Quick Answers / 'Newbie' Questions

[templar_x]

this knowledge is not as special as you seem to think. and the answer is yes. the AI *does* count the experience level, via the expected battle outcome. like it does attack till a certain probability to lose, and wont attack above that. sure these numbers go into all the AI-decision making.
t_x

 

[tjs282]

I have a newbie question. We know the AI cheats by knowing which of your habitations is well defended and which not. I have a very specific question which only someone dementedly knowledgable can possibly hope to answer: does the AI distinguish between regular, veteran and elite defenders when deciding whether it fancies having a pop at a given town/city/metro?

Will it equally avoid a regular hoplite as much as an elite one in other words. If you actually know the answer, consider yourself a very sad person indeed but, at the same time, accept my profound respect

OK, I'll bite, and condemn myself from my own mouth (although Justanick probably can -- and will -- explain at great length and in excruciating detail exactly how this works).

The broad answer is yes -- all other factors begin equal and provided that the defending unit is at full strength -- unit-rank will be taken into account when the AI is deciding where to attack. So a town defended by a 5/5 Hoplite would be considered a 'tougher' target than one garrisoned with a 3/3 Hoplite. BUT what the AI actually considers is HP remaining, rather than unit-status per se -- so e.g. a 1/5 Hoplite would be considered a 'weaker' target than a 3/3 Hoplite.

Of course, all other factors are not usually equal. Fortification and terrain-bonuses are also factored in, and these are likely to have a much greater effect on the AI's final 'decision' about where to attack. A fortified 3/3 Hoplite in a Hill-Metro therefore might well be considered 'tougher' than an unfortified 5/5 Hoplite in an unWalled flatland town.

The consideration of HP remaining (possibly as a percentage) also helps to account for how the game decides which of its (or your) defenders to put at the top of a stack (I've noticed that e.g. a 3/3 Inf would usually be put up before a 3/4 Inf, which would in turn be preferred over a 3/5 Inf), and why individual AI-units are so reluctant to attack fully-loaded, full-strength C3C Armies, but if you leave an injured Army with ≤5 HP remaining out in the open, the AI will quite readily hunt it down and kill it -- because as far as it is concerned, that weakened Army is 'just' an elite-whatever.

(In Vanilla+PTW, the AI wouldn't generally use individual units to attack Human Armies either, but it would build its own multi-unit Armies, and be quite willing to use them to attack yours.)

[Btw. isn't it time to get rid of the Santa Claus hats from the emoticons?]

Agree. It's long past Jan 6th -- all Xmas decorations should be removed!

 

[walletta]

this knowledge is not as special as you seem to think. and the answer is yes. the AI *does* count the experience level, via the expected battle outcome. like it does attack till a certain probability to lose, and wont attack above that. sure these numbers go into all the AI-decision making.
t_x

OK, I'll bite, and condemn myself from my own mouth (although Justanick probably can -- and will -- explain at great length and in excruciating detail exactly how this works).

The broad answer is yes -- all other factors begin equal and provided that the defending unit is at full strength -- unit-rank will be taken into account when the AI is deciding where to attack. So a town defended by a 5/5 Hoplite would be considered a 'tougher' target than one garrisoned with a 3/3 Hoplite. BUT what the AI actually considers is HP remaining, rather than unit-status per se -- so e.g. a 1/5 Hoplite would be considered a 'weaker' target than a 3/3 Hoplite.

Of course, all other factors are not usually equal. Fortification and terrain-bonuses are also factored in, and these are likely to have a much greater effect on the AI's final 'decision' about where to attack. A fortified 3/3 Hoplite in a Hill-Metro therefore might well be considered 'tougher' than an unfortified 5/5 Hoplite in an unWalled flatland town.

The consideration of HP remaining (possibly as a percentage) also helps to account for how the game decides which of its (or your) defenders to put at the top of a stack (I've noticed that e.g. a 3/3 Inf would usually be put up before a 3/4 Inf, which would in turn be preferred over a 3/5 Inf), and why individual AI-units are so reluctant to attack fully-loaded, full-strength C3C Armies, but if you leave an injured Army with ≤5 HP remaining out in the open, the AI will quite readily hunt it down and kill it -- because as far as it is concerned, that weakened Army is 'just' an elite-whatever.

(In Vanilla+PTW, the AI wouldn't generally use individual units to attack Human Armies either, but it would build its own multi-unit Armies, and be quite willing to use them to attack yours.)Agree. It's long past Jan 6th -- all Xmas decorations should be removed!

Awesome, thanks guys. Man, we got to get a life, don't we?

