[spoilers] AI needs to manage provocation better

[jseah]

The Eruktah Refugees show up after I have essentially won the game and they turn up right in the middle of one of my systems (that I have a 5 billion pop planet, defensive bases and small starport no less).
I play along despite knowing what is going to happen since I want to see the proper storyline.

Less than half a year in, they tell me to remove my military from the system... There is no way to decline but clearly they have no means of forcing me to, so I don't.

A month later, we're at trade sanctions (did I mention there are no more colony sites left in the whole galaxy?) and they blockade my planet. The AI on my side uses the patrol on the planet to relieve the blockade (for some reason defensive bases don't want to shoot their fleet), my ships get chewed up, more ships are pulled in and eventually a battlefleet arrives and their entire fleet is space dust. (my capital ships are 1200 size and mount multiple Death Rays... and Carriers are 1800 size with 120 fighters each)


Clearly, if the Shakturi are going to be devious and play nice, they need to... actually play nice instead of poking the biggest guy around? I'm watching the standard AI wipe the floor with them...

[Gareth_Bryne]

jseah, thank you for your useful post. It has led me to an idea:

If the pirates in this game adapt to your light ship classes, why can't the AI players mimic to a point your own designs?
After all, that's what the ship scanner tech is for...

[jseah]

I am watching my empire reputation tank.

Why does attacking a blockade lower your reputation? A blockade is enforced by strength of arms, and relieving it (by force) ought to be fair game.
I parked a bunch of capital ships at the mining station they keep blockading and every time they blockade it, I shoot up their ships -> blockade has ended. And my reputation goes down...

Also, the fleet support ship I put there has a gravity well projector, why can I not use it to stop their blockading ships? Clearly blockading ships should count as hostile.

[Kayoz]

ORIGINAL: jseah

I am watching my empire reputation tank.

Why does attacking a blockade lower your reputation? A blockade is enforced by strength of arms, and relieving it (by force) ought to be fair game.
I parked a bunch of capital ships at the mining station they keep blockading and every time they blockade it, I shoot up their ships -> blockade has ended. And my reputation goes down...

Also, the fleet support ship I put there has a gravity well projector, why can I not use it to stop their blockading ships? Clearly blockading ships should count as hostile.

I think these questions belong in the tech support forum. The blockade mechanics have been the subject of many threads and never been sufficiently explained.

imo, blockade should be simply removed from the game. It's overpowered in many cases, where you can stop all trading at a major port by simply assigning your tiniest ship with a single laser to blockade it, and sending that ship with no fuel from the other side of the galaxy. The blockade cannot be broken till it arrives.

[Kayoz]

ORIGINAL: Gareth_Bryne

jseah, thank you for your useful post. It has led me to an idea:

If the pirates in this game adapt to your light ship classes, why can't the AI players mimic to a point your own designs?
After all, that's what the ship scanner tech is for...

I was under the impression that pirates copied ship designs from empire designs (you or computer controlled).

So, they're doing it already - aren't they?