Possible Bug: AI Worker Cheat

[Goldribbon]

When I attackand destroy an enemy unit (any civ), if there is also a worker on the tile, the worker is captured but I can do nothing with the worker that turn. However, when an AI attacks and destroys my military unit protecting a worker, the AI is allowed to move/delete the worker in the same turn as the attack.

I especially noticed this last game where France invaded and captured all of my outlying workers, and deleted all of them in the same turn as the attack.

Playing on emperor level - I get that AI has advantages on higher levels but this doesn't seem a 'fair' advantage, more a Bug or Cheat.

Using newest patch, 0.621.

 

[prodigitize]

When I attackand destroy an enemy unit (any civ), if there is also a worker on the tile, the worker is captured but I can do nothing with the worker that turn. However, when an AI attacks and destroys my military unit protecting a worker, the AI is allowed to move/delete the worker in the same turn as the attack.

I especially noticed this last game where France invaded and captured all of my outlying workers, and deleted all of them in the same turn as the attack.

Playing on emperor level - I get that AI has advantages on higher levels but this doesn't seem a 'fair' advantage, more a Bug or Cheat.

Using newest patch, 0.621.

Come to think of it, I can confirm this. Never thought much about it since I usually keep my workers on manual so I move them away from borders during wars but I can definitely remember times when it has happened.

 

[Petek]

Please post a save file that illustrates the problem, preferably one where the human player captures a worker and so does the AI. Two separate save files for each situation would also be fine. Thanks.

 

[ChandlerB]

No saves handy but this happens all the time. I capture a worker when I click it no action list appears and it is like they have already moved. When the AI captures one of mine, it is very likely to disappear. As soon as the AI enters the hex, poof it is gone.

 

[prodigitize]

No saves handy but this happens all the time. I capture a worker when I click it no action list appears and it is like they have already moved. When the AI captures one of mine, it is very likely to disappear. As soon as the AI enters the hex, poof it is gone.

I can confirm the same happens to me. Next time it might happen, I'll make some save files though.

 

[prodigitize]

As promised, some save files.

The first shows clearly that after a player captures a worker, you can move/delete him.
The second was taken right after my worker was captured (didn't notice I had a worker there before the turn ended). It's near orleans, by clicking on the "your worker was killed" icon, it will highlight the tile in question and you can see there is no worker there. The only possibility is that the AI deleted it or moved it, either way, the worker should be frozen.
I know the save isn't ideal - I'll try and make another one before it happens next time though I think this has happened to everyone at one point or another.

 

[Petek]

OK, thanks for the save files. I see what you're saying. Let me think out loud here. I would expect some asymmetric behavior because the order of events is: Human moves, AI moves and then the game advances to the next turn. Is that correct? If so, then I'd expect to see exactly the opposite of what everyone reports. When the human captures an enemy worker, the worker hasn't yet moved on that turn and so should be able to act. When the AI captures a human worker, the human turn has ended and we are still in the current turn, so the worker shouldn't be able to do anything. Does that sound correct?

 

[prodigitize]

Actually no, because the AI's worker would use its moves when its turn ends (before the player's turn) and would only be able to move upon the AI's next turn (after the player's turn). Basically the worker should not be able to move/be deleted at all in either case.

And more to the point is that it should be consistent, if one can delete/move the worker upon capture, so should the other.

 

[Varvar]

The same happens to me, although it is probably a good thing:

When invading with horseman I will often capture a worker somewhere in enemy territory. I will then move it between my troops and enemy troops. AI takes the bait abandoning its defensible position to capture my lowly worker. My horseman then kills the enemy unit and withdraws out of range, but poof the worker disappears, so I can't rinse and repeat. If the worker remained, I recon entire AI armies would die chasing 1 worker.

In conclusion I feel the asymmetric advantage to the AI works reasonably well, as it is not coded to learn from its original mistake (capturing the worker as my horseman linger in the fog).

 

[Goldribbon]

Thanks, prodigitize, for the files post.

And I agree with prodigitize ... whether this is an advantage or disadvantage is irrelevant. The rules for the AI and for players should be the same.