2017 Australia Patch - Combat AI...?

[V. Soma]

It is again relevant... so:

Please, report here as if any changes to AI combat behavior after the 2017 Australia patch...

like:

- Does AI attack and capture cities (especially walled cities)?
- Does AI use defending range unit in its cities to defend?
- Does AI use its damaged units to attack when it is reasonable?
- Does AI use air units?
- Does AI upgrade units?

 

[V. Soma]

I copy here some AI questions I see others ask:

Is the AI training enough army units to defend itself?

Is the AI's units the latest units or obsolete units?

Does the AI attack with large armies when it declares war? or does it stay passive and doesn't attack?

Is the AI training siege units and using them to conquer cities?

 

[Victoria]

Attack and capture walled cities.... It is trying hard so I guess the simple answer is yes but still slowly. The trouble is they come flying in with all this stiff, I shoot the seige unit to near death and it backs off and everything else starts pillaging.

Defending range unit in cities? .... Nope, but more ranged units. I got badly mauled by crossbows at one stage, never has anything so unpleasant been pleasant to see.

Use damaged units in attacks..... Yes, I lost a half health redcoat to a 1/4 health field cannon and 3/4 health cavaly.

Use air units, yes China had some, never saw them in use, maybe they were just dummies for show ( I already had taken their capital amd they were now friends)

Upgrade units...hell yes, looks a lot better.

Enough To defend itself, no... But with badly designed cities and serious amenity issues that makes sense.

Latest or old... Some old but mostly I see latest.

Large attack army? Yes from what I saw.

Seige units, yep

It was one game and as Inwas playing dom they were on the back foot a bit. Better navies also but not huge, just ships upgraded.

 

[Bro]

I haven't seen the AI act this way before. Last game I got a nice green friendly face from Rome, so I thought he was not a threath to me. Soon after he surprise dowed me with Germany. I mauled back their troops and they asked for peace. After a while I got a nice green friendly face from both so again it seemed my empire was not in danger. But noo.. they again joint warred me out of nowhere. I think the sole reason for this was that I moved my troops away both times from my land to clear off barbarian camps. This cannot continue like this! You absolutely should not be dowed by a friendly neighbour solely because you seem to have a small military in their eyes!!

But on a positive note, I did see them upgrading their units.

 

[greygamer]

I haven't seen the AI act this way before. Last game I got a nice green friendly face from Rome, so I thought he was not a threath to me. Soon after he surprise dowed me with Germany. I mauled back their troops and they asked for peace. After a while I got a nice green friendly face from both so again it seemed my empire was not in danger. But noo.. they again joint warred me out of nowhere. I think the sole reason for this was that I moved my troops away both times from my land to clear off barbarian camps. This cannot continue like this! You absolutely should not be dowed by a friendly neighbour solely because you seem to have a small military in their eyes!!

But on a positive note, I did see them upgrading their units.

It was designed that way to make the AI more "human", I'm not sure what that says about the designers view of humanity. Worse though is if you get a declaration of friendship they can still DoW on you but the player cannot
If I get friendship then I want to feel safe until it runs out, I'm fine that I cannot DoW a friend. Can they please design AI that isn't psychotic?

 

[jbavon]

I just saw Egypt take one of Japan's walled size 7 cities (Emperor). They had a tech advantage with knights and also brought a few catapults to destroy walls. I don't think they brought a lot of units because I had just made peace with them myself and killed about 10 knights and 5 crossbows during that little skirmish.

First time I've seen the AI take a walled city. Still only halfway through my first patched game.

 

[Victoria]

There is a reliance on that seige unit which is a huge limiting factor. And of they are gonna take seige, catapults are just too vulnerable. Once you know that if you kill that you stop the attack its easy. Better off taking a seige tower.

If the AI built on better land it would not have the amenity issues it has. The trouble is it would make them a lot tougher and probably skew the game a lot. It may be why they make little changes in every patch.

 

[V. Soma]

There is a reliance on that seige unit which is a huge limiting factor. And of they are gonna take seige, catapults are just too vulnerable. Once you know that if you kill that you stop the attack its easy. Better off taking a seige tower.

If the AI built on better land it would not have the amenity issues it has. The trouble is it would make them a lot tougher and probably skew the game a lot. It may be why they make little changes in every patch.

This mod:
https://forums.civfanatics.com/resources/combat-and-stacking-overhaul.25827/

may be of help, as it lets siege units (and weakened range units!) be on the same tile with a main combat unit

 

[Leyrann]

I have seen the AI capture walled cities and I have seen it using damaged units to attack cities if the damaged units don't die from it. The city being attacked didn't have walls though, so I don't know how much that would matter. I've also seen them ignore a city and move straight on for other cities, but I wouldn't say that mattered much, as it was a city 4 tiles from their closest city or a city 7 tiles from their closest city, and that second one was arguably harder to defend (only a river while the other city has two tiles of lake and a tile of marsh). I have really only seen them with modern armies (even more so than mine, as I couldn't find iron anywhere), and thoguh I haven't yet fought an offensive war, I have only had one war declaration (out of four total) where the AI did not come with an army, and that was a joint war where the other AI did come with an army, and that AI that didn't come would've had to go through foreign lands (or at least a lot unclaimed) and over a mountain ridge that spanned most of the continent.

