Community Feedback Needed: Biggest AI issues

[Demus]

i disagree with the forts thingy. Even though the 20 forts per city the AI builds is a bit (way) to much, a fort on a forested hill near your borders can do wonders for your combat odds. And besides, it's not like very city in your empire can work every single tile available, right?
A bit OT, but i could imagine forts upgrading to castles upgrading to citadels should get a big boost from both construction and engineering (if doable), making it even more attractive to build them.

I just though of a solution to the fort spam by the way: give them the same code as pirate coves, making sure their areas of effect don't overlap.

 

[smjjames]

I think the AI needs to realize when researching something is going to take way too long. For example, in the game I'm playing right now, Perp is trying to research corruption of spirit, but it is going to take over 60 turns to get there. This kind of thing is going to set back an AI player quite a bit.

This is using ctrl+z to check on the AI.

 

[TheGreatSteve]

i disagree with the forts thingy. Even though the 20 forts per city the AI builds is a bit (way) to much, a fort on a forested hill near your borders can do wonders for your combat odds.

A fort on a forested hill, with a couple mages and some decent defenders is terrifying. An empty fort that my troops simply walk past on their way to smashing the city, not so much.

The AI's obsession with forts wouldn't be a bad thing if they had an idea of how to use them properly.

 

[DuckAndCower]

An empty fort that my troops simply walk past on their way to smashing the city, not so much.

Or even worse, one that provides your a nice defensive location to attack the city from. I'm starting to think that maybe, for the sake of the AI, forts within borders should only give the defensive bonus to the controlling civ. Maybe not entirely realistic, but would give the poor struggling AI a minor boost.

 

[Bad Player]

Repercussions: Elves. It would give the two elven civs such a massive economic boost that no other civ could ever hope to compete. I mean, Ancient Forest Towns already produce a food surplus, production, and a pile of commerce. We REALLY don't need to add to that.

BUT burning down their forests (ie starting a forest fire in a forest tile adjacent to their land) should IMO destroy their forest-town structure*.



*Themematically I think of their forest-towns as a wooden tree-top village so if they lose the trees, the town is destroyed too.

 

[DuckAndCower]

Does the AI react at all to casting Blaze on its forests or Scorch on its plains? It didn't used to, as I remember, but hopefully that's been changed. If not, the AI should at least cancel open borders if you're doing, erm, negative terraforming in its lands, or possibly declare war. I remember when I first discovered FfH, I'd had some fun burning down the elves' forests while they did nothing to stop me.

 

[Farmer Bobathan]

If not, the AI should at least cancel open borders if you're doing, erm, negative terraforming in its lands, or possibly declare war. I remember when I first discovered FfH, I'd had some fun burning down the elves' forests while they did nothing to stop me.

I think a whole bunch of barbarian rangers should apear for a turn like in Amelanchier's pedia entry

 

[Pyr0mancer]

I think a whole bunch of barbarian rangers should apear for a turn like in Amelanchier's pedia entry

Or treants. Treants are always fun. Maybe pissed-off, flaming treants?

 

[Uberness]

Or all workers could chop forests from the start in (say) 10 turns, and with bronze working they can do it in 3 turns.

Edited some more: Heh, that could be done with all worker actions. I like

I have the same idea as you and uberfish, if you can chop at the start, it would help so insanely much to stop the early economy crash of starting in forests and getting techs, and I like uberfishs idea of starting with workers building most stuff like farms and mines from the start.

 

[Ksi]

The infernal AI doesn't seem to mind farms near rivers. I also played with a friend who used them automated and they also built farms. I'm not sure if the AI is trying to do some kind of food/conquest thing. Can we block this somehow?

 

[smjjames]

yea, I never place farms when playing infernals, the main reason is that with the demonic citizens. your city doesn't need food.

 

[MagisterCultuum]

Not needing food has nothing to do with the Infernal Citizens building. It comes from the Fallow Trait.

 

[smjjames]

yea you're right, thanks for correcting me on that.

 

[DuckAndCower]

The infernal AI doesn't seem to mind farms near rivers. I also played with a friend who used them automated and they also built farms. I'm not sure if the AI is trying to do some kind of food/conquest thing. Can we block this somehow?

For Tarquelne's Scions of Patria civ, I just added a building that gave +1000 food to all the fallow undead cities. It prevented the AI from going after food resources. If the Infernal AI is going after food, it might help to add 1000 food to Demonic Citizens.

 

[Ksi]

For Tarquelne's Scions of Patria civ, I just added a building that gave +1000 food to all the fallow undead cities. It prevented the AI from going after food resources. If the Infernal AI is going after food, it might help to add 1000 food to Demonic Citizens.

Perhaps this should be done to both food and health? Some events can cause unhealthiness in all infernal cities (graveyard event: disease death -- but how does that even make sense?) and the unhealthiness might eventually mess up the AI.

Does the 1000 food not mess with conquest? If not these changes would greatly benefit Hyborem and the Infernals.

 

[smjjames]

yea I think I got that event with the infernals, I assumed it meant a plague among the slave population of the city, which aren't part of the actual city size.

Otherwise, it makes no sense.

The fallow trait should keep unhealthyness from affecting anything.

 

[Uberness]

Had a minor AI brainfart where hyborem popped on a oasis in a desert and didn't move or settle dis for 5 or 10 turns next to my culture.

 

[blacknight]

This might be too much work but having more in game automated worker options would be really nice. There are already options to "leave forests" and "leave old improvements". I would be blissful with joy if we had "don't build farms", "don't build cottages", "don't build workshops", "don't build windmills", "don't build plantations", "don't build mines", and most importantly "don't build FORTS".

Many of these are probably not necessary but once one is done I expect it is fairly easy to add the others also and I have desired most of them at one time or the other.

Thanks for such a great mod!

 

[hbar]

Patch H, the clan did not have bronze working by turn ~250. They might not have had education either, but their entire continent was covered in forest or jungle, making it a little hard for them to do anything.

 

[DuckAndCower]

Does the 1000 food not mess with conquest? If not these changes would greatly benefit Hyborem and the Infernals.

Er, we had to disable Conquest because of that. Maybe not so fitting for the Infernals after all. I'm sure if anyone can, Kael can come up with a non-hack fix to the Fallow AI. That would really give the AI a boost, and would cut down on micromanagement for the player.