Over how many systems do other empires colonies if you have open borders?

[Aepdneds]

Question see topic

 

[-Marauder-]

The Ai usually only jumps over one system. I.e if you colonize two in a row you're usually fine.

 

[Lykus Cerebros]

The Ai usually only jumps over one system. I.e if you colonize two in a row you're usually fine.

It should also only do that once it runs out of expansion routes.

 

[fusei]

It should also only do that once it runs out of expansion routes.

Not necessarily, the AI prioritizes certain features in a system like planets or wormholes and will sometimes even skip unoccupied systems to get there.

 

[-Marauder-]

Not necessarily, the AI prioritizes certain features in a system like planets or wormholes and will sometimes even skip unoccupied systems to get there.

Which interestingly doesn't make sense unless someone else might take the system. As they could get both for the same influence cost.

 

[fusei]

Which interestingly doesn't make sense unless someone else might take the system. As they could get both for the same influence cost.

I guess that's the idea, unfortunately the AI has no metric of how threatened a system is to be taken by someone else.

 

[Lykus Cerebros]

Which interestingly doesn't make sense unless someone else might take the system. As they could get both for the same influence cost.

That would probably be difficult to determine for the AI.

Better to be safe then sorry. And from the times I blocked the AI in can't say their fears are really unfounded.

 

[st360]

Which interestingly doesn't make sense unless someone else might take the system. As they could get both for the same influence cost.

Probably not the idea behind this behaviour, but I have sometimes been in situations where alloys where scarce and influence was not, and I would skip a low resource system to save on alloys or even outpost maintenance energy.

 

[HFY]

The Ai usually only jumps over one system. I.e if you colonize two in a row you're usually fine.

In 3.x I've seen them jump more than one system.

I think it depends more on their available influence.

Early on I bet you're pretty safe with 2 in a row but if the AI can't spend Influence on expansion, eventually it builds up, and then they jump more.

 

[TrotBot]

If I have any empty systems, my borders stay closed. I don't care, not taking risks till I have outposts in all systems.

 

[Baron Jukaga]

I'm kinda glad they do colonize over a single starbase now, looking back at some of my 'snakes' where I just cut the AIs off looks pretty ridiculous in retrospect. Like they wouldn't be raising hell about my uber-expansionism.

 

[Lykus Cerebros]

If I have any empty systems, my borders stay closed. I don't care, not taking risks till I have outposts in all systems.

Agreed!
Was burned by the AI enough to never trust them.

 

[HFY]

Sometimes AIs will uncover new dig sites in my enclosed-but-not-Outpost'd systems.

I *think* they can also uncover new resources via AI-only anomalies.

But the price for these boons is eternal vigilance -- you gotta close borders when you see a construction ship en route.

 

[Baron Jukaga]

Sometimes AIs will uncover new dig sites in my enclosed-but-not-Outpost'd systems.

I *think* they can also uncover new resources via AI-only anomalies.

But the price for these boons is eternal vigilance -- you gotta close borders when you see a construction ship en route.

Seeing that xeno contruction ship move towards unclaimed space in your rear is like 1000 times worse than a buffed crisis fleet heading your way lategame.

 

[hart30]

Its 3 systems. You need to own 3 systems connected by hyperlane after the AIs border. Else they move their construction ships through. Note that the AI only starts to do this after all other space it can reach is claimed by it, so u get some extra time.

 

[Aepdneds]

Its 3 systems. You need to own 3 systems connected by hyperlane after the AIs border. Else they move their construction ships through. Note that the AI only starts to do this after all other space it can reach is claimed by it, so u get some extra time.

Thank you for the number, though I have seen them jump over my systems before they ran out of space on their side of the galaxy.

 

[Franton]

About a year ago I've seen someone state the Ai will make up to 5 jumps (i. e. 4 intermediate systems) to colonise a system. I have personally seen 4 jumps (3 systems in-between) in one of my games about 3-4 months ago.

1 jump is fairly common, and I have even seen AI empires jump over unclaimed systems, for no apparent reason! More than one jump is quite rare though.

 

[fusei]

This is actually specified in the defines, so anything you get over 2 jumps is either from an older version or a mod.

        MAX_EXPANSION_DISTANCE = 2                # Max number of jumps away AI will build starbases
        MAX_EXPANSION_DISTANCE_SUBJECT = 2        # Max number of jumps away AI subjects will build starbases
        EXPANSION_OWN_PRIORITY = 1000            # Priority on rebuilding destroyed starbases in colonized systems
        EXPANSION_CUT_OFF_SYSTEM_PRIORITY = 10    # Priority on systems cut-off inside own territory
        EXPANSION_BORDERING_PRIORITY = 500        # How much will AI prioritize bordering systems when building starbases
        EXPANSION_RESOURCE_PRIORITY = 2            # How much will AI prioritize resource-rich systems when building starbases
        EXPANSION_COLONY_PRIORITY = 10            # How much will AI prioritize systems with colonizable worlds when building starbases
        EXPANSION_BYPASS_PRIORITY = 10            # How much will AI prioritize systems with bypasses when building starbases
        EXPANSION_MIN_VALUE_FOR_HIGH_PRIO = 10    # How much value does a system need to be considered priority over building up existing systems in borders
        EXPANSION_RANDOM_AMOUNT    = 50            # A random roll of this amount is added to each system's score when deciding where to expand next
        EXPANSION_RESOURCE_GAIN_UPKEEP    = 0.5    # When checking candidate systems for outposts, the AI looks at the resources in the system and counts this fraction towards upkeep gain

 

[Franton]

This is actually specified in the defines, so anything you get over 2 jumps is either from an older version or a mod.

        MAX_EXPANSION_DISTANCE = 2                # Max number of jumps away AI will build starbases
        MAX_EXPANSION_DISTANCE_SUBJECT = 2        # Max number of jumps away AI subjects will build starbases
        EXPANSION_OWN_PRIORITY = 1000            # Priority on rebuilding destroyed starbases in colonized systems
        EXPANSION_CUT_OFF_SYSTEM_PRIORITY = 10    # Priority on systems cut-off inside own territory
        EXPANSION_BORDERING_PRIORITY = 500        # How much will AI prioritize bordering systems when building starbases
        EXPANSION_RESOURCE_PRIORITY = 2            # How much will AI prioritize resource-rich systems when building starbases
        EXPANSION_COLONY_PRIORITY = 10            # How much will AI prioritize systems with colonizable worlds when building starbases
        EXPANSION_BYPASS_PRIORITY = 10            # How much will AI prioritize systems with bypasses when building starbases
        EXPANSION_MIN_VALUE_FOR_HIGH_PRIO = 10    # How much value does a system need to be considered priority over building up existing systems in borders
        EXPANSION_RANDOM_AMOUNT    = 50            # A random roll of this amount is added to each system's score when deciding where to expand next
        EXPANSION_RESOURCE_GAIN_UPKEEP    = 0.5    # When checking candidate systems for outposts, the AI looks at the resources in the system and counts this fraction towards upkeep gain

Thanks for pointing this out. As I said, the 4 jump starbase was from a game several months ago (probably 2.7), so this may have changed. I never tried mods, so that was not the reason.

May I ask what is the name of this file, and where can I find it?

 

[fusei]

May I ask what is the name of this file, and where can I find it?

Sure.

stellaris\common\defines\00_defines.txt