MAKE THE AI PLAY MORE AGGRESSIVE IN TOTAL ANNIHILATION
You're probably here because you've been able to beat the computer in HARD mode and you're wishing it could play even harder. You'll certainly find a tougher AI to use here. Feel free to try the ones that best match your playing style. And be sure to try your hand at creating an AI profile of your own. But first...
A LITTLE HISTORY
The Cavedog AI that came with the original Total Annihilation game CD was programmed to send its Commander across an entire map to build its resource units. This often lead to the Commander strolling into enemy territory and getting itself killed, ending the game early for most players. This was later fixed using patches downloaded from Cavedog's web site. New units were being released from Cavedog as well which often weren't included in the AI's latest profile. So the Cavedog AI was in a constant disarray which made it behave more and more defensively because of the operating role of the new units.
These days, Cavedog's AI is now up to version 3.1. This latest version tells the computer's Commander to build factories which then build construction units which then go after resources while the Commander stays at the base and patrols a little. The Commander assists more in building base units. And the AI's goal is to build up a defensive base and become a passive attacker. Maybe the TA designers felt it was better for the AI to build really cool stuff rather than to rush and attack its enemies as human players always do?
There are some fighting patterns to be found in the AI's attacks. It fights with only a few units at a time. It hardly ever swarms or surrounds an enemy base. Building base defenses seems to be its priority, rather than attacking, until it can no longer build attack units when it reaches its unit limit.
It prefers to build Moho Metal Makers (which use 625 energy units to operate) rather than expand its territory and build Metal Extractors over metal deposits (which use only 3 energy units to operate). This causes a great drain in the Cavedog AI's energy supply when there are ten or more of these units operating. The Cavedog AI likes to build too many Targeting Facilities too soon (which use 1300 energy units each to operate). The energy drain caused by these units prevents the Moho Metal Makers from coming online, which in turn brings metal production to a crawl. The Cavedog AI tries to compensate for this by building plenty of Fusion Reactors to power the Moho Metal Makers and Targeting Facilities. However, it often chooses to build plenty of Vulcans while all this is going on as well (which guaranties a shortage of metal and causes severe nano-stalling).
Another problem with the Cavedog AI is that if it is left unattacked, it will eventually have a heavily defended base built up and will no longer produce mobile attack units. It will just sit there all day and wait for you to attack it. Some players like this kind of war, while others do not.
Many gamers want a better computer AI to play against. One that makes the enemy play more aggressive as well as logically. An AI that can withstand brutal attacks and rebuild its base quickly. But what name would be given to this AI?
THE METAL GROUND AI
METAL GROUND is a non-cheating AI that uses ground and air units for its attacks. It is designed to combat on worlds possessing lots of metal. The METAL GROUND AI is both a "base builder" and a "base buster". Its tactic is to expand and attack.
METAL GROUND tends to build Advanced Construction Plants early (around the 00:12:00 mark) so it can get its Morties and Mavericks out sooner. The AI is optimized to perform in a 1000 metal, 1000 energy environment. It will build Geothermal Plants if there are steam vents available. It won't give up easily when heavily attacked. Instead, it will re-build its Resource Collectors before trying to build Big Berthas and Krogoths which it can't support. It will begin building Big Berthas and Fusion Reactors around the 00:25:00 mark. And it will collect enough resources to allow the building of (optional) Nuclear Silo units that have been modified by Switeck to allow it to launch nukes at opponents around the 00:35:00 - 00:40:00 mark.
To be a danger to others, the METAL GROUND AI should be used on maps with lots of metal that are traversable by ground units. A maximum limit of 500 units will allow the METAL GROUND AI to use even more of its attack force (the 3.1 patch's limit of 250 units will restrict it from becoming a tough enough computer player).
Its design is optimized for building units from Cavedog. It will build primarily mobile ground attack units (including hover) and stationary heavy weapons. Later in the game (if not bothered by any players), it will attack with swarms of air units. It will not build much in the way of sea units, but will collect resources from water and sewage. It will also make use of steam and exhaust vents. The Arm side will build units a little faster than the Core side (but Core units have more armor on average), and will get Big Berthas up and running fairly quickly.
METAL GROUND has been tested on a variety of metal maps as well as ground maps that have a lot of metal deposits, rocks, and urban buildings to reclaim. The AI will rush easily if used on flat terrains. Try to use maps with bridges (i.e. CORE BOOT CAMP V) if you don't want to get attacked right away by the computer.
