AI Design Template Experimenting

[galagagalaxian]

So recently I decided to take a poke at the AI design templates. First here is what Fredrik said about them a while back:

The format is ShipType + aNumber for the time period (one digit 0-4) + X = Generic, can be beginning letter for specific nation + a number (one digit 0-7). The files should be in Data/Ides.



For example CA0X1 is an early generic CA.

DD2G0 Would be a later German DD.



You can add those that are not already used and experiment and see what happens. No gaurantees. Note that the ships in the templates should use roughly the tech that would be available at the time. The AI will adjust, but if the difference is too big it might not manage very well.



Do not change the templates with higher numbers than 7, as they are used in special cases.

Well, I decided to give this a go and created a new 1900-1905 German destroyer template based on the Large Seagoing Torpedo Boats they were using at the time. I named the template file DD0G0.tdf. I gave a few new games a start and noticed that while the AI was recognizing the new template, oddly enough it would only build the template as part of the "in-construction" fleet, not the already built legacy fleet (which continued to use the various generic destroyer templates). I created a French destroyer template and encountered the same problem, the template would not be used for pre-built ships, but would be used for ships under construction at the start of the game.



After a bit more experimenting I have no idea why it is doing this. At first I thought "well, maybe all legacy fleet ships are generic designs" but then I remembered that Austria almost always builds their little Mini-Bs based on B0A0 and B0A1. So really I have no idea. Has anyone else experimented with AI design templates?

I was thinking of taking a crack creating more nation-specific templates in certain areas (such as destroyers) because I was tired of seeing the same designs in every fleet.

[galagagalaxian]

I cloned my destroyer for each nation then removed the generic ones. The game just has no prebuilt destroyers and just lots under construction at the start.

Deleted all era-0 destoyer templates, copied in my German destroyer, made it a generic template, DD0X0. The AI uses it for all navies (since its the only destroyer template). Adding it as an additional generic template results in its use by various navies alongside existing templates

Meanwhile I've had no problems introducing a generic Battleship template to Japan. Something is weird with nation-specific Legacy-fleet destroyers.

[soload]

I try to create mod with historical shipsdesigns and have similar problems.

I created designs of historical ships (N3, Nelson, Nagato, Amagi, Furutaka, Hawkins, Emerald etc) and add this desgns to folder data/ides with name format BB4J0.tdf. AI use this designs for building BCs, CAs and CLs (except Great Britain), but don't use for building BBs. Furthermore, AI don't use all of generic BB designs, marked letter X. For example, in middle period of the game (near 1915 year) Germany and Austro-Hungary uses only design B3X3 (based on Gangut battleship), ignoring designs B3X1 (Kaiser) and B3X4 (Tegetthoff) and designs B3G0 and B3A0. Great Britain, USA and Russia uses designs B3X4 (Tegetthoff), B3X5 (Nevada) and B2X4 (Ioan Zlatoust?). France additionaly uses design B3X8 (Normandy?). I don't understand AI logic, when I renamed design B3X1 to B3X3, Germany and Austro-Hungary starts build Kaisers instead Ganguts.

Great Britain ignores designs with B letter and build only X designs.
I think, problem somewhere in game code.

[Fredrik W]

Oct 22, 2016 0:38:23 GMT -6 soload said:

I try to create mod with historical shipsdesigns and have similar problems.

I created designs of historical ships (N3, Nelson, Nagato, Amagi, Furutaka, Hawkins, Emerald etc) and add this desgns to folder data/ides with name format BB4J0.tdf. AI use this designs for building BCs, CAs and CLs (except Great Britain), but don't use for building BBs. Furthermore, AI don't use all of generic BB designs, marked letter X. For example, in middle period of the game (near 1915 year) Germany and Austro-Hungary uses only design B3X3 (based on Gangut battleship), ignoring designs B3X1 (Kaiser) and B3X4 (Tegetthoff) and designs B3G0 and B3A0. Great Britain, USA and Russia uses designs B3X4 (Tegetthoff), B3X5 (Nevada) and B2X4 (Ioan Zlatoust?). France additionaly uses design B3X8 (Normandy?). I don't understand AI logic, when I renamed design B3X1 to B3X3, Germany and Austro-Hungary starts build Kaisers instead Ganguts.

Great Britain ignores designs with B letter and build only X designs.
I think, problem somewhere in game code.

Yes, you are right, there seems to be a glitch so that that with some combinations of tech and year, nations will favour the Gangut template. Good catch! The game has been out for a year and this only popped up now! But it does take a certain combination of circumstances for it to show up.

[galagagalaxian]

Is the AI only using generic templates for the legacy fleet destroyers a glitch as well? Normally there are no nation specific DD templates, but if I add DD templates for nations, they ignore them for the legacy fleet.

[Fredrik W]

Oct 22, 2016 10:22:00 GMT -6 galagagalaxian said:

Is the AI only using generic templates for the legacy fleet destroyers a glitch as well? Normally there are no nation specific DD templates, but if I add DD templates for nations, they ignore them for the legacy fleet.

Not exactly a glitch. It was just never implemented for destroyers as it was not foreseen it would be used.

[galagagalaxian]

Ah I see. No big problem, they'll still use new templates after the legacy fleet, so its not that bad. I just thought I'd add in a template similar to the German "Large Sea Going Torpedo Boats" with their three centerline torpedo tubes (especially that signature tube ahead of the pilothouse).