Why doesn't the AI terraform?

[Maniac]

IIRC I read once that the AI is coded to be "trigger happy" concerning spells. That is, whenever they see a spell button lighted up, they like to press it. If so, then why doesn't the AI terraform, ie use bloom forest, vitalize and spring?

 

[Nikis-Knight]

Have you seen them have the abilities and not use them? More likely they are never in the situtation where they can use it.
AI mages don't take smart promotions, sometimes having no spell spheres. So it's not common for them to have an arcane with spring on a desert tile, especially since they avoid negative defense terrain.
As for why druids don't leave a path of vitalize, I'm not sure, but probably that they don't take the promotions either.

 

[Oldfrt]

I would assume its the difference between an offensive/defensive unit and a "worker" unit. For bloom/vitalise to be used, the AI would need to see the unit as a "worker" unit, otherwise it would see no benefit of learning those spheres.

Well, thats what I assume anyways.

 

[Bluenoise]

Yeah. It bothers me too. The woodelves should be setup to go for spring and bloom and turn every square of their land into trees.

That's what I go for anyways.

 

[Oldfrt]

is the way units are dealt with coded into the XML, or is it a variable that can be checked each turn? If it is a variable, then the AI could turn defenders/attacking units into "workers" if needed for that turn.... if its in the XML then it is going to be near enough impossible to allow for - unless you make the bloom/vitalize give some offence/defence bonus as well.

 

[Maniac]

Have you seen them have the abilities and not use them? More likely they are never in the situtation where they can use it.
AI mages don't take smart promotions, sometimes having no spell spheres. So it's not common for them to have an arcane with spring on a desert tile, especially since they avoid negative defense terrain.
As for why druids don't leave a path of vitalize, I'm not sure, but probably that they don't take the promotions either.

So to get Priests of Leaves to bloom forests, the solution might be as simple as setting the AIweight for Nature II to 100?

 

[Bad Player]

I'm quite certain that the AI has negatively terraformed my land (version 0.15 being used) when surrounding my city.

 

[Nikis-Knight]

So to get Priests of Leaves to bloom forests, the solution might be as simple as setting the AIweight for Nature II to 100?

And nature 3 for druids. might cause them to "waste" a promotion now and then by having every mage with nature 2/3 and not specializing, but then, no one can say the ai doesn't know how to use summon tiger!
hmm... wait, if the ai can use summon tiger, then they should have nature, right? Maybe its mostly the other half of the problem, not moving units to where they should perform the action.

I'm quite certain that the AI has negatively terraformed my land

yeah, if you ever see forrests on desert, you know it's from scortch, a common spell since so many civs start with fire.

 

[Bluenoise]

Yeah if their combat units the AI just keeps them in cities unless to attack. They need to go and stop on workable squares. It doesn't seem to happen.

However, I usually wipe out my enemies before the AI gets good magic.

 

[Maniac]

And nature 3 for druids. might cause them to "waste" a promotion now and then by having every mage with nature 2/3 and not specializing, but then, no one can say the ai doesn't know how to use summon tiger!
hmm... wait, if the ai can use summon tiger, then they should have nature, right? Maybe its mostly the other half of the problem, not moving units to where they should perform the action.

The Priest of Leaves' AIs. Perhaps removing city defense could help? I assume missionary and reserve should already encourage units to wander around.

            <UnitAIs>
                <UnitAI>
                    <UnitAIType>UNITAI_MISSIONARY</UnitAIType>
                    <bUnitAI>1</bUnitAI>
                </UnitAI>
                <UnitAI>
                    <UnitAIType>UNITAI_RESERVE</UnitAIType>
                    <bUnitAI>1</bUnitAI>
                </UnitAI>
                <UnitAI>
                    <UnitAIType>UNITAI_CITY_SPECIAL</UnitAIType>
                    <bUnitAI>1</bUnitAI>
                </UnitAI>
                <UnitAI>
                    <UnitAIType>UNITAI_CITY_DEFENSE</UnitAIType>
                    <bUnitAI>1</bUnitAI>
                </UnitAI>
            </UnitAIs>

 

[BCalchet]

I don't know what AI role they use, but I see the AI sending the Pact of Nihilorn giants running about their lands constantly - perhaps getting terraformers to use that role could work? (Unless that's only patrolling the borders...)

 

[Maniac]

That's interesting: they have the animal AI.

I wonder if giving that AI to all recon units would improve their performance. After all they act best when not in cities.

Could someone who understands SDK perhaps have a look what the animal unit AI does?

 

[Kael]

We could increase their wandering, but that would make them more vulnerable to attack. They need a function similiar to the worker function that checks all plots that they can improve and moves them to it if they are safe. The worker AI wont work because it doesn't recognize that the unit has the ability to improve the tile.

Done correctly it isn't a big deal to have it check to see what spells the unit has available and act appropriatly. It just takes time to code. The game AI is probably the most complicated part of modding civ4.

Definitly a requirement, and its on the list but it hasn't been done yet.

 

[Maniac]

We could increase their wandering, but that would make them more vulnerable to attack.

But especially for the Fellowship, I guess getting their lands forested is more important than losing some priests in the rare cases a war is declared.

Anyway, glad it's on the to-do list.