Also, on the topic of siege units, I actually lost a city after killing the (sole) catapult of the invading army, but I did not have walls in that city, so that probably mattered (it was still only barely that I lost it, by the way).

 

[RohirrimElf]

Havent played long enough to contribute much. But i do have a feeling the AI is way more likely to upgrade their units.
They also are more eager to make friendships with me.

 

[Bleser]

Just lost my first game... ever, really, in Civ VI on Deity. Had only met America, France & Scythia. France and America became friendly with me and sent me delegations.

Then America wiped out France... every city. Meanwhile, Scythia attacked America, took two cities, made peace. Then came after me. I had three archers and four warriors... not enough. They slowly beat me down with horsemen, archers & warriors. They surrounded my capital to the point where it wouldn't heal and took me down. It was such a... great thing!

Now I'm going to start over on a lower difficulty. Much more like it!

 

[RohirrimElf]

Just lost my first game... ever, really, in Civ VI on Deity. Had only met America, France & Scythia. France and America became friendly with me and sent me delegations.

Then America wiped out France... every city. Meanwhile, Scythia attacked America, took two cities, made peace. Then came after me. I had three archers and four warriors... not enough. They slowly beat me down with horsemen, archers & warriors. They surrounded my capital to the point where it wouldn't heal and took me down. It was such a... great thing!

Now I'm going to start over on a lower difficulty. Much more like it!

I`ve had some nasty moments while fighting a horse barbarian camp. To humiliate me further a scout destroyed a well experienced eagle warrior when he was low on health. This was on immortal.
I did have 4 eagle warriors but i lost 2 of them. against 4 horseman and 2 horseman with bows.

 

[Leathaface]

Just lost my first game... ever, really, in Civ VI on Deity. Had only met America, France & Scythia. France and America became friendly with me and sent me delegations.

Then America wiped out France... every city. Meanwhile, Scythia attacked America, took two cities, made peace. Then came after me. I had three archers and four warriors... not enough. They slowly beat me down with horsemen, archers & warriors. They surrounded my capital to the point where it wouldn't heal and took me down. It was such a... great thing!

Now I'm going to start over on a lower difficulty. Much more like it!

In my Immortal game China build a Spaceport while I was at least 2 techs away from Radio, not to mention Rocketry. I quit the game then because IMO it was game over.

Plus IMO the AI is move aggressive. On Epic speed i've had Japan DOW on me after 30 turns, in another game i've had America take the capital of Brazil and DOW on me within 80 turns plus in my latest game i've had Australia take London within 40 turns, though England later regained their capital.

I also definitely agree with the AI upgrading their units. In my Immortal game I saw some Army Cavalry and Rough Riders while I only had Musketmen for a bit. I saw Tanks at the same time.

 

[Victoria]

Deity is definately harder. They still are not attacking anywhere strong enough but they are getting walls up faster and more archers. Gave up 2 games today. I won the one yesterday because of a fantastic start and lucky timing.
Anyone else finding it harder, I mean they will not destroy you but its harder to take an entire civ

Also i freed seol at one stage and got suze but soon all 8 players were all over it including 4 unknowns. It just seemed wrong

 

[Leyrann]

Right now I'm going for a science victory, but I think I'm going to take Rome/Aztecs/Gorgo/Germany next time and see if I can do a domination victory on Emperor... (which is what I normally play on)

This sounds like it's gonna be a challenge different than just "can you manage so many cities without getting bored and quitting".

 

[RDomico]

Is the AI using air units?

 

[TruthfulCake]

The combat AI is more like it now. With tech parity, the AI can really pose a threat, or at least a major nuisance by pillaging your districts and trade routes if you don't build enough units to fight them back. I don't think you can get by with a ranged unit stationed inside a walled city anymore.

 

[DemonMaster]

Is the AI using air units?

I have seen dogfight, bombing and nuke. Yes I was shocked. This was the first time I have seen that. I have seen a fighter before but never seen one doing something.

Also. The AI did conquer some walled cities (medieval era). In the renaissance era it become more difficult I noticed, but the terrain was a ***** so that is and probably will be an obstacle. But on the other hand, such cities, even I would have had some difficulties. The AI is better so that is promising. Sure still an AI, handling a difficult game to handle, but ok.

I also lost my first Civ 6 game (with two turns )

 

[Acken]

At least they seem t work on it

 

[Aussie_Lurker]

I've only played one game so far, & my wars have been limited in it, but what I have seen has left me quite impressed. The Barbarians are much more of a threat now (they were always more of a threat than in Civilization V, but now they have been knocked up another notch) & I really had to push out a lot of units to end their threat. Later in the game, I wanted to take a city that Monty had forward settled on my border. Being an un-walled, Size 2 city I wasn't expecting it to be too difficult. However, Monty was very quick to bring a couple of reinforcements into the fray-including a Great General-and that made it a tough capture after all. Oh, & this is on a below average difficulty.

My only "complaint" is that-aside from using Missionaries to convert cities-I'm not seeing the AI treat religion seriously enough!