Okay, the AI is stupid, but I never knew it was THIS stupid.

[Global Nexus]

I'm playing Rise of Rome as Carthage. I have conquered Sicily, have half of Iberia under (loose) control, and have colonized North Africa almost entirely. The Egyptians are pretty much conquered by me.

Here's where it gets weird -- I've conquered the southern-most city on the Italian peninsula, okay? Rome is sending single Garrison units to fight my 13 or so War Elephants that are gathering there to assault the next city. Meanwhile, Rome continues to send Stack of Dooms [twelve to fifteen units] full of Legionary I's and II's [mostly II's by now] into Iberia to try and conquer my 20+ cities there. I've ignored the defenses there for the most part, but I'm offering great resistance, despite the constant barrage.

Now, I wasn't even gathering troops in my Iberian cities. I was garrisoning and expanding there, but not much else. Rome apparently saw this relatively peaceful expansion MUCH MORE THREATENING than my strike in Italy. What. On. Earth?

 

[SuperBeaverInc.]

There is a reason they call it artifical intelligence

 

[Nihilist]

Maybe they sent out their Stacks O' Doom before you launched your assault on Italy...? Or maybe they really are just that stupid...

Hopefully the AI will be improved somewhat in Civ IV.

 

[lbhhh]

The AI isn't very good at wars on two fronts, so whenever possible you should try to open up a second front. And yes, Rome should be protecting Italy.

 

[mr999]

Yes, the AI are stupid. It can't see any difference of the cities you have just conquered from him and the cities that you have built. One thing he can see is that you have much worse military defence in your cities in Spain. That's the reason he attacks them instead.

 

[Theoden]

Yes, the AI loves to strike on the weakest spot, even if ti's far away. A ggod tactic is to tempt them with a poor defended city to drag thier troops to it. That's exactly what you've done.

 

[Harleqin]

Originally posted by theoden
Yes, the AI loves to strike on the weakest spot, even if ti's far away. A ggod tactic is to tempt them with a poor defended city to drag thier troops to it. That's exactly what you've done.

I don't think that has anything to do with tactics. It is just an exploitation of an already weak AI making the game even easier. I wouldn't recommend it.

But hey... it's your game so you can do as you please.

 

[Louis XXIV]

Actually, this is the exact strategy the Romans used during the second Punic War (to a point). Even though Rome was threatened, they still sent troops to conquer Spain and maintained a garrison of 1 or 2 Legions in Sicily. Rome had great success in Spain and most of Carthaginian resources went there to protect their trade interests (while Hannibal walked around Italy, failing to take Rome).

 

[steviejay]

perhaps they launched an attack on your home land to draw off your troops from Italy. They decided that they probably wouldn't be able to hold you off your attack in Italy but if they attacked you then you'd need to withdraw troops home to help defend, giving their own cities time to better prepare themselves, I would.

 

[DoubleT]

Originally posted by SuperBeaverInc.
There is a reason they call it artifical intelligence

Good one

 

[sabo]

Originally posted by theoden
Yes, the AI loves to strike on the weakest spot, even if ti's far away. A ggod tactic is to tempt them with a poor defended city to drag thier troops to it. That's exactly what you've done.

THis is true, the AI will always go after weaker cities and leave the strong ones alone.

 

[Cedrick]

Originally posted by sabo


THis is true, the AI will always go after weaker cities and leave the strong ones alone.

Actually this is true up to a point. In many games I have noticed that the AI will go after one of my weaker cities and if they do not take it immediately it will keep coming after it even after I have made it one of my strongest cities by sending in reinforcements and so on. I have won a few wars this way by breaking the back of the AI becoming so fixed on taking one city and ignoring my weaker army taking cities in its core areas.

 

[iron0037]

The AI is a total sucker for weak defense. I played several games on Marla Singer's World map. I would always leave my Siberian holdings defenseless. The next time a war came around, the AI would invariably send dozens of units to assault these cities...unitless 1 population tundra cities mind you. And while their legions struggled to get back, I conquered their homeland.

 

[Procrastinator]

If I guess the AI is sending a SoD to one of my cities but I'm not sure which one, I ask them (when they'll talk to me, after the required silent period) what they want for peace. They almost always include their target city in their list of demands. Stupid AI!!!

 

[rhikdavis]

Maybe the AI isn't stupid at all. Maybe we're just freakin' genius's....

 

[showoffsg]

Maybe. But one's intelligence is directly related to the number of mental problems one has. You know the AI talks about us behind our backs.

 

[tomart109]

Realistically, the ones in Iberia are too far from Italy to help there, aren't they? (How many years would it take them to march back home? During that time, they aren't helping either place, and by the time they get there, it'll probably be decided anyway.) It makes more sense to build and use units right there, doesn't it? (I'm assuming that everything closer to Italy is heading there now.)

Remember Napoleon's twin battles at Quatre Bras and Ligny - his 1st Corps was the central reserve that would have decisively won either battle; but due to conflicting orders, it marched back and forth between them, and wasn't able to affect either one. That could happen here. They don't see your Iberians as more threatening, but as what those Legions are in position to do.

And what if they can hold you in Italy, while Legions take Iberia? This might be beyond the ai, but the programmers have had to try covering all possibilities with a few basic routines.


...btw, showoffsg, misspelling Unknown in your sig adds another humorous dimension to it. Cool!

 

[Global Nexus]

Well, I've pretty much won now. As the Legionaries were attacking everything in sight in Iberia, I took pretty much every city in Italy with a combined arms assault led off with Fire Catapults. I also focused on sending Fire 'pults, War Elephants, and eventually Heavy Cavalry to Iberia [I've NEVER used artillary before, you see. What an idiot I am...] and retook my lost cities as well as decimated their flow of units. Rome is pretty well dead at this moment, their Iberian offensive is done for, and after I finish mopping the floor with them, I'm going straight for Persia...

 

[Pfeffersack]

I notice a strange AI behaviour in my current emperor epic game (Persia)...see the two pictures below.My neighbours, the Byzantines rally a lot of ships along my seaborder. Is it possible the AI is trying to make a naval blockade? Anyone who seen this before? If this it the intention, I'm really surprised that the AI is capable of doing such complex things, but on the other hand it might be also quiet stupid, because they will need a lot of ships to completly surround my sea borders...

 

[Pfeffersack]

The western coast...