Best AI empires?

[IkkeTM]

Playing this game single player, I notice quite often that some configurations of traits and ethics are handled very well by the AI, while others are not. Looking for a more challenging game, I have two questions:

1) Is it possible to select which empires spawn in a galaxy, or are you forced into a random set?

2) More importantly, what AI empires have you found to be played well by the AI?

To take a shot at two, I made this collectivist/spiritualist/militarist species with the traits of Industrious, strong and sedentary. It performed extraordinarily well in my last game as an AI empire.
On the other hand, my more preferred Fundamentalist materialist/individualist empire with intelligent, communal & sedentary performs very poorly when managed by the AI. Probably because the obvious synth spam isn't obvious to the AI.

 

[Dreagon]

I'm believe you can force custom empires to spawn by clicking on the eagle symbol next to their names ones. The default position means they can spawn but there are settings that make them spawn or prevent them from spawning. Empires that do well relatively often in my experience have at least some militaristic or xenophobic ethic.

 

[TheBromgrev]

Two empires I made that the AI handles well. I like going against them as well as playing as them, so I always set them to spawn.

Metalhead Molluscs:
Ethics: Fanatic militarist, materialist
Traits: repugnant, sedentary, strong, industrious, quick learners
Government: military junta
FTL Type: Warp
Starting weapon: ballistic
Homeworld: tropical

Hive Mind Bugs:
Ethics: Fanatic Collectivist, Spiritualist
Traits: weak, repugnant, rapid breeders, conformist, communal
Government: divine mandate
FTL Type: warp
Starting weapon: missile
Homeworld: arid

It may be the AI personality, but I've yet to see the hive mind get defeated by another AI. They don't expand very much, but will pick on weakened empires and pre-FTL nations. Either way, I always end up meeting them even on large and crowded maps.

The metalhead's performance depends on their neighbors, more so than any other militant empire. If they are surrounded by pacifists or any non-martial empire they tend to expand very quickly and start steamrolling. Out of the 20 or so games I've played with this empire as an AI, they've caused a fallen empire to wake up at least 3 times. On the other hand, they AI for metalheads is aggressive to a fault, and I've had about 7 games where I meet either a fanatic individualist or fanatic xenophile version of this empire that was "liberated" by a federation that formed against them. There's been about 2 games where someone killed them off before I made contact.

 

[Secret Master]

Two empires I made that the AI handles well. I like going against them as well as playing as them, so I always set them to spawn.

I'm a little surprised that extremely adaptable doesn't help the AI more. Or have you not deliberately tested it yet?

 

[NeverUsedID]

On my latest playtrough with over 20 Empires i was very surprised to see that the Pacifists all have the biggest Empires in lategame.

 

[Milten]

This is totally subjective, but I tend to see that
Xenophiles win over xenophobes.
Materialists win over spiritualists. May have to do something with wonky AI economy and robots, not sure.
Pacifists somehow on par with militarists, lots of RNG. Sometimes there are 3 planet sized dying pacifist empires, sometimes they are the largest.

 

[CurseUppl]

As above, xenophiles tend to federate and form nice, big blocs. Xenophile/militarist is a good AI combo as well, since the AI avoids fights, but when it does (usually with a xenophobe), it can usually pull in allies, and gets that sweet damage bonus to boot, as well as military tech.

Xenophobe/militarists and/or spiritualists tend to get big, but eventually get killed off by aforementioned federated xenophiles later in the game, though I have had games where a militarist/xenophobe will dominate 1/4 of the galaxy.

I don't think xenophile > xenophobe (I do think xenophobe needs a rework, though), as xenophobe is very good early game, with militarist, and leads to some rapid expansion for the AI with some early wars, but loses out after about 20 years to xenophile when you start meeting other empires.

Again, subjective experience. 1000 stars, spiral, 20-22 AI

 

[TheBromgrev]

I'm a little surprised that extremely adaptable doesn't help the AI more. Or have you not deliberately tested it yet?

I haven't tried extremely adaptable yet. I've tried a race with regular adaptable, but haven't run enough games to get a feel for how the AI handles it.

 

[yerm]

Based entirely on confirmation bias... the AI that I see do best are often materialists. I also feel like I see a lot of collectivist blobs. Spiritualists and xenophobes I usually see get toppled over time. Pacifists I find tend to suck, probably because I personally make crowded galaxies, although militarist isn't a key to success in the reverse!

Hive mind I find to be the best personality, but it seems rare. Capitalists and explorers I often find doing reasonably well long-term. Honorbound warriors and the various fanatical ones generally collapse, while the uber-peaceful types rarely blob.

 

[Paulus Leto]

For me, pacifists and xenophiles usually end up blobbing and allying enough to be a big problem in force. The best empire I've seen though was fanatic spiritualist/pacifist on a 1000 star galaxy setting.

 

[Mathrafalovich]

Metalheads are surprisingly strong. Despotic slavers also fare well as long as there are collectivists around for them to make nice with (or they are advanced).

 

[Terijian]

I have an empire that is a spiritualist xenophobe, highly adaptive, (possibly fast breeder or conformist as well, escapes me atm) divine mandate I believe.
If they have any amount of breathing room they will expand at an alarming rate and grow out of control rather quickly.
if they are boxed in they usually end up as a vassal at best.
I played one game with them and when i found them they had over 50 planets when all the rest of the galaxy had 10-20
scary stuff =D