Some AI strategy&combat observations from current game

[Walter R]

(G&K, England, King, Standard, large islands, 6/12)

Obviously I'm not going to astound everyone with the revelation that the AI is not great at combat or strategic thinking, but I thought I'd share these:

1. Two or more civs can have been fighting for turn after turn, but if you DOW one of them peace immediately breaks out. Often when one is easily having the best of it. (Spain and France were fighting Siam, I DOW Siam and they all make up. I should point out that Siam was not in a position to have offered very good peace terms).

2. "Why use the units that would help me to take this city, when they can sit and just appreciate my pikeman doing his thing?" Theodora attacking Orleans and it's cannon with a pikeman and occasionally a caravel - she has four frigates just sat there close by or occasionally ferrying over another sacrifice. Predictably that war goes on and on...

3. Earlier. I am at war with Rameses, at that time the kingpin. I move a privateer (acting as recon) and at the last tile move find an egyptian frigate three tiles away. Said frigate moves up to privateer and stops. Next turn my SOTL get into range and sink it. Why did you not fire? Or run away? And why did you move alongside with your ranged ship - were you just showing off your new gun decks? Surely the AI has a flight or fight response, not 'hey, check it out'?

4. Now. It is T283. Napoleon is still very weak since I fought him some time back, but has two reasonable size cities, and Theo is still messing about at Orleans, (I saw a musketman in action last turn) and we have just traded a lop-sided RA. Siam is no more. Rameses has a lovely little iceberg and is just about to settle a second. Isabella and Theo are roughly similar sizes and yours truly rules the waves (or at least Brittania does). Isabella and Theo were my friends but now I see a change of heart in the Spanish camp along the lines of "You now have a huge navy that has been very effective in capturing cities and your ships are now...metal, I could swear I saw something actually flying out of London, you are at least twice my size, and I don't have much of a miltary left - now would be the perfect time for me to start annoying you.." Isabella (whose bacon I have saved on several occasions) has now gone guarded and those trade deals she was desperate to make are 'fading before her eyes'. And she is targetting my allied CS. Ok lady, I've only fought civs that you were fighting (albeit coincidentally), I sure don't need your trade but you need mine - what is wrong with you? Especially seeing as I would only need two more capitals for a Dom victory and one of them is yours...

Yes, I'm enjoying the game and as you can see I'm not pushing hard for victory just enjoying the ride - and again the AI is bonkers! But at least no-one turned up outside London with 23 ships...

 

[offworld]

I think nr 4 is a bit unfair. AIs cannot ragequit. From your description Isabella was in a hopeless position and you were clearly winning. If she is not ready to DOW you then trying to sabotage your lead until she is, is the only way to go, however futile that may be. What would you have her do? Smile and roll over?

 

[Jampine]

One thing the AI doesn't seem to get is "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" You can both be at war with the same civ, but they'll still hate you for some obtuse reason like you forgot to put ketchup on their burger at the annual world leaders picnic last year. Speaking of being in a joint war, the AI seems to often increase my invasion force by bugger all, since I rarely see any of their troops on the battlefield.

I noticed that pre BNW, civs would DoW each other, bicker for a few turns and then make up with no change of land between them, so we can all figure out that they're kinda failing to attack well. Now the AI won't declare war unless they think then can match your strength, or that you will attack them, but I kinda get the feeling they spend too long looking at the data of your strength instead of your army's composition and the terrain. That and the fact they still kinda suck at naval warfare, if you're on an island and you get DoW'd, just sit back and snipe the occasional ship that wanders into your waters

Also, WAAALLLLTTTTT, you didn't follow through to use my numbering system

 

[z284pwr]

Watching an AI only game even on Deity skill I quickly discovered how bad the AI really is at combat. The first most ridiculous thing I noticed was a single city with 55 planes stationed in it. I have new found desire to limit the planes per city. How can anyway possibly defend that. Oh wait I know. Because they waste half of those bombing a city with 0 hit points and have it surrounded by units that can't take the city anyway. SO they waste all of their planes on cities and proceed to have their ground units steam rolled instead of destroy all the ground units the first turn then the city and just stroll in casually to take the city with minimal unit loss.

I also discovered just how bad they are at naval warfare. It's just sad.

 

[Walter R]

I think nr 4 is a bit unfair. AIs cannot ragequit. From your description Isabella was in a hopeless position and you were clearly winning. If she is not ready to DOW you then trying to sabotage your lead until she is, is the only way to go, however futile that may be. What would you have her do? Smile and roll over?

Yeah you're probably right, in fact of course you are. Thing is, I was no threat to her (other than I would probably beat her to a victory condition), but I sure as hell am now. Wouldn't it have made more sense for her to keep my attention on the other civs? As it is I went about another 40 odd turns minding my own business, merrily growing and building the good wonders, and teching up without actively pursuing a SV until the other civs all started messing me about (CS coups etc.); then I decided to be a world dictator and remove those pesky infidels! So it's gonna be a Dom victory after all, and it's embarrasingly one-sided.

 

[topfoxrider]

i know how it feels bro. thats y in single player I dont really bother keeping more than 1 military unit once I hit the renaisance era. The ai is extremely derpy. They declare war, wait about 100 or so turns to enter my territory and by that time I pound their pikeman and archers with rocket artillery.