Does the AI even try to win?

[pi-r8]

Just finished a deity continents game. Alex conquered his whole continent very fast, and became the runaway AI for the game. I slowly took over my own continent, and it became a 2-person game. Around 1300 AD I got the message "Alexander has entered the future era!" while I was just getting into industrial, so I thought he'd be able to pull of some sort of victory.

However, he never built apollo, never got much culture, and never attacked me. He just sat there building units that had no purpose. He did eventually build the UN, but he made no effort to ally with any city states. Eventually, 400 years later, I put him out of his misery.

This is so stupid. He's sitting there for 400 years, making no attempt to win. I sneak in, take one city (which he would have immediately taken back the next turn! Love that he's still using hoplites, too) and become the winner. This game is just... .

Has anyone ever seen the AI actually win a victory condition? Other than time?

 

[belengthy]

I've heard of the AI achieving a cultural victory before, but I have yet to see any AI go for anything besides Domination. Unfortunately, the AI is so bad at attacking across continents, a Domination victory is probably impossible for it unless the map catered towards it.

 

[Slowpoke]

Yeah unfortauntely pangea is the only map at the moment

 

[aimlessgun]

Definitely noticing this as well. Very strange that they didn't program at least some of the leaders to go for Space. Culture maybe just happens by accident for some of the AIs.

 

[qyll]

The AI does well on Pangaea, but has absolutely no hope on archipelago. I did witness an AI complete the Apollo program (this is on Emperor), but that was on turn 425/500.

 

[Yzman]

I had Darius in my last game build the Apollo Program, and then he built one of the parts...and then stopped. I won a time victory a while later. It does seem flawed that they won't try to win more.

 

[Syiss_]

It seems like too many of them are geared towards a domination victory, and the few attempts they do make at culture/science victories, they are so terrible at it that you don't really notice.

 

[eviltypeguy]

Just finished a deity continents game. Alex conquered his whole continent very fast, and became the runaway AI for the game. I slowly took over my own continent, and it became a 2-person game. Around 1300 AD I got the message "Alexander has entered the future era!" while I was just getting into industrial, so I thought he'd be able to pull of some sort of victory.

However, he never built apollo, never got much culture, and never attacked me. He just sat there building units that had no purpose. He did eventually build the UN, but he made no effort to ally with any city states. Eventually, 400 years later, I put him out of his misery.
...
This is so stupid. He's sitting there for 400 years, making no attempt to win. I sneak in, take one city (which he would have immediately taken back the next turn! Love that he's still using hoplites, too) and become the winner. This game is just... .

Has anyone ever seen the AI actually win a victory condition? Other than time?

Yes, Gandhi kicked my arse pretty good in a Deity difficulty game because he teched fast and sent out a bunch of war elephants as soon as he could.

The AI does much better when it's on the same continent as you, and you haven't used the 3-4 horsemen of the apocalypse strategy

 

[Lyoncet]

I've seen Wu go for science (almost beat me, the little devil!) and several go for culture. I think what happened in your game is that Alexander was, as he is wont to do, going for domination and ignoring the other victory conditions. Except he would have had to cross the sea to complete his win, which really stifles the AI. So yeah, he was trying to win, he was just programmed not to be able to.

 

[vranasm]

the problem probably will be that the AIs decide on victory type too soon and never abandon it.

So the warmongers choose domination, wipe out the culture/SS ones and if you are on continents map the AI is unable to do intercontinental invasion (which is tough to a degree even for human player - making and actually holding beachhead is tough and if the athens would be inland you probably won't have such sneaky victory).

 

[Lyoncet]

Also gotta say that I'm digging that one Hoplite that's chilling northwest of Athens along with the Mech Infantry and artillery.

 

[JP1]

I've noticed the AI seems to work towards victories fairly well, with a couple of exceptions:

1. The AI does quite well beating up on other AIs on its way to a military victory, as long as they're on the same continent. However, the AI is really bad at intercontinental war, and doesn't do a terribly good job trying to take capitals on a landmass other than the one they started on.

2. With a lot of land, the AI can tech incredibly fast.... But sometimes, even if it has the techs, it takes its sweet time building the Apollo Program and a spaceship. As some people are suggesting here, maybe the computer is trying to go for the military victory, which would be a totally reasonable decision if it wasn't totally inept at intercontinental warfare.

 

[aimlessgun]

I wonder what is wrong with the AI and continental warfare though.

It obviously knows how to embark units and send them places.

I've actually seen it assemble and launch a small but well organized invasion against me (with sufficient destroyer escorts and everything!), but that was the only time I've ever seen it. But maybe it does indicate that the programming is there, just not getting activated?

Is there some value that can be tweaked in XML to just make the AI build more ships also?

 

[Nunya]

Yes tehere is. Each leader has his own file with "flavors" and they're generally pretty low for ships (with the notable exceptions of Elizabeth and Suleiman).

 

[UncleJJ]

I had a game on an archipelgo map with Elizabeth, where Siam beat up on Rome and took 5 of his 6 cities on several landmasses / islands. Siam also settled a few islands himself and was run away military top dog.

He declared war on me and sent a fleet of 3 frigates and a caravel to bombard one of my cities. I had quite and amusing battle with a highly promoted longbow sitting in the city picking off frigates Then I got tired of it and rush bought a submarine and sank them

That was only a King game (my first win) so I suppose there is hope for higher levels of AI on an archipelago map. I guess they just need to increase the AI build chance for naval units once every land tile has a unit . If they did that the OP would have had to cut a swathe through a floating carpet of doom (destroyers are resourceless ) spread over every ocean tile before he could capture Athens. That might be more fun.

 

[filorux]

Looking at the leader attributes spreadsheet that someone was good enough to put together and post in another thread, you'd think AI space victory would be a bigger threat. With the exceptions of Liz, and ironically, Nebby, they all have super high scores for Spaceship.

In my marathon immortal continents game with me (China) and Siam each owning a continent, he sat there forever doing nothing, and then eventually decided to just build the UN. Of course, he had conquered too many city-states for there to be a reasonable vote. For him to win, he'd have to wrest alliance from me on the remaining 3 CS, plus get my vote - and I would have needed to liberate 3 CSs or some landlocked ex-captiols. I hadn't expected the UN, so all my efforts were focussed on sniping his coastal capitol for the win.

 

[pi-r8]

I

That was only a King game (my first win) so I suppose there is hope for higher levels of AI on an archipelago map. I guess they just need to increase the AI build chance for naval units once every land tile has a unit . If they did that the OP would have had to cut a swathe through a floating carpet of doom (destroyers are resourceless ) spread over every ocean tile before he could capture Athens. That might be more fun.

I would have just waited until I had nukes, and cut my way through with a couple A bombs
Forcing my way past 50+ destroyers in a conventional slugging match is not my idea of fun.