METAL GROUND AND OTHER AI'S FROM SHONNER FOR YOU TO DOWNLOAD
Metal Ground AI (Updated 06/29/2008) -- For ground/air rushing on worlds with lots of metal.
Metal Urban AI (Updated 06/29/2008) -- For ground/air rushing in urban cities with lots of metal.
Newbie AI (Updated 06/29/2008) -- This AI can be used as a replacement DEFAULT AI if you like. It's an all-purpose AI that fights like a newbie. But don't let the name fool you. It still fights better than most AI's on any map. The Newbie AI is a great AI to practice against or use as an ally. And it doesn't need as much metal as the METAL GROUND AI does. It also works great with TABugfix 1.6 installed.
Defense Mechanism AI (Updated 06/29/2008) -- A purely defensive AI for maps with lots of room and metal to build a huge base. This AI is for players that like to build huge bases of their own and don't want to be rushed by the enemy. It is also for players that enjoy attacking heavily defended enemy bases once they get their own bases built up. The Defense Mechanism AI includes the optional Nuclear Silo units to give you some extra concern.
Air Raid AI (Updated 06/29/2008) -- An AI that attacks with only aircraft. In fact, it only builds aircraft. This is an experimental AI that requires a metal map with lots of room to build its aircraft plants. It's an AI for players that enjoy building lots of anti-aircraft units to shoot down bombers and stealth fighters and don't want to worry about ground units rushing them. The Air Raid AI will launch nukes at you and requires 20 minutes to build up its airforce as well as defend its base to some extent.
The AI's picked to fight the METAL GROUND AI were chosen based on one of two things. Some AI's were chosen to battle METAL GROUND because METAL GROUND destroyed them previously on their home world (the map that the losing AI came from) and it would be interesting to see if they fought better on a metal battlefield with no obstacles. And some AI's were chosen because their designers said that their AI's were really tough on land maps. So a metal map would make them even tougher against the METAL GROUND AI, right? One would hope so. And there were some surprising results.
AI's that came from water worlds or that required Windmills to get their energy (Core Prime Metal Skirmish V has no wind) or that included custom units to play were disqualified.
All the AI's battled using HARD mode (to allow for a 100% level of resource collection) with their starting resources set to 1000 metal and 1000 energy. Each game was set to end when an AI Commander died. The AI Commander on each computer was allied with the player Commander (who stayed out of the way during battle) also running on that computer. Nuclear Silos were allowed in the game. This was done to prevent stalemates and bring each game to an end. It also showed which AI's were able to produce enough metal and energy required to fire off a nuke.
THE RESULTS:
SLOWHANDD AI: It's primarily a slow-building, defensive, non-rushing AI. It attacked METAL GROUND'S stronger units with Peewees, Jeffys, and Fleas. Most games ended with SLOWHANDD defeated around the 00:10:00 mark. But in one game, at the 00:30:00 mark, SLOWHANDD had built many Penetrators without Fusion Reactors to power them. Just as SLOWHANDD achieved fusion and had power for its Penetrators and Big Berthas at the 00:45:00 mark, METAL GROUND began his air attack. SLOWHANDD lost his two Fusion Reactors, which brought his Big Berthas off-line. And soon his Commander was lost as well. Game over. This AI is good to play against if you don't want to be attacked early by the computer and you like to build huge defense bases that you can fire Berthas and Nukes from. If left alone, SLOWHANDD takes over an hour to get a good number of Berthas and at least one Nuclear Silo built. The AI wastes a lot of time trying to build its many Targeting Facilities when it could be building other things.
DEFENSIVE AI: As its name suggests, the DEFENSIVE AI does a lot more defending than attacking. It did a great job of getting its Penetrators online in order to cut through the METAL GROUND offensive. But it defended mostly with Level 1 units and short ranged cannons. DEFENSIVE chose to build Mines everywhere which clogged traffic throughout its base. An expanding base always wins in Total Annihilation. METAL GROUND expanded to the point where it had reached its 500-unit limit and could no longer build anything. Since DEFENSIVE was never going to attack METAL GROUND'S base, and METAL GROUND'S ground army was blocked from getting any closer by huge amounts of debris, METAL GROUND would have to make use of its airforce and Nuclear Silos it had built up because his Berthas were just not close enough to do the final blow.
