Why doesn't the AI use air units?

[hardcore_gamer]

After having spent over 20 hours with this game I have yet to see the AI send so much as a single air unit into battle against me. Is this a yet another bug?

Its pretty much meaningless to play the game during the later eras if the AI doesn't build and use any air units since it gives the player a huge advantage and makes wars even easier then they already are.

I should be noted though that I haven't played on anything harder then price (normal) yet, but that's hardly very relevant (or at least it should not be).

Why doesn't the AI use air units?

 

[jackofallspades]

It should not be relevant, yes, but it does appear it is.

 

[ButSam]

Are you sure AI has tech? I have yet to play a game on Prince where AI keeps up in Modern era; by then I was 10 techs ahead in my Prince game.

 

[patrick.nagel]

I've played several Immortal/Diety games, and have yet to see the AI use air units or nukes.

What the AI does do, however, is spam anti-air--even if your army isn't air heavy. Modern era wars seem to be your army vs. a bunch of flak cannons and infantry.

 

[hardcore_gamer]

I've played several Immortal/Diety games, and have yet to see the AI use air units or nukes.

What the AI does do, however, is spam anti-air--even if your army isn't air heavy. Modern era wars seem to be your army vs. a bunch of flak cannons and infantry.

Sadly I have noticed this as well.

 

[aimlessgun]

I've played several Immortal/Diety games, and have yet to see the AI use air units or nukes.

What the AI does do, however, is spam anti-air--even if your army isn't air heavy. Modern era wars seem to be your army vs. a bunch of flak cannons and infantry.

So to read between the lines...they couldn't figure out how to program AI to use air in time for launch, so they just made it spam anti-air and called it good.

 

[dannythefool]

Augustus Caesar attacked me with bombers in my last deity game.

In general my observation is that it takes the AI some time to move to newer units. Maybe it just doesn't get around to building planes until you wait long enough. He was still using pikemen and cavalry too in that same game.

 

[IXJac]

Yeah, I've seen a serious lack of them as well. On Immortal the British used a handful of guided missiles on my ships, and I saw several aircraft stationed in the Japanese cities (just the number indicator, no idea what type) but that's it. This really bugs me, because I really like air campaigns.

 

[Baleur]

Adding this;
Why doesnt the AI build a single farm, ever, in their entire empire?

 

[Hammy]

Been playing on Immortal (no deity yet) and haven't seen a single air unit. Late game the AI is terrible at teching, though.

It's also still terrible at naval combat. :[ My latest was two continents, with me on a small one next to only Elizabeth. She DoWed me early and I ended up winning, though just barely. Then by the time I had half a dozen Frigates Hiawatha had nearly taken out the entire other continent, which was an enormous one with 6 total civs. I decided to hit him once he attacked the final civ there, to try to keep him in check. I only had ships for the most part, with no real land army to speak of. He actually had the same size navy as me at first--which was surprising because before that game I had never seen an AI build any ship higher than Caravels--but he never went on the offense with any of them and he never built any more. Once I had Destroyers, he was still just spamming Riflemen (and I hadn't landed a single unit on his continent until I had Carriers to support a land invasion.) Eventually I had bombers and he... was still spamming riflemen, and finally some Infantry. No air, and no anti-air either.

The AI just doesn't respond to threats. It gets attacked from the sea and doesn't think, "Oh I'd better get beef up my navy, or at least defend with land artillery." It thinks, "Uhoh I'm getting attacked, better get more riflemen!" :|

 

[Becephalus]

I haven't seen the need to build air units myself. By the time I hit flight I am only another 100 turns or so from victory on epic/immortal, and building air units is not going to help in any way. I suppose they could help you squeeze more damage into tight spaces with the 1upt, but I am a good enough hex gamer that I don't need it. Usually I am just stomping all over people with infantry and a few art if i am fighting. AI loves helicopters and anti tank in my experience.

 

[aguds]

Too bad, really. As I like to play with carriers, it's not so much fun when I get no resistance. It's not like the AI builds navy either.

 

[Fin]

Adding this;
Why doesnt the AI build a single farm, ever, in their entire empire?

I was playing against the French, and that seemed to be the only thing they were building other than mines. A continent of farms and mines.

 

[TrailblazingScot]

Has anyone seen a fighter or bomber yet?

I've seen an Aztec carrier and I've seen billions of guided missiles.

I've not been nuked yet, though I have deserved it.

 

[TrailblazingScot]

Too bad, really. As I like to play with carriers, it's not so much fun when I get no resistance. It's not like the AI builds navy either.

I have seen the AI building a decent navy, but they waste it attacking cities when they're not in position to take the city. On occasion, the two link up.

Monty was taking on Dublin, a city state allied to me.

Dubli was at the end of a long bottle neck. His frigates bombarded Dublin down, whilst he units took a pounding, he also landed a cannon on an island in range of Dublin and bombarded from there.

Eventually, he took the city, despite my supplying some units. It really was quite impressive - but luck. When he was later fighting Genoa, which was on another continent, he'd send his destroyers, but no support so Genoa with its artillery, sank destroyer after destroyer, after destroyer, ships that should have been taking on my navy.

I think ranged combat would benefit from duels. If an artillery fires at another artillery, or near another artillery, they should 'duel it out' a la SMAC. An archer firing at an archer shouldn't have the defending archer just taking it.

 

[DarkMaster]

I've played several Immortal/Diety games, and have yet to see the AI use air units or nukes.

What the AI does do, however, is spam anti-air--even if your army isn't air heavy. Modern era wars seem to be your army vs. a bunch of flak cannons and infantry.

Didn't the BTS AI do this as well?

 

[hardcore_gamer]

Didn't the BTS AI do this as well?

No, the AI would use nukes against you when it dared to. And it also used air power whenever it could.

 

[Samuil]

They do build Air units, but the problem is my tech is usually far superior to theirs... )playing on Prince)

Adding this;
Why doesnt the AI build a single farm, ever, in their entire empire?

They do have farms in the latest english cities I conquered?

Off topic, Longbowman is way to strong, lost a number of knights and cavalry (jumped the gun to anihilate a few longbowmans, only to receive a rain of arrows from tiles I did not even see, which killed my initiative a bit, but 2 artillery anihilated some 20 longbowmans throughout the conflict... ) Longbowman is Crazy - Aztec cities fell like flies to the English, it was a true onslaught... I have never seen the AI expand so quickly... (which is nice, the AI showed intelligence there, but stupidity in the fact that it dowed Aztecs to the east and several turns later me on the west - hitler kamikaze style, two frontlines)
Did they Really have range as an artillery unit? Or more than a cannon for that matter?

 

[dexters]

AI likes to beeline for rocketry and they build cruise missiles quickly enough. I wish they would build more air units.

As for farms, depends on AI flavour. Ghandi loves them. Every game I've played against them, i see beautifully manicured landscapes.

 

[gunter]

It is pretty clear that the AI uses neither air units nor naval ones.

This IMO is one the worst bug of the game, beside a crappy AI and a useless graphic interface.