I took a few years off from playing strategy games and only got back into it with the release of Rome 2. After having been disappointed with Rome 2's AI, then BE's AI, and now EL's AI, I can't help but question whether this is an inherit problem with the genre of strategy games (or maybe 4x more specifically) rather than a conscious decision from developers. I even played through 2 campaigns of CiV BNW leading up to BE's release, and even then AI was whatever. Note, I haven't played EUIV so I'd be happy to hear of people experience with that game.
So my question is, is it too expensive to develop an AI that actually enhances the gaming experience (not talking about artificial buffs)? I know AI as a whole has its limitations, but there are other industries that have developed very advance AI (financial / military come to mind). I also don't recall having this much of a problem with AI back in the day, but that could just be me approached games a lot more casually or because the game mechanics were so much simpler that the AI didn't have many things to figure out.
But if this is the case, if the limitations are really there, why are developers not looking to further develop the multiplayer aspect of these games? I fully understand that 4x games present a bigger challenge mostly due to them being turn based and the length of time required to finish a game, but its getting very little attention. I love strategy games, but for a long time I was playing LoL just because it was so easy to hop online w/friends and play together. You don't need to look much further then the success of LoL, or Dota, SC2, or even Clash of Clans to understand the value multiplayer can bring to a game. I'd love to see 4x games get even a fraction of the funding these games get.
Yes, of course most 4x games have a multiplayer option, but they are developed a single player games primarily, and multiplayer is only a secondary concern. One needs to scour the net to find groups and join communities, and schedule play times. There is no ranking system, no organized platform for players to meet. No way to keep track of a players performance or behavior.
I'd love to hear the communities thoughts on the matter.
So my question is, is it too expensive to develop an AI that actually enhances the gaming experience (not talking about artificial buffs)? I know AI as a whole has its limitations, but there are other industries that have developed very advance AI (financial / military come to mind). I also don't recall having this much of a problem with AI back in the day, but that could just be me approached games a lot more casually or because the game mechanics were so much simpler that the AI didn't have many things to figure out.
But if this is the case, if the limitations are really there, why are developers not looking to further develop the multiplayer aspect of these games? I fully understand that 4x games present a bigger challenge mostly due to them being turn based and the length of time required to finish a game, but its getting very little attention. I love strategy games, but for a long time I was playing LoL just because it was so easy to hop online w/friends and play together. You don't need to look much further then the success of LoL, or Dota, SC2, or even Clash of Clans to understand the value multiplayer can bring to a game. I'd love to see 4x games get even a fraction of the funding these games get.
Yes, of course most 4x games have a multiplayer option, but they are developed a single player games primarily, and multiplayer is only a secondary concern. One needs to scour the net to find groups and join communities, and schedule play times. There is no ranking system, no organized platform for players to meet. No way to keep track of a players performance or behavior.
I'd love to hear the communities thoughts on the matter.