MCNTERRA AI: This is one of the toughest non-cheating AI's METAL GROUND has ever faced. A lot of AI's are programmed to build Vulcans. But the MCNTERRA AI was the only one that could successfully build them without losing its base to METAL GROUND. The battles resulted in draws, with neither AI able to take out the other. Both sides were able to get Berthas up quickly and both were able to defend against air strikes. The MCNTERRA AI is staying on my hard drive.
NEVER AGAIN AI: This AI can't decide whether to attack or defend, thus it has difficulty removing passive AI's (such as itself) or defending against any attacks. Nothing it does is ever full-scale. It likes to build Aircraft Plants first and makes an attempt at using Bombers for its strikes. In its first game with METAL GROUND, NEVER AGAIN picked off METAL GROUND'S Commander with a group of PeeWees while METAL GROUND was still building Resource Collectors. No other AI had done this before (PeeWees?!). The next five games had METAL GROUND on the offensive and surrounding NEVER AGAIN'S base each time. NEVER AGAIN also likes to build Hovercraft units soon in a game which allowed METAL GROUND to march through with units made much quicker. The NEVER AGAIN AI does not build Level 1 Vehicle Plants and does not build a whole lot of KBots to make a strong attack with. It does waste a lot of time building Nuclear Silos and Stunners that it can't even use in gameplay. It builds lots of Moho Metal Makers without bothering to get Fusion Reactors online to power them for the longest time. It tries to build Vulcans before getting any Big Berthas established first. METAL GROUND pretty much crushed the NEVER AGAIN Commander around the 00:18:00 mark in each conflict.
MOSTLY HARMLESS AI: This AI is a rusher for sure. It attacked around the 00:05:00 mark with hordes of Samsons which kept METAL GROUND on defensive alert during most games. MOSTLY HARMLESS had the nack for getting its Samson units stuck in traffic jams while approaching METAL GROUND'S base. MOSTLY HARMLESS took longer to get its Big Berthas and Level 2 units built. This worked as an advantage for METAL GROUND most of the time. METAL GROUND'S many Mavericks worked well in close combat to slow down any invading hordes.
MOSTLY HARMLESS had difficulty though in getting enough power routed to its Big Berthas. MOSTLY HARMLESS is one of those AI's that's really easy to slow down by destroying its Fusion Reactors (it doesn't build many of them). This usually put a halt to any Bertha fire it tried doing. Meanwhile, METAL GROUND was firing all its Berthas at the same time (it looked like Vulcans were doing the firing). MOSTLY HARMLESS loved building Defender forests. METAL GROUND'S nukes targeted many of them during each battle (Argh! Wasted another nuke!). Though this AI didn't have much as far as built-in redundancies to keep destroyed resources from impairing it too quickly, MOSTLY HARMLESS was great at churning out Level 1 ground units with what resources it did have. This AI should be a keeper on your hard drive for when you feel like a rush coming.
INSANE AI: Quitch gave a rave review of the INSANE AI when used on the Comet Catcher map. Since METAL GROUND was a good performer on Comet Catcher, it was pitted against INSANE on that barren moon. METAL GROUND won each time at around the 00:15:00 mark whenever it decided to go vehicle first. Its Flashers took out INSANE'S Metal Extractors and Solar Collectors without any interference. Then they'd go after the enemy Commander.
METAL GROUND and INSANE then fought it out on Core Prime Metal Skirmish V. INSANE'S primary attack unit was the Rocko, Samson, and Thunder. That basically was it. At the 00:16:00 mark, INSANE had a better handle on metal and had a horde of Rockos and Samsons approaching METAL GROUND'S base. METAL GROUND'S mixed bunch of units were easily able to make wreckage out of the horde and (by the 00:25:00 mark) made their way to the other corner of the map and continued killing new Rockos and Samsons coming out of INSANE'S base.
INSANE continued to attack primarily with Rockos, Samsons, and Thunders (along with a few Shooters and Mavericks) throughout the game. INSANE didn't build Guardians or Flakkers. Its main defense unit was the Defender. Its base was populated by forests of those things which did a great job of shooting down METAL GROUND'S air-strikes. INSANE built a couple Annihilators that held back METAL GROUND'S forces until the 00:50:00 mark. But METAL GROUND pushed on while eating any units sent its way as well. At the 00:54:00 mark, INSANE decided to start building a Bertha. But METAL GROUND already had five built by this time. Three of them were within firing range. At the 00:58:00 mark, three of METAL GROUND'S Nuclear Silos began their attacks.
