To preface this, I have been playing this game for a month or so now. Predominately against AI opponents, typically 4 or more "unfair." My style of play, and how I enjoy the game the most, is to play long games with lots of colonizable planets. If a SINS game lasts less than 4 hours, it was too small. Additionally, I play the Advent the most- they fit my style of play best, with their strong capital ships.

The main issues I have with the AI, are the fights they choose to stay in (very few), their fleet make up (or lack there of), their strategy in fights, and their lack of aggression towards the end of a game. If you don't want to read my examples, scroll down to the bottom for a brief list of requests.

First of all, let me tell you about a fight I had against a computer- I played a game in a 20+ system 200+ planet map. At around 11 hours into the game, I had 3 fleets running around. Two offensive, one defensive. The two offensive fleets were large, about 1000 fleet supply each- but these are not terribly important. My defensive fleet is the one that matters now; it is a Radiance (Battleship, level 7), a Progenitor (Colony/Support,  level 7), and a Halycon (Carrier/Support, level 7), and 20 Heavy Cruisers. This totals 250 fleet supply. They are stationed in a choke point, a pirate base, there are 4 hanger defense platforms with them, totaling 4 fighter squadrons and 8 bomber squadrons. There are 2 repair platforms in system and 1 beam defense platform.

The computer attacks, a TEC fleet, I don't recall the exact makeup of their fleet so I can only go over the parts that I remember. It had roughly 2000~ fleetsupply committed to this fight. There are 4 capital ships, a level 9 Sova (Carrier), an Akkan (Colony), a Kol (Battleship), and a second Sova (Carrier). In supporting craft it had 80+ carrier frigates, 15~ heavy cruisers, a large number of Hoshikos, and I don't remember the rest of the fleet.

I'll skip the details of the fight, and simply say that my losses consisted of 2 hanger defense platforms, and 5-10 heavy cruisers. Its loses consisted of every one of his capital ships, and about 3/4ths of his fleet. This should not of happened. It out numbered me 8 to 1. I had minimal fighter/bomber defense. I should of lost. It astonishes me that the AI would lose this fight.

First, all of its fighter craft were attacking my hanger defenses, horrible strategic error. Second, its frigate carriers were staying with his capital ships and thus going into range of Malice, which begs the question- did it want them to die? The AI made a series of terrible choices and took an absolute win and lost in the single most one sided fleet-fleet fight I have seen to date. This was one of two attacks made against me in this game by an AI opponent.

Another example of curious AI choices, this game was a 2v2v2v2v2, unlocked teams all unfair. Myself teamed with an unfair AI. 5 system map, each team in a seperate system. I have relatively small fleets (500 fleet supply each), each consisting of 4 capital ships and 30 heavy cruisers. I use these small fleets to try to entice the computer into actually fighting with me, it doesn't work. Every time one of my fleets engages a computer fleet, the computer fleet runs.

At about 2:30 into the game, I attack my ally to take over the system for myself. I have 3 of my fleets in various systems of its, one of them its home system- shortly after the war breaks out between us he brings a large portion of its fleets back to defend its home system. Large enough that after I destroy a couple capital ships, I'm forced to retreat to save my own capital ships. Shortly after I retreat from its home system it quits the game. I don't understand, it just quit out. He still had planets, still had fleet, but it's out of the game. Why would it do this? Did it get frustrated and leave? If that's the case- well, that could be what a human would do. So well done, I guess. However, it seems a failing to have an AI opponent choose to leave the game.

Last example, this is brief and more an observation of AI-Advent fleets. It seems the AI tends to build a LOT of Shield Guardians per fleet. Not only does this make for a terrible fleet, it also creates an inordinate amount of lag when being attacked by a Malice.


So, my requests regarding the AI in this game.
-Don't retreat with it has superior numbers, and if it stays to fight stick it out for a while.
-Retreat damaged capital ships seperate from the fleet they are with.
-Improve target aquisition of AI and autofire.
-Don't build fleets made up of 3/4ths support craft.
-AI needs to keep up the offensive pressure unless they are forced to defend.

I hope these things get fixed in a patch, if not, the expansion. However, I for one will not be buying the expansion if at least some of this stuff is not addressed. I applaud the Ironclad team for making such a solid game, and I only give these comments with the hope that they can improve on what is already a stellar game.