Exploring the AI's dungeons? Bad form? Yes?

[PaleJackal]

I think I read here that the AI doesn't explore Dungeons and stuff, making exploring their dungeons with skeletons in the hopes of finding good stuff (or unleashing terrible stuff), bad form, right?

I just did it a second ago, and felt bad when a Strength 8 ogre spawned next to their city with a warrior and scout defending it.

Just curious if the AI does indeed explore these things eventually, or not.

 

[Corlis]

I think I've seen them open up a couple of lairs or something once in a while, but usually they don't. I probably wouldn't open one up right next to a barely defended city lest it get squished by a baddie, but otherwise I'll probably do it; the excitement of playing the roulette wheel overrides any lingering sense of guilt about messing over the AI

 

[Monkeyfinger]

any lingering sense of guilt about messing over the AI

No one should have any of this.

If they're not smart enough to do things like explore dungeons once they have a military to defend boss spawns with, too bad for them.

 

[Valkrionn]

Eh. If it bothers you, go play FF... they hunt lairs down. They'll explore them right out from under you.

 

[JonathanStrange]

It sounds like a fun and interesting tactic, dangerous to all involved.

 

[PaleJackal]

Eh. If it bothers you, go play FF... they hunt lairs down. They'll explore them right out from under you.

Hah, interesting, perhaps TOO interesting.

It sounds like a fun and interesting tactic, dangerous to all involved.

I'd feel better if it wasn't a skeleton that I could resummon as soon as it died. =/

Maybe if I played on something harder than Noble, I'd do it all the time... since it IS kind of fun to see what happens, but for now, I'll pass.

 

[Trojan Sheep]

I've unleashed many a barbarian Eidolon on unsuspecting AI civs since I altered the dungeon script to create new dungeons every time one is destroyed (only dungeons, not other lairs).

It's not quite as fun when the AI in question has the barbarian trait, and the unit I'm using happens to be a good one

 

[WarKirby]

In FFH, dungeons are player only, I believe. The AI doesn't know what to do with them.

They do explore them in Fall Farther, sometimes with very negative results. I've seen a few AIS wipe out their own empire after unleasing something unspeakably evil like a few gargoyles, or a swarm of azers.

 

[OzzyKP]

It is the AI, there is no moral code to respect when it comes to the AI.

 

[WarKirby]

It is the AI, there is no moral code to respect when it comes to the AI.

This.

You won't hurt it's feelings by cheating or using cheap tactics.

 

[KillerClowns]

It is the AI, there is no moral code to respect when it comes to the AI.

This.

You won't hurt it's feelings by cheating or using cheap tactics.

True. Then again, nobody will care if you open up the world builder and give yourself Ars Moriendi on turn 10. Or if you reload after losing your hero after losing with 90% odds. Or 55% odds. Point is, it's your game, and it's about how you want to play your game. Hell, I can think of several times I cackled insanely while releasing the contents of a lair in AI territory. But while there's no moral code with AIs, there are the self-imposed challenges that make the game fun, whether they're so common they seem obvious (no Worldbuilder), debatable (no reloading no matter the odds), depriving yourself of legitimate tactics you think are too cheap (no opening up lairs in AI territory), or engaging in an absurd challenge to prove you can (One City Challenge).

 

[Ranos]

The AI tends to ignore dungeons most of the time in the early game, but they will start exploring them in the mid game.

I have, however, lost a few games where I sent my starting units out to explore and an AI that was close to me came into my territory and popped a dungeon, lair, etc that spawned a monster, who proceeeded to take my unprotected city.

 

[PaleJackal]

I suppose I should add that this was in a multiplayer game with a friend, and I was going to attack the nation soon, so I felt that doing this might be a bit abusive... of course, with Mobius Witches and Adepts and a lot of skeletons (plus Rosier the Fallen), the AI didn't put up much of a fight.

So maybe we'll turn up the difficulty a notch or two next time we play, since I think my friend wants warfare to be less lucrative.

 

[Grey Fox]

An exploit is an exploit is an exploit. But then again, it's up to you what an exploit is and if you feel bad using them.

 

[Trieste]

It's great to see people are being nice about this kind of thing and not just rabidly defending their own favored way of playing. It's beautiful

 

[Riffraffselbow]

It's great to see people are being nice about this kind of thing and not just rabidly defending their own favored way of playing. It's beautiful

No! Anyone who doesn't manually save every 3rd turn (except during Golden Ages, when you should save every turn) is wrong, a terrible player, and can burn in HELL! Edit: That would be the Judeo-Christian hell, not the hell in FFH.

 

[WarKirby]

I manually save every turn.

Oh, and I always savebefore risking heroes/exploring lairs, and reload for particlarly unfavorable results. I don't mind spawning a few lizardmen or somesuch, but I'm reloading if an ogre warlord comes out. Unless I'm near enemy territory, ot my empire has reached a level of maturity where I can confidently take that kind of thing on.

 

[Furin]

I have seen the AI explore graveyards commonly, I am not sure if the AI is exploring dungeons though, at least it isn't on their top priority list. That's a good thing imo! Gives you an extra incentive to invade a neighbor to loot that "phat" dungeon he had been neglecting for so long, and then your complete invasion force ends up in a cage

I'll never open a dungeon with a fullstack anytime soon...

 

[Capn Charlie]

Maybe I just have a really weak early game, but I find I rarely ever get the chance to explore all of my own dungeons, much less the AIs. It always feel like no matter how many scouts I make, they always get eaten by griffins and spiders.

 

[JonathanStrange]

I think exploring a lair in an AI's territory with the hope of releasing powerful enemies against the AI a useful but minor tactic - far less "exploitative" than researching a spell or civic the AI doesn't use or doesn't use well or sending assassins to take out the catapults in the AIs invasion stack or choosing to found a city on a hill behind a river knowing the AI will smash its armies against the city rather than pillage everything and retreat in safety.

All our SP strategies that recommend this tech path or that unit promotion could be called exploitative 'cause frankly the AI does weird stuff; should we build scouts for early rushes or ten to twenty Ritualists and then stack them in one city forever like the AI does? Fair's fair.

I've explored lairs all over the lands, hoping for good stuff, usually dying, sometimes sacrificing a wounded scout with enemies all around by having the scout explore a lair: if he releases angry Lizardmen against him and his attackers? Cool, but hardly a big deal or cheat.