Well considering I've seen quite a few posts from people who could beat easy and normal AI in the original sins (and I think entrenchmet) complain that they can no longer beat the AI on easy in diplomacy, they obviously did something! But most of them seemed to be turtlers, and they did much better after we urged them to expand much more quickly. Thus I think the AI on all difficulties now expands faster and/or is much more aggressive, but it still suffers from its inability to deal with starbases well (in all honesty, the game is harder with the original Sins than entrenchment just because you can't fall back on these things that the AI can only destroy with a huge weight of numbers). I suppose you could just make a mod for Entrenchment/Diplomacy that removed starbases so you could keep the other features, but the game would be much harder.

This isn't really AI, but I'm sure you heard the pirates were mega buffed in Diplomacy, to the point that they can take out all but the most fortified starbases with a bunch of defensive structures nearby (and even then you might want a bit of a fleet to be save). I suppose you could just leave the pirates on and never bid on them for an extra challenge lol.

Also, they did add two new difficulty levels that get an obscene resource resource multiplier. I know you said you wanted a smarter opponent, but really needing to have weaker CPU allies just to compete with a single Cruel AI is good for a few games lol. Especially since the pacts actually give you reason to keep them around (besides as meat shields of course).

So perhaps I should ask, what was the main thing about the AI that you thought was too easy, and I can give you a better answer lol.

The Vasari AI seems to be the worse off. No frigate based anti-structure support and poor use of it's own starbases. In fact the Vasari AI seems much more negligent at getting starbases up mid-game than TEC or Advent in my observations. Additionally, I have never seen (or can't remember recently) it build an offensive starbase on an enemy world. I have seen TEC and Advent do this. It would be nice if the Vasari AI brought a colonizer with it's fleet and built a Starbase while attacking enemy worlds.

The AI also likes to leave it's own starbases naked by deploying them on the edge of a gravity wells versus having them move towards their nearest structures (and hopefully repair bays) before deploying. 

I get people like to have the AI suicide on starbases for dramatic affect but it would also be nice if carriers would atleast stick to the edge of the gravity well to make it somewhat more interesting. Maybe make the Cruel or Insane AI's keep a distance unless they they think they will overtake the starbase.

Other AI problems that seem to still exist are the trailing mine layers on Advent drone hosts. I've gone up against advent fleets with almost zero fighters or bombers because they were all set to mine layers (boring).

Personally, I think it would have been better to give the harder AI's more intelligence versus an insane amount of income.

There were a lot of good suggestions in other threads last year while diplomacy was being done but none of it made it in so maybe sins 2 will have a better AI.

Of course when I have time I play online. Had 1v1 random map game last night where the player brought his Egg and six siege frigates up to my home world while I was sending my drone hosts with bombers and a starbase to his homeworld. Game lasted 22 minutes and was quite fun!

Diplomacy also offers two more difficulty levels--Cruel (3x eco boost) and Vicious (4x eco boost) which are actually rather challenging.  The AI itself might be a little smarter, but it's still AI.

I know I'll get pilloried for saying this, but if you want a real challenge with opponents capable of real strategy and tactics, there's just no substitute for playing Sins in online multiplayer over Ironclad Online.  You might really enjoy it if you got into it.  You'll find that the game is much more challenging against real people but also more intense, more suspenseful, more exciting, and much more satisfying.  Online multiplayer also adds team-based strategies to the game.

You mean, here?

https://www.sinsofasolarempire.com/downloads.aspx

I suppose I could submit my updated maps again and then in the comment area for the maps or in a ReadMe file I could include an invitation.  I could also make my own Sins webpage that people might find and include a "how-to" for online multiplayer which could serve as an ad.  It's not a bad idea and sounds like a worthy project.

jsut set the tactical slot requirement to 1 and see what happens?

I would like to add a little something... i think that the AI just plain doesnt ever save up enough resources to build them.... they cost a shitton, and uasually if an ai finds itself with that much cash itll blow it on a fleet upgrade... 

so, actually, if we want to be SURE, set the tatical slots to 1, the moneys to 1 cr, 1 metal 1 crystal, and then move the research to tier 1.

 If they STILL dont build, then we KNOW its hard coded.