[GS] Not Yet Another AI Thread

[acluewithout]

There's a lot of chat about how poor the AI is. I'm guessing FXS are working on the AI, but who knows? But it's unlikely to get fixed any time soon - whatever "fixed" means. So, let's not talk about the AI here.

Instead. My question for the CivFanatics Brains Trust is, if FXS are reading these forums, is there anything you'd like to suggest they do which would improve the challenge of the game for higher difficulties but that doesn't involve improving the AI?

In particular, are there any easy fixes here - even if they're just partial fixes. Are there any small things, which would dramatically help the AI as it is currently implemented?

A general point. I get that players don't generally like crushing set backs, and so FXS tends to avoid "rise and fall" and instead focus more on "rise and rise". And, you know, that's okay. But I think FXS do have a bit more leeway to make the player's life hard on higher difficulties, particularly Immortal and Deity. Players at that level are expecting life to be pretty tough, so FXS don't need to sugar coat things as much.

Additionally, I think FXS could have some mechanics that only kick in at Immortal and Deity levels that might serve to make those levels more challenging and rewarding for experience players (e.g. around loyalty and golden ages), without alienating casual players.

Top of my list:

• Serious nerf Battering Rams, if not totally remove them, and make Knight rushing way, way harder. The AI can't use Battering Rams, and they are way too powerful in the player's hands.

• Make Chariots require Horses, or Knights require Horses and Iron. FXS, let's say it together one more time - Knights are too easy to get.
  
  
• Give the AI loyalty bonuses at higher difficulties (Immortal, Deity) so the AI can forward settle more effectively. Ideally, these should be on a sliding scale, so they hurt the Human Player more when they are in a Dark Age or the AI is in a Golden Age giving the player more tactical room to move.
  
  
• At higher difficulties, make the Normal Age / Golden Age thresholds higher for the Human Player, and make Dark Ages more painful - e.g. reduced Science and Culture.
  
  
• At higher difficulties, remove some of the early Governor Titles, so it's a little harder for the Human Player to get their empire up and running.
  
  
• At higher levels, give each of the AI an additional mechanical ability (I think this would have to be made clear to the player). These might include getting free units is certain circumstances, or additional movement or production in some situations, or terrain boosts, or free resources or higher rates of growth. These could perhaps also be tied to agendas.
  
  
• Okay, so this might be sailing close to the "improving the AI" wind, but could the AI get some default Policy Cards to slot? Would that help it? (Maybe the AI already has some default policy cards - don't they always go for housing and amenities??)
  
  
• Stagger the AI's science, production etc. bonuses. This has been discussed before I know, but it's still a good idea. At higher difficulties, stop front loading all the AI's bonuses, and instead have them ratchet up over time.

I'm not saying any of these things would make up for having a good AI. But some of them might make things at least more challenging at the higher end difficulties...

 

[Deggial]

• Allow aircrafts to be built in the city center (just slower and with no XP boosting traits - just like earthbound units without encampment or ships in cities without harbour.)

I know that there will be tweaks in the upcoming expansion and I've read that the AI now seems to build more airplanes. This is great!
Not so great is, that they still seem to be built them very late in the game.
The proposed tweak might help the AI to build them earlier and it improves the general game-rule consistency on top of it.

(The final request would still be: Make the AI actually USE those fighters/bombers already. But this would be against the threads premise and hence I write it in brackets.)

 

[acluewithout]

• Allow aircrafts to be built in the city center (just slower and with no XP boosting traits - just like earthbound units without encampment or ships in cities without harbour.)

I know that there will be tweaks in the upcoming expansion and I've read that the AI now seems to build more airplanes. This is great!
Not so great is, that they still seem to be built them very late in the game.
The proposed tweak might help the AI to build them earlier and it improves the general game-rule consistency on top of it.

(The final request would still be: Make the AI actually USE those fighters/bombers already. But this would be against the threads premise and hence I write it in brackets.)

Agreed. I mean, it looks like you don't even need any particularly buildings to build the GDR - but you need a special district just to build planes???

If they let you build planes in city centres, that might also prompt FXS to overhaul the Aerodrome a bit, because it really is a very very sad little district that no one wants to build...

Getting more complicated I know, but:

• Any mechanics that meant conquered cities remained disloyal for a period of time would also help the AI (and would generally be a good change anyway). You could perhaps have that disloyalty decay at a set rate (based on difficulty), which could be increased by installing a governor and or using certain policy cards. You could also have spy missions that have an increased chance of causing disloyalty in conquered cities.
  
  
• Likewise, a mechanic that reallocated some population from a captured city to cities you still own would also help the AI, because capturing cities would then sort of "buff" the AI's remaining cities. This would also nicely represent the idea of people in a captured city fleeing for other friendly cities.
  
  
• Razing cities should also take a number of turns instead of just happening all at once, and should maybe cause barbarians to spawn. It's way, way too easy raze cities as a way to avoid loyalty flipping. Likewise, captured cities should suffer random damage to districts and buildings, even if they weren't pillaged, which would again slightly penalise conquest.