AI Behavior with Regards to Trade Routes

[steveg700]

So yet another behavior that players avail themselves of that the AI doesn't is trade routes. By the late game, many payer will have one per city, while the AI might only have one, period. Even when they have alliances that make the the routes quiet impactful. At lest that's my general experience. It's another reason a player can snowball.

Has anyone observed any noteworthy behaviors that translate into an AI civ exploiting trade? Are there any civ's that seem to maximize them? And on a related note, does the AI have any behaviors related to exploring the map? Can't can have routes to cities lost in the fog for the game's entirety.

 

[Linklite]

The only behaviour I've noticed is that the AI loves nabbing my traders and will prioritise doing it heavily. Really annoying.

It's not something that I've noticed before, but now you mention it, no, the AI rarely if ever has traders. I imagine it's at least partly because it doesn't build CHs or Harbours.

 

[localdisk51]

I haven't experienced this at all. When I war ai civs, I there a lots of traders goings around for me to plunder. Although usually not quite as many as I do, but certainly far from just one.

I find it fascinating how different peoples experiences are with the AI in this game.

 

[Tech Osen]

I haven't experienced this at all. When I war ai civs, I there a lots of traders goings around for me to plunder. Although usually not quite as many as I do, but certainly far from just one.

I find it fascinating how different peoples experiences are with the AI in this game.

Same, I see plenty of traders.

 

[Beaver79]

It's because most civs don't build harbors or commercial hubs anymore.

I just did a large deity archipelago map and other than me the civs made 1 harbor. 1. The only AI I've found that consistently makes commercial hubs is Mansa Musa. It's barely worth having spies do anything other than guard your own territory.

I see traders coming from city states, but the AI doesn't have a lot of them.

 

[SaboteurINT]

Quantity of AI Trade routes depends whether you fixed AI science bug.
Many things depends on this, also quantity of units build by AI. This was a game-pleasure-changer for me, played 3k hours

 

[steveg700]

I haven't experienced this at all. When I war ai civs, I there a lots of traders goings around for me to plunder. Although usually not quite as many as I do, but certainly far from just one.

I find it fascinating how different peoples experiences are with the AI in this game.

If at war, it may be domestic routes being intercepted. Which are something a civ needs to scale down on in the era of alliances.

 

[steveg700]

Quantity of AI Trade routes depends whether you fixed AI science bug.

Don't know what that refers to.

 

[Finvola]

I see AI trade routes. Granted I don't see lots of them but at least more than one.