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1st C3C Debug Game Report (Part1)

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  • 1st C3C Debug Game Report (Part1)

    I just finished watching a good chunk of my first C3C game. The game isn’t won by the AI yet, but it’s in the very early modern era and I’ve seen enough to make a few points about observed changes.

    AI worker Inefficiency.
    This is based on the initial thread I started on the 1.21f patch PTW AI.
    1.21f PTW AI thoughts

    The problem “appear” to have been partially fixed. AI is no longer seen disbanding workers out in the open, but the AI will continue to have varying worker workforce sizes. From highs of 30 workers down to 4 workers, and back to 30 workers during the railroading frenzy and back down again.

    A limitation of the study is that because it is hard to visually track workers as they move about, it is unclear what happens to the workers. It would appear that they are now JOINED into cities. Basically, the camera in-between turns no longer shows workers “dying” out in the open and worker numbers go up and down. This is the basic premise I’m working from.

    Behaviour however continues to be inefficient in that large cities in the late game are often diverted to produce workers, instead of other needed improvements as demands in their services increase, for example, after pollution becomes a problem. This has three negative effects. First, the lost in population point can cause a losses in gold and research income especially in the core cities with little corruption. Secondly, the opportunity cost of lost shields in highly productive cities producing relatively cheap workers should not be discounted. Lastly, producing workers usually mean AI cities are not producing something else, like markets or other improvements that also impart benefits. The cost to the AI for playing like this is substantial.

    Another issue is that the AI has been observed to disband captured workers. Captured workers are essentially free units since they have no upkeep costs and they should never have been disbanded. I have not noticed this behavior under PTW debug, so I will tentatively put it in the “new” issues category.

    Although the two screenshots posted (below) do not reflect AI workers at their peak numbers, one can get an idea of the kind of see-saw variability in worker numbers. This occurs several times through the ages. 1) The initial growth stage will have the AI building many workers. 2) After this phase is over, worker numbers dwindle during the middle ages. 3) As railroads become available AI again builds a large army of workers. 4) This number then declines and increases again as pollution starts to become a problem. The Sumerian industrial era screen capture is taken as the workers are increasing to deal with increased pollution.

    Note its captured worker population goes from > 3 (its actually 8 captured workers) to zero through this period. This is simply sloppy and inefficient play and must be corrected.

    Solutions: From observation, there appears to be a range in which the AI will try to maintain workers beyond which additional workers are disbanded and below which new workers are produced. A solution would be to narrow this range, so that the variability observed or swinging from 30 workers down to 4, and then up to 20 can be reduced. A sustainable permanent worker force is key.

    Related to this solution is to give AI and absolute rule when it comes to captured units. By simply not disbanding them, AI will tend to have a larger permanent workforce at its disposal, allowing it to build less during peak demand times. Coupled with a narrower range of desired worker variability, this should hopefully reduce practices of disbanding and rebuilding workers by the AI through the ages.



    Sumeria 1320-Middle Ages
    Attached Files
    Last edited by dexters; November 14, 2003, 09:37.
    AI:C3C Debug Game Report (Part1) :C3C Debug Game Report (Part2)
    Strategy:The Machiavellian Doctrine
    Visit my WebsiteMonkey Dew

  • #2
    Sumeria - Late Industrial Age
    Attached Files
    AI:C3C Debug Game Report (Part1) :C3C Debug Game Report (Part2)
    Strategy:The Machiavellian Doctrine
    Visit my WebsiteMonkey Dew

    Comment


    • #3
      Nice observations, dexters.

      In my view, you a are correct that this must be fixed. Sloppy play doesn't even begin to cover. In all my many games, I have never ever disbanded a captured worker.

      And yes...it is a total waste of production capability to disband workers, just to build them again.

      Asmodean
      Im not sure what Baruk Khazad is , but if they speak Judeo-Dwarvish, that would be "blessed are the dwarves" - lord of the mark

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      • #4
        Neat. Perhaps the AI could also be persuaded not to build workers from its core cities.

