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Starcraft Invasions: Artificial Intelligence

Page: Guide.StarcraftInvasionsPage3 - Last Modified : Sat, 28 Jul 12 - 4373 Visits

This section will explain how each of the AI orders (Attack, build, research) can be resolved. The orders are executed once for every occupied invasion path and once for each planet with troops. Not everything will be explained here, so look at the rules to get all the details of the AI script.

During a production action, each building produces a unit. By default, the basic unit is produced ( Marine, Zergling, Zealot). Zerg and Protoss production are slightly different, see below.
During the game, the AI will produce buildings, this will allow the AI to place more advanced units into play. The AI will place the highest unit from each building. So if you can build siege tanks, the Goliath and vultures will never be built unless all the siege tanks are in play.
The produced units are placed at the end of the invasion line of the active invasion path. So in the picture, there was 3 marines from the setup, the production of the 3 new units are placed at the end in building order.
Each invasion path has limit in the number of units that can wait in line. For Terran, no more than 6 units can wait in line. So a second production order would force Terran to select a new active invasion path randomly and place the units behind that path.
If you are playing with the expansion, some buildings can make 2 different units. In that case, you use the letter in the cornet of the card to know which unit is built. In the illustrated example, "A" will produce a fire bat, while "B" will produce a medic.
When the player invades, his units are placed on one of the territories randomly. If a player is present on the planet, the invader is not forced to attack the player.
When producing units on a base located on a planet, the units are placed on the base territory until full, then another territory is selected randomly to place the leftover troops.
Protoss only produce 2 units per action, the units produced are indicated by building names on the card. In the illustration, the top card says that building A and C are used, so a zealot and scout is placed into play. While the bottom card says that building A and B are used, so a zealot and reaver is produced.
On the other hand, zerg produces 4 units, 1 unit per building plus 1 zergling. Unit morphing explained below will discard that extra zergling.
If a unit than can be morphed (Hydralisk and Mutalisk) is waiting in line, the extra 4th unit zergling will not be placed, and the first morphable unit waiting in line will morph. When using the expansion, use the letter on the card to know if a mutalisk is morphing in guardian or devourer.
Here is the example, for archon fusion. Let say these are the units which are waiting in line.
If another high templar is placed in line, the first templar becomes an archon and the second templar is discarded.
If you have a dark archon waiting in line ...
Any production action will transform the archon in a dark archon unless there are other archons being formed this turn. Again, it's always the front unit that will change first.
When attacking a territory controlled by a player, the AI will send the maximum number of units it can send, which is the territory limit +2. Excess units will wait in line for the next attack. In case of retreats or defeat, units return to the invasion line in any order the player wants.
Here is a situation where an AI already have a base on a planet with a player and where units are waiting in line to invade. If an attack action occurs, the invaders will attack the player because the presence of a base on the planet force the AI to do so.
Then, all the troops on the invasion path will attack the player's base, and the AI base will send as many troops as they can until the unit limit is reached. The highest priced units will stay on the base. In case of defeat, units will retreat first on the base then on the invasion path.
Once an AI has landed on a planet, the next action done by the faction (what ever it's nature) will force it to place a base. Then attack and build actions will make it chose a territory randomly to attack or place troops. If the player has a base, then the AI must attack the player. If there are more than 1 territory to attack, the territory is chosen randomly.
There is no situation where the 2 AI can attack each others. Any action that will make an AI attack another AI is ignored. AI are allied to the death.
When a research action is done, the AI will upgrade one of it's building. Each faction has a research table, roll 2 dice and see the result. In the illustration, the AI rolled 9, which leads to an entry that says "if firebats are available" (which is currently the case), "then build a space port". So the top space port building is flipped which now makes wraiths available. Else, a barrack would have been built.
Technology research affect the whole factions. Troops waiting for invasion does nothing, but troops located on a planet will force deplete the resources. Each faction can force deplete 1 resources on each planet. If a faction controls more than 1 territory that is not depleted, the territory to deplete is selected randomly. Victory points can be force depleted, so if the AI takes the lead, eventually there will be no more resources or victory points to harvest and the player will lose.

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