Screenshot of the Day #113: AI Cheating?

[Padma]

Originally posted by Lt. 'Killer' M.
I was rather implying that you might consider the stick the joke

Ahh, I understand. My humor interface seems to be malfunctioning, this morning.

And yes, the "big pointy stick" is intended as a lighthearted reference to moderator actions/consequences. As I am sure you are aware, it is from the strategy of "conducting research via a pointy stick", i.e., gaining tech by extorting them from other civs, often as terms of a peace treaty.

But we are seriously digressing form the thread topic here.

 

[Goonie]

I dont like the sound of that upgrade bug...I never trusted that AI :shiftyeyes:

 

[farting bob]

no-one mentioned this yet?
but they might have had a source of water out of screen, but there irigation was pillaged and so all you see is 2 irrigated tiles onn ther own. all the other tiles were pillaged.
iv seen mass pilligeing many times, and im certain it happens more in higher levels.

 

[Grey Fox]

Probably lack of updated map.

 

[Moulton]

That would be truly mass pillaging. By their own troops? Was there another war???
I captured some cities a few nights ago, and the AI had irrigated it--and there was no available soucrce. Not outdated maps, not pillaging -- there was no way to get water there. I'll have to look for the screenshots.

 

[alamo]

Too bad that reveal map trick doesn't work anymore.

Can we get a savegame?

 

[Hellfire]

Move a unit into that square to the NW of the city and your question will be answered. I bet ya irrigation is right there.

 

[nmcul]

Maybe the AI really does cheat.
Come on, we already know that, and we all live with it just fine. DENIAL IS THE FIRST SINE OF A PROBLEM. Still, these theories are quite humorous.

If the fact that the AI may be cheating bothers you, you'd better stick to multiplayer bouts. It's very real. The question then becomes: Do you give a #%$&? I know I don't. Seriously, losing doesn't hurt when you know your opponent is a damn dirty ape. (Well, you get the jist of it.)

 

[farting bob]

i dont kind them winning if i know they had hge advantage, or cheats, but tis wen they beat me by 7 points in 2050 after a 600year stalematebetween the two of us.....
that pisses me off.

 

[china444]

Cant you make an Irrigation next ot Fresh Water, then just make aline of irrigation as far as you want? Example: L-Land I-irrigation
F-Fresh water.

FFIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIILL
LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
Cant you make it so the Irrigation HAS to touch another irragation so you can do it?

 

[Korwyn]

Originally posted by nmcul
Maybe the AI really does cheat.
Come on, we already know that, and we all live with it just fine. DENIAL IS THE FIRST SINE OF A PROBLEM.

Hmm....so what's the first COSINE of a problem?

 

[DiamondzAndGunz]

Originally posted by Korwyn


Hmm....so what's the first COSINE of a problem?

@ China: Yes, you can make a straight, diagonal, whatever, type of line of irrigation. That's probably what happened in that game.

 

[Sims2789]

the same thing happened to me! i don't have PTW, but the other civ's always irrigate w/o fresh water.
________
ACURA TL HISTORY

 

[aaglo]

-> Padma:

Hey, atleast I'm trying...

 

[hbdragon88]

This is such an awful SOTD in my opinion. If there was an updated map and no irrigation in site, then it'd be a but this is just a in my opinion.

I'll send you another one TF...did you receive my "stack of doom 2x" one?

 

[TheNiceOne]

Originally posted by nmcul
Maybe the AI really does cheat.
Come on, we already know that, and we all live with it just fine

...and...

Originally posted by sims2789
the same thing happened to me! i don't have PTW, but the other civ's always irrigate w/o fresh water.

I don't believe you. If the AI cheats by irrigating without access to fresh water, then how do you explain do noone has posted any evidence of this so far. The screenshot above only shows that the player has no idea of what the AI has done on the other side of the town. If a unit was moved there it would probably reveal a line of irrigated squares.

sims2789, since you experience that the other civ's always irrigate w/o fresh water, I suggest you post a screenshot or a save to back it up, since I and most experienced player think you're flat out wrong. It's easy to write such unfounded accusations, but can you prove it?

 

[Hygro]

Answer: Me and my body. (Clever quesion though)

Yeah, the best evidence I saw so far was disproved by a tiny obscure lake. You might notice this after the advance of electricity though

 

[TheNiceOne]

Originally posted by Hygro
Answer: Me and my body. (Clever quesion though)

I haven't checked the answer yet. Thanks for the sugegstion though.

Yeah, the best evidence I saw so far was disproved by a tiny obscure lake. You might notice this after the advance of electricity though

You're probably right - I forgot that one. sims2789 has probably seen this happen regularly in the later stages of the game and then didn't know the reason is that you don't need access to fresh water after electricity.

Edit: This is IMO how most unfounded cheat accusations start. A relatively inexperienced player sees something he doesn't understand. And since he doesn't understand it, he concludes that the AI must be cheating - which is much simpler than trying to understand what's really happening.

 

[Lt. 'Killer' M.]

TNO: add to that the sometimes extremely weird and twisted (and idiotic) ways Civ3 is programmed

I still think the way turns work (i.e. the fact that the AI can rush a unit in a flipped city and have it finished before you can attack) is a 'cheat' as it gives an unfair advantage that was not mentioned. Same for the map knowledge. But once you understand how both things work, they rather turn into programming errors or simple shortcuts......

 

[Pembroke]

How about conducting a simple test: create a map that has no fresh water anywhere (no rivers and no lakes).

If irrigation is found before electricity then we know for sure the AI cheats.

OTOH if no irrigation can be found then arguably it doesn't prove the AI doesn't cheat but I would say it's pretty strong evidence against cheating, because if the AI cheats then it ought to happen regularly and fairly often for it to be of any use.