THE PACK comes with a variety of different AIs to try out. These are:
1) The standard included AI (using the AI profiles inside THE PACK's rev31.gp3 file)... somewhat wimpy. The standard AI includes no support for the extra 3rd party units included in THE PACK.
2) Uberhack's included Blood Thirsty AI (BAI2K). This is a nasty cheating AI that uses 69 cheating units and an incredibly distributed economy to crush you heartlessly. The BAI2K AI includes no support for the extra 3rd party units included in THE PACK. But then, it doesn't really need them. This is a faster starting AI than THE PACK's custom AI, and on land maps can be almost impossible to defeat. On the OMG setting, a single AI opponent can beat small groups of allied human players.
3) THE PACK custom AI. This is ana AI which uses modified versions (with permission) of the Counterstrike cheating AI units by Switeck. This is the only AI included with THE PACK that supports the extra 3rd party units. THE PACK cheating AI included two complete sets of profiles... a general set called TSUNAMI that is quite offensive in nature (although it also builds a hefty defense), a defensive set called FORTRESS which builds no mobile attacking forces at all (it will use nukes, LRPCs and RFLRPC's as offensive weapons though), and lastly a purely offensive set called BESERKER which builds absolutely no defensive structures at all (save nuke silos) and puts everything into resources, factories, con units, and anything that will attack . THE PACK cheating AI also includes a set of modifed Map OTA files (from Bugfix, slightly modifed) which change which AI profile many of the standard included Cavedog maps use. THE PACK's custom AI is a bit of a slow starter... it concentrates heavily on resources and factories initally. Once it gets rolling though, it can be highly impressive. If you give THE PACK's cheating AI about 10-15 minutes breathing room, it can give you quite a ride. The defensive profiles can be well nigh impossible to break into without using nukes or Buzzsaws/Vulcans of your own. One final note: THE PACKCheating AI requires a unit limit of at least 500. The defensive profiles in particular work even better with a limit of 1000 (Mac TA using 3.1.2b6, or patched/hacked PC exe's).
4) Queller Fleabowl AI. This is a spoof AI by Quitch(y) (included and slightly modified with permission) that only works if the AI side chosen is Arm. It builds only construction Kbots, Kbot labs, Solars, metal extractors, and fleas. Billions of fleas. A couple of cheating units are included... a hacked AI only Kbot lab with a modified yardmap so that fleas can exit thru the walls (reduces jammed factories), and the fluxor resource unit from Counterstrike for a resource boost. There might even be a special flea or two.
Installation Instructions:
PC: follow the standard procedure... create AI, Map, Gamedata, and GUI folders if required in your C:\TotalA directory and place the appropriate files inside them. Remove when you don't want them any more. The included Rev31.gp3 file (large one 19+ meg) from THE PACK is required.
Mac: The Mac version of TA doesn't support unpacked files at all, so the procedure is somewhat more difficult.
1) drag the large rev31.gp3 file (19+meg version) from THE PACK into the folder called "The Core Contingency". Rename this draged file to become !rev31.ccx (note the addition of the exclamation mark and the change of extension from .gp3 to .ccx).
2) Copy the pre-packed rev31.gp3 from the appropriate ai you wish to try (BAI, Fleabowl, or THE PACK Tsunami or Fortress) to the same level as the TA app.
3) Make sure you're using 3.1.2b6 and have unit limit set to 1000 (500 at least).
4) Add the appropriate ai unit ufo files, and delete the appropriate C and/or B (in the case of using the BAI) unit ufo files to make room for them
5) To Uninstall, reverse the process.
AI Useage:
PLEASE MAKE CAREFUL NOTE OF COMMENTS BELOW REGARDING UNIT LIMITS!!!!! THE REV31.GP3, A, B, AND C UNIT UFO FILES COMBINE TO TOTAL OUT TO 510 UNITS. IF YOU WISH TO USE ANY OF THE CUSTOM AI FILES, YOU MUST REMOVE AS A MINIMUM THE C UFO, AND POSSIBLY THE B UFO AS WELL.
1) If you wish to use the BAI and its included units files, you must
delete the "B" and "C"
(Lan) packs from the game first. The BAI2K.ufo Unit files include 69
additional units, as
does the combined size of the "B" and "C" (Lan) packs....
