What video games have you been playing? ΚΔ (24)? More like ΚΔ,Ζ,ΤΞΕ!

[Kyriakos]

Are there any strategy game AIs that don't suck?

 

[Voidwalkin]

Are there any strategy game AIs that don't suck?

Galactic Civilizations 2 had a pretty mean AI. It still did stupid AI things, of course, but it did minmax its initial colony settlement out. One of the few instances I've been impressed by an AI, which is usually terrible in all facets.

Many thought it cheated but it didn't, actually. It would strain its budget to the maximum extent possible, correctly weighing what ROIs would justify the short term deficit, and stretch that deficit as far as it possibly could without permanently handicapping itself.

I could never actually imitate that strategy as well as it did.

 

[Sommerswerd]

Are there any strategy game AIs that don't suck?

Starcraft 2 and Age of Empires 2 both have good AI.

 

[Ajidica]

Shadows of Forbidden Gods; because the AI is supposed to act in a predictable manner open to the player so you can manipulate it.
(And I'll take the opportunity to plug the game. Asymmetrical strategy game where you are a dark god trying to enshadow the world before the Alliance can drive you back and destroy you. The amount of things you can manipulate has almost a CK2 level of granularity. Some gods play very micro - manipulating the personality of rulers and starting vendettas - and others are very macro - plagues, undead hordes, etc.)

 

[Kyriakos]

How realistic is it to expect some incorporation of neural networks in games AI?

 

[Akka]

Galactic Civilizations 2 had a pretty mean AI. It still did stupid AI things, of course, but it did minmax its initial colony settlement out. One of the few instances I've been impressed by an AI, which is usually terrible in all facets.

Many thought it cheated but it didn't, actually. It would strain its budget to the maximum extent possible, correctly weighing what ROIs would justify the short term deficit, and stretch that deficit as far as it possibly could without permanently handicapping itself.

I could never actually imitate that strategy as well as it did.

I do remember being rather impressed by GC2 AI, yeah (and the ship builder, which is absolutely great, would have loved to have it in Stellaris).
Too bad the humor kinda hurt the immersion in general.

 

[Zardnaar]

I do remember being rather impressed by GC2 AI, yeah (and the ship builder, which is absolutely great, would have loved to have it in Stellaris).
Too bad the humor kinda hurt the immersion in general.

Didn't GalCiv2 learn off human players?

 

[Senethro]

GalCiv2's main trick was making a game the AI could play, not making an AI that could play the game.

 

[Voidwalkin]

How realistic is it to expect some incorporation of neural networks in games AI?

I tried to imagine how that would work with my limited understanding of game design and advanced AI.

I mean, hypothetically, I suppose a game studio could hire a company that has neural net AI, or make a partnership with a university. I doubt there's much overlap beyween traditional game designers and neural net researchers, so hiring outside the shop is probably necessary.

I doubt you'd be able to run it on player PC's? You'd want processing power, so I'd envision having some sorta 3rd party supercomputer that receives inputs from player games and transmits commands to player opponents via an online link. That could work for turn based games. Provided the AI is actually very good I imagine there's a hardcore group of vets willing to wait a little longer on per turn times.

Probably need a figure like Musk to have the initiative to bring all those people together for a project.

 

[Kyriakos]

In They are Billions, the "AI" possibly does know where to hit, unless it is just the limited number of possibilities (typically there are at most 2-3 fronts at first). It likely just cheats by being told where concentrations of walls are.

The more annoying tricks to make the computer stronger are, of course, those where they just give it better stats for the same assets, ala Paradox games.

 

[Plotinus]

Just started the new Batman Arkham Shadow game. The excitement around this one really is justified.

 

[Takhisis]

I am 1/5 through a They are Billions campaign, this time playing at 300% difficulty. Last time I did the campaign it was a year ago, when I first got the game, but then I was playing at 100% difficulty. The change is quite evident, let me tell you

Still, the best thing about the campaign are the missions. Is there a game that is all like those missions? (reminds me a bit of the first few isometric Fallout games in style).

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The defense of Helm's Deep didn't go that well.

