Conceed damn you

graeme · April 23, 2002, 04:32

Hi,

for the first time I have been massively dominant from very early in the game (Regent). However this has shown up some new (to me) and rather annoying tendecies of the AI.

1) Why won't it ever admit it is beaten

For example I crush India in a few turns, they have one city left. So I click diplomacy, "Our troops approach you borders..." and the response is invariably we'll fight on, we won't surrender to threats, etc. This option seems redundant as it never has any effect on the AI.

2) 3000 thousand years after last fighting the Indians they are still furious with me, what is the logic here? They are surely the great, great, ..., grandson/daughters, you would think they might have forgiven me over time?

3) Sneak attacks, I have suffered sneak attacks from Eygptians, Japanese, and Aztecs having never attacked any of them! This invariably led to the destruction of them by me

But given that I am now as powerful as all the other civs combined why does the AI persist with this?

Graeme

problem_child · April 23, 2002, 07:19

I agree, the AI doen't seem to respect evident Superpowers enough.

As for indominatable AI, try offering them peace for a sum of money or something- I've found sometimes the AI will refuse to surrender becouse (rather like the japs and the germans towards the end of WW2) they don't seem to know how to surrender. You gotta tell em how, eg 30 gold + 5 gold per turn etc.

Grudge bearing AI is annoying- but its been about 1000 years since the Normans invaded Anglo-Saxon england- and english working class (mostly Anglo-Saxon descendants) still hate the French- and their posh Norman overlords. Its been more then 1000 years since the Anglo-Saxons beat up the Celts- and northerners still dislike the soft southern tossers so... >shugs< maybe a reduced AI grudge-haul capacity would improve things

Alex · April 23, 2002, 08:06

I agree that this behaviour makes the game less realistic, but, on the other hand, makes it more challenging.

Of course, one could always argue that if the AI were more competent, the game would be naturally realistic; since this is not an option, the designers had to stick with this AI behaviour.

LaRusso · April 23, 2002, 08:43

1.21 kicks ass so far
i am currently a persian on a normal two continents map, 12 civs. we are all roughly even (well, there are 4 minor civs), and i am right in between, trailing in tech and military might, paying tributes and generally being very sheepish. all hell is loose around me and i am biting nails waiting for the time when it might actually be profitable to pounce on someone or at the 'X declared a war on us!" popup. I still reckon the tech rate is a tad too much, but well...

SpencerH · April 23, 2002, 09:55

I think that if you set the parameters for seeking peace too low the human player could turn it into an exploit too easily. This way if you declare war you have to live with the consequences of those actions.

Cookie Monster · April 23, 2002, 10:16

It is funny how the AI never bows before you even when you are the supreme ruler of the universe. In SMAC/X and Civ2 it was easy to beat up on an AI and have them beg big time for peace or even to surrender to you (SMAC only I believe).

Did Firaxis think that players exploited the weak AI surrendering? Is that why the AI never begs you for peace or agree to surrender terms?

Jack_www · April 23, 2002, 11:59

In my recent game I am playing as the Americans. I have been sneaked attacked by 5 different civs, and they are etheir dead, of really beaten up. I have been even sneaked attacked by civs that I though were my friends, and I wanted them to be a close allie of my civ. I had the Chinese and the Persians ally with me against Germany who sneaked attacked me. All them were polite to me. We were able to beat the Germans, and I had to do little figthing. Both of the civs got good cities out of the war. I pick them to ally against the Germans because they all shared a conitent togather. I also had a city there on a narrow part of the conitent because their was diamonds there. The Germans also had two cities there and the Perisans had one, and all of them had diamonds in the ratius of the city. Of course during the war with the Germans I took both cities with the Diamonds. Then not too long after this the Chinese attacked one of my diamond cities, I think they were after the Diamonds. Then I get Perisa to ally with me against the Chinese. By the time I take one Chinese city, the Persians have taken all of the Chinese cities accept for their captal, which they soon take after this, so the Chinese are destroyed.

Then not too long after this the Perisans decided that they too wanted my diamond cities, when they already have access to diamonds. Before this we had a right of passage argement, and he was polite to me, sometime gracious, and we were trade lux items. I have destroyed must of the offensive army of the Persians. It is early indutrail age now and I have calv. and they still have knights, and send one my way every once in a while, but they also have riflemen, but I bring lots of cannons with me so they are not a problem. I still dont know why civs I considered were my allies sneaked attacked me. In this game I made a really good effort to make all the civs like me. Usually in most of my games in trade deals I try to get the most I can out of the AI civs, and this usually gets them pissed off at me, and in those games at most I get sneaked attacked once. But in this game, when I try to be nice to the other civs, they repay me back by declaring war on me! But I like the sneak attacks though, gives me a nice boost in my power and land I controll. On a side note, the persians asked me for a peace treaty after I captured some of their cities and destroyed there army, but also most of the civs on the map I am playing are not that big etheir.