GalCiv2 Forums
Another quick question:
When the AI picks abilities at the start of the game, does any abilities you chose for that race when you played AS THEM have any effect?
I was asking because I saw a thread where something was said about picking abilities for AI opponents and didn't knbow if that what was meant.
If there is a file present in the C:\Docs...\Dark or Twilight folder to represent that specific AI as an opponent into the usual selection screen, then that saved file and its values will override the 'normal' RC settings **presuming** that the id sticks between game sessions, that you select it, and that IF you don't select the same custom race number to play with.
The game autosaves every race you use continually just to keep you from loosing these very same temporary 'options'.
An indirect way to maintain a pool of "customized" opponents is to edit the files themselves (*.customracexml for DA & *.raceconfig.xml for TA) so their ids are #12... from now on, you can have as many 'different' Korx_etc races as you want. I'd recommend renaming 'hem for clarity though.
And since racial Abilities are part of these settings, they would stick for the long run -- unless re-edited or re-saved.
Ok, but not talking about custom races, just the regular stock races. I notice that when i set up a new game, any race i previously used still has the abilities set to what I used for them. My question is, does the AI use these abilities or does it choose its own each game? If its the first one, would you have to reset the abilities to make the AI pick its own?
I know for ToA at least, that setting civ's during game setup (Technologists, Populists, etc) does stay during the game. They will not choose their own. I'm not sure about the other abilities though, as it is somewhat more difficult to tell. I would assume DA is most likely the same way.
The Major races (as pre-defined in the corresponding RC.xml file) will always use the default values written in -Unless- there is a re-saved "copy" of this race (with the normal ID tag, but using your new & altered settings as defined in any previous Game sessions) in the C:\Docs\... folder.
If you were to delete any of these extra files, the datasets would simply reset to default values until, later on, you'd make a few changes again & play straight in. I believe that the auto-saving routine kicks in as soon as we enter the Opponents selection screen.
Soooo...
AFAIK, the AIs *opponents* pick their values in two ways by priority; 1) from the RC or 2) if they are present in the opponents listing AND as a saved extra file in C:\Docs... which would override the dataset found in #1.
No longer applies since it must pick a static permanent set first from the valid RC file.
I have a feeling you are confusing pre-defined Abilities with the usual remaining customization points.
Which can always alter some values at runtime, no matter what is in the RC or the auto-saved version(s).
Right?
PS; I discovered these code patterns accidentally when i wanted to enforce a PolParty choice (at runtime) to the X-Worlds' Majors and Minors since none had a proper tag line for it. And why i also gave the CustomizationPoints slot a value of Zero for all. No Ais ever played differently than i intented after that... unless (again) i'd re-edit them live into an opponents screen setting phase to *create* a new auto-save file for any.
Right, except I'd say that it was you who was confusing the abilities I was asking about. 
I was in fact asking about the left pver ability points. That is, I wanted to know if the AI used the abilities I chose last time i used that race or if it picked them new each game. I'm still not clear on it since I don't know what those files are that you mentioned. But I think in the quoted portion of your response you are saying that that AI does pick their own abilities anew each game.
Exactly, although... still depending on "some" of the circumstances discussed earlier!
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