AI Problem

supafrumpy · November 28, 2001, 12:41

I have one thing to moan about.

Every civ/alpha centauri game's opponet AI is terrible abpit building cities. They find a spot in your empire with about 3 free squares and they send in a settler, thereby ruining your evenly spaced out city arrangement, and draining YOUR resources. Then I capture the town,cause war, and make my people really angry, and the other guy wont have peace so I am stuck in a war. CAN SOMEONE PLEASE FIX THIS? I HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH THIS FOR 5 GAMES NOW!

Also bring the city grid back plz

Sorry this is off topic/addressed somewhere else!

Blaupanzer · November 28, 2001, 13:30

The problem here is that this is a smart method to increase power. They found the city on land not yet inside your borders. So the resources are not "yours, at the least, the AI is disputing that. This isn't Sim City, this is "kill or be killed."

Jaybe · November 28, 2001, 14:11

Read the friggin manual (pages 195-200, or download any of the many helpful guides available).
CTRL-G

GodSpawn · November 28, 2001, 14:39

I think it's a perfectly reasonable strategy for the AI to follow. If multiplayer were available, I expect a lot of human players would also follow this strategy.

Of course, the AI sometimes builds towns where they're going to get cultured over within a few turns, which would seem to be hurting the AI more than it hurts you... A human player probably wouldn't do that.

Boracks · November 28, 2001, 15:43

Quote:

Originally posted by Jaybe
Read the friggin manual (pages 195-200, or download any of the many helpful guides available).
CTRL-G

I believe what he's referring to is the white outline of the squares that are in the cities production zone (5x5 minus corners) as opposed to just the grid or the cultural boundry. It would be easier to be able to check for overlaps with it.

ThaddeusAlexander · November 28, 2001, 15:56

Quote:

Originally posted by supafrumpy
I have one thing to moan about.

Every civ/alpha centauri game's opponet AI is terrible abpit building cities. They find a spot in your empire with about 3 free squares and they send in a settler, thereby ruining your evenly spaced out city arrangement, and draining YOUR resources. Then I capture the town,cause war, and make my people really angry, and the other guy wont have peace so I am stuck in a war. CAN SOMEONE PLEASE FIX THIS? I HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH THIS FOR 5 GAMES NOW!

If its bothering you and disrupting your gameplay, then i think the AI is just being smart. What would you prefer the AI to do, sit back and watch you win? Let all of your expansion plans work to suit you?

Maybe you would, but that'll kill a lot of the challenge. I mean, i agree that it is annoying ... the AI cities in Civ3 spread like wildfire, and they usually move directly towards you and through your empire to small open spots or past your empire.

What i personally do about it is make sure that i have no 'right of passage' agreements with the AI, and whenever they enter my territory, i kindly ask them to vacate. Of course, the AI has a tendancy to keep moving forward blindly - kinda like dealing with an A.D.D. infant, right? So ask them again .. eventually, the 'auto-move' function will kick in and they'll be forced to move back .. if that doesn't work, war is your only alternative (besides, of course, building libraries and cathedrals in the cities near it in order to suck it in to your empire).

Cheers
~Alex

Kc7mxo · November 28, 2001, 15:59

Quote:

If its bothering you and disrupting your gameplay, then i think the AI is just being smart. What would you prefer the AI to do, sit back and watch you win? Let all of your expansion plans work to suit you?

well, i suppose it would be nice if it did that on chieftain so my 11 year old cousin could play. as it is, i don't think i would have liked this game if i'd played it at the same age i played civ 1.

Boracks · November 28, 2001, 16:10

Quote:

Originally posted by ThaddeusAlexander

.. eventually, the 'auto-move' function will kick in and they'll be forced to move back ..

The problem with doing that is they don't always move back - sometimes (often) they move forward to a nearby unclaimed area and, in essence, gain a couple of turns free movement getting past you.

I've found that the only thing that works is a line of units, coast to coast. If you meet someone early, it takes three units in a line to shuffle back and forth to stop a settler stack (settler plus escort) from advancing.

I just consider it part of the game to deal with. Its part of the AI's strategy that I have to counter. So I do.

RedWhiteArcher · November 28, 2001, 16:25

I'm getting sick of all the people complaining on this particular AI action. Isn't this exactly what you would have done? I know I would (and I do

).

supafrumpy · November 28, 2001, 17:31

Yeah I guess you guys are right, it is a strategy, but remember at least in civ 2 and ac where you would go to war with a huge neighbor and encounter all his cities bunched up and not producing to potential? Then I would either have to raze them or evacuate them. Maybe that should be fixed?

And the city grid would easily be implemented right?

GodSpawn · November 28, 2001, 20:19

Yeah, the city grid would be trivial to implement. It's too late for the forthcoming patch, but I'd sure like to see it in the next one.

I guess it'd be low priority, but the ease with which it could be implemented should bump it up a notch or two.

Lord Khang · November 28, 2001, 20:45

Um...........

No disrespect intended here, but the best way to stop this is not a line of units across your border or getting the AI to automove their guys with diplomatic nastiness........

Just put any unit you want in those squares that are still open until your cities culture overlaps them. They can't move into squares where you are sitting unless your at war.

I've held this off many times....... you know those 3 to 8 squares along the coast or up in the tundra or in between cities before the temple kicks in........ if that is all you need to cover, you can do it with workers, old units, spare units, any units.........

Simple, cheap and effective. They won't even try to come in, and if you do it when they come in, they will turn around and go home without the hassle.

Generally speaking, I crash build the Temple as soon as the city is founded. Costs something like 480 gold, and makes the city radius grow in 5 turns. I'm sure you could build a Colosseum or something that would cut this down some, but the cost would be higher.

Yours -

Lord Khang

G.A · November 29, 2001, 17:03

Yeah, right about filling the empty spots with units. The AI won`t even go there actually, if there are my units all over the place! Caught cheating again?

(peeping under the fog-of-war).

Boracks · November 29, 2001, 17:16

Depends on the size of the line and the area to be covered. In the one instance, the line was actually more effective. And when covering coastal regions, while preserving the interior for later use, border units are more efficient (generally).

cassembler · November 29, 2001, 17:21

I think it's all about role playing.

"On behalf of the Greeks, Alexander the Great has claimed this land. GIVE ME 200 GOLD OR SUFFER!!!"

"You deal is not in the best interrest of the Chinese."

"THAT'S IT!!! PREPARE FOR WAR!!!"

I like having reasons to beat someone's arse. I don't pick on the AI civs that respect me, i.e. those that are on another continent or whatever.

A strategy I use for this is in the early game, get a couple of horsemen to guard these "unclaimed, but unusable lands that will eventually be within your cultural borders." Most of the time, they won't land a settler if they see two or three offensive units right there.