Unit Special Actions and AI

[raxo2222]

It seems like AI is very bad with utilizing special actions of units.

Whatever it is placing resources or buildings by units starting with tamed/subdued animals and ending with ordinances.

For space maps troubles are even worse:
AI now builds NASA, but it is completely incapable of conducting space program.
There are units, that if sent to certain space terrains/features/improvements, they can be used to claim reward - you get then different unit (Mission Reward), that can place world wonder or simply add commerce like subdued animals can give science or culture.
AI would need to know what space terrains give what results.

On my Ultrafast test AI doesn't do that at all.
To start colonization you need to send Space Shuttle or Heavy Rocket to place Space Station level 1 improvement on Orbit terrain.
Then you need to upgrade it twice with more Space Shuttles/Heavy Rockets.
Later you need to send Heavy Rocket to Space Station level 3 improvement to upgrade Heavy Rocket to Cislunar Settler, and then you can build Cislunar colony on Cislunar terrain.

Also you need Lunar Base or Lunar Outpost to actually build colony on Moon.
This means a lot of planning.
That is there would be code dedicated to that stuff.

Other than that there are space workers and space military units, that aren't too useful for now.

While it is very immersive for players, AI just can't do it now.

Later parts of space program are paradoxically easier - you build settlers and send them further ahead, but AI doesn't know, that it should build like 5 - 10 cities per third of era (this is roughly how often new space zones get unlocked).

 

[Thunderbrd]

All very known issues but good to itemize them so that someday new AI types can be programmed to make the AI capable of doing space. I don't think it's realistic to expect that before multimaps gets done though because the design of a new AI type itself is a HUGE project and once we have multimaps would all be restructured anyhow. Pepper was warned of this.

 

[pepper2000]

Thanks for taking this on. That said, as I was developing the system of space missions, I concluded fairly quickly that programming the AI to do space missions would be beyond my capabilities. At the time, C2C games never seemed to go beyond the Industrial Era anyhow, so the emphasis of the space content was on exploration and development, not traditional 4X competition.

 

[raxo2222]

@billw2015 you can add it as project in github.

That is teach AI, that units can be used for more things than just war and building improvements.
Essentially AI should (prioritize capital first as this one is usually most developed city) do this quickly and eagerly:
Aggressively subdue units to build myths and other stuff as soon as possible.
Build enough tamed units to make sure, that cities got all buildings, that tamed units can place.
Utilize trade, world view, hero unit builds/actions.
Be as expansive as possible - build cities as long as you have gold surplus, and if not then build +gold buildings.
Found religions, their shrines, and corporations.
Exploit espionage and crime mechanics.
Effectively manage properties - just enough property control to not slow down game, and to keep up with property worsening buildings.
Build property helping ordnances (now they can be built like regular buildings - their cost is same as judge), and ban worldviews if they are getting too bad.
On space map scenarios (or multi maps, which now are real possibility) utilize units to explore and colonize space.

Now AI is too dumb in this regard - you can dominate AI easily without war if you know how to exploit units, and if you want to micromanage unit related business.

Now imagine AI using units to place buildings in cities, and melting your empire with constant barrage of spies and variety of criminals.

 

[billw2015]

@billw2015 you can add it as project in github.

You should have permissions to do it.