Cryptomancer

Reply to We need a CHEATING AI. in Sins Multiplayer Sins Forums

I'm not asking for sophisticated details about the complex A.I.-program code, I'm asking for some basic info such as : * In what measure does the "normal" A.I. build less than the "hard" A.I. ? * In what measure does the "hard" A.I. see more of the map than the "normal" A.I. ? * In what measure does the "hard" A.I. research more than the "normal" A.I. ? That kind of info [I]can[/I] be spelt out in quick and easy descriptions : many game producers publish that type of in

Reply to A.I. Difficulty Levels = ? in Sins of a Solar Empire Sins Forums

That's a valid guess, [B]Ishonay[/B] : if only someone from Ironclad or Stardock would care to grant us that kind of precise info. That's all I ask : no need to mail me the top-secret A.I. code. I'm not being "snob" : I just want to know what are the precise differences between their "easy" and "normal", and "hard" levels of difficulty. Don't you find that interesting ? You play on "easy" for a few days, and then, you want to graduate to "normal" : wouldn't it be interestin

Reply to We need a CHEATING AI. in Sins Multiplayer Sins Forums

In the original [I]Heroes of Might and Magic[/I] game (released in 1995), when you were trying to setup a new game, there were two different "dials" you could calibrate : one defined the computer player's level of artificial "intelligence" (what [B]kryo[/B] would call the "amount of management routines available"), and the other defined the starting resource-bonuses you could assign to the comps. Some RTS games offer a user-defined resource "handicap" in the game setup. I don't believe

Reply to A.I. Difficulty Levels = ? in Sins of a Solar Empire Sins Forums

Thanks, [B]kryo[/B], but allow me to be surprised that, again, nobody seems able (or willing) to produce precise and detailed info -- even if it might not be "easily quantifiable". "[...A]mount of strategy and empire management routines [that] are available" : you must admit that this is a very abstract and vague, general statement. Don't you think that it would be effectively useful if your fans (I did not want to say "customers") knew precisely what to expect when they deal w

Reply to Newbie game at 8:30pm eastern time Feb 10, 08 in Multiplayer Organizer Sins Forums

If the board is not working, I will regularly check on ICO, starting at 8 PM. But I have to get up at 6:15 AM : I do not want to play beyond (about) 00:00 (EST). __________________________________________________ It is 5:15 PM (EST) now. The forum has not been interrupted all day. [B]@ Pogue [/B]: If [I]you[/I] want a fast game, possibly playable in one sitting (tonight), here are a few suggestions : 1. One star + relatively few planets 2. Fast speed +

Reply to AI must cheat in Sins of a Solar Empire Sins Forums

On another thread, a few days ago, an Ironclad representative categorically declared that the A.I. did not cheat -- that it was a path they had deliberately chosen (after considering the alternative of having it cheat). Like the OP suggests, one can wonder if the "hard" comps get special, pre-coded bonuses. If they do not, what makes them "hard" ? They are smarter than the "normal" A.I. ? What might that exactly mean -- since it would mostly be the computing of coded quantitie

A.I. Difficulty Levels = ? in Sins of a Solar Empire Sins Forums

I've asked variants of those questions a few times, within older threads, but I do not recall having received any form of answer : 1. Does anybody precisely know, in quantitative details, what are the specific differences betweeen the three levels of A.I. difficulty (easy, normal, hard) -- when you insert comps in a game setup ? 2. Was the info already published somewhere ? If so, would you post its reference link ? 3. If the answers to 1 and 2 are negative : Would the

Reply to Newbie game at 8:30pm eastern time Feb 10, 08 in Multiplayer Organizer Sins Forums

Me too. Perhaps their Sunday8am-to-Monday9am forum-maintenance announcement was a general statement to give themselves breathing-room. This particular [I]Sins[/I] forum might then be only down a few minutes or hours within that general window. @ Joe > Are you in for Pogue's game tonight at 8 PM (EST) ? Did he send you the password by forum PM ?

Reply to What is going on!? What should (can) I do? in Technical Sins Forums

[B]@ the Monk[/B] 1a. Too bad I cannot edit my previous post anymore : "cheap" was not the best word I could have chosen. 1b. But you cannot generalize the value of the Windows Firewall based on [I]your[/I] personal experience. Some people seem to have no problems with it, and I know some people who had a lot of issues with it : that does not constitute proof, one way or the other. Your reply is as dogmatic and biased as my post was -- in the opposite direction. But I do agree

Reply to game stutters and uses tons of memory...? in Technical Sins Forums

[quote] 7600 graphics card are notorious for being crap, i think the 7600 was basically designed to be [an] entry level graphics card [/quote] Not very diplomatic of you, but my research indicates that you are right. Even my 2½ year-old 6800 is better than a 7600 : the model number and the release-date of a videocard do not represent reliable indicators of quality and power.

