The primary objective of the Smarter Orcs mod is to substantially improve the AI. Towards that end, I would like to ask certain focused questions on narrow topics, with the expectation that I can turn the feedback into better AI than the present AI.
Any hidden quizzes are ones where I've already started design of that section. Feel free to answer them, but I'm less likely to use the results.
Ground rules:
Quiz 0 (Foundation):
Quiz 1:
Quiz 2:
Quiz 2 (Promotions):
References are below the questions.
Wiki reference.
Brief Promotions list:
Magic Spheres:
Air I, II, III, Body I, II, III, Channeling I, II, III, Chaos I, II, III, Death I, II, III, Dimensional I, Earth I, II, III, Enchantment I, II, III, Entropy I, II, III, Fire I, II, III, Law I, II, III, Life I, II, III, Mind I, II, III, Nature I, II, III, Spirit I, II, III, Water I, II, III
Resistances/Vulnerabilities
Immune to Cold, Immune to Fire, Immune to Lightning, Magic Immune, Magic Resistance, Resist Cold, Resist Fire, Resist Lightning, Resist Poison, Vulnerable to Fire
Items
Orthus’s Axe, Pieces of Barnaxus
Races
Angel, Demon, Dragon, Dwarven, Elemental, Elven, Golem, Orcish, Undead
Religions
Cult of the Dragon, Fellowship of Leaves, Octopus Overlords, Runes of Kilmorph, The Ashen Veil, The Order
Bonus v. Unit types
Cover I, II, Demon Slaying I, Dragon Slaying, Dwarf Slaying, Elf Slaying, Formation I, II, Orc Slaying, Scourge, Shock I, II, Undead Slaying I, II
Naval Only
Buccaneers, Expanded Hull, Fair Winds, Longshoremen, Navigation I, II, Skeleton Crew
Weapon Types
Bronze Weapons, Iron Weapons, Mithril Weapons
Situational Combat Bonuses
Amphibious,Boarding, City Garrison I, II, III, City Raider I, II, III, Drill I, II, III, IV, Flanking I, II, III, Guerilla I, II, Homeland, Subdue Animal, Treetop Defense, Woodsman I, II
Combat Advantages
Barrage I, II, III, Blessed, Blitz, Burning Blood,Combat I, II, III, IV, Combat V, Commando, Dance of Blades, Empower I, II, III, IV, V, Enchanted Blade, Flaming Arrows, Heroic Defense I, II, Heroic Strength I, II, Morale, Nether Blade, Nightmare, Poisoned Blade, Shield of Faith, Spiritual Hammer, Stigmata, Stoneskin
Disadvantages
Casted, Charmed, Diseased, Fatigued, Mutated, Plagued, Poisoned, Summoned, Rooted, Rusted, Withered
Other/Mixed Promotions
Accuracy, Cannibalize, Command, Courage, Crazed, Defensive, Divine, Enraged, Evangelist, Fear, Forest Stealth, Free Promotion, Great Commander, Guardsman, Hasted, Heavy, Hero, Hidden Nationality, Horselord, Immortal, Immune to Disease, Invisible, Light, Lookout, Loyalty, March, Marksman, Medic I, II, III, Mobility I, II, Nomad, Patriarch, Pirate Cove, Plague Carrier, Priest, Prophecy Mark, Recruiter, Regeneration, Reversal of Fortune, Reaper, Sentry, II, III, Sheut Stone, Sorcery, Spell Extension I, II, Spellstaff, Spirit Guide, Summoning, Taskmaster, Trainer, Twincast, Unholy Taint, Valor, Vampirism, Water Walking, Werewolf
Any hidden quizzes are ones where I've already started design of that section. Feel free to answer them, but I'm less likely to use the results.
Ground rules:
- If you don't like how a question is worded, feel free to answer part of the question, something related, or to skip the question.
- If you think I'm missing something important on the subject, feel free to mention it even if I don't ask.
- Detailed answers are primarily what I'm looking for, particularly for the reasons why you do something.
- Please don't argue if someone else's answers are "good" or "bad" on this thread (my questions, however, are fair game). Frankly, detail matters a lot more than if it's the optimal answer.
- Thank you for your time. I'm impressed by the quality and quantity of the feedback I've gotten so far.
Quiz 0 (Foundation):
- What difficulty level do you typically play on in single-player?
- Do you play multi-player?
- What game speed do you use?
- What map size do you use?
- What map type do you use?
- If you use any non-default game settings (such as no barbarians/raging barbarians) what are they?
- What version do you typically play?
- What Civilization(s) do you typically play?
