troops on the border

[LucyDuke]

This came up briefly in this thread.

How does the AI respond when you're massing units on their borders? Do they just build more and more troops until you move? What are the mechanics?

 

[mutax2003]

AI just looks at your army size, it doesn't care if your troop are near its border (assuming you are at peace).

 

[feldmarshall]

AI just looks at your army size, it doesn't care if your troop are near its border (assuming you are at peace).

does AIs know your total army size, even if the army are out of their line of sight? If you troop your army at their border, they will see more army than usual, and i think it would make them feel more threatened. It was just my thinking btw, i've not learned the mechanics

 

[Disgustipated]

I have not noticed any change in behaviour. I don't think they really care. They know your army size because they cheat. Though in a way, they can use the demographics screen like you can to determine their relative army size to the rest of the world.

 

[LucyDuke]

So it doesn't matter if I set my rally point on the hill overlooking their capitol? That's what I've always been worried about.

Do they arrange their troops differently if you're massing on their border? That seems like a major flaw to exploit if they don't. You bet if a human sees a SoD on the border they're reinforcing the closest city.

 

[ChicagoCubs]

I have never seen the AI change it's troop placement when I have stacked units on their border. I usually have spies running around their lands to view their troop movements (or lack there of).

 

[sabo]

I have actually seen the AI attack me when I started massing on their border, it may have been a fluke or may not have. I dont know if Civ 4 is like Civ III where the AI cheats and can see the whole map or not, but I don't think the AI really knows you are going to attack when you start massing.

 

[Jet]

@sabo: The AI can see a couple extra tiles into the fog of war, to compensate for the fact that it doesn't do anything to guess where you might move your units. (Except for some specific things like reinforcing besieged cities and moving Workers out of the way if you have units that can reach them.)

 

[wotan321]

Answer this then, is it true that when attacking, the AI goes after the weakest city (the one with the fewest units and defenses)?

So it CAN monitor relative and local strength, so maybe it DOES react to amassed troops on the border. If it does not, it should and could.

 

[AncientPlayer]

In a way, the AI will always react to you massing troops if that means that you're adding to your army. As your army grows the AI will react in some way and one way can be a preemptive strike when it "realizes" that it needs to hit you while it can still hope to hurt you. On the other hand, some of the AI will react by the equivalent of fear or intimidation.

 

[GoodSarmatian]

I have also noticed that they are more likelyto give in to your demands when you quickly assemble a large army at their borders.

 

[Disgustipated]

I have noticed the ai likes to attack just before, or just after you get military strategy.

And they always attack if you have an unprotected worker right on the border. . I've lost so many workers that way.

 

[feldmarshall]

And they always attack if you have an unprotected worker right on the border. . I've lost so many workers that way.

lol i thought it's julius caesar only. If i have many workers near his border, he will tend to attack... he attacked me once when i was much stronger than him... that just mean more plunder

 

[sabo]

On the other hand, some of the AI will react by the equivalent of fear or intimidation.

I have noticed that also, I joined a war with Inca against Peter who was on another continent and as soon as I landed 3 grenadiers Peter wanted peace.

edit: it's sort of cool in a way that the AI in Civ 4 has some reasoning ability, I remember once in Civ III that Russia had only Moscow left and he declared war on me when I had 30+ Modern Armor parked just outside his only city... (needless to say Russia was toast the next turn)