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Are these two the same game?

 

[dusters]

Are there any strategy game AIs that don't suck?

Age of Empires 2 DE

 

[Voidwalkin]

Forcing myself to finish Baldur's Gate 3. Tactician difficulty. Breaking my no load over rule because odds are terrible. They must have used odds in dungeons and dragons because it woulda been much more difficult to implement skill in a tabletop.

I have whiffed now 7 consecutive 84% odds or above. Comrade Voidwalkin is frequently yelling at his television set. My neighbors likely hear this. In my defense, it is somewhat odd that the spartanesque Lae'zel misses 4 crossbow shots on a totally prone target at 15 meters. Evidently, a lifetime of training in martial prowess is not particularly effective.

Wyll is the only character I actually like. Which is odd, because I usually favor genocidal maniacs. He's a hero, but I don't get the sense his heroics stem from a desire for glory, like most, but a more genuine commitment to the usual virtue ethics and pro social morality. Which is authentic. Everybody else is a loon or religious freak. Gale is ok, though.

Take this Asterion guy. Sure, you suffered at the whim of a sadist for 130 odd years, but you want to keep a parasitic worm in your head, despite that it may turn you into a Lovecraftian monster? I regret not taking the opportunity to stake vampire Asterion. I hadn't yet learned of his other defects. Like worm appreciation.

It makes me sad the BG3 community regards Wyll as seemingly the worst companion. I have debated several nerds on Reddit about this matter, at some length.

 

[Ajidica]

All I know about BG3 is that the romance options are sexy elf twink, sexy elf daddy, or big muscle mommy.

 

[Kyriakos]

All I know about BG3 is that the romance options are sexy elf twink, sexy elf daddy, or big muscle mommy.

 

[Zardnaar]

Forcing myself to finish Baldur's Gate 3. Tactician difficulty. Breaking my no load over rule because odds are terrible. They must have used odds in dungeons and dragons because it woulda been much more difficult to implement skill in a tabletop.

I have whiffed now 7 consecutive 84% odds or above. Comrade Voidwalkin is frequently yelling at his television set. My neighbors likely hear this. In my defense, it is somewhat odd that the spartanesque Lae'zel misses 4 crossbow shots on a totally prone target at 15 meters. Evidently, a lifetime of training in martial prowess is not particularly effective.

Wyll is the only character I actually like. Which is odd, because I usually favor genocidal maniacs. He's a hero, but I don't get the sense his heroics stem from a desire for glory, like most, but a more genuine commitment to the usual virtue ethics and pro social morality. Which is authentic. Everybody else is a loon or religious freak. Gale is ok, though.

Take this Asterion guy. Sure, you suffered at the whim of a sadist for 130 odd years, but you want to keep a parasitic worm in your head, despite that it may turn you into a Lovecraftian monster? I regret not taking the opportunity to stake vampire Asterion. I hadn't yet learned of his other defects. Like worm appreciation.

It makes me sad the BG3 community regards Wyll as seemingly the worst companion. I have debated several nerds on Reddit about this matter, at some length.

Wylls kinda boring. IRL he's one of the better romance option in game meh.

Firing ranged weapons at prone targets imposes disadvantage btw. Combat is rolled on a d20. Disadvantage is roll twice take the worst result.

Shadowheart needs her stats redone and trickery cleric is bad. Laezel also needs redone. Half elf basically does nothing for a cleric she's a better Wizard or Warlock.

 

[Voidwalkin]

All I know about BG3 is that the romance options are sexy elf twink, sexy elf daddy, or big muscle mommy.

Top tier video game romance option was Morrigan in dragon age origins. BG3 ones don't have the magic.

Firing ranged weapons at prone targets imposes disadvantage btw. Combat is rolled on a d20. Disadvantage is roll twice take the worst result.

Shadowheart needs her stats redone and trickery cleric is bad. Laezel also needs redone. Half elf basically does nothing for a cleric she's a better Wizard or Warlock.