With the BAI, only the "A" pack can be used.
2) If you wish to use the THE PACK 's cheating AI, you must delete the "C" (Lan) Pack from the game first. The complete set of AI cheating units includes 17 extra units, the same as the "C" Pack. You can use the "A" & "B" packs with this cheating AI. This AI also works best with the unit limit set to at least 500 (or even better, 1000 if you're using Mac TA 3.1.2b6)
3) If you wish to use the Queller Fleabowl AI, you must delete the "C" (Lan) Pack from the game first. The included Fleabowl cheating units require this.
4) Note that all units in the three unit packs (A/B/C) have had AI weights/limits added to their FBI files. They are all set to zero. Using the standard included AI profiles in the Rev31.gp3 file (or any other AI profiles that do not specifically support these extra units), none of these units should be built by the AI at all.
Specific Instructions by AI
Blood Thirsty AI (BAI2K).
Following the instructions above.
The included BAI2k1.ufo file includes 69 cheating units. You must remove the B and C lan/skirmish packs from your TA install.You can only have the A pack ufo file installed along with the blood thirsty AI. Follow the installation process above and then place the BAI2K1.ufo file into the Internet Maps and Units folder (Mac TA) and play away.
The Blood Thirsty AI includes profiles matching
all the standard Cavedog profiles.
THE PACK Cheating AI.
This is a more complex AI to use and install, but gives far more options in terms of how it plays and what it will do.
There are several included AI unit files:
AI_Nuke.ufo: AI fireable nuke silos.
AI_Units.ufo: various cheating units, including
AI bombers, cloakable fusions, etc.
AI_Resource.ufo: Fluxor and Quark early resource
units
AI_Super_Resource.ufo: souped up versions of
the fluxor and quark. Use these if the game is too easy with the standard
resource files.
THE PACK includes three complete sets of AI profiles. There is a general Tsunami set of profiles, which builds a whole lot of everything, and would be considered mostly offensive in nature. There is also a defensive Fortress set of profiles in which the AI will build no mobile units with weapons at all. There is also an offensive Beserker set of profiles which builds only offensive attacking units, and lots of them. Note that there is a single additional profile included in both sets called seametal.txt. The profiles are intended to be used as follows:
Acid.txt
Presumes that each player
is separated by acid, so ships and ground troops cannot (safely) get from
one island to another. This means the ai should build aircraft and hovercraft
(and Pelicans, Penguins, Archangels).
AirBattle.txt
Presumes that each player
is separated by impassable terrain (clouds, lava, etc) that even hovercraft
cannot cross. This means the ai should only build aircraft for mobile attack.
The AI should also concentrate on heavy AA defenses and LRPC/RFLRPC weapons.
Default.txt
Presumes a big land map that
all units can cross. Presumeably no water is on the map, so making ships
is pointless. So the ai should build everything but ships.
Hover.txt
Presumes a water map with
lots of land to build many factories on. This allows the ai to build many
aircraft plants as well as hovercraft platforms. Ships aren't neglected,
but have low limits. This profile assumes that ground units can't cross
water areas, so they aren't built unless they are amphibious. In addition,
the AI's economy will be mostly fusion/MMM based, and assumes that there
is NO Underwater metal spots
Krogoth.txt
For a metal map that has water
as well as land. Ground troops presumeably can travel from almost any part
of the map to any other part. The AI will build some ships and hovers,
and will attempt to build some of its economy underwater. No MMM technology
is used.
Metal.txt
Strictly a metal map with
little or no water and no obstructions to ground units. So the ai should
build everything but ships and metal makers.
SeaBattle.txt
Presumes a water map with
limited land to build factories on. Ships are the main form of attack or
defense, but small numbers of air plants and hovercraft platforms might
be built. The AI's economy will be mostly fusion/MMM based
SeaMetal.txt (Does
not normally exist in the game!)
A metal water map, presumeably
with lots of land to build many factories on. This allows the ai to build
many aircraft plants as well as hovercraft platforms. Ships are still a
major form of attack but by no means the only one. Actually, this is just
a metal form of the Hover.txt ai -- with the exception that the ai shouldn't
make metal makers.
