Game is too hard with StarnetAI

[alteration]

Hi, I'm recently running a game as Commodore with StarnetAI and the Framework on fleet/power balancing active. The problem is that now the game is way too hard (before was too easy), I got a really good start and I feel I did everything right, but almost every other empire out there is kinda equivalent in economy but crushes me in military.

What combination do you use to make your game balanced? (not too hard not too easy)

 

[slv]

Commodore with StarnetAI

The description says to put your difficulty at ensign or captain unless you are absolutely sure what you are doing (read, played with it before).

 

[Mik1984]

Hi, I'm recently running a game as Commodore with StarnetAI and the Framework on fleet/power balancing active. The problem is that now the game is way too hard (before was too easy), I got a really good start and I feel I did everything right, but almost every other empire out there is kinda equivalent in economy but crushes me in military.

What combination do you use to make your game balanced? (not too hard not too easy)

Git Good is the answer.

StarnetAI is still easily crushable at Grand Admiral difficulity level if you are competent at this game. Learn to build up your early defenses, learn to maximize your early alloys, make sure to get key defensive techs first. That is all.

 

[rubert]

You can also try variation of the mod called StarTech which for the first 40 years focuses on tech and building up economy. It is by the same author:

Steam Workshop::StarTech AI

steamcommunity.com

 

[Mik1984]

You can also try variation of the mod called StarTech which for the first 40 years focuses on tech and building up economy. It is by the same author:

Steam Workshop::StarTech AI

steamcommunity.com

StarNet AI is not that difficult even on top difficulty if you learn to prepare for and survive the early AI corvette rush. StarTech AI can arguably be more difficult than StarNet on top difficulty due to the bonuses it gets to everything, it will be tech-ing up like crazy, and then after 40 years it still will begin builing up military, but now at higher tech level.

 

[Tim_Ward]

Another tip to make the Starnet experience more forgiving is to set the empire distribution to random. This nullifies the particular ways that Starnet can trouble players unprepared for the Starnet experience (and the way it restricts your early game play style), while still giving you campaign where the AI is actually competent for the rest of the game (unlike vanilla).

1) They can't early game rush you if they don't meet you til after the 2020s and your borders don't meet until 2040s
2) You will have had more time to build up your economy by the time the first wars take place, the AI's advantage from the bonuses it gets will have been lessened
3) Your empire has more depth, you can afford to lose the war and it's not instantly crushing, the systems the AI claims will be far from your power base and occupied border systems do not hamper your war effort as much as occupied core worlds.

 

[rubert]

Another tip to make the Starnet experience more forgiving is to set the empire distribution to random. This nullifies the particular ways that Starnet can trouble players unprepared for the Starnet experience (and the way it restricts your early game play style), while still giving you campaign where the AI is actually competent for the rest of the game (unlike vanilla).

No Clusterd Starts mod is great for this purpose as random is jus that, random so it can sometimes place empires right next to each other.

Steam Workshop::No Clustered Starts

steamcommunity.com

Note: you need to keep empire placement as Clusters for the mod to work because it modifies how the clusters are defined.

 

[alteration]

The description says to put your difficulty at ensign or captain unless you are absolutely sure what you are doing (read, played with it before).

Whops missed that

Also I use infinite framework that buffes AI on top of that if I'm not wrong

 

[Tech Noir Synth]

Just play with standard difficulty without giving the AI any bonuses. I found that to be the most chill playthrough. Also playing on a huge galaxy and instead of filling it with 24 AI, fill it with around 18 so you have more space and borders meet later on. We all know the vanilla AI is trash, so simply setting it to normal difficutly setting is enough for the AI to be able to properly manage the planets. Also fixes the issue of vassals being completely useless in the vanilla game, because they don't get any economic bonuses regardless of difficulty -> leading to complete collapse as soon as an AI empire with difficulty cheats gets vassalized.

 

[Kathrys-]

How come a modder manage to fix it if PDX didn't?