I redid all of them. I run both Tav and Wyll as Pallocks, with pact of the blade, stats meant to be sorta tanky but still very dmg heavy. Laezel as fighter with dex boosts and marksmanship focus and titanstring bow.

First run this deep and the real struggle is with D&D mechanics and novel effects. Game presumes you know them thru years of tabletop, which I don't have. If I do a 2nd run it'd probably be effortless.

Wylls kinda boring. IRL he's one of the better romance option in game meh.

Total nonsense. Wyll is objectively the best companion in every category. Let's examine, in depth

-Shadowheart has an annoying voice, is a cynical, deceitful person, with tons of issues, and may wake you up with a knife at your throat.
-Laezel looks like a bat and is a spartan space fascist.
-Gale is ok I guess but may actually explode into a million pieces if you don't let him eat the gloves of absolute power or some horsehocky(actually ended my first run)
-Astarion is a sadistic loon with more issues than can be dreamed of and likes worms, and pulls a knife on you
-Karlach has a terminal heart condition
-Halsin is a religious goof who walks funny
-98% of players just waste Minthara

Wyll: contagious enthusiasm, strong, good in a fight, actually believes in being forever dauntless, unmatched physical and social courage, self-sacrificing, has led life of adventure, actually reasonable, at no point does anything crazy.

 

[Zardnaar]

Top tier video game romance option was Morrigan in dragon age origins. BG3 ones don't have the magic.

I redid all of them. I run both Tav and Wyll as Pallocks, with pact of the blade, stats meant to be sorta tanky but still very dmg heavy. Laezel as fighter with dex boosts and marksmanship focus and titanstring bow.

First run this deep and the real struggle is with D&D mechanics and novel effects. Game presumes you know them thru years of tabletop, which I don't have. If I do a 2nd run it'd probably be effortless.

Total nonsense. Wyll is objectively the best companion in every category. Let's examine, in depth

-Shadowheart has an annoying voice, is a cynical, deceitful person, with tons of issues, and may wake you up with a knife at your throat.
-Laezel looks like a bat and is a spartan space fascist.
-Gale is ok I guess but may actually explode into a million pieces if you don't let him eat the gloves of absolute power or some horsehocky(actually ended my first run)
-Astarion is a sadistic loon with more issues than can be dreamed of and likes worms, and pulls a knife on you
-Karlach has a terminal heart condition
-Halsin is a religious goof who walks funny
-98% of players just waste Minthara

Wyll: contagious enthusiasm, strong, good in a fight, actually believes in being forever dauntless, unmatched physical and social courage, self-sacrificing, has led life of adventure, actually reasonable, at no point does anything crazy.

Wyll gets less content. Asterions an arsehole but hilarious.

Shadowheart, Asterion, Laezel get the most relevant content. Minthara the least.

Karach stuff was rushed and some of her content was cut/unfinished. Her heart being being one.

Wyll gets a decent amount of content and is outright good if a bit foolish.

Laezel can get a redemption arc. Same with Asterion. They lean towards evil when first encountered. Mostly by circumstances though.

Tier list content wise.

S. Asterion, Shadowheart, Laezel
A. Gale
B. Wyll
C. Karlach
D. Minthara, Halsin, Jaheira and Minsc.

 

[Voidwalkin]

Wyll gets less content. Asterions an arsehole but hilarious.

Shadowheart, Asterion, Laezel get the most relevant content. Minthara the least.

Karach stuff was rushed and some of her content was cut/unfinished. Her heart being being one.

Wyll gets a decent amount of content and is outright good if a bit foolish.

Laezel can get a redemption arc. Same with Asterion. They lean towards evil when first encountered. Mostly by circumstances though.

Tier list content wise.

S. Asterion, Shadowheart, Laezel
A. Gale
B. Wyll
C. Karlach
D. Minthara, Halsin, Jaheira and Minsc.

Shadowheart definitely gets the most. There's a whole Shar temple for this chick. Which I'm not thrilled with, because I hate her. Terrible pre-respec and can barely get thru that first fight n the beach, after the crash before Doctor Withers can fix her awfulness.

Terrible personality too. Shoulda just left the chick on the ship.