In fact, when you start a war and can negotiate a peace deal, you'll have it for free. Even on higher difficult level.
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It's a bug or misfeature that was introduced in BNW. I don't exploit it.
Hi, I'm seriously considering making a dll mod that makes the AI more coherent and competitive, first I need to know what are the common silly moves and errors the AI make near every game, so with your aid lets make a list with all the AI bad decisions.
Here is an update on my progress, also I categorized all the issues.
Production AI:
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- AI sometimes mass carriers, when they may use one or two, I often go on a naval assault to find lots of useless carriers near under their borders doing nothing.
True. Sometimes it sends fleets with many carriers and no planes.
- Some AI focuses on training too many units and then don't use them, going broke and killing their game.
Occasionally happens. It seems the AI sometimes over builds, and never deletes its units.
- Bad use of Archeologists, the get too little works, they get some unused ones doing nothing.
They often dig when they have no slots, forcing themselves to create useless sites.
- Possible overuse of prophets to convert cities instead of making holy site.
Debatable. Depending on your religious beliefs converting might be better. Even better might be avoiding GPr spawning, but sometimes it can't be helped.
- Is posible AI doesn't even know what is an AA unit and use them as standard melee.
I think it does.
- Later in the game, AI doesn't use the best units like the XCOM squad.
I haven't seen it do so.
- Bad use of great people: Using musician concert mid-game, bulbing GSs early.
Those are natural plays I don't criticize. I don't expect or want the AI to play the beaker overflow snowball trick, for example. I consider it an exploit. Settling GS after about turn 100 is almost certainly wrong though.
- On higher diffs AI still spawn too much units hurting them more than helping due to the science/culture penalties.
I wasn't aware that having too many units impacted anything except gp.
- AI seems to never want to upgrade some of their recon ships. Like still having triremes in the atomic era.
The AI is generally poor at upgrading. Even in the mid game they will still have warriors in their army.
- Sometimes AI with high GPT is unable to spend the gold for no reason, reaching 6k, 8k gold with no use even if the AI is on a critical moment.
True. The AI will die with money in the bank. I have won games where an AI had 30k in the bank and could have just bought a diplo victory. This is probably deliberate. It is much easy for the programmers if they do not have to worry about resource constraints.
Combat AI
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- When AI attack a coastal city, or any battle happens near water tiles, they have no worries to throw lots of units to the water, only to lose them by ranged units.
True. Units will embark recklessly.
- Air units tend to rebase a lot instead on attacking.
I have noticed the AI prudently rebases units from a city under siege. This is good but maybe it is sometimes too prudent.
- When you capture a city or you have a city in range damaged, they tend to bombard the city even if there's no chance to later take the city.
This could be valid XP farming. I have noticed the AI is quite unsentimental. Several times I have taken an OC to have the former owner a-bomb it the next turn.
- Ranged units moving OR firing when they can do both. FIXED: Now AI can move to target AND shoot as part of a multiple attack. I still have to potimize code and check out the previous analysis of the combat outcome properly.
Excellent!
- AI sometimes left the Generals unprotected on the field, they sould have an scort near always.
Yes, AI generals are often easy targets.
- Sometimes AI abuse of sitting and healing when they could instead easily wipe the barbarian ranged attacker / clear a camp, and instead dies.
Yes.
- AI sends GP/missioners trough territory of opponent/CS who is at war.
Also settlers and workers (all unescorted).
- Fail on priorities when AI choose to focus on targets. Always go for the weakest one, while could try to shut down a nastier one.
This is a difficult problem. I generally try to kill the units I think will hurt me the most.
- AI should be able to detect when they can stomp roll over some threat (IE it have a much much bigger army strength), and instead of focusing, try to max out damage done to the enemy lines.
Your AI sounds nasty!
- AI doesn't have "memory" of past actions on the field, thus not being able to see planes out of line of sight, submarines, and isn't able to detect where is the hottest war zone to react accordignly.
True. Submarines are OP against the AI.
Diplomacy AI
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Diplo is generally hopeless or senseless. It is as if the person who wrote did not understand the meaning of the words they were using. Mutual defense treaties are secret, you can only demand diplomatic moves that the AI already wants to do, trades seem to have nothing to do with the AI's needs, etc while the AIs own diplomatic moves rarely make sense and seem mechanical and reactive rather than driven by its interests. Almost everything needs to be redone.
Global AI
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- AI will choose order as Ideology most of the time.
It doesn't always and Order may usually be best for the AI.
- End game AI Tech path seems to be streamline.
I'm not sure what that means.
Another common mistake I have seen is the pointless sortie from a city under siege. A garrisoned ranged unit or ship sometimes leaves, exposing itself to immediate death and weakening the city.