 

[Lambert Simnel]

How come a modder manage to fix it if PDX didn't?

Presumably PDX would prefer to see threads titled "Game is too hard with Starnet AI" rather then "Game is too hard"

 

[SilverBurst23]

They actually put time and effort into it.

Ah yes. Supercharging the aggression of all empires and making the game steamroll you if you don't do a perfect meta game is the kind of AI that is going to be fine for everyone and not just the 1% of hard-core competitive players.

Starnet IS a very good AI if you know all the systems of the game almost perfectly and want to play competitive. Which is a niche case and definerly would be a TERRIBLE replacement for the most part of players.

And again, all these "boohoo the devs are lazy" kind of responses are incredibly tiresome and mostly show ignorance on how the development process of any complex software piece works, really.

 

[Tim_Ward]

If you tone down the early aggression of Starnet, you've got something perfectly suitable for the main game.

 

[SilverBurst23]

If you tone down the early aggression of Starnet, you've got something perfectly suitable for the main game.

Install starnet on the game of a new player, tell me how that goes.

 

[sterrius]

Starnet AI also have a sub mod (Same author) that make the AI follow their ethics (Instead of going for powerplay and treat the game as a MP).
That way diplomacy do work better and outside of fanatic purifiers you will likely be fine as long you spend a envoy + Some influence keeping empire X happy.

In fact that option makes the game harder lategame because AI´s will not join together quickly to defeat a Crisis.

Also its fun to make them use Mixed fleet. (Again, same author). It does "nerf" them a little but i also avoid using power fleets with only battleships and/or corvettes.
Mixed fleet submod -> https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2473773085

"Friendship" submod patch that keeps the diplomacy like vanilla.

Steam Workshop::~ StarNet Friendship Patch

steamcommunity.com

 

[SilverBurst23]

Starnet AI also have a sub mod (Same author) that make the AI follow their ethics (Instead of going for powerplay and treat the game as a MP).
That way diplomacy do work better and outside of fanatic purifiers you will likely be fine as long you spend a envoy + Some influence keeping empire X happy.

In fact that option makes the game harder lategame because AI´s will not join together quickly to defeat a Crisis.

Which one is that? Might give it a go for next game

 

[sterrius]

Which one is that? Might give it a go for next game

linked both submods in my post above. The friendship patch and mixed fleets.

I do place some fanatic purifiers (1 organic, 1 robotic and 1 hive) to make sure the galaxy does have a midgame challenge 100% of the time. (1000 stars , 30 AI´s , so its just 10% of the factions). If you make them yourself and actually make a RP Combo that AI can become quite a threat to anyone, and you might want to restart if you border one early game as they can reach absurd amounts of fleet power .

For lower galaxys i would lower to 2 or just 1 purifier.

 

[SilverBurst23]

linked both submods in my post above. The friendship patch and mixed fleets.
I do place some fanatic purifiers (1 organic, 1 robotic and 1 hive) to make sure the galaxy does have a midgame challenge 100% of the time. (1000 stars , 30 AI´s , so its just 10% of the factions).

For lower galaxys i would lower to 2 or just 1 purifier.

Thanks for that. Will end my current run and then install that.

 

[Sinister2202]

There's always the "friendship" patch

Steam Workshop::~ StarNet Friendship Patch

steamcommunity.com

 

[SilverBurst23]

Oh I don't know, the game's only like five years old now. But sure, let's keep making excuses until they finally patch together something that resembles a competent AI. In between releasing new DLC, of course.

You really should read a couple books on software development processes, business models and how games are not custom designed for YOU, but instead gotta appeal to a certain audience.

Starnet AI is a very good design for a certain kind of niche player. It is a total disaster for the wider audience that wanna play maybe a few games and just have fun without thinking much.

And again. Developer bashing and tantrums only make you look entitled. Its tiresome, it's disrespectful and only shows ignorance.

And tbh, stellaris is a pretty entry-point 4X. Expecting a super hard challenge from vanilla is kind of deluding yourself