Quiz 1:
Spoiler :
Quiz 1 (Resources):
References are below the questions.
Wiki reference.
Brief resource list:
Mana:
Air Mana, Body Mana, Chaos Mana, Death Mana, Dimensional Mana , Earth Mana , Enchantment Mana , Entropy Mana , Fire Mana , Law Mana , Life Mana , Mana , Mind Mana , Nature Mana , Spirit Mana , Water Mana
Local Food:
Banana, Clam, Corn , Cow , Crab , Deer , Fish , Pig , Rice, Sheep, Sugar, Toad, Whale, Wheat
Health:
Banana, Clam, Corn , Cow , Crab , Deer , Fish , Fruit of Yggdrasil , Pig , Rice , Sheep, Toad, Wheat
Military:
Copper , Deer, Gunpowder , Fire Mana, Gems, Horse , Incense, Iron, Ivory , Marble , Mithril, Nightmare , Pig, Reagents , Sheut Stone
Happiness:
Corn , Dye , Fruit of Yggdrasil , Fur , Gems ,Gold , Ivory , Pearls, Rice, Silk, Sugar, Wheat, Wine Whale
Local Production:
Copper , Gunpowder ,Horse ,Iron, Ivory , Marble , Mithril, Nightmare
Local Commerce:
Dye, Fur , Gems, Gold , Incense ,Pearls ,Reagents, Silk,Wine
Heal rate:
Body Mana
Mutation rate:
Chaos Mana
Happiness per:
Enchantment Mana
Negative Heal rate (enemy):
Entropy Mana
Reduction of Maintenance (both kinds):
Law Mana
Health per:
Life Mana
Research:
Mind Mana
Great People points:
Spirit Mana
References are below the questions.
- What are the most valuable resources? Why are they the most valuable?
- Give at least one example of what you'd be willing to trade for the most valuable 3 resources.
- What are the least valuable resources? Why aren't they worth much?
- Give an example of what you'd be willing to trade for the least valuable resources (if anything).
- What resources will you go out of your way to attempt to obtain? What methods will you use to obtain them?
- Do you focus on particular technologies (or avoid them) depending on if you have a resource? If so, which ones?
- Are there any conditions for which you'll build something that has nothing to do with the resource in the tile that grants the resource (for example, Farm in a Cows tile)? If so, what are those conditions?
- What is the most valuable Mana Resource? Why?
- What is the second most valuable Mana Resource? Why?
- What is the third most valuable Mana Resource? Why?
- What is the least valuable Mana Resource? Why?
- What is the maximum number of a mana resource that you want?
- For the most valuable Mana Resource, how valuable are the second through fifth instances of that resource in comparison to the first one?
- Are there any Mana resources that have values of there second or greater instances of their resource substantially different from the most valuable one? Why?
Wiki reference.
Brief resource list:
Mana:
Air Mana, Body Mana, Chaos Mana, Death Mana, Dimensional Mana , Earth Mana , Enchantment Mana , Entropy Mana , Fire Mana , Law Mana , Life Mana , Mana , Mind Mana , Nature Mana , Spirit Mana , Water Mana
Local Food:
Banana, Clam, Corn , Cow , Crab , Deer , Fish , Pig , Rice, Sheep, Sugar, Toad, Whale, Wheat
Health:
Banana, Clam, Corn , Cow , Crab , Deer , Fish , Fruit of Yggdrasil , Pig , Rice , Sheep, Toad, Wheat
Military:
Copper , Deer, Gunpowder , Fire Mana, Gems, Horse , Incense, Iron, Ivory , Marble , Mithril, Nightmare , Pig, Reagents , Sheut Stone
Happiness:
Corn , Dye , Fruit of Yggdrasil , Fur , Gems ,Gold , Ivory , Pearls, Rice, Silk, Sugar, Wheat, Wine Whale
Local Production:
Copper , Gunpowder ,Horse ,Iron, Ivory , Marble , Mithril, Nightmare
Local Commerce:
Dye, Fur , Gems, Gold , Incense ,Pearls ,Reagents, Silk,Wine
Heal rate:
Body Mana
Mutation rate:
Chaos Mana
Happiness per:
Enchantment Mana
Negative Heal rate (enemy):
Entropy Mana
Reduction of Maintenance (both kinds):
Law Mana
Health per:
Life Mana
Research:
Mind Mana
Great People points:
Spirit Mana
Quiz 2:
Quiz 2 (Promotions):
References are below the questions.
- What are the most valuable Promotions? Why are they the most valuable?
- What are the least valuable Promotions? Why aren't they worth much?
