O-R-B AI: Tips Tricks Quirks and the Works

O-R-B's AI is a really unique AI and can flit between several predetermined settings in the middle of gameplay depending on the difficulty chosen. On Easy for example, O-R-B AI reverts to a passive “Roaming” AI where only that particular squadron is aware of it's surroundings, meaning no reinforcements will come to its aid. Conversely Very Hard's AI is so adept it actually has a mimick function and will copycat the player on certain moves based on success rate of the player.

Mimick AI
The Mimick AI only kicks in during the Skirmish matches when set to Very Hard difficulty. The AI is fully aware of every unit at any time, including units not detected by its own forces. This AI will team up with other AI on it's team, often merging the two team's fighters into a single formation to overwhelm the player. Some of the tactics that we have found the AI to mimick include but are not limited to the following:

-Manual Repositioning: The player can force their capital ships to engage at an angle that would be more advantageous than straight on engagements, such as a Malus carrier doing a one quarter turn to beam an enemy capital with four turrets. The AI will duplicate this if the player uses this tactic often.

-”Manual Fighter Override” The player can 'drive' their own fighters by using the keyboard shortcuts and high speed clicking, causing the selected fighter to bob and weave around blasters and beams, while engaging enemy craft. Using this, the player can take out multiple squadrons of Interceptor M's using a single Starchaser M without taking much damage. The computer will then copy this tactic and force all of its fighters to break formation, each fighter using those tactics.

-Bad Ass Alert: If the player has a vessel which has a certain number of kills going, regardless of the class, the moment enemy ships, even capitals, detect that specific vessel, they will flee. This is easily noticable if you have a destroyer or a Righteous and have wiped out droves of fighters and an enemy capital and survived. This will also cause Torpedo Probes to turn tail and run away.

-Big guns first: If the player is one of those types who stocks up on resources to crank out a carrier or Assault Carrier first, AND the player usually wins by doing so, the Computer will also mimick this tactic and send only scout ships your way as a distraction.

-Ram: The computer typically does not ram, but if the player uses capital ships to ram other ships to destroy the enemy ship's shields, the computer will typically respond in kind. Also, if the enemy ship is a gigantic vessel such as a Jul-Gatherer or an Aldar Battleship, they will ram your ships most of the time, though a Jul-Gatherer will actually wait for your shields to go down first.

-Kentucky windage: All torpedo probes are dumb fired, but the player can lead the targets, especially if they move in a straight line or orbit something, and with practice they can hit moving targets with unguided torpedoes. If the player is good at this tactic, the computer will also lead targets, but with much more accuracy.

-Full speed ahead: Players can get places very fast if there is an enemy ship detected somewhere else on the map be it from friendly sensors, teamates sensors, or a mining colony which stays detected, and they set the ship to ram that enemy ship. Ram Speed is about 150% of normal speed, and can make an Assault Carrier outrun an Interceptor. It will make a Righteous faster than a Justice, and makes Fencers faster than torpedo probes. The computer will mimick this tactic if the player uses it to chase fleeing ships, meaning you will never be able to shake that tail unless you are simply faster than your pursuers when you are both set to ram.

-Bait pile: this is actually not a mimick but an ambush tactic. If the player plays the part of pirate and disables and steals enemy ships often, the computer will send a baited squadron out with reinforcements shadowing the “bait,” often ending in confusing engagements.

-Carry a big stick: Normally the computer will not build Interceptor T's or Marksman AdvT's unless they have a huge resource stockpile, but if the player spams Torpedo loaded vessels, so will the computer.

Roaming AI
The roaming AI is the AI used on Easy, and is very simple to predict. It will build a ton of scout ships and send them at every place on the map. Once you are detected, it will send all scout ships to that position, and begin building up an offensive fleet. This means if you find it first, you will win every time. The Roaming AI does not mimick or learn.

Advanced AI
The campaign uses an Advanced AI, most noticable on Alyssian mission number 4, Path of the Gods. It turns out the AI was special built for that level and is part of the level itself. This AI can be duplicated, and is quite simple: The AI uses trigger fields around individual ships to determine the best course of action. Roaming and Full AI will attack on detection, but the Advanced AI will analyze the number of ships detected, strengths and weaknesses, and attack the strongest ships first. It will also patrol areas the player will need to go, and ambush the player if the AI can determine the most likely path of travel. The detection process is really interesting. The AI normally disregards unknown contacts, but the advanced AI uses a series of trigger fields to make it “think” and basically follows this pattern:

Unknown contact

Get number of enemy ships

Get class by cheating and checking the player's unit roster.

Get doctrine of enemy squad based on formation.

Check the player to see if they are observing that squad.

Get engagement log for success rate of friendly squad and enemy fighter classes

Crosscheck with engagement log for success when the player is commanding a squad

Do the math to work out likelyhood of wining the engagement.

If in favor, engage.

If not in favor, continue patrol and send reinforcements.

If defeat is certain and engagement imminent, flee to reinforcements.