The best INSANE could accomplish during the game was bringing down every one of METAL GROUND'S air assaults with its forest of Defenders. INSANE'S mistake was in its attacking with pretty much only Rockos and Samsons (Level 1 units) for most of the game. The INSANE AI started out good as an offensive AI. But then degraded into a defensive (almost passive) AI once its max-unit limit was reached. Its Samsons got blocked by all the Defenders throughout its base, so they became stationary defense units as well.
INSANE is an unfinished AI. Since it had no end game strategy, allowing the INSANE AI access to more metal only seemed to delay the inevitable. During the end game, when Level 2 units are primarily built by the METAL GROUND AI, INSANE was still sending out Rockos which never had a chance against METAL GROUND'S invading Level 2 army. Maybe that's why it's called the INSANE AI?
FLASHER AI: This AI is the ultimate rusher from Poostick. METAL GROUND tore it up in the first round because of a limit FLASHER had with building Solar Collectors. After a fix was made, FLASHER was able to send hordes of Flash Tanks at METAL GROUND to cause no end of trouble. Eventually, the Flash Tanks had trouble moving around their own destroyed units which gave METAL GROUND time to build some Mavericks to do some Flash clean up. This was the best way METAL GROUND could protect his base from further Flash invasion. FLASHER built up a huge spread of Defenders that none of METAL GROUND'S aircraft could fly over without vanishing. After an hour of fighting, METAL GROUND and FLASHER were at a stalemate with neither gaining any ground. NOTE: The FLASHER AI does not build Nuclear Silos because it does not build any Advanced Construction units. Poostick has since added cheating units to version two of this AI. Visit his site for the latest update.
QUELLER AI: This AI is a massive Level 1 rusher. Lots of Flashes, lots of Samsons, and lots of Rockos were built early by QUELLER. METAL GROUND decided to build two Geothermal Plants early in the first game. From then on, it was an uphill struggle for METAL GROUND as a crowd of QUELLER'S Level 1 units grew larger and larger at the edge of his base. So large, in fact, that a good 90% of QUELLER'S units were just milling around because they were too far from the battle. Which was a good thing because it allowed METAL GROUND to pick them off easily with some Guardians until he could get his Berthas online. Lucky for METAL GROUND, QUELLER preferred to build more Level 1 units instead of something it could really use to bash METAL GROUND'S base with. Things were looking good for METAL GROUND as his Berthas came online and started their riot control.
At the 00:39:15 mark however, QUELLER fired off the first nuke in the game. METAL GROUND was then lead down the rosey path as each Bertha got nuked every few minutes after that. By the time METAL GROUND was finished building his first Nuclear Silo, it was too little too late. Three QUELLER nukes were already on their way. In the second game, QUELLER decided to go Geothermal early while METAL GROUND went with Kbots and Vehicles first. Sure enough, QUELLER'S base was introduced to METAL GROUND'S approaching units. However, these were Level 2 units that were knocking at QUELLER'S door. As QUELLER'S Level 1 entourage defended against the assault, METAL GROUND was busy getting Berthas and Nuclear Silos online. At the 00:41:37 mark, METAL GROUND was the first to fire nukes. QUELLER'S lack of variety when it came to building attack units made for a rather dull game. Less use of unit repetition could make this metal AI a more interesting one.
DEATHVALLEY AI: A slow base-builder that was very quick to attack with Peewees, Samsons, and Fleas up to the 00:50:00 mark. From then on, it was focused on building Level 3 structures and defenses. It wasted time though building units it couldn't use, such as the Scarab. The Scarab is not the greatest unit for the computer player to build because it takes forever to build and it blows up real good when shot at with Berthas (plus, it doesn't shoot Anti-Nukes).
The DEATHVALLEY AI took an hour before it became really aggressive (using Level 2 units that ended up clogged in Level 1 traffic). By the time DEATHVALLEY had one Bertha up, METAL GROUND had three up. DEATHVALLEY had no problem building Nuclear Silos. But it did have trouble storing any metal or energy so it could fire off a nuke. It rarely built Guardians, which are a great defense against the METAL GROUND AI. DEATHVALLEY resorted to building three or more Fusion Reactors at the same time on the perimeter of its base which METAL GROUND'S airforce and Level 2 armies had no problem taking care of. Games were over quickly once METAL GROUND started launching its nukes.
