2017 autumn patch - AI domination combat test

[V. Soma]

with the 2017 spring patch a test like this resulted in AI winning in turn 480...
let's see how it performs now...

Game setting (no mods):

deity
standard speed
pangea
duel size
high sea water
information era start

no barbs
no villages
no CSs

domination only

I am Egypt

PLAY: meet Aztec and declare war - no own units, no builds - only capital city

416 I settle on coast

420 meet AI aztec - war declared - I delete all units

425 AI settle a city near me

433 inf+settler appears (AI wants to settle?)

435 yes, AI puts another city on my other side

436 inf enters my land

440 another AI settler near me, this time not protected

442 ranger corp appears, and 1 inf - units dancing

447 chopper corp, inf corp, 2 other inf, ranger corp is near - units dancing

456 units are back, ranger corp ATTACK (first attack in game) - units dancing

464 inf corps (2) ranger corp, chopper surround my city - only chopper attacks - units dancing

470 rocket arties, machine gun army join the others

472 BIG ATTACK from arties but only rangers support this - units dancing - my city HP recovers

476 attack from arties but no melee supports or attacks my city

478 inf corp moves to my nearly zero str city - but dances back (???)

480 my city is on zero but inf corp is 2 hexes away

485 AI keeps bombarding…

485 AI worker next to my city (???) - units dancing

490 inf army is next to my city - AND TAKES MY CITY - END


well, it does not look any good…

 

[Kruos]

7 years of 1UPT, and still the AI is uncapable of playing it decently.

How long it will take to Firaxis to figure it was a CATASTROPHIC decision?

 

[Gort]

Thanks for doing the test, it's always good to have some hard data to go on.

 

[V. Soma]

here is another one, this is sadly funny:

424 meet a far away AI - war - I delete units

429 ranger corp appears

440 AI settle city near me

454 settler+machine gun army appears - goes through my land

480 unprotected worker wanders near me (nothing else happens)

486 AI builds encampment

487 first inf army appears, wanders through

488 AI builds aerodrome

494 AI improves aerodrome to capacity 6 (hangar)

500 silence…

501 AI builds airport (cap 8), but no air unit is there (0/8) - worker visits my land

506 chopper army comes my way… and leaves

I check military str: Ai has 600, I have zero

520 inf corp and inf army come - ang leave to defend an AI city on my other side, I guess

536 AI puts down another city

538 big army comes: choppers, modern army, inf-s, machine guns - all armies

and they wait… 2 hexes away from my city

540 great general joins the waiting gang - unprotected…

they are there… waiting…

552 AI builds another city near me

562 ah, units move next to my city (no artillery, though) - ATTACK begins

564 arty army joins - MY CITY IS TAKEN - END


it was nearly 150 turns...

 

[RohirrimElf]

What happens if you use 2 AI players and let them fight against each other?

I`ve seen Japan capture a city state with 6 warriors within 50 turns on my first game. The city state was lightly protected. All went pretty smooth as i watched it.

 

[tekjunkie28]

7 years of 1UPT, and still the AI is uncapable of playing it decently.

How long it will take to Firaxis to figure it was a CATASTROPHIC decision?

They won't ever change it. Ever.

 

[V. Soma]

My biggest complaint is that AI does not take account of my (enemy) military strength...
AI behaves as if I had some army to fight... I think this is why AI is so cautious...

It is otherwise OK that AI builds up a mixed force (tanks, infantry, ranger) - and attacks only when siege is supported by arty, too...

 

[MrRadar]

@V. Soma: Could it be, that AI is just not very willing to war you in the info era, even if it could crush you? According to @Victoria, regardless of the CB you used against your opponent, defender suffers surprise war WW and WM penalties, which in the info era are the highest. Could you test earlier eras' starts to compare AI's behaviour?

 

[darkace77450]

7 years of 1UPT, and still the AI is uncapable of playing it decently.

How long it will take to Firaxis to figure it was a CATASTROPHIC decision?

As easy as it is to blame 1UPT, I think the problem is Firaxis. They either haven't put enough resources into making the AI good or the people they working on the AI aren't up to the task.

