Carriers: Is There Anyway to Get the AI to Use Them?

[Gatekeeper]

Everyone:

Any tips would be appreciated. I've tried a number of approaches via the RULES.TXT file — making 'em cheaper, for starters — and nothing works. The AI simply will *not* use carriers.

It's annoying.

Gatekeeper

[Six Thousand Year Old Man]

This is one of the great mysteries of Civ2. In scenarios, it's possible to force the use of carriers (to simulate Taranto, Pearl Harbour) but I haven't found a way to make the AI use them in vanilla civ.

For that matter, I don't find that many human players make much use of them. They're quite expensive (especially when loaded - 1120 shields!) and vulnerable to anything from submarines to cruise missiles.

Let us know if any breakthroughs are made.

[Bloody Monk]

Getting the AI to function better in many areas was the great hope before the Civ3 apostasy, but we seem to be stuck with this for now. Maybe one day the code will be available...

On another note...

Great to see your name again, STYOM!! Hope you will be around more.

Monk

[Gatekeeper]

STYOM:

I've made 'em cheaper, given them the ability of AEGIS cruisers in regards to missiles and whatnot ... and I've met failure at every turn. Hmm. Well, if I ever do figure out a breakthrough, I'll be sure to post it.

Gatekeeper

[Gatekeeper]

Hmpfh.

Well, I just spent some time playing around with the RULES.TXT file again, to no avail. To wit:

1. Changing the "role" from naval superiority to sea transport literally changes a carrier into a transport, which means it can carry limitless air units plus as many ground units as the "hold" flag will allow (which I set to eight).

2. The carrier was still capable of transporting ground units even if its role was reverted back to naval superiority. I had to change the holds from eight to zero in combo with the role switch in order to get it back to its original role as a, well, aircraft carrier. One that could hold limitless aircraft and gunships, BTW (but that's already well-known).

3. The "flag" giving the carrier the ability to transport aircraft and gunships was activated during this procedure (and remains so, as to turn it off basically ruins the purpose of having a carrier in the first place).

Anyway, I think I'm just going to tweak the carrier's offensive/defensive numbers a bit (to 2a/8d), bring down its cost to 140 shields (versus 160) and leave it at that. If that doesn't work, well, then its something that's hard-coded and can't be messed with in the RULES.TXT file.

Gatekeeper

[Mercator]

IIRC, the Carrier slot also has something to do with it. I don't think the AI has ever been made to use Carriers in any sort of intelligent way, but I think it does build them if you put the Carrier in a different unit slot.

[Gatekeeper]

Hmm. How does one go about chaning unit slots? I'm a bit leery of messing around with the RULES.TXT file to that degree. It's one thing to change numbers and letters, but quite another to cut and paste entire command lines, IMO.

Gatekeeper

[Mercator]

Well, as for the rules.txt, simply swapping two lines would do. Or copy the carrier line to one of the unused custom units at the end of the units list. But you'd also need to swap the images in the units.gif.

You can always make a backup...

[Old n Slow]

Give them some offensive punch -- say a 9 (just to see what happens.)

[duke o' york]

What happens is that the AI builds them, but just uses them like a destroyer, rather than using them for carrying planes.

[Scouse Gits]

A genuine question - I see these late units so rarely I don't really understand them.

Does the AI need carriers, or do AI aircraft have infinite range like their missiles - or have I got that wrong too???

Stu again

[-Jrabbit]

Originally posted by Scouse Gits
AI ... infinite range like their missiles...

Stu again

Really? I suspected, but have never seen a thread on this...

[Bloody Monk]

Load one of the latter-day saves from one of the recent SXN Games, Soupy Sales for example. Cheat, Reveal Map, Enter. Just watch how they move planes.

I noticed during the global warming tests I recently did that the AI air units followed the same rules we use. Missles do seem to come from nowhere, though.

Monk

[-Jrabbit]

I'll take your word for it, Monk. It's somewhat reassuring to know the AI follows our movement rules with planes. With some of the bomber attacks I just endured in Lazy summer, it made me wonder!

If what you say about missile attacks it true, then even the well-planned carrier mission (using an advance guard and onboard scout planes) becomes problematic. And that's a dirty shame, 'cuz it's a great way to cut up distant defenses.

(sigh) ...and I think there should be a reward for the amount of planning and execution required to make it happen.

[Old n Slow]

I wonder if the carrier/plane mix is reflected with a sub/missile mix -- have we seen evidence of ai subs carrying missiles?