XAI for Candelarius' Grand Unit Addon

[RandomAttack]

I, for one, have been checking your main thread almost daily waiting for an "updated" CAI to be posted. I realize you've been focused on the BAI, but I see the updated description of the CAI and I just want it!

[wu05]

This is great, I was looking for an AI mod that worked with GUAM. I don't really like playing the big mods like SS because of slowness and instability.

Does this XAI mod give the AI the ability to build the new units added in GUAM?

[xeryx]

I am going to do a refit to the mod, has Guaom been updated since this first release of the first XAI? I will have to look at that, if so. Gonna need more people to sign up though.

We have re-focused initial XAI 3.2 release for Darth Ages. This is so we focus better on one project. Then we have PDER which is almost done.

[xeryx]

Not sure on that one. do you want to explain the versions and such.

Be aware, that I will probably need permission to update this version to current standards. it may also take a bit, because of course I will need to install and test. That is unless Queens Anne revenge has already done it?

It will also be posted in the XAI forums, so that we can better support the mod better.

[Tyre]

Thanks Xeryx. Count me among those who are eagerly awaiting a new XAI retrofit release.

[Garnier]

Where is the latest actually released version of XAI for retrofit? Of course I'll get the next update when its released, but for now I'd like to use whatever was last released..

[an_do_89]

Yes it would be good a Xai for GUAM+Retrofit , the other mods just move too slow, you have other feeling when the game goes faster from turn to turn from battle to battle , the action is constant .

[xeryx]

Just checking on this, in the mean time, we have released the first official version of the new XAI. Please check our forums.

I totally understand wanting some fast pace, sometimes we just don't have the time in our busy lives to get into long campaigns.

[RandomAttack]

I've been "hacking around" with the PDER new release, and can get it to work in GUAOM without crashing, but I'm sure there are some serious balancing decisions to be made.

Only a few turns into a just-for-giggles test campaign so obviously no conclusions. Only thing that stands out is a totally inactive Scotland. Just seems to sit with a stack on border with Inverness, no matter what. I'm not complaining! I know it needs to be specificallly adjusted. I have noticed a pretty good use of forts though!

I really just wanted to see if I could get the files working/activated without crashing. Woo Hoo! That's something in itself (for me)! I'm probably not knowledgeable enough to mess with the balancing with any hope for success given all the various file interactions, although I'm game to test any suggested changes.

One of the things I noticed was that most all of the factions were set to "balanced smith" in descr_strat-- which is quite different from the previous one.

I eagerly await a more "tailored" version.

EDIT: Again, caveat that XAI is pretty much stock out of the box.
- Mongols were very passive-- spent about 10 turns just aimlessly wandering the desert. Then they made a beeline straight for Antioch and attacked Egypt! Great!
- Problem with crusades? The original one declared about 40 turns ago is still on. Only participant appears to be a permanent Polish remnant stuck in the water beside Jerusalem.
- Around turn 80 there are several "major"/well-developed powers. England (me), Poland, Russia, Byz, Egypt, Sicily. Everyone else that hasn't been eliminated is fairly small/weak.

[xeryx]

Hey Random Attack, yes most mods use the Balanced smith for theirs. With the XAI working properly we get better results with the different building parameters.

Good job on doing your conversion, as you are seeing, it isn't so simple to get all karmatic values aligned. You may have missed a couple of things as well.

There will be more info on this by Christmas.

[RandomAttack]

Xeryx,
All-in-all it was a good campaign. Me as England, H/H, won in 120 turns (my personal version of GUAO with modified win conditions, small AI cash script, a few other pretty minor modifications). Some of the "noticeable" impacts of the CAI in this one instance were:
- Increased, intelligent, use of forts.
- Game evolved into about 5 significantly large powers, with just a few smallish ones. This was fun as typically the Human becomes large, but most everyone else stays small with hardly anyone eliminated-- thus no real competition. A couple of "large" powers (12 or more provinces) on your border will give you pause...

BAI: I'll admit I haven't used it much before, and didn't have many large battles. The handful of open-field battles I did have were an improvement over what I usually see. In particular, in a couple of battles against the Poles they REALLY used their Polish Nobles & Szekley (sp?) well-- came at me in several waves, fire, retreat & regroup, repeat-- until my 5 longbow units shot them to pieces. But those javelins inflicted a LOT of hurt on my infantry. Only then, with my ammo running low, did the heavy infantry (sitting out of attack range) finally charge in. I won, but it was MUCH harder than I'm used to. With a LOT more casualties. Oh, BTW, they had 2 stacks and consolidated their infantry (while pestering me with their cav) before attacking. Yikes!

The only "negative event" was the stuck crusade that lasted 60 turns(!!) prior to the Pope calling it off. 120 years for a single crusade essentially killed crusades in this campaign. Not sure if it had anything to do with XAI, but if so needs to be addressed.

Considering this was "3.2 out of the box", with only the changes needed to get it to work but no specific balancing for Retrofit GUAO, I was really impressed! Thanks for your efforts on this and I can only imagine what it will be like when tweaked specifically for this mod.

