cracker
Gil Favor's Sidekick
It is probably just a coincidence, but the AI's in V1.21 do seem to have the ability to learn strategies from the Human player.
I have been using the simple Early Air, Army, and Artillery test map to test the effectiveness of artillery and air power units and it is interesting to observe the AI unit utilization.
In this test map, all the civs (Human and the AIs) have access to air units, Armies, and Artillery almost from the start of the game. Technically the units are out of scale with the ground and sea units of the first two eras but since every civ has them it could be equal effect. (Sort of frightening to think of warriors with bombers, helicopters and artillery.)
What is interesting is to watch the AIs implement the units. Since the human player may be able to recognize the usefulness of the units moreso than the AIs, I seem to be the first one to build the units even when the AIs have the research and cost multiplier advantage. Then once I use the units to start defending against barbarians or other agression, the AI civs pic up on the strategy and begin doing the same thing.
With the extra recon capabilities of fighters and helicopters, it is possible to watch the AI's strategy moves a bit more and it gives insight into how the early AI trade offs of calculated.
In one sample game, it is interesting to see the AI's use bombers to reduce barbarian camps and barb galleys. They only seem to do this about 10 turns after they watch me do it even though they could have built and used the bombers many turns earlier.
It is also really interesting to see the differences in strategy implemented by the different AIs for different civs. It is too early to say what really causes this, but some civs in V.21 will now actuall adopt a peripheral defense strategy instead of the old V1.17 approach where every city is defended equally.
In one emporer level sample game I am in a very exposed central position sandwiched between the French, Egyptians and Romans that are technologically about 1 tech ahead of me. The french have one bomber in every city. The Egyptians have two groups of bombers massed into clusters of 3 or 4 bombers each. The Romans have no bombers and keep menacing me with archers and demanding tribute even though they have chosen not to connect their iron resource yet and I have a city or two more than they do (they are about to outlive their usefulness ...
).
... cracker ...
I have been using the simple Early Air, Army, and Artillery test map to test the effectiveness of artillery and air power units and it is interesting to observe the AI unit utilization.
In this test map, all the civs (Human and the AIs) have access to air units, Armies, and Artillery almost from the start of the game. Technically the units are out of scale with the ground and sea units of the first two eras but since every civ has them it could be equal effect. (Sort of frightening to think of warriors with bombers, helicopters and artillery.)
What is interesting is to watch the AIs implement the units. Since the human player may be able to recognize the usefulness of the units moreso than the AIs, I seem to be the first one to build the units even when the AIs have the research and cost multiplier advantage. Then once I use the units to start defending against barbarians or other agression, the AI civs pic up on the strategy and begin doing the same thing.
With the extra recon capabilities of fighters and helicopters, it is possible to watch the AI's strategy moves a bit more and it gives insight into how the early AI trade offs of calculated.
In one sample game, it is interesting to see the AI's use bombers to reduce barbarian camps and barb galleys. They only seem to do this about 10 turns after they watch me do it even though they could have built and used the bombers many turns earlier.
It is also really interesting to see the differences in strategy implemented by the different AIs for different civs. It is too early to say what really causes this, but some civs in V.21 will now actuall adopt a peripheral defense strategy instead of the old V1.17 approach where every city is defended equally.
In one emporer level sample game I am in a very exposed central position sandwiched between the French, Egyptians and Romans that are technologically about 1 tech ahead of me. The french have one bomber in every city. The Egyptians have two groups of bombers massed into clusters of 3 or 4 bombers each. The Romans have no bombers and keep menacing me with archers and demanding tribute even though they have chosen not to connect their iron resource yet and I have a city or two more than they do (they are about to outlive their usefulness ...
).... cracker ...
