Strange Encounters of the Pathetic AI kind

Christantine The Great · July 30, 2000, 17:15

I think that Firaxis needs to be told about strange bugs that sometimes happen in Civ II that we don't want to happen in Civ III. Sometimes it is not a bug's fault at all but faulty programming. I know that they will not recycle any programing but that doesn't mean that they won't mess up when telling the AI what to do. They could tell the AI something that the AI might interpret into stupidity. Share your experiences.

Mine was probably experienced by all of you. I call it "Fields of Rail; A continent of Farm". I hate when a northern civ takes the responsibility of completely covering Siberia with a rail system. This allows a wonderful ease in capturing a civ in 1-5 turns. Also a civ might want to make Asia (including all mountain ranges) into a giant replica of a garden. This is stupid. Personally I think that during the modern ages you should be done with a large force of settlers after you have converted from Irrigation to Farmland and from Roads to Railroads. You might keep about 10 active to clean up pollution when it appears. Not an AI. An AI usually keeps about 200(!!) settlers active after it has finished convertion and uses them to cover Siberia with a replica of Grand Central Station (Huge rail station in U.S.). Then they wander around until a war knocks them off.

Tell me your experiences!

------------------
"Adorare Christantine!!!"
Republican Decree #1

Evil Capitalist · July 31, 2000, 01:19

1) The fortress war: If you are at a ceasefire with your enemy, move up 2 settlers and build a fort, then fill it with attack units with a few defenders, the computer will attack, saving your reputation.
2) The classic war where one side nukes a vulnerable city, captures it with paratroopers, skirmishes around the area, possibly resulting in a recapture, then a peace treaty.

July 31, 2000, 18:20

When I was but a new gamer, I was at war with the Zulu. Within three turns of THEM going to war they OFFER ME A CEASE FIRE!! I hadn't even sent a unit to fight. I refused. Then, three turns later, I end up finding out that the Zulu's had an Army twice as large and powerful as mine. Now, when I managed to beat ONE of their units, they offered peace. That was one stupid computer. If i were the Zulu, I would've annihilated the Romans (My civ.) and went on to control the world!
They either need smarter AIs or dumber players. I vote for the AIs.
Oh, then there was the time that I was down to one city on diety difficulty with no units in it, and the Russians, who I was at war with, offered PEACE!! And they were right next to my city with over TEN ARMOR UNITS!

Shadowstrike · July 31, 2000, 19:25

We all know how poor the AI is, but there is no reason to keep ranting on about it. Firaxis know as surely as anyone here that Civilization needs a better AI. But about implementing it... well, we'd have t say they did a pretty good job with Civ 2 compared with Civ 1.

What we can do is list all the faults the AI has and send the list to Firaxis so that they can do something about it.

CornMaster · July 31, 2000, 20:18

Beat This: 2 or 3 times when I was playing Civ 1 my nuke LOST to a Mech. Inf. I mean how does a Nuke lose a fight!!! It's not possible. You blow it up with your guns and it still explodes and kills everyone.

------------------
"I'm too out of shape for a long fight so I'll have to kill you fast"
"If the great Emperors of Rome, Egypt and Greece were alive today, do you think they would prefer Coke or Pepsi?"
Administrator of the CornEmpire Forum

Seeker · August 1, 2000, 00:16

Capture or lose 1 city, make peace.

Building fortresses everywhere.

Why can't the AI use carriers?

Adm.Naismith · August 1, 2000, 07:44

CornMaster, I agree that in a game sense a Nuclear Missile must win over any other units.

But, just to annoy you

, I must add that if you shot a nuclear warhead normally it will happens... nothing more than some radiations or a minor explosion.

Nuclear weapons must be activated by some precise trigger sequence, just to reach exactly the critical mass and the waveform required to start the needed atomic reaction that make the explosion so big.

In fact, that's why USA had in the past some incident where nuclear bombs falls from bombers (still unarmed) and no explosion occurred.

For the same reason USA defence forces are trying to develop SDI to shoot down missiles before they reach their target.
They usually try to kill them just after their take-off because the missile is more vulnerable (more fuel on board, every stage still attached making a larger target).
Neverthless they can be forced to aim to missiles when they are in range, as near as they are.

No, I'm not a nuclear expert, really not. Take these info with any reserve you like!

------------------
Admiral Naismith AKA mcostant

Sirotnikov · August 2, 2000, 10:01

Can't we all just imagine the little guys getting out of the Mech Inf. and disarming the bomb?

We could explain the damage to the Mech Inf. as effects of radiation. You're bound to be hurt if you're doing something to 1 kilo of plutonium and you have no serious training to do so.

How b'out it folks? Can't we just use our imagination?

DarkCloud · August 10, 2000, 11:50

Shouldn't there be a SAM missile rover which can destroy the nuclear missile?

Also a Nuke should destroy the city unless it is size 10 or higher, then it is halved. Most nukes do so when detonated.

(Unsponsored ad)
-Check out my Alpha Centauri Fiction in the AC Fiction section!!

Adm.Naismith · August 11, 2000, 04:01

Sirotnikov

quote:

Can't we all just imagine the little guys getting out of the Mech Inf. and disarming the bomb?

You watch way too much James Bond movies!

I was simply suggesting that IF you can shot a Nuclear bomb, with any AA bullet or missile, you don't necessary end with the big mushroom cloud.

As DarkCloud suggested, modern Mech.Infantry have light SAM system and, while intercepting any ICBM missile warhead is out of its reaching, a cruise nuclear missile can be shoteed down without too much difficulties.

Look, I don't want to test this on myself, so please don't fire a nuclear attack to Milano (Italy)!

------------------
Admiral Naismith AKA mcostant

Evil Capitalist · August 11, 2000, 06:41

I always think of the nuke being a full blown MAD style exchange (otherwise you can't afford one), so I'd say the mech inf wouldn't survive. However they could be in underground bunkers.