Strengthening the AI Civs

[polypheus]

The ultimate key to enjoyment and replayablity are strong AI Civs. Current AI programming technology is limited and we cannot expect an AI to have human-like capabilities. However, if Firaxis adheres to the following general principles, which I believe are practical, the AI Civs can be quite formidable indeed.

1. Simplify the AI's game
The sheer amount of micromanagement needed is simply beyond the scope of the AI to handle. So the Civ game that the AI plays should be simplified. Don't have the Civ AIs handle all every last detail but have many details hidden from the AI so it has less things to worry about. Another way of saying this is "cheat" without it being obvious or noticeable that it is "cheating" and behaving in a totally unrealistic way.

2. Expand Aggressively
In Civ2. the AI Civs simply did not expand enough to build up sufficient economic and productive capability. Ensure that the AIs expand as much as possible within practical limits.

3. Attack in full strength in a coordinated attack
Rather than sending individual units and fighting a "War of Eternal Skirmishes", the AI really needs to coordinate a large massed attack. Is this beyond the scope of AI programmability? I don't think so, especially now that stacks are in which should help the AI fight much more effectively.

4. Be opportunistic (w/o necessarily backstabbing)
The AI should always be on the lookout for HP weakness and exploit them ruthlessly. There needs to be some kind of routine that scans the HP empire and checks for various weak points such as strategic harbors that kill the trade network or cities that are lightly defended. I have played so many Civ2 middle games where I defend lightly (b/c of being in Republic/Democracy and not wanting to suffer production penalities) and my whole empire was there for the taking! The AIs have to be on the lookout for that!

5. Eliminate Features that HPs will exploit far better than the AI. Such features include Unlimited Movement RRs, Too Powerful Spies, Hanging Bombers that make land units immune to land attacks, etc. These features are never exploited by the AI but exploited well by the HP.

6. Maintain Balance of Power
The overriding concern of any AI diplomacy should be to maintain balance of power. The foreign/trade relations of a HP should always be looked at as something to be balanced by the other AIs. If a HP is starting to build up its trade relations and alliances, the other AIs must make counter-balancing relations with each other. The AI should never undertake any
action that significantly upsets the balance of power in favor of the HP.

7. Punish HP aggression hard
The moment the HP launches a war of aggression most of the AIs should join together in a coalition similar to Gulf War against Saddam Hussein. Alliances should be broken as a sign of disgust.

8. Observe HP military buildup and assume HP backstabbing
The AIs should always be on the lookout for HP military buildup and assume the HP is preparing to backstab so when the HP inevitably does backstab, she'll be in for a rude shock! In the case of backstabbing, apply principle (7) above.

[Inverse Icarus]

7. Punish HP aggression hard

they do that already.

you never got a popup message syaing "Germas and Indians sign Konisberg pact to contain Roman aggression" ?

[Ilkuul]

I see the point of what you're saying, but what bothers me is that it all seems to end up with the situation that many of us really dislike in Civ2, and that is having ALL the AI's start ganging up on you in the mid-to-late game. You may have been playing a relatively peaceful game up to that point, sharing techs etc., then wham! Suddenly no-one wants to know you just because you happen to be the most powerful civ in the game. They all make alliances and pacts with one another against you, but can YOU find anyone to ally with? No way! That just seems ridiculous -- and untrue to real life. Smaller nations often WANT to have an alliance with a more powerful neighbour, for their own protection.

If what you describe needs to be done to 'beef up' the AI, I hope Firaxis can find a way of avoiding this problem.

As long as they leave the bottom 4 level for me and other to play, they can make the top 3 level, take no prisoner, scorch earth policy and see how long you guys play it.

[Inverse Icarus]

::cough wuss cough::

[polypheus]

There is one more thing that I must add.

The AI Civs should never start a war or declare war with a HP unless the AI Civ has already prepared itself for attacking the HP and is capable of sustaining such a war!

How many times has an AI declared war on a HP when it is vastly outmatched and in no position to threaten or harm the HP, yet the AI Civ is clearly close enough to the HP to be threatened by the HP???

If an AI Civ actually declares war, it should already be in position to attack and devastate the HP! Otherwise, it should adopt a hostile posture just short of war and force the HP to be the aggressor.

[Zanzin]

All the points mentioned here are valid ones. I'll be happy with the AI if it -

a) Knows how to launch a massive attack against me (if our diplomatic relations have degraded to that point)

b) Will not nessecarily gang up on you with other AI opponents

c) One or two AI civs are, by the end game, just as powerful as you, and represent viable threats.