In the next three games, METAL GROUND decided to build Aircraft Plants first which always resulted in METAL GROUND getting killed off by DEATHVALLEY'S march of Fleas. In the next game, the METAL GROUND AI decided not to build any Fusion Reactors for some reason. Fighting with only a handfull of Guardians never wins a battle, as DEATHVALLEY punched holes in METAL GROUND'S base with Bertha fire. In another game, METAL GROUND didn't waste time parking his Commander in his Kbot Lab's driveway like he did last time. METAL GROUND started firing Berthas and Nukes. Game over at the 01:29:32 mark. It was a long game because METAL GROUND kept building his Nuclear Silos too close to DEATHVALLEY'S Bertha fire. DEATHVALLEY would have won for sure if it could get just one of its many idle Nuclear Silos to fire during play. Consider the DEATHVALLEY AI to be a non-nuking AI. DEATHVALLEY should stay on your hard drive because in every game it did a great job of getting an early rush on.
GROUNDZERO AI: GROUNDZERO is a defensive ground AI that performed well on CORE Prime Metal Skirmish V. Its quick building of Guardians, Fusion Plants, and Big Berthas kept METAL GROUND at a distance for most of each game. METAL GROUND'S ground units were getting killed off as soon as they stepped near GROUNDZERO'S base. METAL GROUND'S expanding base was rarely ever attacked by mobile units as GROUNDZERO played defensively using the porc strategy. What few mobile units it did build got chewed up by METAL GROUND'S horde.
One Nuke from METAL GROUND would drain GROUNDZERO'S metal income because it built its base too tightly compact. This made it tough for building more of the bigger guns it needed to fight off METAL GROUND. GROUNDZERO managed to get a Nuclear Silo built. But it couldn't muster the energy or metal needed to fire off a Nuke. GROUNDZERO was very impressive during each game on how it fought using only ground units. It did a great job of keeping METAL GROUND at bay without building any air units. The designer, Phil Ruetz, states that his Core profile fights an even tougher battle. Be sure to give it a try.
BLOCKBRAIN AI: This AI was included with a metal map of the same name. The many blocks and lack of bridges on the map prevented the BLOCKBRAIN AI from performing at its best. Both a great early attacker and defender, this AI managed to get a Brawler airborne before the 00:10:00 mark. It did a great job of putting up a forest of Defenders while also sending out a steady stream of Level 1 ground units. The thing most interesting about BLOCKBRAIN was that it was unable to take out itself. It played SIM BATTLE when fighting against itself. Like it needed the other alive in order for it to survive. This showed that BLOCKBRAIN was only as aggressive as it was defensive (it's amazing what one or two Flakkers can do against groups of 40+ Brawlers for hours on end).
The efficiency of this AI was very impressive. Just one Kbot, Vehicle, and Advanced Aircraft Plant were fueled by a handfull of Metal Extractors and Solar Collectors to create good-sized clusters of attack forces to mess with METAL GROUND. BLOCKBRAIN didn't build much in the way of Berthas or Nuclear Silos. It kept to what seemed to work best for it, which was to continue rapidly building Level 1 attack units and Level 2 air support. METAL GROUND'S armies were faced with punching through wave after wave of Level 1 assaults and constant flanking from Brawlers and Hawks. Phalanxes had their work cut out for them. But METAL GROUND soon grew tired and let loose with Bertha fire and a few Nukes. BLOCKBRAIN was no more. But a pretty good AI it was. This one is a keeper. NOTE: the BLOCKBRAIN AI does not build Level 2 Vehicles or Big Berthas because of the map design that it came from. It uses an eagle strategy more often than not, even if it does appear to be coming at you from the ground. This AI assumes you'll be attacking it from the air.
FREESPACE AI: Like METAL GROUND, this AI was easy to kill if it built Aircraft Plants first. Otherwise, the FREESPACE AI had no problem getting a good defense up early and maintaining strong attacks throughout the game. It was quick at getting Big Berthas online and had plenty of time to build an overkill amount of Nuclear Silos. I was very impressed by this AI. I thought it was a bit odd that it built Floating Metal Makers on metal maps and that it wasted time building Anti-Nuke units it couldn't make use of. Still, a pretty good AI for those who like building up their bases first before starting their attacks.
