Some Errors in the AI Starbase Strategy

Fleets sitting NEXT to them, not ON them

from GalCiv2 Forums
4B 018 Beta AI is still having a few problems with starbase defense strategy. First of all, the AI seems to ignore the 1st two Starbase Fortification techs, which are _essential_ to defending your starbases. THe AI pumps up the starbase offense fairly well, but if the defense is still 0, it will be killed by a fleet in the first shot.

I think the AI should prioitize getting 15 defense up quickly for its milityary bases as well as its resources. (I usually put at least 15 or 30 defense - 4 constructors worth - on mine)

Secondly the AI needs to station fleets on its military bases. All that bonus to ships is a waste if you can kill the base first. Currently the AI is sitting a powerful fleet on its planet (Good) but sitting other fleets next to, but not on, military bases. I think the AI should prioritize defense of military bases with the same algorith it uses to defend planets.

Anyway, just wanted to bring this up - seems like it is just a small error somewhere that is making the AI not put a fleet on the base.

Magnifico
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Reply #2 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Change the .xml priority youself. I always thought that for anything up to midgame, it's strategy of heavy offence and beefing them up was good, and by endgame it doesn't matter what you put on it, a huge battleship will still destroy it with ease.
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Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Another point, if you attack a starbase with a fleet on the same square the starbase is attacked first. (Unless they changed it in one of the betas. I stopped putting fleets on the same square after I noticed this ages ago.)
Reply #4 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
hmm, didnt know that starbases were always attacked first.

as to post #3, Whatever the beta is doing now, it is not defending starbases well enough. All I can say is I find it easy to defend for the first 60% of the game with the first 2 starbase defense techs, but the AI seems to ignore this and let me blow up them while its fleet sits near by.

And yes, I am playing on Genius, so I think this must be an oversight. I cant imagine a Genius AI would let me take its starbases out with barely a fight.

Magnifico
Reply #5 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I think it attacks the more powerfull (ship/fleet/ or the starbase) Noticed this when I beefed up a starbase with a very primitive ship sitting there.
Reply #6 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I think there should be a specific order of what is attacked when there are several Fleets/Starbases/Freigters in the same spot.
When there is a fleet and a starbase on the same spot it only makes sense that the defending fleets tries to intercept the attacker before getting to the base. Secondly the fleet would lose all the benefits from the starbase (military) when it's gone.
Same with freighters. The fleet/ship should defend the cargo ship, of course.

When there are several fleets on one spot it could be either that the weeker ones are attacked first (imagining them as the scouting patrol ships of the armada with the main/strong battle group in the middle) or that the strong ones fight it out first - and even if you lose your weeker ships may now have a chance to finish the weekened enemy.
Guess thats a personal choice.
So... why not make it one?
Maybe it could be implemented that either the attacker or the defender could choose wich fleet or ship to attack first/defend with? At least when fleets/ships are involved. Regarding starbases/freighters it should always be fleets first.
Reply #7 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Well the AI takes hardly any action as it is to defend bases whatsoever, even if it means by blowing it up, all the rest of there ships will lose the 30% bonus to acttack and defense, making them easy pickings. It happened again lasty night as I was playing. My fleets were fairly equal with the Drengin, but they did nothing to stop me from blowing up their starbase (which had zero defense and no fleets near by) and resultingly all their fleets were instantly inferior and mopped up quickly.

Mag