 

[templar_x]

tjs 4 times more than myself, though

 

[Callumvirgilio]

Hi guys just after some advice my game keeps crashing all the time sometimes I can just keep pressing 'wait for Windows to find the issue' or I have to close it down its really annoying as o can't get past the first world on hall of fame any ideas thanks cal

 

[Takhisis]

And what type of crash is it? When does it happen? Can you provide screenshots?

Edit: also, you're new to CFC. Welcome.

 

[Callumvirgilio]

Hi yes I'm new posted a couple of things.
it can happen at any time of the game but with the auto save it doesn't matter
Because I just reload it and pick up from where I left off.
But on this particular occasion I'm within 2 turns of winning the first level on HOF
As Egypt and it crashes when I reload it as normal with the auto save it just does the same again so can't get past it. There's no unusual things I have done apart from 2 turns away from finishing the 7th wonder, which will win me the scenario maybe it's that? The crash is a small windows pop up and says the game has to be shut down and have to options to either press close game now or wait for solotion I think it was. Thanks Callum

 

[Takhisis]

A Windows popup? Next time press Print Screen before allowing it to exit, then paste the image on GIMP or Paint or whatever program you use and upload the image.

 

[Takhisis]

Crash report of my own:

Load Error
ERROR READING FILE

"C:\Games\Civilization III Complete\Conquests\saves\Auto\ConquestsAutosave550BC.SAV"​

Apparently all my saves are corrupted… I started a new epic game, saved, loaded the new save (got the message above whenever I loaded an existing save) and was promptly asked whether I wanted to hold my UN elections.

 

[walletta]

If you build the Statue of Zeus in your capital and later on the Knights Templar also, do you actually get any crusaders? I have just done this and have yet to see any crusaders pop out

 

[justanick]

If you build the Statue of Zeus in your capital and later on the Knights Templar also, do you actually get any crusaders?

Yes. If in a scenario you start with both wonders in your capital and have the required ivory, than you even get both units at the same turn.

Building those 2 wonders is a common strategy in a One City Challenge.

 

[walletta]

Yes. If in a scenario you start with both wonders in your capital and have the required ivory, than you even get both units at the same turn.

Building those 2 wonders is a common strategy in a One City Challenge.

Hmmm. I had better look in my capital to see whether I have any crusaders there that I'm not aware of. I only completed the KT a few turns ago so maybe I haven't waited long enough (I'm not keeping count). I shall return anon. Meanwhile, thank you, justanick.

 

[Theov]

If you build the Statue of Zeus in your capital and later on the Knights Templar also, do you actually get any crusaders? I have just done this and have yet to see any crusaders pop out

after 5 turns, yes. This is independent of each other.

If Justanick is implying that you need ivory for the AC then this is not how I remember. You need ivory to build the Temple, once you got it, you don't need ivory to pop out AC...

 

[tjs282]

If Justanick is implying that you need ivory for the AC then this is not how I remember. You need ivory to build the Temple, once you got it, you don't need ivory to pop out AC...

Although it is indeed true (if you look in the Editor) that ACavs don't have Ivory as a required resource, it is nonetheless the case that you need a source of Ivory in order to spawn them. I got stung like that in one of my games last year... Captured the Zulus' SoZ-town (south of Zimbabwe), but didn't get any ACavs until I'd also captured their Ivory-town (well north of Zim), a long time later.

 

[walletta]

Just a minute. In what way did real ancient cavalry ever require ivory to, err, be ancient cavalry? Did they use rhino horn as lances or something? If the game is in any way historically inaccurate, I shall be forced to stop playing

 

[Jivilov]

Just a minute. In what way did real ancient cavalry ever require ivory to, err, be ancient cavalry? Did they use rhino horn as lances or something? If the game is in any way historically inaccurate, I shall be forced to stop playing

Har-de-har-har. You don't need horses for AC either. Nor iron for crusaders. But of course you already knew that.

 

[Takhisis]

The Statue of Zeus was made of gold and ivory, walletta.

 

[Theov]

Although it is indeed true (if you look in the Editor) that ACavs don't have Ivory as a required resource, it is nonetheless the case that you need a source of Ivory in order to spawn them. I got stung like that in one of my games last year... Captured the Zulus' SoZ-town (south of Zimbabwe), but didn't get any ACavs until I'd also captured their Ivory-town (well north of Zim), a long time later.

I will add this requirement in my mod then.

 

[walletta]

The Statue of Zeus was made of gold and ivory, walletta.

Ah, cool. Thanks.

And the Knights are now spewing out crusaders (albeit my 'special' ones that decline to build fortresses for no known reason)

 

[Takhisis]

Theo, make the Heavy Cavalry require Iron and Horses if people want to build it on themselves; they'll get it for free from the statue.