediately", even on blockaded planets and even when that planet is the only one left to the empire. This can make a fully-defended planet a very difficult nut to crack.
Beam weapon damage, at least, seems to be vastly decreased for my ships, and/or increased for enemy AI ships. I noticed this when the enemy captured my BB once, and destroyed 5 of my own BB's - of the same model - using the captured one. Damage was an order of magnitude difference.
Enemy AI's also seem to be able to research vastly more effectively than I can. Despite owning more than half the galaxy and researching at an incredible pace, computer AI's with only 1 or 2 systems to their name are still researching faster than me and often have superior technology. This becomes most visible in the "info" screen.

Can anyone confirm these differences? Are there any others I've missed, and does anyone know exactly what the cheats are? (For example, are missiles affected by this cheating, as well as beam weapons?) Are there any differences between 1.4 "impossible" and VDC?

Thanks!
As far as I can tell, this isn't much to do with VDC. AI has always been able to cheat on impossible, now they just have their tech tree limited to more useful stuff.
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Wingy
Posts:2
Joined:Sun Apr 25, 2010 9:19 am
Location:The Netherlands

Postby Wingy » Sun May 02, 2010 8:48 am

I play same mod on impossible too and yes the AI cheats, it has to cheat to be competitive with us!

The AI is pretty stupid sometimes so that has to be compensated by raw research or production power.

You give examples of how the last blockaded homeworld of an enemy can produce so many ships or planet defenses in a few turns.

This happens in original moo2 aswell, think the calculations are different because those blockaded planets do seem to scrap buildings like mad.

The AI seems to be able to build with that money even while blockaded.

In VDC all those bases/ships are way harder to destroy which gives the "cheating" a bigger impact.

It's the first orion mod I play so will prolly check out others and see if they are more fair but still difficult.

Goodluck in your games

Alexfrog
Posts:23
Joined:Thu Jun 10, 2010 10:05 pm

Postby Alexfrog » Mon Dec 27, 2010 7:57 pm

The AI has always 'cheated' on impossible, it gets big bonuses.

VDC improves the AI races by making them choose much better race picks, and the tech tree is different causing them to always choose the really critical techs like Automated Factories, so it does make the AI harder.

MadViper
Posts:46
Joined:Wed Jan 28, 2009 11:40 am

Postby MadViper » Thu Aug 04, 2011 1:34 am

The AI Cheats at impossible mode, because it plays fare more stupid than good players. The KI Cheats are quite simple:

- AI ignores blockaded status of systems, for example it can buy Starbases and other stuff there.
- AI roughly doubles production, income and researching values (gets about +100% bonus to production, income and Science)
- AI gets no ship combat bonus, the more damage you saw done by the invaded ship had one or more of these reasons:

A) better crew (elite crew <-> recruit crew)
B) Attack bonus racepics at the KI race or defense malus racepics at your race.
C) Defense Bonus racepics at the KI race and/or attack malus racepics at your race.

Differences in the attack/defense Values greatly changes the Damage done and taken by beam weapons. It changes the damage taken by missles as well, but in a far less amount.

If you want to use beam weapons, make sure to research for good targeting computers like cybertronic or moleculartronic computer and always build in battle scanners.

If your enemy uses beam weapons, reduce his damage done by researching better engines and build your ships with augmented engines + intertial stabilizer or augmented engines + intertial nullifier. This may reduce greatly the damage taken by beam weapons.

Never underestimate attack/defense malus/bonus at racepics, these boni/mali can greatly increase or decrease the strength of beam weapons using fleets.


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