        Comment


        • #5
          Is the AI disbanding? or adding to cities? If it's disbanding then the behavior needs to be stopped. Adding workers to cities is nowhere near as damaging, and in some circumstances is benificial. ie: a low growth, low corruption city that has no happiness issues.
          Libraries are state sanctioned, so they're technically engaged in privateering. - Felch
          I thought we're trying to have a serious discussion? It says serious in the thread title!- Al. B. Sure

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          • #6
            Thoth, that is a good question and is a limitation to my study. This will require a more particular study of the situation in my second debug game since this is an observation among several in my first.
            AI:C3C Debug Game Report (Part1) :C3C Debug Game Report (Part2)
            Strategy:The Machiavellian Doctrine
            Visit my WebsiteMonkey Dew

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            • #7
              I just went to looked closely between my autosaves where there was a discrepancy in worker numbers.

              It does appear they are now joined into cities which can support extra populations, instead of being disbaned (1.21f)
              Last edited by dexters; November 14, 2003, 09:40.
              AI:C3C Debug Game Report (Part1) :C3C Debug Game Report (Part2)
              Strategy:The Machiavellian Doctrine
              Visit my WebsiteMonkey Dew

              Comment


              • #8
                repeat post. pls. delete.
                AI:C3C Debug Game Report (Part1) :C3C Debug Game Report (Part2)
                Strategy:The Machiavellian Doctrine
                Visit my WebsiteMonkey Dew

                Comment


                • #9
                  Double post
                  AI:C3C Debug Game Report (Part1) :C3C Debug Game Report (Part2)
                  Strategy:The Machiavellian Doctrine
                  Visit my WebsiteMonkey Dew

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    AD 2010
                    Watch the date and the completion of the various projects in each of the city. Keep an Eye on UR and Agade.
                    Attached Files
                    AI:C3C Debug Game Report (Part1) :C3C Debug Game Report (Part2)
                    Strategy:The Machiavellian Doctrine
                    Visit my WebsiteMonkey Dew

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      AD 2011

                      Note the Agade's pop jumps by 4 points. In this turn, the AI lost 6 workers. 4 of them went to Agade. The other two probably went to cities off screen or might have been disbanded. We can't be sure.

                      Notice however, now UR is making a worker...
                      AI:C3C Debug Game Report (Part1) :C3C Debug Game Report (Part2)
                      Strategy:The Machiavellian Doctrine
                      Visit my WebsiteMonkey Dew

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                      • #12
                        Screen 2
                        AI:C3C Debug Game Report (Part1) :C3C Debug Game Report (Part2)
                        Strategy:The Machiavellian Doctrine
                        Visit my WebsiteMonkey Dew

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                        • #13
                          some workers will be used for radar towers, I assume those were accounted for (easy to see the radar installation)

                          Nice work dexters.
                          Haven't been here for ages....

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                          • #14
                            Re: 1st C3C Debug Game Report (Part1)

                            Nice work

                            Originally posted by dexters

                            Another issue is that the AI has been observed to disband captured workers. Captured workers are essentially free units since they have no upkeep costs and they should never have been disbanded. I have not noticed this behavior under PTW debug, so I will tentatively put it in the “new” issues category.

                            [. . .]

                            Note its captured worker population goes from > 3 (its actually 8 captured workers) to zero through this period. This is simply sloppy and inefficient play and must be corrected.
                            I don't know if you're able to actually track the individual workers or not (and I suspect that that would be both painfully boring and likely to confirm your suspicions) but just thought I'd mention that there is a known display bug with the F3 screen. The displayed "native workers" used to show the correct number of native workers, but hovering the pointer over them would not show their proper location (and so one would have to manually search through every worker looking for a native to join to the city to avoid maintenance. I do not recall if there were also display bugs with the captured units sliders -- there could be, and so I mention it. Regardless, I think the apparent precipitous drop of slave workers is particularly unfortunate.

                            Catt

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by dexters
                              I just went to looked closely between my autosaves where there was a discrepancy in worker numbers.

                              It does appear they are now joined into cities which can support extra populations, instead of being disbaned (1.21f)
                              Nice work dexters,

                              and nice work Firaxis/Breakaway.
                              Libraries are state sanctioned, so they're technically engaged in privateering. - Felch
                              I thought we're trying to have a serious discussion? It says serious in the thread title!- Al. B. Sure

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