Countering an exploit, and making the AI better at attacking the player colony

[Likif]

Call it tactics or an exploit, but currently the best way to counter AI assaults is to build a walled-in colony with just one entrance and post a bunch of turrets in close view of this entrance inside the walls. Whenever the AI attacks, you just wait for the attackers to beeline for the one entrance and be mowed down by the turrets when they break down the autodoor.

This means the game loses its challenge, since there's not a whole lot of other stuff to worry about once the base really gets going.

I suggest the following solutions:

More expensive turrets
Easiest solution. Turrets are efficient, cheap and easy to build en masse. Make them more expensive or less useful.

Blackout device
Moderately easy solution. Technologically advanced AI factions might use a blackout device that works like a solar flare (but shorter duration) when assaulting. This would make depending on turrets a risky strategy.

Destroy the base
Instead of going for just pawns and turrets, the AI targets all structures in the colony in the vicinity of pawns and turrets. This means it would try to break down walls that would otherwise funnel the AI assault force into the free-fire zone on the other side of the entrance. Perhaps difficult to program.

Hole-in-wall approach (or 'the Kool-Aid')
(in conjunction with above tactic) The AI has something dedicated to making holes in the walls. A single shot grenade or rocket launcher would do the trick, or perhaps explosives, C4 style, with dedicated AI.

Sappers
The above would not work that well if the player is using a hollowed-out mountain as base. How about the AI setting up base close to the player colony, but on the other side of the mountain, and then it starts tunneling into the mountain toward the player?

Besiege the entrance
If the player has the single-entrance setup, the AI sets up a base just outside that entrance and waits out the player, who is pretty much forced to sally out.

Fog-of-war
Finally, the game really should have a fog-of-war, like so many other games. This would make the AI generally and mortar sieges in particular harder to counter. You would need scouts to find the enemy and direct your artillery fire, and perhaps you would not be warned about AI assaults before you actually see them...

[Oxidus]

I kinda like suggestion about blackouts,Destroying base,Hole in wall and besieging mainly this you know.When your supplies are getting thin you have to get out and thats really cool,they should implent it.

[Kinakin]

The AI already has ways of destroying walls. Both through grenades and regular attacks. The issue is more related to pathing since as long as there is a walkable or doored way they will choose it.

They dont target walls as is. But i guess the AI could be tweaked to calculate their path based on the length of the route. And if a shorter way is blocked by walls they would attack the walls.

[Likif]

They dont target walls as is. But i guess the AI could be tweaked to calculate their path based on the length of the route. And if a shorter way is blocked by walls they would attack the walls.

In most cases that would make the single-entrance tactic useless, so this would be a good solution. Mining could then be substituted for destroying walls if the walls are in fact non-destructable mountains.

[NoImageAvailable]

They dont target walls as is. But i guess the AI could be tweaked to calculate their path based on the length of the route. And if a shorter way is blocked by walls they would attack the walls.

I haven't played much Alpha 8 but from the couple raids I've had some would break off and attack random walls, so they do target walls it seems.

[Mechanoid Hivemind]

They dont target walls as is. But i guess the AI could be tweaked to calculate their path based on the length of the route. And if a shorter way is blocked by walls they would attack the walls.

I haven't played much Alpha 8 but from the couple raids I've had some would break off and attack random walls, so they do target walls it seems.

they do but, they switch walls so often it makes it hard for them to breach, i wall my colony in completely no in or out, they jump from the right side of my wall to the front then to the left and back to the right then just give up

[litlbear]

blackout device is very interesting

[SuperCaffeineDude]

Been reading the Dune wiki and they speak of a silicon plague that sent everyone to darkages, something like that might be in keeping to the theme.

A virus that makes your turrets shoot all organics would be an awesome way to balance things, perhaps as a separate event not tied to a Mech attack though. Whilst active the turrets cannot have their controls meddled with.

But it'd be awesome to have the Mechs use EMP weaponry instead, something longer ranged than the grenades (E.M.P.Cannon/Lance/Rifle/etc).

[evrett33]

I've seen the AI light walls on fire even when there is a whole to enter the deathbox. Just doesnt happen often enough...they need more incentive to burn their way through rather than go in the box. Also it would help if during a besiegment maybe someone stayed back and manned the mortars.

[TheRiceWizard]

Im a really big fan lf the sit in front of entrance option. Maybe they could even set up some sandbags and turrets. Eventually youd probabaly have to come out for something.

[Xom]

Currently the best way for me to counter invasions is to claim all of the visible stuctures on the map the moment my colonists arrive, making enemies randomly attack walls I don't need instead of my stuff~

[FridayBiology]

how hard would it be to add "fog of war" like feature to the game?
more thinking colonist visible rather then explored areas. As well as the need to add "hunting zones" to set hunter to hunt within set areas and everything else.