I've played several games since the patch, ranging from endless difficulty to just normal.



AI controlled Sowers consistently perform terribly.



I can't actually see specifically what is going on but they seem to colonise just fine by have no actual population.



I'll post screen shots from my current game, I'm on an Amoeba play through, trying for the not building weapons achievement. 4 player game, medium galaxy, otherwise normal settings.











They've never been at war, they have uncolonised systems right near them, they are in a financial mess, it's turn 61 and their empire looks like it's turn 21. That one blueple system near them might have been theirs and taken from them by cravers, but that still doesn't excuse their lack of expansion, growth or finances.



Since the patch you can basically look at the map, the colour with influence circles half the size of everyone else, that's Sowers.



Are other peoples experiences similar or has Sower AI been extremely unlucky in all my games?

That was the case before the patch before as well.

We know that sometimes empires go bankrupt due to poor early decisions, and never recover. Also, sometimes the negative events like pirates or plague can cripple an empire (either human or AI). If you have a save game, you may be interested to "jailbreak" the game and look at it from the AI perspective. Maybe you can see what they did wrong. Also, if you do have the save game, please zip and attach to a post (see the instructions in the sticky welcome thread of the tech support forum if needed) so we can look at it.

I've seen that issue, as described, happen to a Hissho AI on Endless, where the Sophon AI and myself expanded into his territory quickly. He proceeded to focus entirely on trying to retake/take one system held by the Sophon AI and ignore several options around him.

davea wrote:
We know that sometimes empires go bankrupt due to poor early decisions, and never recover. Also, sometimes the negative events like pirates or plague can cripple an empire (either human or AI). If you have a save game, you may be interested to "jailbreak" the game and look at it from the AI perspective. Maybe you can see what they did wrong. Also, if you do have the save game, please zip and attach to a post (see the instructions in the sticky welcome thread of the tech support forum if needed) so we can look at it.

It seems like AI, in general, is too eager to settle lower tier planets too quickly. Since Sowers are tolerant, they go nuts with this, which screws their happiness and of course their FIDS. Maybe some more priority should be given to scouting Class 1 systems before settling?



Couple that with a limit that prevents the AI from ever settling a planet that will cause empire happiness to go below content. Instead, it just techs until it gets enough happiness tech.



Easier said than done; I know that scripting AI to behave a certain way is a challenge or sometimes impossible. But I think the problem is at least clear.