Beyond the Sword Fact Sheet

[DanQ]

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?postid=4962675#post4962675

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?postid=4962696#post4962696

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?postid=4962706#post4962706

[Will9]

Nice summaries Dan

I can'y wait till the next episode of PolyCast comes out

[Brael]

How will the change to siege units affect Machine Guns? They're considered Siege right? If Siege can no longer kill units doesn't that hurt MG's? Or is there an exception to them since they can't attack anyways.

[Willem]

Airports also grant new air units experience now that can be spent on three new air promotions. Ace increases the unit's chance to evade interception, Range increases how far a unit can operative and Interception increases the chance that a unit can catch enemy aircraft as they come into range. (The Interception promotion also works for anti-air units based on the ground.

Finally!

[Lord Avalon]

Can Portugese carracks carry settlers/workers or not?

[Will9]

Originally posted by Lord Avalon
Can Portugese carracks carry settlers/workers or not?

We don't know yet.

[Todesengel]

"Enhanced AI: The AI has received many enhancements making it tougher to beat on the higher difficulty levels. The ways in which the AI will attempt to achieve victory have also been expanded. " from http://www.firaxis.com/games/game_detail.php?gameid=16

Tougher to beat on higher difficulty levels? Do they actually improve the AI or will they let it just cheat more?

[Solver]

It actually gets less bonuses in BtS

[Todesengel]

I wish game designers would take an example in the stardock made AI...

[Solver]

I don't. I've analyzed the GalCiv2 AI quite extensively, and found it pretty weak. It was a complete joke before the patch updates. It's a really good game, but I was able to beat AIs playing at 100% economy very soon, without really understanding many aspects deeply.

Blake's AI for Civ4 is definitely more solid.

[Todesengel]

Well, good point, but at least they try to create an AI that is not a push over without cheating. And they improve it constantly.
I think it is sad that every startegy game on the market relies on an AI that plays with different rules than the human player. This just leads the designers to lazyness.

[Solver]

I can't agree there. The Stardock approach in creating an AI that plays by the same rules is excellent. The Civ4 AI, though, also plays by the same rules as the human - it receives bonuses, however, which is a different thing (so does the GalCiv2 AI at higher levels). As any programmer will tell you, some bonuses are required for a competitive AI simply because AI programming is so extremely complex.

Now, one of the downsides in Civ4 was that the AI received some bonuses even a lower difficulties. Specifically, it would get significant discounts for troop upgrades at all difficulties, with them becoming nearly free (5-10% of the cost) on the highest levels. That's the kind of bonuses that BtS reduces.

[Todesengel]

That is exactly my point. It is impossible to make a perfect AI. But since when is that a reason not to try? Or at least to try to make a good one? Because it is "extremely complex"? True giving it bonuses is easier but more boring for the player.
Still, why can fans improve the AI significantly in their spare time? I would guess because designers neglect the AI. They could do better but a cheating AI is cheaper.

[Solver]

That is a fairly ignorant statement. Who says designers don't try to make a good AI? Of course they do. They only have so many programmers, though, and only so much time, so the AI is as good as it is. The original Civ4 AI was written entirely by Soren. He's just one guy who also had to write most of the game system code. Given that, his AI effort is absolutely outstanding.

Bonuses aren't more boring to the player, though it may seem so. Players want a competitive AI. If the AI had no bonuses, it would be less competitive, and that would bore players. There's a very fine line - you need to include some bonuses for better AI performance, but not make them too large and not resort to outright rule cheating that would annoy all the players.

[Kuciwalker]

The higher-level GalCiv AI's also have bonuses.