DEMON AI: This was another AI that had trouble deciding if it was going to attack or defend. The CAVEDOG AI was much better at doing both than this one. The DEMON AI was probably the worst AI profile I had ever seen. Once DEMON had enough resources to begin its attack, it started building units that it couldn't use. Scarabs and Stunners are not how battles get won as far as AI's are concerned. This AI couldn't even build a proper base if it ever thought of playing SIM BASE.
LIQUIDMETAL AI: Probably the most aggressive non-cheating swarmer AI ever devised. This spartan AI used primarily Level 1 units such as the Rocko/Samson combo to rush METAL GROUND'S base in each game. In each match, METAL GROUND was busy softening up the enemy's traffic jam just outside its base with its Guardians and Level 2 units until it could get its Berthas online around the 00:25:00 mark. In the meantime, LIQUIDMETAL was busy building Berthas and Annihilators in case METAL GROUND got any closer. When Nuclear Silos were not used, METAL GROUND'S Berthas and Level 2 ground and air units made short work of LIQUIDMETAL'S Level 1 units and base. A big problem though were LIQUIDMETAL'S Annihilators cutting through METAL GROUND'S approaching forces, though.
The LIQUIDMETAL AI is probably the only AI that could successfully build and protect its Annihilators during these tests. In each battle, while METAL GROUND was overbuilding and overexpanding to maintain the peace, LIQUIDMETAL built only what it needed to survive. It didn't waste its resources. It didn't even build any Bulldogs. One mistake that it did often make was in the way that it built its bases. Very densely would be a mild description. Explosive chain reactions were common whenever something in its base blew, leaving huge empty spaces where Fusion Reactors and Vehicle Plants once were.
When Nuclear Silos were used, LIQUIDMETAL got several of them built and launched at the 00:25:00 mark, ending METAL GROUND'S existence. This AI will make you think you're playing against a cheating AI. It's that good. It works great on both default land maps and metal maps. I can't wait to try it some more. NOTE: Version 2.4 includes modified units. But you don't have to install them to experience this AI.
EXPLOSIVES AI: Still in review. Basically, it's an early Rocko/Samson rusher followed by Fido/Goliath/Merl combos. It tries to defend its base with Berthas instead of Guardians. And it prefers Flakkers over Defenders.
TON AI: Think "Luger Rush". Think "Build lots of factories, but don't use them". Think "Build lots of Berthas while under the protection of just one Defender".
To be fair though, the TON AI requires lots (and perhaps tons) of 3rd-party units to do its battles.
DESIGNER'S NOTES
You may have noticed while playing against the METAL GROUND AI that it does everything in a big way. It builds large bases, large groups of mobile attack forces, large groups of stationary weapons, large groups of factories, large groups of... you get the idea. That is why the AI is meant to be played in HARD mode only, so that it can collect 100% of its resources instead of just 75% or 50% if played in MEDIUM or EASY mode.
The goal in designing this AI was to (1) make an AI just for Cavedog's units that didn't require installing any custom units and (2) was able to beat other non-cheating AI's and (3) was aggressive enough to beat humans. A lot of non-cheating AI's available from the Internet are mainly defensive base builders that aren't very aggressive. What was needed was an AI fierce enough to cause quite a bit of damage to AI's and humans alike.
Needing an AI that would continually attack bases, and that could re-build its base quickly after being nuked, the METAL GROUND AI was created. The METAL GROUND AI is strong enough to be counted on when allied with in battle. It embodies, as well as brings to the battlefield, the true warring spirit of Total Annihilation.
The METAL GROUND AI does not defend its base until after it has built up a huge attack force. It can be rushed easily before the 00:10:00 mark. Its focus is to build up resources so it won't nano-stall later. The sooner it gets metal, the sooner it attacks. It does a good job of tearing apart enemies on medium (12x12) size maps. Smaller maps will make the METAL GROUND AI easier to beat with a Flash Tank rush while larger maps will allow the METAL GROUND AI to better defend itself from first strikes. Maps that are 20x20 and larger that can't be traversed on land will make it hard for the AI to wipe out an enemy if its Berthas are not in range and it's not allowed to build the optional Nuclear Silo units.
