Dumb AI

MrCat · July 17, 2000, 01:43

When you are going to war with a certain civilization, every time you need to stop and build up more units you will ALWAYS get them to agree to at least a cease fire, most of the time peace. They needs to change for Civ3

Eric Schluessel · July 17, 2000, 19:09

Not for me... Usually, when I play, they either grovel at my feet or declare all-out war for all time. It's really, really, really annoying how shallow the AI is.

-Eric Schluessel

Napoleon I · July 17, 2000, 19:23

Actually, Firaxis did a pretty good job on the AI in SMAC. I don't think that anyone playing SMAC on Transcend level would complain of the dumb AI. However, for low levels in Civ and Civ2 I completely agree with, the AI could be quite shallow.

Now that I've the me-too piece, lets shift gear a bit and instead of just sitting there and saying, "oh man, the computer is just so dumb I beat it every time", lets get some constructive suggestions going here. After all, if we want a better game, we would have to give Firaxis some good ideas.

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Napoleon I

Hasdrubal · July 17, 2000, 20:29

MrCat, is that a 2.78 version of Civ or a newer multiplayer or ToT version?
In the latter two, the AI plays a much tougher and meaner game. Not more intelligently, but marvelously more aggressive.

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Par4 · July 17, 2000, 20:57

Is it possible to have AI that can react?

Honestly I know nothing about programming so help me!

Anyway I would want an AI that can try to keep up against you and if in numbers beat on you. Of course there's those higher levels...

I want Civ3 to kinda be like this. In the metal fatigue demo I had a really good combot, see big huge robot, fighting another combot and some tanks. My combot was significantly weaker but was winning because I was healing it, well the AI took it's tanks from attacking my combot, and killed my healer.

Anyway it reacted to why it was losing and fixed it. If the AI in Civ3 can do that I'll be happy.

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phunny pharmer · July 18, 2000, 14:08

Napoleon I: here's a quote from several of my TI games-

Yang: Enough of your democratic slogans.
Miriam: Beware of my new 4/3 prototype!!!
Santiago: This planet isn't big enough for both of us.

Lal/University/Aliens: Hmm...chaos copters...planet busters......hmm...drop pod garrisons...conventional missles...what did you say?

I still think SMAC's AI could be improved; however, I will not contest that it was a marked improvement over the civ2 AI:

AI: Diediedie

Me: No. DiediediediedieDiediediediedieDiediediediedieDiedi ediediedieDiediediediedieDiediediediedieDiediedied iedieDiediediediedieDiediediediedieDiediediediedie !!!!

Napoleon I · July 18, 2000, 15:42

Phunny Pharmer:

Well said. I did not in any way mean that the AI in SMAC couldn't be or shouldn't be improved. All I was trying to say was that, it wasn't really as dumb as it was before. For example, in SMAC the computer might actually wait until declaring war on you, not do immediately after you insult it. Anyway, you are absolutely right, the AI does require a lot of improvement.

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Napoleon I

Par4 · July 18, 2000, 16:01

PP edit that diediediedie x1000
It's made the page too wide!!

Yin you do it too, if PP hasn't done it!!!

boo!!
hiss!!

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King Par4!!

There is no spoon
-The Matrix
Let's kick it up a notch!!
-Emeril Lagasse
Fresh Soy makes Tofu so silky
-Ming Tsai

Az · July 18, 2000, 16:17

1st : that die die die is way to much . we've got the point . right ?

2nd : civ2 AI was : you rule .

I am Jealous.

I hate you .

I think that the basic structure of behavior may be correct for some leader types , but definetly not to everybody !

Dalgetti

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UltraSonix · July 24, 2000, 01:35

Resurrecting semi-old thread. I'm not sure if the AI in civ2 and SMAC likes nukes a lot, but how about in Civ3, make a possible AI that a civ can have in a game "nuke-happy". That is, all they'll do is try to devistate the world. After all, isn't the computer simply trying to thwart the human player - if the world drowns from melted ice caps/nuclear winter/radiation everywhere, then the AI has achieved its aim - stopped the human from winning.

Obviously this would not be an AI that also happens (it'll occur randomly). It'll definitely make the game more interesting and challenging.

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[This message has been edited by UltraSonix (edited July 24, 2000).]

Napoleon I · July 24, 2000, 23:28

UltraSonix:

I would have to disagree with that. The goal of the AI is not simply to stop the human controled faction from winning but to actually win the game. Therefore, if the AI drowns the world with melting polar ice caps and reduces its own strengh proportionately with the human player then it has in now way achieved its goal.

However, the situation could be different if the AI had a bunch of cities in the middle of a certain large continent while the human player would have an empire spanning several middle sized islands. In that case a suicidal nuclear conflict would hurt the AI less than a human and could therefore be exploited.

To summarize, I disagree with the people who consider the AI merely another hinderance that the game designers put in. Believe it or not, but it was actually designed to give us some competition

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Napoleon I

Evil Capitalist · July 25, 2000, 02:30

When I played the WW3 scenario I experienced the biggest nuclear exchange I know. However the Russians didn't clean up, which really annoyed me. Why can't you offer to clean up for them?

phunny pharmer · July 25, 2000, 20:14

Napoleon I: Hey, there are some people out there. "If I can't have it, then you can't have it either." It would be cool if Firaxis could put this sort of AI in as an option, so that once the game hits a certain year, you just have a great big nuclear exchange...or maybe I've got a little too much time.

Oh, yes. I remember. If the AI is going to make threats, please make sure that they can back it up...I got sick of those messages in SMAC where Santiago said "give such-and-such base back" when their capital was just a lake...

Maybe this just means more scripting for the diplomacy screen. It would be cool to see new, ***relevant*** text!

Christantine The Great · July 25, 2000, 22:18

I think there should be some level of selfpreservation in the AI. Not all cultures exactly want to tie themselves to nukes and be dropped on your island nation as the AI watches your points tumble.

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Biddles · July 26, 2000, 02:16

Let's straighten something out: There was absoloutely no difference in AI on the difficulty levels in SMAC. It is simply that the higher you go the more percentage bonus that the AI gets.

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