Reply to What is going on!? What should (can) I do? in Technical Sins Forums

Was it the very first time that it had happened to you ? Could you join a game before ? Have you closed any sofware firewall (including the cheap one which comes with Windows) ? Are you behind a router ? My questions are attempting to identify what could be interfering with the transmission of 100% of the data. Have you tried to join after a Windows reboot ? Would you have background programs running that might be interfering ? Computer troub

Reply to [MP] Chance of crash approaching 1 the longer a game progresses. in Technical Sins Forums

Agreed, Octavius VIII. Might the speed of the game also be a cause of crashes ? If the game is on "fast" for hours on end, might some machines* be incapable of keeping the pace, especially when hundreds of fighting units would become involved in complex battles ? [size="1"]* CPU speed, GPU speed, RAM speed, and even Net-connection speed might then be an issue for certain participants : even if everybody has a legit copy of the game, I doubt that everybody engaged in a

Reply to Problem with Human Replacing AI in Multiplayer Savegame in Sins of a Solar Empire Sins Forums

My hypothesis is that you cannot [I]effectively[/I] replace an A.I. player with a human player once the game has started : that feature might appear in a future patch. The "bug", then, would not be that the A.I. is interfering with the Human, but rather, that the Human, upon game reload, could [I]apparently[/I] take the place of an A.I. when it cannot [I]effectively[/I] be possible. Consequently, if my hypothesis is correct, your 3rd player (the Human who wanted to bump the A.

Reply to One possibility to help prevent fleet-chasing in Strategy Sins Forums

I've never built planetary-defense hangars (sorry, I'm a n00b). If I do, what would be the ideal fighter/bomber ratio for gravity-well defense ? (On another thread, a 50/50 ratio was recommended.)

Reply to cannot install in Technical Sins Forums

Nobody has answered you for hours ! Have you finally solved your problem ? Usually, when "Install" is not available, it is because the game is already installed or has previously been uninstalled in an incomplete manner. Question 1 > Did you previously have the [I]Sins[/I] beta ? Question 2 > Did you previously uninstall [I]Sins[/I], before trying to reinstall ? Question 3 > Have you tried this ? : Right-click the DVD in its drive's icon (suc

Reply to One solution to the Bluescreen crashes on Nvidia video cards in Technical Sins Forums

What would "Bloom Effects" look like in the [I]Sins[/I] game ?

Reply to SoaSE Crash at Start in Technical Sins Forums

Thanks, but that still is not enough info. If he e-mailed his DX-Diagnostic text to Ironclad, that's much better. Have him e-mail Stardock Support, also. And then, be patient : Ironclad and Stardock [I]absolutely[/I] want you guys to play -- they will eventually reply. Here, on the forum, there are very few tech experts, and without the full DX Diagnostic and the minidump file, we could only speculate in general abstractions.

Reply to [MP] Chance of crash approaching 1 the longer a game progresses. in Technical Sins Forums

Well, I am sorry to say that your unfortunate experience is not the norm. I have been playing [I]Sins[/I] since the June beta. I did have some freeze-crash issues then, but the game has not crashed once, for me, since mid-July. Recently, I have played about ELEVEN solid hours on ICO : no lag, no freeze, nobody disconnected, nobody crashed. What can I say more ? Your experience, even if it is valid, does not correspond in any way to the experience I (and other

Reply to Sorry, another "can my video card run this game?" thread. in Technical Sins Forums

[quote] I have 1.024 gigs of ram and a 2.8 ghz pentium 4 processor. [/quote] That is precisely what I have, and the game runs fine. My videocard is a 2 year-old GeForce 6800. I disabled AA, Bloom, and a few bells-and-whistles (like those "planet elevators"), and I can run the game in 1440 x 900 (the native resolution for my 17-inch widescreen). A very beautiful game : buy it !

Reply to Beating a dead horse about game speed in Sins of a Solar Empire Sins Forums

To all of you ultra-fast speed-freaks : You'd better all have fast processors, fast RAM, and fast videocards -- especially in MP games (+ fast net-connections) -- or some of you will experience slooooow framerates. It's a full 3D game, with a lot of units fighting when the game gets deep. And if you become cosmic megalomaniacs who add many stars and planets in the game setup, good luck !

Reply to can't find user.setting in Technical Sins Forums

In XP, it is a "hidden" folder located here : C:\Documents and Settings\[your XP user name]\Local Settings\Application Data\Ironclad Games The "Local Settings" and "Application Data" folders are hidden : a) either you activate the overt manifestation of the hidden folders in the Tools\Folder Options of any XP window (at the top-right) b) or you insert the path I have indicated (above) in the XP window's address bar (if you have activated that bar in your windo

Reply to Aveyond demo trojan false alarm? in Multiplayer Organizer Sins Forums

[B][email protected][/B]

Reply to Who is still waiting for the box? in Sins of a Solar Empire Sins Forums

Me neither, but in live in Canada : we always get our games months after the US -- three cheers for NAFTA.

Reply to Newbie game at 8:30pm eastern time Feb 10, 08 in Multiplayer Organizer Sins Forums

Let's have a 2 v 1 : me + comp [I]against[/I] you. P.S. (08:08 PM) > I guess it's no-game tonight ! Too bad my challenge scared you off, Pogue. :HOT:

Reply to Newbie game at 8:30pm eastern time Feb 10, 08 in Multiplayer Organizer Sins Forums

Thanks, Pogue : it's the Tom Cruise F-14 password. Might you be playing tonight ?