 

[Gedemon]

@V. Soma : if its the military AI you want to test, I'd suggest to use a mod removing war weariness, in the base game taking cities, even more the last one of a civilization, is not really what the diplomatic AI should do (well it should in a duel domination, yes, but I'm unsure that's what you want to test)

 

[bladex]

units dancing?

 

[Victoria]

I agree with @Gedemon

Have a cap city somewhere far away and then mnake sure you forward settle one before the industrial age. The industrial age onwards all have the same dip & war punishments.
I have seen symptoms of the Ai being unhappy taking a last city but I understand your tests are consistent acrossw paqtches so you want to keep them the same... just not sure they are the best test.I agree they should be brutal tpo the end but I can also understand why they may program hesitence in.

 

[V. Soma]

units dancing?

units moving back and forth: next to my city and then back to 2 tiles away... and repeat

 

[V. Soma]

@V. Soma: Could it be, that AI is just not very willing to war you in the info era, even if it could crush you? According to @Victoria, regardless of the CB you used against your opponent, defender suffers surprise war WW and WM penalties, which in the info era are the highest. Could you test earlier eras' starts to compare AI's behaviour?

here is one starting in classical age

78 meet AI - war - I delete all units

144 scout appears

149 GG appears unprotected, then leaves

157 missionaries past through

AI builds 2 wonders

AI has 3 suze CSs /I forgot to turn them off/

170 settler+horse appears

174 cat and horse and 3 spears appears

177 they ATTACK - CITY TAKEN - END

well, better, I guess, as when AI army came, it promptly attacked and captured my city...

 

[V. Soma]

@V. Soma : if its the military AI you want to test, I'd suggest to use a mod removing war weariness, in the base game taking cities, even more the last one of a civilization, is not really what the diplomatic AI should do (well it should in a duel domination, yes, but I'm unsure that's what you want to test)

I wanted to see Firaxis way of civ6 so no mods...

It is a very clear situation: duel domination game:
AI and a one and last civ to defeat for victory - AI should realize this...

 

[conorbebe]

Ran an AI only game, domination victory on prince difficulty. Left it running for about 3 hours. I return and not a single civilisation has been defeated. Borders had barely changed since the first half an hour. The game had pretty much stagnanted. Medieval units everywhere despite everyone being in the information era.

 

[MrRadar]

well, better, I guess, as when AI army came, it promptly attacked and captured my city...

One of my early games as Egypt, with the Aztecs as close neighbours, emp/ancient start, was finished before turn 40 - four Eagles were enough to bury me.

It is a very clear situation: duel domination game:
AI and a one and last civ to defeat for victory - AI should realize this...

I vaguely remember a thread debating, if the AI is 'aware' of the fact that some VCs were disabled and it seemed that it was not. That might explain why AI lacks concentration on the apparent purpose. It may just pursue some other VC regardless, and this war might be just a distraction, not deserving proper AI's 'attention'. Of course, it would be nice, if AI was programmed to recognize situations when some VC are disabled, and only go for the valid ones.

 

[UWHabs]

Not this patch but before, I tried a map where I crowded people in. I think it would have been Immortal with an extra civ and probably 2 extra CS. I go around to explore and see Gilgamesh and Qin near me. As I start walking my warrior home to defend, I notice that Gilgamesh has a lot of warriors around. He declares war, and then a couple turns later has them all at my city. A few turns later, I'm dead. I did not even get the chance to finish Code of Laws.

So if the AI is truly motivated to declare war and take your city, they can do it. Just because you declare war and have no troops it can still take the AI a little bit to essentially do the rolls in their head that they take you out. I mean, if I was playing a game and an AI attacked me without sending any troops, I might continue on my current strategy for a little bit.

 

[Victoria]

Done a Dom deity game, nothing much seems to have changed intelligence wise. Stole a settler, there did seem to be quite a few enemy units but meh

 

[Jojo_Fr]

That's why I will never build any new expansions, unless a real A.I patch is made.