- For promotions that you can gain by leveling, what are your favorites for each of the following categories? Are there exceptions to your preferred promotions?
- Animal Units
- Arcane Units
- Archery Units
- Beast Units
- Disciple Units
- Melee Units
- Mounted Units
- Naval Units
- Recon Units
- Siege Weapons
- What promotions will you use only in certain situations (and what are those situations)?
- For what promotions will you gain a spell just so you can use that promotion?
- For what promotions will you gain a unit just so you can use that promotion?
- Do you choose the units you upgrade based on their promotions? If so, what are your preferred units to upgrade based on promotions? Are there units you never upgrade based on their (presumably negative) promotions?
- Do you promote proportionally (i.e. Promote 1/2 your units to attack cities, and the other 1/2 to defend them, or something like that)? If so, what are the rules you use, and when do you use them?
- Do you promote your Heroes any differently than non-Hero units? If so, what Hero(s), and how do you promote them?
- Do you use methods to gain free (or cheap) XP for your units? If so, what are those methods?
- What methods do you use to grant your units free promotions? Which promotions do you do this with?
- Are there units that you'll destroy if you cannot easily remove a (negative) promotion? Do you use them differently if they have a (negative) promotion? In either case, note the (negative) promotion.
- What Crew promotions do you use, and in what circumstances?
- If you use the Weapon Type promotions, where do you produce Forges and Weaponsmiths to gain these promotions? Under what conditions will you not immediately upgrade the weapon type of a unit?
Wiki reference.
Brief Promotions list:
Magic Spheres:
Air I, II, III, Body I, II, III, Channeling I, II, III, Chaos I, II, III, Death I, II, III, Dimensional I, Earth I, II, III, Enchantment I, II, III, Entropy I, II, III, Fire I, II, III, Law I, II, III, Life I, II, III, Mind I, II, III, Nature I, II, III, Spirit I, II, III, Water I, II, III
Resistances/Vulnerabilities
Immune to Cold, Immune to Fire, Immune to Lightning, Magic Immune, Magic Resistance, Resist Cold, Resist Fire, Resist Lightning, Resist Poison, Vulnerable to Fire
Items
Orthus’s Axe, Pieces of Barnaxus
Races
Angel, Demon, Dragon, Dwarven, Elemental, Elven, Golem, Orcish, Undead
Religions
Cult of the Dragon, Fellowship of Leaves, Octopus Overlords, Runes of Kilmorph, The Ashen Veil, The Order
Bonus v. Unit types
Cover I, II, Demon Slaying I, Dragon Slaying, Dwarf Slaying, Elf Slaying, Formation I, II, Orc Slaying, Scourge, Shock I, II, Undead Slaying I, II
Naval Only
Buccaneers, Expanded Hull, Fair Winds, Longshoremen, Navigation I, II, Skeleton Crew
Weapon Types
Bronze Weapons, Iron Weapons, Mithril Weapons
Situational Combat Bonuses
Amphibious,Boarding, City Garrison I, II, III, City Raider I, II, III, Drill I, II, III, IV, Flanking I, II, III, Guerilla I, II, Homeland, Subdue Animal, Treetop Defense, Woodsman I, II
Combat Advantages
Barrage I, II, III, Blessed, Blitz, Burning Blood,Combat I, II, III, IV, Combat V, Commando, Dance of Blades, Empower I, II, III, IV, V, Enchanted Blade, Flaming Arrows, Heroic Defense I, II, Heroic Strength I, II, Morale, Nether Blade, Nightmare, Poisoned Blade, Shield of Faith, Spiritual Hammer, Stigmata, Stoneskin
Disadvantages
Casted, Charmed, Diseased, Fatigued, Mutated, Plagued, Poisoned, Summoned, Rooted, Rusted, Withered
Other/Mixed Promotions
Accuracy, Cannibalize, Command, Courage, Crazed, Defensive, Divine, Enraged, Evangelist, Fear, Forest Stealth, Free Promotion, Great Commander, Guardsman, Hasted, Heavy, Hero, Hidden Nationality, Horselord, Immortal, Immune to Disease, Invisible, Light, Lookout, Loyalty, March, Marksman, Medic I, II, III, Mobility I, II, Nomad, Patriarch, Pirate Cove, Plague Carrier, Priest, Prophecy Mark, Recruiter, Regeneration, Reversal of Fortune, Reaper, Sentry, II, III, Sheut Stone, Sorcery, Spell Extension I, II, Spellstaff, Spirit Guide, Summoning, Taskmaster, Trainer, Twincast, Unholy Taint, Valor, Vampirism, Water Walking, Werewolf