AI doesn't build improvements - again

[trigorin]

I posted it on official forum, but I'm interested in your opinions, too.

I installed 1.0.1.332 update and started a new game. I visitied Iroquois empire and I was shocked to see that they had built exactly zero tile improvements. However they have many luxury and strategic resources, including horses. They have only some warriors and archers. We are at 124th turn.
I play on Prince.

As I remember this issue was already resolved in previous patch.

Here is a screenshot:
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/232/screen1960x540.jpg/

I have to admit that some other nations seem to be a bit lazy, too, regarding improvement building, despite of having workers and using them more or less.

Does anybody else experience this?

 

[Sir Lunchalot]

What game pace did you choose? Turn 124 does not say so much, also because Hiawatha obviously spent a few turns in building a wonder (wall).

But I agree, such a lack of tile improvements in other empires sucks, as it give´s you the feeling of winning in any case, no matter how bad you play, cause you can´t be worse than these enemies...

In my experience (pre-patch) Askiya used to be the one, who completely forgets to improve his lands. I had that very often, but unfortunately I couldn´t play since the new patch is out.

Maybe it´s just a matter of strange AI-behaviour in that specific game, which sometimes occures randomly, in one of 10 games or so...

 

[trigorin]

I play with Standard pace.

What a strategy could be not building improvements? I don't see any benefit of this, on the contrary it is very useful to build an improvement on all of the tiles a nation has.

 

[apocalypse105]

So he has horseman without improving the horses?

It seems that he doenst improved this city but a other citie...

Still a bit wierd

 

[gozpel]

They most likely built 1-2 workers, that then was captured by barbs or AI.

Then they forget to build more workers and the lands are unimproved forever.

Same problem as before, like in my game I found 3 arabian settlers in barbcamps and another 2 workers holding hands with the barbs.

Unescorted settlers and workers still lingers on, great!

 

[trigorin]

No, he has no cavalry, although he has horse resources (unimproved, of course).

 

[trigorin]

They most likely built 1-2 workers, that then was captured by barbs or AI.

Then they forget to build more workers and the lands are unimproved forever.

Same problem as before, like in my game I found 3 arabian settlers in barbcamps and another 2 workers holding hands with the barbs.

Unescorted settlers and workers still lingers on, great!

This may be an explanation. There is a barbarian camp next to their land. But why don't they destroy it? It is not so hard using two or three units.

 

[gozpel]

This may be an explanation. There is a barbarian camp next to their land. But why don't they destroy it? It is not so hard using two or three units.

They try to destroy the camp with settlers!

But before they can settle the city, the barb captures them, so just a warrior as escort would've done it long ago.

 

[acm2033]

hypothetical scenario:

First City: Build settler to make second city. AI assumes second city will produce units to take care of barbs.

Settler moves off to build city
First City switches production to wonder (say) for next 50 turns

Settler captured by barbs 2 turns later

AI decides to wait until the wonder is done before making a unit to take on the barbs.

????

 

[trigorin]

hypothetical scenario:

First City: Build settler to make second city. AI assumes second city will produce units to take care of barbs.

Settler moves off to build city
First City switches production to wonder (say) for next 50 turns

Settler captured by barbs 2 turns later

AI decides to wait until the wonder is done before making a unit to take on the barbs.

????

It seems to be more and more probable, that barbarians capture AI workers, and AI players can't get back them by fighting barbarian camps nor build new ones.
In the official forum I have a parallel discussion about this problem, and the explanation tends to this theory based on other players experiences (for example there is no similar experience if barbarians are turned off).

 

[seasnake]

Strange, I'm in war with Alexander on Prince and he's improved the heck out of his land, mines and farms abound. In addition, there are five us on this continent (Me (Ramses), Kamehameha, Suleiman, Bismarck and Alex) and we're all slinging around some pretty big armies, so barb camps are getting crushed and city states keep switching allegiance...

Hmm, weird, just weird to read about problems like this.

 

[Gort]

I had this happen to me with AI Gandhi in my last multiplayer game. His land wasn't totally unimproved, but he seemed to have lost a ton of workers to barbarians and hadn't properly reacted to destroy them.

Wonder if there's a bug in the anti-barbarian AI or something?

 

[bryanw1995]

On higher levels the AI gets a huge boost vs barbs, so this rarely happens. However, at lower levels the barbs can sometimes overwhelm the enemy's military then just wipe out all of his settlers/workers at will.