[xeryx]

Thank you, for you report Random Attack. I will definitely look into the crusade issue, as it has been mentioned before.

So is a 120 turn game normal?? That seems a bit short to me? Is that just to meet you objectives.

[RandomAttack]

I'd say 120 turns is pretty average for my setup. Just to meet my (modified) objectives. Mostly just reduces the number of provinces needed to 35. Usually if I hit that number I'm unstoppable anyway and it just gets tedious after that. But my version also streamlines the building times, etc., so everyone "techs up" fairly quickly.

[Neptulon]

Hello I tested XAI and I really liked it.

would like to give soem suggestions for XAI retrofit. I hate when factions are destroyed, It maked the game moore like "empty" to me. And its almost never as I see them re-emerge. Maybe you could do somehting about it, like increasing chances of re-emergion.

Also, I think AL should be easier to "make-a-vassal". Sometimes its just uggly when youve taken everything beside their last city, and are knocking at their gate wiht your godlike armies. Still they refuse over and over again.

Still great work, keep it up +rep

Oh it would be godlike if you could make the AL crusade by sea.

[xeryx]

Hello I tested XAI and I really liked it.

would like to give soem suggestions for XAI retrofit. I hate when factions are destroyed, It maked the game moore like "empty" to me. And its almost never as I see them re-emerge. Maybe you could do somehting about it, like increasing chances of re-emergion.

Also, I think AL should be easier to "make-a-vassal". Sometimes its just uggly when youve taken everything beside their last city, and are knocking at their gate wiht your godlike armies. Still they refuse over and over again.

Still great work, keep it up +rep

Oh it would be godlike if you could make the AL crusade by sea.

Thanks for the rep!
Yes, it would be awesome! if I could get them to prefer sea crusades!! it might work if all land bridges are removed. I am not sure on that though.

Vassal will probably be a change in diplomacy, so you say they always refuse? If when you do the diplomacy and take note of all the relations and the reputation, that would really help me out!! Have they ever asked for one? Any testing help on this would help out a ton! I just do not have the time to test. Too many improvements we have been working on.

The vassal would be the best way to fix that empty feeling I think. we need large factions to challenge the human player. Having at least 3 of them really makes it tougher for the human, vs many medium sized factions. Do not worry, we are working on many more ways to improve the CAI and BAI. So all the reporting you can do only helps us. Please report the majority of things in the XAI forums, because I do check them at least every other day.

[Bond]

love the mod..noticed something strange though

in a byzantine game that i was playing defensively(only captured a few settlements and bunkered down) France randomly put a port under siege(Durazzo i think..the greek settlement on the western shoreline)

i don't recall exactly who i was at war with/allied to though a good guess would be: Allied to Hungary, At war with the Turks, Venice. i'm pretty sure France was not allied to Venice(though sicily landed a few units outside the settlement, but they didn't do anything - they were allied to hungary as well)

a crusade was called a few turns before hand, but they didn't have a crusading army walking through my lands :hmmm:

i got a cease fire, but with that ship still out there they blockaded it again..once i sunk it and got a cease fire we never went to war again

[xeryx]

Bond, is that the old der XAI or a freshly converted one based on 3.2? The old one had many problems with Blockades. That is now fixed, the only time you will see blockades is when you are in poor relations and worse with a nation. Their allies will also blockade your ports if they have some free ships. We are working on a new XAI for Retrofit and GUAOM. Not sure, when it will be out yet we have many "irons in the fire" right now, plus working on an even better BAI.

[Bond]

Bond, is that the old der XAI or a freshly converted one based on 3.2? The old one had many problems with Blockades. That is now fixed, the only time you will see blockades is when you are in poor relations and worse with a nation. Their allies will also blockade your ports if they have some free ships. We are working on a new XAI for Retrofit and GUAOM. Not sure, when it will be out yet we have many "irons in the fire" right now, plus working on an even better BAI.

the one that is on the first page of this thread

[xeryx]

There is a new version of XBAI out, you can just over write your existing files. Also if you want the better campaign AI file, just get the XAI PDER one, it's the desc_campaign_ai_db.xml file and copy it in there. It should work fine, until we get out an "official" release. It will make the campaign AI much better, but it will not be complete until we get all the files done.

[kuo0426]

There is a new version of XBAI out, you can just over write your existing files. Also if you want the better campaign AI file, just get the XAI PDER one, it's the desc_campaign_ai_db.xml file and copy it in there. It should work fine, until we get out an "official" release. It will make the campaign AI much better, but it will not be complete until we get all the files done.

Hi Sir,The new version of XAI(include BAI and CAI?) is 3.2 right?

It seems designed for PDER mod?
If I only want to improve retrofit mod's campaign AI,which files should I take?

If I only want to improve retrofit mod's Battle AI,which files should I take?


Thankyou sir,I'm looking forward to your new XAI designs for retrofit mod