WEIRD AI unit design...

[Clear Skies]

Dee mass-producing Needlejet Transports is indeed one of the funniest things I've ever seen. Another good way to mess with the AI is to design a horrendously expensive unit, like a 30-12-x Gravship (they can't use the string disruptor or the stasis generator on anything other than this unit). This costs way more than your standard SP, so loads of their bases will be tied up for decades or maybe even centuries trying to produce them!

I tried this when Zak and Roze were my only opponents left in one game. It helped me beat Zak - about half his bases simply went mad trying to build these things!

Try it! It works - honest!

Other useful units to give the AI:

Drop formers
Clean sentinels (not so many minerals tied up supporting garrisons )
Marine naval units - I rarely if ever see the AI building these vital units!

[Blake]

My understanding is that interceptors defend with there weapon, but do not gain the +100% ASM bonus. Generally, attackers are more powerfull than defenders ( usually enemy needlejets use the best weapon available, while interceptors are considered low priority for weapon upgrades). This means the odds are usually going to be something like 6:4, 8:6, or so on. Also X-jets have the +50% bonus which applies in airbattle also.

These factors tend to mean that interceptors will never have better than 1:1 odds, and usually worse odds, so interceptors will usually lose.

That said if you have good weapon tech and/or are caretakers interceptors can be quite effective at defense, but they are a waste of time at tech parity (or against X-jets). Interceptors can make effective ZOC blockers, because they can defend. Also interceptors dont suffer the FM drone penalty (the only factor which really justifies the increased cost).

Back on thread I have seen the AI build fungicide military units quite often, and dee once started mass producing clean chaos rovers after probing one from me.

[Ned]

Just a small point here. The AI apparenty copies designs for which they have no couterpart technology. However, if they already have a design with that chasis type, weapon and armor, they can and probably will ignore your design.