Naval AI

I am making a Armadas scenario so most of it has a important naval part, as you know nava AI is horrible, so I would like to make a list of every ideas, tips and adeas taken from other scenarios that could be useful for it.

Is there any writing about it?

As far as I can tell, the naval AI just wanders around the oceans and attacks anything it blunders into if the unit is set on naval superiority or attack.

One tip I can offer though; if the scenario starts with a sea transport unit in port and there is a ground unit there, already set on "board ship," then the ship leaves port with the ground unit on board during that first turn.

General statement regarding the naval AI;

I think it is best to separate transport ships from warships, I mean, don´t give AI warships the ability to transport additional troops. Make separate tranporters with the "transport" flag instead, perhaps with 0 attack.

If you have warships (that have the "attack" or the "naval superiority" flags set on) which can transport land units too, the AI often attacks coastal cities with such ships full of troops, instead disembarking the troops first. So often they lose the ship AND the transported units in such stupid attacks. With transporters (with 0 attack) the AI will probably disembark the land units...

It has to do a lot wich what slots you use for your ships as well, event the barbarians will attack with a warship in the frigate slot(!), but no civ will ever even build a unit in the carrier slot...

I can't wait to see this scenario, especially with your new map And I haven't forgot about the sounds... Still collecting naval sound items... (in fact I've been toying a bit with making an armada scen myself, but I think I have enough projects to finish off just yet)

In my experience, Henriks suggestion is right. If you provide players with lots of triremes and frigates as well as battleships, cruisers and subs to a certain degree (slot-wise), you will get a lot of AI naval action. Its correct what Bebro says, that sometimes the AI will waste transport/attack ships in crazy attacks. -for example, I can't believe how many royal warships loaded with vikings I have seen attacking the storms in "Hammer" and sunk (occasionally surviving with one hp)... If you want to combine these, the best thing is if these combined ships have really superior attack rate, hitpoints and firepower, so they'll survive more often than not when attacking like this.

I really think you should give it a shot with the range-1 missiles, used as boarding crews or cannons. (like kobayashis subs in ZWK), but I have little idea of how the AI uses these. Could be used as a special thing, maybe fireships could have the same role. -Additionally it would make transfers of troops between ships in open sea an interesting option.

Keep up the good work!

Originally posted by kIndal
I am making a Armadas scenario so most of it has a important naval part, as you know nava AI is horrible, so I would like to make a list of every ideas, tips and adeas taken from other scenarios that could be useful for it.

Is there any writing about it?

Click to expand...

Does this mean you are entering the Age of Sail Scenario Design Contest?

In general, I limit the AI in the number of ship types available to build to 1 transport type and 2 warship types. Otherwise the AI seems to builds a stupid selection of ships.

Like BeBro, I don't give warships transport ability.

IMO the best examples of naval AI are Gothmog's scenario 'Pitt's war at sea', John Ellis's Colonies III and my scenario 'The Cruel Sea 2.0'.

In my experiance the Naval AI isn't too bad. If you can prevent the AI from making kamakazi attacks against port cities it actually handles it's ships fairly well. It is rather fond of coastal defence though, so you'll need to use events to move AI ships into foreign waters.

Originally posted by kobayashi


Does this mean you are entering the Age of Sail Scenario Design Contest?

Click to expand...

Not really, I am making this scenario since last summer but i have some problems and I had to remake the scenario so if I finish it for then I will present it