unusual computer actions

anteos · October 7, 2003, 08:13

Hi

I'm playing a game on a large continent where I have china on my left and Japan on my right. Japan has
declared war on china and starts to move his massive army through my terrain.

However, the only access to China is through a narrow landbridge in my territory. If I then block the landbridge Japan starts to move all his units back to his territory.

How does the pc know if the landbridge is blocked if no units are nearby. Is it just a case of the computer cheating. Also Japan can be held in limbo by just blocking and unblocking the landbridge. He then moves his army constantly back and forth. Although this does slow the game time on my slow pc!

Any insights into the AI would be interesting

Harovan · October 7, 2003, 08:18

Quote:

Originally posted by anteos
How does the pc know if the landbridge is blocked if no units are nearby. Is it just a case of the computer cheating.

Yes.

Quote:

Also Japan can be held in limbo by just blocking and unblocking the landbridge. He then moves his army constantly back and forth. Although this does slow the game time on my slow pc!

You can repeat this as long as you have fun.

Quote:

Any insights into the AI would be interesting

The words insight and AI exclude each other

. Well at least in this game generation. In the future, AI's will be smarter. Look at chess programs. They were a laugh 20 years ago. They are fairly strong now.

Yahweh Sabaoth · October 7, 2003, 10:57

It's true. As far as I can tell, if the AI declares war on someone you border (that the AI doesn't), the AI will move a long steady stream of their troops - rarely a significant stack - through your territory, ROP agreement or no. However, if their route is blocked, they'll send their troops home, and build ships to reach the enemy instead.

Incidentally, this is an excellent way to provoke a war, if you want one. Let Civ A move all its troops through your territory to get to Civ B. At some point (if you fancy a war with Civ A for whatever reason) ask the Civ to remove its troops. Often, you'll get a declaration of war. Wipe out their stream, and march into their homeland! It's great fun, IMHO, and a good antidote to the nerve-wracking process of watching AI troops march dangerously close to your core cities for no apparent reason whatsoever (other than to hit another AI)

Myrddin · October 8, 2003, 18:17

Even more satisfying is to grant the AI a RoP at the start of the war. When it expires most the AI army will be on enemy territory and their homeland makes easy picking

bongo · October 9, 2003, 03:33

Quote:

How does the pc know if the landbridge is blocked if no units are nearby. Is it just a case of the computer cheating.

Just to clarify a bit, the computer experiences no fog of war so it will always know where your units are. I don't think it can see under the black void though. (It will also 'know' where resources will be even before it gets the tech, it explain all those cities in weird places)

Harovan · October 9, 2003, 05:40

Quote:

Originally posted by bongo
Just to clarify a bit, the computer experiences no fog of war so it will always know where your units are. I don't think it can see under the black void though.

It can. Just run a scenario with "Debug mode" on and see what the AI sees. Everything, and all resources from the start.

Yahweh Sabaoth · October 9, 2003, 09:06

Quote:

Originally posted by Myrddin
Even more satisfying is to grant the AI a RoP at the start of the war. When it expires most the AI army will be on enemy territory and their homeland makes easy picking

Just make sure your "rear" is covered if you pull this maneuvre.

bongo · October 9, 2003, 09:07

It guess it sees a lot of things under the black void but for some purposes it 'pretends' not to see. Two examples are trade routes and settling. It cannot set up trade routes through black areas and if you discover an island they will not send settlers there until you give away the map or they discover it themself.

Rasputin · October 9, 2003, 20:24

damn cheating Computer.... bout time they made an AI that doesnt need to cheat to win...

The ability of the AI to find your most damaged units despite moving them away is a pain at times, but can also be used to force a movement of the AI troops away from one palce to another as he chases your weakened units

Jaybe · October 9, 2003, 21:38

The problem as I see it is that we, the players, KNOW that the AI knows where all the units are. We take advantage of that by leaving undefended cities deep in our core, luring enemy SODs while we wear them down. (Meanwhile, there was a city that could have been easily taken right on the frontier).

The AI should be programmed to have various strategies available, and not be consistent from game to game ....

Soren said some time ago that the AI has been programmed to ignore submarines it could not legitimately see. I just had a PTW 1.29 game where it seemed to apply that rule to only PLAYER subs, not other AI subs.

Rasputin · October 10, 2003, 01:56

in a l;atest game i playing the AI is defiantly targeting the subs of the other AI, which is silly but useful to me.

actually i also hate how the AI doesnt prevent other AI from wandering through its territroy .

Jaybe · October 10, 2003, 02:04

Quote:

actually i also hate how the AI doesnt prevent other AI from wandering through its territory.

You can hate it and still "accept" it. The AI doesn't have an "ego".

I allow other civs through my territory. You can recognize a SOD when you see one, they are just moving between their discontiguous territories or to another target.

Rasputin · October 10, 2003, 03:28

no i mean when i have such lovely agreements with my neighbours and expect him to not allow my sworn enemy to build up his armies and march through to attack me. cant always get military alliances to stop this but i certainly wouldnt allow enemy troops to head towards a potential ally

bongo · October 10, 2003, 07:26

The AI is too simple for such agreements. This simpleness can of course be exploited by the human, let an enemy take your allies cities and then claim them yourself. Then you have in effect annexed your allies cities without being at war with him

Rasputin · October 10, 2003, 17:18

Quote:

Originally posted by bongo
The AI is too simple for such agreements. This simpleness can of course be exploited by the human, let an enemy take your allies cities and then claim them yourself. Then you have in effect annexed your allies cities without being at war with him

yes must admit i have done this in a game. basically started a war with one civ knowing i was really after a 2nd civ. then as the 1st civ took citys i simply chased him in and took them back.

but i still didnt allow the damn enemy in my territory, i jsut never trust the damn ai not to attack especially all my lovely workers....

Shogun Gunner · October 11, 2003, 19:43

Quote:

Originally posted by Rasputin

but i still didnt allow the damn enemy in my territory, i jsut never trust the damn ai not to attack especially all my lovely workers....

If your "lovely workers" look like the woman in your icon...can I get directions to your country?

Rasputin · October 12, 2003, 07:02

Quote:

Originally posted by Shogun Gunner

If your "lovely workers" look like the woman in your icon...can I get directions to your country?

exactly my point, the foriegners always after capturing my workers!!!!!!!!!