On a medium-sized map it will attack you within 8 - 10 minutes of game time. Its Level 2 units will attack you after 10 - 15 minutes. It will have Fusion up in 30 - 35 minutes. It will bombard you with Bertha fire after 35 minutes. And it will launch an air attack on you after 40 minutes of game time if you are still around. The METAL GROUND AI will work fine without Core Contingency or Battle Tactics installed.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE METAL GROUND AI
Huh? The METAL GROUND AI is not a re-written TOTALA.EXE file is it? How can anyone make a better AI than what's hardcoded into the game? Good question. It's true, the METAL GROUND AI still depends on the same old TOTALA.EXE gaming engine that all the other AI's use. Technically we're just modifying the AI's profile, which is a data file that tells the AI what units to build and how many of them. By entering in the right amount of the right units for the AI to build for fighting on a specific map, one would hope that the AI will do a better job of mopping up the enemy.
How do I install the METAL GROUND AI? Copy the unzipped TXT file into your C:\CAVEDOG\TOTALA\AI folder. You may have to create the AI folder if it doesn't already exist. Then rename the file to match the AI profile name your map is using. Such as "metal.txt" if your map's AI profile is "metal". Or "Default.txt" if your map's AI profile is "default" or "", and so on. Use HPIView to view a map's OTA file so you can see what AI profile it is using.
I don't have any of the expansion packs. Will your AI be worth trying out still? Definitely yes! Just be sure you have the 3.1 patch installed. You'll be happy to know that the optional Nuclear Silo units don't need the expansion packs either to work. They still need the 3.1 patch installed, though.
Why does METAL GROUND nano-stall at the beginning of some games? Be sure that you're playing on a map that has lots of metal. The metal can consist of either metal deposits (at least 20 - 30 per army), rocks, or urban buildings. Metal worlds will have plenty of metal available, so there's no problem there. NOTE: Always make sure you are playing the game in HARD mode so that the AI collects 100% of its resources instead of only 75% or 50% from MEDIUM or EASY game modes.
Will your AI beat me? If the CAVEDOG AI can beat you, then the METAL GROUND AI will probably beat you too because it totally annihilates the CAVEDOG AI. The METAL GROUND AI is still prone to building in stupid places and using the wrong units if played on a map it's not programmed for. NOTE: The METAL GROUND AI will fire nukes at you if you have the optional Switeck AI Nuclear Silos installed.
What's a good map to use the METAL GROUND AI on? My favorite map right now is Stone Geyser Canyon which is a re-featured map of SLOWHANDD'S fantastic Cliffs of Kashmir v3. It's a desert map with plenty of metal deposits, rocks, and trees everywhere. And the map looks real, too. Cavedog should have included maps like this one with TA! Of course, METAL GROUND can be used on these maps as well.
What's a good defense against the METAL GROUND AI? Build lots of Guardians and lots and lots of Defenders to protect the outer perimeter of your base from METAL GROUND'S massive ground assaults. Use Dragon's Teeth to block METAL GROUND'S approaching ground units. Be sure to build Anti-Nuke weapons if you give the METAL GROUND AI the ability to launch Nukes.
What's a good offense against the METAL GROUND AI? Rush METAL GROUND'S Commander very early in the game with large groups of Flash and Samson units. It does not fare well against Flash or Samson swarms before the 00:10:00 mark because it is still building up its resources. Do not let the METAL GROUND AI get any of his Fusion Reactors online. Remember, METAL GROUND is a metal-hungry AI. It needs energy to power its metal extractors and factories. If you starve it of energy, you'll starve it of metal. Which means no METAL GROUND army to fight. Another thing to think about is that METAL GROUND can't defend itself from nuclear attacks.
The METAL GROUND AI attacks me too soon! How do I avoid this? Try fighting METAL GROUND on a bigger map. That gives you more time before his units reach your base. You can use Dragons Teeth to block METAL GROUND as well. Just keep in mind that the farther METAL GROUND'S base is, the more defended it will be when your units arrive there. A map has been made of a downtown city area that is crammed with lots of Buildings to help block or slowdown the AI's rushing.
Your AI doesn't build ships. How come? You'll need to download the NEWBIE AI if you want the computer to build ships.
Why does your AI build radar units if the AI can see all your units anyway? Another good question. We're assuming, of course, that line-of-sight is set to true for all games. The reason why people often don't included radar units in their AI profiles is because, sad but true, the AI player knows where all your units are on the map. Its mobile attack units will come at you head-on whether you're using jammers or not. Just keep in mind that all enemy units, AI or human, won't fire on any of your units until it either has visual confirmation or has been ordered to by a Targeting Facility that sees you on its radar.
