AI 101. Introduction to AI
Hi, team.
AI is, in my opinion, what really makes this game fun. But, it takes some getting used to. Let’s start with the basics!
[NOTE: If you have basic understanding of how ai works and are looking for practical applications of it, please skip ahead to AI 102]
When you start the game, your system rooms will come with some pre-loaded ai commands. Engines will already know to ask for power, for example. These can be manually overridden, but basically you need to know that nothing works on its own without ai.
A system (targetable room) may be unable to complete its command (an engine might not receive power if there isn’t enough to supply), but trust that the commands are there. You just can’t access them yet.
Manually overriding the ai commands is what the controls are for at the bottom of your screen during a battle. By aiming the laser by hand at a room, you are telling the room to disregard its ai set and it will not revert back to any ai for the rest of the match. You can manually adjust power to the rooms as well (note that if you manual a room’s target it will only stop this particular room’s AI to run until the end of the battle, however, if you modify one room power, then it will disable ALL of your rooms powering commands).
Crews, on the other hand, do not come with any pre-loaded ai. Their stat bonus will apply to the room in which they’re standing, and they will perform the default actions inside this room (repair and defend), but they will not do anything more unless manually directed.
At level 4, you gain access to the Command Room. It’s in the ‘Defense’ folder in the shop, and it costs 150 minerals.
Once you buy this and place it on your ship, you’ll be able to access and edit the ai commands for system rooms and crew. Note the ‘capacity’ at each level as it directly correlates to how many lines of code you can have per room/crew.
Tutorial Girl will come back to say hi with a bit of confusing information, which you’ll probably skip right through. But, those lines of ai code are what have been powering and targeting your laser all along.
You’ll find that they are not efficient enough to win battles on their own and I recommend editing them… but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Time to move on to AI 102.
[One important note before you go, the CMD room must be on board in order to edit the ai of crew and rooms. However, you do NOT need to keep it on board for the ai to work.]