Version 1.1

This makes AI Empires more challenging without giving them any cheat buffs. It makes a few small changes to allow the to AI make better decisions. They WILL invade and take planets, build better fleets and have better industry. Details in Mod Description.

This is NOT an Overhaul mod. It is a Vanilla Plus Experience. There are a very few, simple, changes.

If you are already destroying the AI on Endless difficultly, this isnt going to make them beat you all of a sudden. But it WILL make them harder and more deadly.

There should be no bugs, but I have been wrong before. Please let me know if you find any.

Version 1.0 Changes

Tier 0 buildings (e.g. Drone Networks) now have the Tier 1 Industry Stats because most AI will not build the Tier 1 Industry buildings in a timely manner, or at all. As a result, all AI empires have better industry, without effecting the player.

All Engines now have Siege Damage attached to them (lesser versions of Titanium Slugs) so the AI will now invade and take planets in a timely manner. Higher tier engines do higher damage.

Strategic Element Costs for ships and upgraded slots is removed, so the AI has better fleets and economy. This does make the Element market less profitable, but improves the AI Empires drastically.

All shield modules now give lesser tier armor and all armor mods now give lesser tier shield. So the AI will get at least some benefit when it stacks all shield mods with armor repair support mods.

A few Omni and Dual Slots on protectors and coordinators were changed to single choice (defense only) because the Horatio, Vaulter, Nakalim and some others would build end game coordinators with a single defense mod and they would die to a single salvo. Now they can build proper tanks.

Hissho have gotten a minor direct buff. They are played terribly by the AI. So their ships now have a reduced construction cost like the cravers. They are still played terribly by the AI but are an early game threat now, kinda.

Vodyani have gotten a small direct change - both a buff and a nerf in version 1.1 - explained below. They are somewhat tougher opponnents now.

Nakalim and Hissho are played poorly by the AI in general, and this isnt going to help them much. It will make them better but they are not great opponnents.

Version 1.1 Changes

VANILLA BUG FIX: Vanilla Vodyani and Riftborn AI cannot use Carrier large weapon slots. Now they can.

MOD BONUS SHIELD RESISTANCES: Tweaked down slightly from previous change. Still significantly more than vanilla. If you dont like the reduced amount replace mod file with optional file in README folder.

SIEGE ENGINE DAMAGE: Tweaked up from previous change by 1 on each engine. If you dont like the increased amount replace mod file with optional file in README folder, for a lesser, but more than vanilla amount.

STRATEGIC RESOURCE HULL COST: Was not removed from some hulls. Now all hulls cost zero strategic resource and all AI economies are better.

VODYANI TWEAKS:
Vodyani were played poorly by AI because they expanded too slowly. They have recieved a minor buff and a minor nerf to balance it out. Basically they now expand quicker early game, and play taller, but their population costs more to balance it out. They can now compete with other AI empires because they have 5-6ish tall systems instead of 2-4 short systems by the end of early game.

First Arks are cheaper and cost Max - 700 instead of Max - 200. Arks also have +2 speed. This makes them expand quicker early game. Ark cost after the first 6 is almost irrelvant, anyway.

Cost to buy population is increased from 250 to 400 essence, to balance out above change to Arks.

Start of Vodyani main quest is delayed by 7 turns and starts on Turn 12 instead of Turn 5. Having (or not being able) to kill 4 pirates on Turn 5 would cripple the AI and slow it down even more.

Their population cap of maxed systems is now increased from 9 to 12 per system.

With those changes, AI Vodyani can now compete with other AI empires and can be a threat. They are still vulnerable to a bad RNG start, just like other factions though.

That is all of the changes. More details below.

PROBLEM: Most AI will not build Tier 1 industry buildings in a timely manner, hurting them early game. Some races will build them almost never.
SOLUTION: AI will almost always build the Tier 0 buildings, so the stats for the tier 1 buildings have been mostly moved to the tier 0 buildings. All AI now have a better industry without effecting the player. The Sophon "cold" industry bonus has been moved to their unique farm, so the buff was not given to all empires.
Remaining issue: Sophon, Nakalim and to a lesser extent Empire and Vaulters still do not prioritize industry. I dont know how to change this directly. But as a result of these changes they are all better.

PROBLEM: AI cannot take planets in a timely manner, because they dont build dedicated invasion ships, or if they do, they are terrible.
SOLUTION: All ships need engines. Siege Power added to Engines. Now all ships have Siege Engines and the already existing AI fleets will siege, invade and take planets in a timely manner. Dedicated invaders are still better for the Player, but the AI isnt toothless anymore. AI can and will completely wipe out other empires now.

PROBLEM: Late Game AI empires have wrecked economies and cannot field fleets with strategic modules, making their fleets much weaker.
SOLUTION: Strategic Element cost for ships and the upgraded slots is removed (you still need the tech to unlock the slots). The AI can now field deadly fleets with strategic modules. A side effect is the Element market is less profitable for everyone. This is a net improvement though.

PROBLEM: AI would design ships with all shield modules and armor repair mods. Or all armor modules and flotilla shield modules, making their ships much weaker.
SOLUTION: All defense modules now give a lesser tier of the the opposite type. So a Tier 2 shield will give tier 1 armor stats also. All fleets (including player) are more durable and less suseptible to specialized attack. This is a net improvment for the AI and does not hurt the player at all.

PROBLEM: AI will almost always prioritize support mods in ship design if given a choice. So Omni and Dual slots that allow choice between armor, weapon or support the AI would almost always choose support. This would result in Horatio, Nakalim and others building protectors and coordinators with a single defense module and they were useless ships for their job.
SOLUTION: On some race coordinators, the Omni slots were changed to just defense. The AI now builds actual tanks that can do their job. Typical Horatio coordinator now has 3x defense modules now, instead of 1.

PROBLEM: Vodyani AI is toothless and often ends up with 2-3 systems on Huge Galaxy before map lines are drawn and they just wither away and die because they cannot compete with late game planet and population numbers of other empires.
SOLUTION: Vodyani Can now expand quicker early game, and will usually have 5-6 systems by mid game. They still have less systems than most empires, but now have a higher population cap so can play taller.

STANDALONE CHANGES: MODULAR
None of the changes are reliant on others. If you are comfortable with editing mod folders, you can delete the changes for a specific file if you dont like them. Like the defense mods, or you can delete the Hissho ship changes, or the Vodyani Mothership file, etc.

But dont mess with it if you are not comfortable with doing so. ;}