So when you think about it, radar units are only good for looking at blips on a map. That's it. It helps a player make decisions about where to maneuver and where to attack. These blips mean nothing to both human and computer units. Human players that have weapon units in range can choose to manually fire them at the blips, while AI players won't even fire. This means the AI won't fire its Big Berthas at your approaching army until it is visually spotted by one of its units. But if the human or AI player has a working Targeting Facility, all weapon units will auto-fire at any enemy radar blip that's in range.
Though the METAL GROUND AI may not always have a Targeting Facility built, seeing actual radars built on the battlefield still brings an element of surprise while playing TA. When you see a blip flying around on your mini-map, you can't be certain if it's a Hawk, a Brawler, or a Peeper. Same with the Seer unit. You can't be sure what unit it is until you can make visual contact. Also, the AI seems to act more like a human when you see it building radar units since other AI's don't build them. Sometimes its fun to be confused in a multiplayer game when a radar is glimpsed on the screen by a player who is not instantly sure who built it. It could be human owned. It could be AI owned. And it could be allied owned (human or AI). A variety of enemy units on the screen, in my opinion, is always more interesting to fight against than a screen full of just the same old unit.
Will your AI build custom units? Yes, if they can be built by the computer player without further patching and if there is enough metal and energy to build them.
I renamed your Air Raid AI to "metal.txt". But when I played on Metal Heck, I didn't see any difference in the AI. It was still building tanks and not much as far as air units go. Use HPIView to open the TOTALA2.HPI file on the TA CD. Search the MAPS folder and look for a file called "Metal Heck.ota" and open it. In it you'll see:
Since the AI profile for that map is DEFAULT, you'll need to rename the Air Raid AI to "Default.txt" so the map can use the AI.
Sometimes the METAL GROUND AI will build Aircraft Plants first. All I have to do is rush in with Flash Tanks to win. Very true. The METAL GROUND AI does choose to start building planes first at times, so it does take longer for it to attack and defend. Starting a game with two METAL GROUND AI's allied together (making 1000 enemy units if you have the 500-unit limit patch installed) might be the way to go then.
CREATE A CUSTOM AI OF YOUR OWN TO PLAY AGAINST IN TOTAL ANNIHILATION
First, create a folder in your TOTALA folder called AI. The complete pathname will be something like C:\CAVEDOG\TOTALA\AI. This is where you will store your AI profile files.
Second, find out what AI profile your map uses. A map editor can tell you if it uses a Metal, Airbattle, Seabattle, Krogoth, Hover, or Urban AI profile. If no AI profile value can be found in a map's OTA file, it is assumed that DEFAULT.TXT will be the AI profile used.
Third, create an AI profile file using WordPad in your AI folder and give it a filename of the AI profile with an extension of ".txt" after it (such as Metal.txt if the AI profile is to be used on metal terrain maps). The first few lines of this text file normally contain the characters "//" followed by a string of text that describes what the AI profile does (because you might forget at a later date). Here's an example:
// SHONNER'S Metal AI profile for standard TA 3.1 units.
// For use on metal maps containing bridges, steam vents,
// and sewer channels.
Weight ARMAAP .3
Limit ARMAAP 8
Weight ARMACA .3
Limit ARMACA 3
Weight ARMACK .6
Limit ARMACK 3
Limit ARMWIN 0
Weight ARMACV .6
Limit ARMACV 3
Weight CORALAB .7
Limit CORALAB 6
.
.
.
etc.
Notice you can leave a line blank to seperate groups of units in your profile for easier reading. The weight of a unit determines how often it gets built while the limit determines how many of them can be on the map at a time. Weight values should be from .05 - 1, with .05 meaning build rarely and 1 meaning build often. A limit of 0 tells the AI not to build any of that unit (a unit's weight is not needed in such cases). TAUNITS.TXT lists out the unit names you'll need when creating your own AI profile.
Just so you know... TOTALA.EXE 3.1 only counts units that are built, not the ones being built. So an AI profile containing a limit of 3 for a particular unit might allow the computer player to have 5 of those units on the map during a game. So be careful with the limits you use.
Try experimenting with different weights and limits to see what their outcomes are. You may want your AI to build up its defenses early in a game or have it build mobile attack units as soon as possible.
