An AI too complex for CIV

[NotRob]

Well I'm starting to get a wee bit bored playing Civ IV BTS (even with all great Mods out there) because of the shared limitations of the current AI system...

The game's AI is just too... weak for me at this point, as I'm sure it is for plenty of you guys. Now, I'm not talking about the difficulty levels not being a challenge, but the main reason the game gets harder at more difficult levels is because of penalties to you and extra benefits to the AI.


We need an AI that's truly challenging as hell.

Also, we need the game to offer more in the way of "Civilization Building" that no game currently offers. I want to feel like I'm really building a civilization, society, and culture.

The total sum of my ideas lends itself to a Civ5beta more than it does a Civ4 Mod, but I'm not willing to just wait around for Civ5 if I can help it.

Of course this project is too large for any one person and I'll need as much help as I can get, so lets start planning a truly dynamic, cunning, intelligent, rational AI system that'll scare the pants off Sarah Connor.


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Before the coding begins we need to determine a few things first. Only at that point should we even start to consider the coding part. Otherwise it'll influence what we discuss and affect the outcome of the Mod as a whole.
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I have a moderate amount of experience with C++ (as well as a few other languages).
I have degree in History as well as Sociology (and I'm in the process of writing a program to model early human social evolution. Expected completion date: 15 years from now unless I get a team of undergrads to work for me)

 

[NotRob]

I'm going to start by tackling this MOD one step at a time, beginning with the AI.

My ideas thus far:

(All ideas pertain to the leader of a CIV starting in the Ancient epoch)

-For any AI to work it would need to have basic "needs/wants" and as such we need to first determine what those (initial) "needs/wants" are.

-Lets say that an AI "needs/wants" to be secure, have resources of all types, expand, and overall it wants more.

-The "needs/wants" can change over time

-There is to be a difference between "needs/wants" as far as there being Primary, Secondary, Tertiary, etc...
-----Example: You may want the best out of a trade agreement, but #1 you don't want to die.

-Geography will influence the "thought process" and "value-system" of the AI.
---To be explained in a later post. Read "Guns. Germs, and Steel" by Jared Diamond to get what I'm saying.

-The AI will need to be a rational actor within the "world." This will mean that it knows what its needs are, looks at any given situation, and will "think" about any action before taking one. While "thinking" it will determine which action will result in the most beneficial outcome (in both the short and long term).
----If coded with enough abstraction this will allow for an AI to use Tactics in any given war/battle, as well as plan future settlement to take advantage of what resources would be available (compared to what it doesn't have), as well as act tactically when concerning Diplomatic issues.

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Overall any programming that will need to get done will need to be at a incredibly abstract level. This is why we first need to determine how the AI would need to "think" on the most basic level.

It is my belief that the most basic of thought processes, when applied to more complex situations, result in what we would consider "complex thought."


So, let me hear from you guys:
(as far as any Ancient Civilization leader would)
-What are the fundamental thought processes?
-What values would be held (and which values held higher than others?)
-What would the basic "needs/wants" be?