Team Games

Dekazingy · Space Emperor Joined: Nov 16, 2006

In the stock version the only possible "teams" that can be created are all humans versus all AIs. Needless to say, that setup has its drawbacks, especially when you're the only human player around.

Is it possible to mod in team settings that mix and match human and AI players to create (theoretically) balanced teams?

The lockable team setting is (IMO) one of the best features of many strategy games, especially for single-player mode. It's hard to plan your empire when you have to be constantly looking over your shoulder in case your "allies" suddenly draw a bead on you.

I'm getting really tired of the SE4 AI's tendancy to randomly declare war for no reason. (It's not the Mega Evil Empire syndrome; my score's never that high.)

SuicideJunkie · Leaky Guru Joined: May 28, 2005 Location: Canada!

If they're declaring war, its not for no reason.

Are you colonizing in their space?
Are they staring jealously at a pile of juicy breathable (to them) planets you've colonized?
Got ships flying through their space all the time?

Sometimes it can even be enemy intel doing a communications mimic against you or them.

Dekazingy · Space Emperor Joined: Nov 16, 2006

None of the above - I recognize the intel-faked message ("We declare war!" is not in the dialogue files that I can find) and I generally keep to my own turf when I'm not at war.

The second one may be plausible, but it's impossible to predict, even with a constant eye on the border screen. The AI seems totally random in its colonizing wishes.

And I have yet to see any logical provocation behind any of the AI's moves - whoever designed the anger engine had no idea what they were doing. Jealousy over a few planets? That is one of the most flimsy excuses for all-out war I've ever seen. From what I can tell, the AI is designed with the sole intention of wiping every human player off the map first, then battling it out with itself.

Anyhoo, back to my original question - lockable teams. This could do much more than clear up some personal frustrations. Is it possible or not?

SuicideJunkie · Leaky Guru Joined: May 28, 2005 Location: Canada!

You can always break a treaty if you want to.

Of course, you could adjust the AI so that it dosen't get mad over these things, and will never get upset enough to break a treaty.

Or, you could play against humans, who would quite readily agree to fixed teams.

psimancer · Space Emperor Joined: Apr 12, 2006 Location: texas

i dont know sj i've always found the ai to be relativly predictable but humans thay can say one thing in treaty and in the next they intelligently co-opt your colonies and apologize for missing the fleet that was sent a while back when you were at war
or the treaty partner who has yer back for years and then eats half your empire in 1 turn

humans much more capable of intrigue than an ai
ai's come in 3 flavors
berzerks (they WILL attack you at any time )
neutral/xenophobes leave em alone they leave u alone and they colonize slow usually but once they decide to colonize a system you have to move out or war is guarenteed
friends/true neutral (rare bird ) they join in treaty and stay that way they dont do anything

these are personal observations as such use approiate papier du toilette for proper screen cleaning as needed Smile

SuicideJunkie · Leaky Guru Joined: May 28, 2005 Location: Canada!

But not if you organize it as a team game from the start.

Dekazingy · Space Emperor Joined: Nov 16, 2006

SuicideJunkie · Leaky Guru Joined: May 28, 2005 Location: Canada!

"when you're the only human player around."

Most of us don't have people locally to play with.
However, since you are on the 'net by virtue of posting here, it is not clear why you would be unable to play vs humans.
See: http://seiv.pbw.cc

Most of the discussion from my POV has been on how to make a team game...
Editing the AIs so they don't make or break treaties, for example (You'd have to control them just long enough to set the teams in the first place)

SuicideJunkie · Leaky Guru Joined: May 28, 2005 Location: Canada!

To directly answer; no there is no explicit built in way to force specific teams.
Some ways to get around it are discussed above.