Waterwrld.txt
Presumes an entirely water
map. Ships are the only form of attack or defense, with seaplane platforms
as the only other factory type. The ai should not try to build any land-based
factories.
Urban.txt
Presumes a water map with
lots of land to build many factories on. Ground units cannot travel from
one part of the map to another unless they are amphibious. This allows
the ai to build many aircraft plants as well as hovercraft platforms. Ships
aren't neglected, but have low limits. Also, this map is low on resources
but may have reclaimable objects (buildings, rocks, and trees) to make
up for this lack. Also presumes there is underwater metal spots.
If there is no UW metal spots, use the Hover AI profiles instead. The AI
should build only extremely long-ranged or amphibious mobile ground
units.
You can look at any 3rd party map, and based on
the description above modify its OTA file to chose the correct profile
you want to use.
THE PACK cheating AI also includes a maps folder (used with slight modifications from Bugfix) which includes a variety of OTA files. These modify the various included Cavedog maps to use more correct AI profiles to match the way the profiles are intended to be used as above. Below is a list of what map now points to what AI profile: In cases where the profile didn't change, usually bugfix changed something else (start positions, metal allocations, tides etc) etc)
AI by Map OTA Chart
Map OTA
Did use Now uses
-------
------- --------
Acid Foursome
Acid Default
Acid Pools
Hover Hover
Assault on Suburbia
Hover Hover
Checker Ponds
Acid Default
Crystal Cracked
SeaBattle Hover
East Indeez
SeaBattle SeaBattle
Eastside Westside
Urban Urban
Etorrep Glacier
Default Default
Evad River Confluence
*AirBattle Hover
Flooded Glaciers
SeaBattle Urban
Gasplant Plain
Default Default
Hundred Isles
Default SeaBattle
Higher Ground
*AirBattle Deafault
Ice Scream
Hover Hover
John's Pass
Hover Hover
Kill the Middle
*AirBattl Default
Lake Shore
Default Urban
Lava Mania
Default Default
Long Lakes**
Default Urban
Metal Heck
Default Metal
Metal Isles
Default SeaMetal
Over Crude Water
*AirBattle Krogoth
Pillopeens
SeaBattle SeaBattle
Plains and Passes
Default Default
Ring Atoll
Default Hover
Sail Away
SeaBattle SeaBattle
Seven Islands
Default SeaMetal
Shore to Shore
Seabattle Hover
Show Down
Default Default
Surface Meltdown
Acid Default
Temblorian Mist
*AirBattle Default
The Barrier Reef
SeaBattle SeaBattle
The Cold Place
Default Default
The Pass
Default Default
Trout Farm
Default Urban
Two Continents
*AirBattle Hover
*NOTE: AirBattle is now strictly aircraft-only
maps.
**NOTE: Stand-alone map by Cavedog, not found
in TA, TA:CC, or TA:BT
To use THE PACK's cheating AI you MUST chose one set of profiles to use (general or defensive). Install per procedure detailed above.
To use THE PACK's cheating AI, you must
remove the C
lan pack from your TA install. You can use the A
and B packs.
Install the AI_Units.ufo file, the AI_Nuke.ufo file (this can be left out
if you don't want to get nuked), and EITHER the AI_Resources or
the AI_Super_Resources.ufo file,
NOT BOTH!
Queller Fleabowl AI
A spoof AI by Quitch(y), used and slightly modified with permission. This AI only works for Arm, and builds only construction Kbots, Kbot labs, Solars, metal extractors, and fleas.
There are only three supported AI profiles... Default, Metal, and Krogoth. This is because these are the only profiles which allow for land units to cross the map. I would HIGHLY suggest that you use the included maps folder, in conjunction with the AI by Map OTA Chart detailed above. Using the maps folder will cause true "land-only" maps to behave that as though that's what they are, and the chart will tell you which ones you can use fleabowl on (anything with a default, metal, or krogoth profile).
There is a single included fleabowl_unit.ufo file. This means you must remove the C lan pack from the game to use it. You can use the A and B packs.
To install, use the procedure detailed above/
Place the modifed rev31.gp3 in the game along
with the fleabowl_unit.ufo file and the A and B packs. Play
away.