Questions - Should I trade map with AI?

SuperBettaFish

Chieftain
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Sacramento, CA
I am new here...

I have heard conflicting theories - the PTW Strategy Guide I have said that AI already knows the World Map and there is no harm in trading it. But I have read in forums here that do not trade map under any circumstances. Who is right?
 
Well I can understand not trading a technology that has a 'value' to any of the AI civs but I can't see a point in not trading maps especially as they 'seem' to know much about everything in terms of location anyway.

When you have read that people suggest not to trade at all what reason have they given...?

Morgan
 
I don't recall the reason or maybe no reason was given. It was a thread here in strategy (? not sure) forum. But I think the AI does know the map to begin as it pops a lot of the goodie huts as if it knows where they are located...
 
I agree with Morgan UK. The AI cheats by knowing the world map anyways along with your force disposition and order of battle (well before espionage) so you're giving them something they already know in return for something you don't have (money, tech, etc.).
 
My rule of “thumb” is if I have areas that I want to develop that could be accessible to the Ai I don’t trade. Other that that I find it can be quite profitable!!
 
ShiplordAtvar I agree with your post and sometimes find it annoying to say the least when for instance I can mobilise huge numbers of units from a Northern border (leaving it with a token force only) whilst I expand on my southern border. The units were not taken from the cities that bordered with India, in the North, but were the next ones inland as such. Result was that India attacked me - first time I had seen elaphants :)

Going back to the saved game before I declared war with the Southern bordered civ and do it without the internal unit movements (war gets drawn out and weariness is an issue) then India doesn't declare war...!!!

Another example would be that I moved a piece of modern armour from a city that was way at the back of my border with the Carth's that I was at war with. A lone horseman of theirs ( I ignored killing him out of curiosity) made a line for that city - when he was three quarters there I placed a mechanised infantry unit on the Cities location - result was that he turned around and made his way back to the Carth's home lines....!!!!

There could be many examples of the AI 'cheating' , some of them wrongly assumed, but I suppose it is the limitations of the AI that the game would be too easy without those types of tactics.


Morgan
 
Morgan: the only real *cheat* is that the AI knows the entire map, all the time, including all unit dispositions. ;)

However, it has been programmed to *act* like it doesn't know it (most of the time). For instance, it may *know* that there is an unsettled, luxury-rich island just off the coast, where both Oil and Coal will pop up in later ages. But if it hasn't found it with an exploring ship, or traded maps with someone who has found it, it will not settle there. (As soon as it can *legaly* see it, it will flood it with Settlers, or at least sufficient to get the necessary resources. ;) )

So as has been said here, you can normally trade your maps with the AI as if it *doesn't* know what you know, and it will act accordingly.
 
I usually browse these forums, saw this, and decided to post.

You can have a *map cheat* if you so choose. It at least worked on my Mac Vanilla C3 after installing Warpstorm's C3C Watercolor terrain becuase it did not have the file.

Remove the FogofWar.pcx from your art file and run the game. For myself, I could "see" the map, but I had not explored it. On the Minimap, it still has the fog.

But I could see the whole map, with all its luxuries, an where other Civ's were. I could not see any strat resources, units or city sizes, but I could see their territory borders.

--- Laddy
 
That is why I have written that some use the term 'cheat' wrongly Padma. For myself I have thought of the AI cheating when it was in fact my ignorance of the game and lack of experience on understanding some aspects of gameplay, until a generous forum member helped me out, most greatful :)

I am getting my head around the countless accusations of 'cheating' being used or suspected when using military units against the AI. Very early in my gameplay I assumed that an army of tanks would roll across a battlefield of medieval units or even riflemen. How wrong I was there too :)

Also what I do remind myself is that I am playing an opponent that has strengths and weaknesses, that can be exploited, that are just different to mine.

Interesting though the idea around the AI knowing about the entire map but playing the game as though it doesn't until revealed one way or the other.

I wonder if I traded my map with say one civ would it then get traded around to the others...?

Morgan
 
Oh yeah, I am pretty sure the AI trades map among themselves all the time. I have gone into war with AI that have yet to explore my side or traded map with, and he knew exactly where I was...
 
SBF - why would the AI trade something they already have to each other?- you should trade because they know the whole of t anyway, and sometimes you can get a few techs/lots of mulah!

NaZ
 
The AI certainly does trade maps with themselves, and that is one caution about trading your map. If you are going to trade, try to trade to everyone the same turn, to get the most gold. The first turn you trade it, you will get the most value. I don't know the exact formula, but basically the AI values it based on the number of tiles you have revealed that they have not revealed/seen yet. So the more you have explored, the more valuable it is, sometimes even being worth a tech or two if you have explored islands or regions that they have not seen. Also when you get someone else's map, that is added to yours, and if the AI have not made contact with them yet, those are all new tiles and get added to the value. For example, in a current game I made contact with another continent, and got maps and contacts with 5 AI civs. I then was able to sell my map, which included all their maps, for several hundred gold to the civs on my home continent. But if I only sold it to one civ, or sold them contact with another civ, then the next turn my map would be worthless as they would have already traded that information around. That's why if you have a large map, it may be a good idea to wait on trading it until several AI have money or techs to offer, instead of selling it to the one AI with cash, and watch him trade it around until it is worthless.
 
I have gotten too much for my maps most of the time. As for the computer heading for the lone undefended city in the middle of my land would be better defined as Artificial stupidity. I hope that the A.I is improved though in Conquests. I was playing the Rise of Rome as the Romans and Carthago always attacked Sicily, never other places, even though I had loads of troops there.
 
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