One day SkyNet will play with us and our AI problems will be solved.

The AI has to cheat...just the way it is.  Did you see anything "fair" in Terminator?

Ok, kids.

Point of this topic was as a Public Service Annoucnment that the higher AI have some faster research and building bonuses.

It been documented in Patch notes and release notes that the higher AI have always had the income bonus. But I never saw or dont remember them ever being documented that they have these other bonuses.

SO....I thought I give everyone a heads up, in case you cared. Also was hoping that IC/SD could verify this was intended.

Again, there nothing wrong with the current bonuses, sure we could drive this topic down the same old dusty "Dont make AI cheat, make them smarter" and compain about the cheating...but we know its not gonna do anything anytime soon. Though maybe some improvement Rebellion....

So lets recap the OP and point of topic:

AI cheats. We all know. Love it or hate it, its a fact.

I was unaware AI got research/building bonuses along side the well documented income bonus.

Thought I share my new found wisdom about everyone favorite proverbial punching bag.

Hope the lords and ladies of Space and Time (IC/SD) would chime in and say either, 'hey thats not right....or surpise! You like those apples?!'

But yall can talk about whatever.... Cant say I dont mind a topic of mine being popular....hehehehe...

The whole point of the new AI types was to cheat a whole lot more.

I kinda figured that out myself when I saw, "viscious", "cruel" and "unfair".  There aren't many (any) games where the AI out-thinks you.  Though once in awhile the Sins AI is brilliant and sparkles.

On a diverging note, one thing I have noticed is the AI player spots syncing attacks with the pirates as if they were coordinating directly.  Anyone else?

oh yeah. Happens way too much. Though, I'm not sure if this is the AI pooling together so much as them getting good intelligence. TBH, I'm pretty sure another way the AI cheats  is that it always has the full map revealed. It sure seems that way when they copy/counter your units before you field them and without seeing any scouts visit.

Maybe Watson from Jeapordy could learn to play Sins.

The impression I get from that is that its a glorified, super-techy search engine.

Eh?  From my experience the AI doesn't use omniscience in Sins.  They do actively auto-explore though, and will use flak or carriers to do it in the later parts of the game.  If they see something, they respond.  So if you're spamming one ship type, and they catch a 5 second glimpse of it, they'll alter their tactics to respond.  But it is possible to surprise the AI without them countering if you deny scouting information.  Just expect a counter to churn out after the initial conflict. 

Usually the AI falls apart in suiciding against starbases though.  So just wait for them to throw away some capital ships and you can move in for the kill.

That was my impression too.  That's why it got the airports question wrong in Final Jeopardy on the first night.

If you don't know about it, go to the following link.

http://asmarterplanet.com/blog/2011/02/watson-on-jeopardy-day-two-the-confusion-over-an-airport-clue.html

I think the AI plays pirates and its player AIs as "one force"--meaning when it looks at you (not an AI) it uses all its assets as if they were serving a single purpose.  That's how it plays out to me.

And if a computer recognizing a human being and then rallying everything it has to exterminate him isn't Skynet...

Nice.

Meanwhile, I've noticed not only the pirates, but if you have two opponents on far ends of your space, they seem to come in very closely timed. This could be them working together (given that they are not allied nor in striking distance of the other) or it could be the AI internal clock happening to sync up just cause they both run on the same protocol.