The AI and war....

[woodelf]

I won't disagree that the AI is very intelligent and adaptive in GalCiv2, but one thing that has been bugging me is that every game one or more civs declares war on me before they're really ready to do anything about it. Here are the steps of war in the last 4 games:

1 - "We hate you, blah, blah..." - war declared.
2 - I build transports and ships like mad
3 - I wait
4 - I send transports and ships to neighboring systems
5 - I win without much fight
6 - I wait
7 - I win another system
8 - Finally massive fleets show up

This is like 25-30 turns after war is declared! If the AI has this huge military advantage why declare war when all of your ships are that many turns away? And why declare war on a neighbor when you can't defend your borders? I understand the numbers game and they feel like they have an advantage, but they are neutralizing their advantage by being so far away.

But, when the fleets arrive the pain begins for me. I don't deny that they are stronger and I have a helluva fight on my hands, but it just doesn't seem like good policy to allow border colonies to get gobbled up before you mount your attack.

 

[acantoni]

I guess the main problem is the AI doesn't focus enough on speed...
In my current game with all AI on genius settings (playing on CRIPPLING) while my ship can move from 7 to 12 tile per turns their could move only 4..,..
On a huge map 4 movement per turns means their ship could need 20 or so turns to reach my border... in the same time i'm able to conquer half their empire!

 

[bonscott]

Really depends on what level you are playing.

I know personally I pull that stunt all the time. I'll declare war on a stronger enemy and let him come to me with my fleets waiting in the protection of one or two decked out military starbases which then allows me to wipe out his stronger fleets (hopefully) and then follow that up with an invasion. If I lose a border world or two they are easy enough to take back. I'll only defend a high class planet more then just a ship or two unless there is a huge value in that lowly class 5 world.

Pretty sure the AI is trying to do the same thing but not quite as effective on the lower levels or as a human might on any level.

All the way up to tough so far I can crush the AI military so I'm quickly moving up levels until they provide me a challange.

 

[bonscott]

I guess the main problem is the AI doesn't focus enough on speed...
In my current game with all AI on genius settings (playing on CRIPPLING) while my ship can move from 7 to 12 tile per turns their could move only 4..,..
On a huge map 4 movement per turns means their ship could need 20 or so turns to reach my border... in the same time i'm able to conquer half their empire!

The latest patch (last Friday) has the AI focus speed more and I've noticed it already with their beginning colony ships moving 4 per turn and transports at 6. It's a bit annoying actually but does provide more of a challange to be sure.