The AI and the SECRET of LEONARDO!?!?

[Exile]

After a little thought, I will now postulate this idea;

Every AI has a "hidden" Leonardo's Workshop. You will never find it, though. It is lost in the ozone. But it works.

This is the only way to explain the oft-mentioned phenomena of an AI receiving/stealing a tech and then fielding/using a unit that required the received/stolen technology ON THE SAME TURN.

If this IS an internal AI "cheat," it'd be nice to know.

Can anyone recall playing a game or scenario in which something occurred that would definitely invalidate this postulation?

If this is true, it makes it doubly insulting when an AI builds Leo's, doesn't it?

[curtsibling]

The AI will always build the most recent unit if it has superior stats.

But I have seen the AI use units that have only been unlocked that turn...

I assumed this was due to the AI changing build orders immediately...

[Panda]

Originally posted by curtsibling
I assumed this was due to the AI changing build orders immediately...

Me too, considering that during the upkeep phase each city is processed for net wealth and technology points added, so i'd assume that while processing upkeep for each city the AI reaches enough points for the new technology and then changes the build orders for the remaining unprocessed cities.

The only way to prove this hypothesis would be to play a game with the map revealed, and save each turn until the phenomon is observed. Then, see which city produced the new unit, check the old save and see if this was possible.

Having said that, I wonder if the AI cheating goes beyond changing each cities' production at the begining of the upkeep for that city, to "rush building" as well in order the produce the new unit the same turn.

[techumseh]

Who can unravel the secret of the DaVinci Code? If you can, you should write a book. I bet it would sell!

[jim panse]

I have experienced this phenomenon too, many, many times playing vanilla games. I guess Panda´s explanation is pretty accurate ...

@ tech:

[Exile]

It's the order that's wrong.

Ok, here is a typical sequence;

1.) AI takes its turn. Begins moving units.

2.) AI spy/diplo/vampire steals a tech from you.

3.) The tech is one that will, given the presence of Leonardo, upgrade specified military units.

4.) On the same turn, a unit that the AI could not possibly have built during this turn's production appears and attacks.

Only explanation; Leonardo

Rush building during the same turn in which the new upgrade-tech is acquired will NOT produce a unit during the same turn that the tech was stolen/gained.

My feeling is that Leonardo was a hidden eqalizing effect for stupid AIs, but that the designers decided to implement it as a wonder in the normal game and called it Leonardo's etc.

And on that note, I wonder how many other game effects started out as AI-enhancers, but eventually saw the light of day as regular game features?

[jim panse]

I presume that in this case Leonardo's Workshop wonder should equal that advantage of the AI - *if* built by the human player(s).

[Exile]

Yep. Which makes the AI building Leonardo really annoying. It already HAS ONE.

Likewise, however the Lighthouse triremes-don't-flounder effect was probably adopted from the basic AI code that prevents AI triremes from sinking.

I know for a fact intelligence is motivated by LAZINESS.

I AM intelligent, and I AM lazy, and the two go hand in hand.

Programmers are also intelligent, and motivated to be lazy by being treated like crap by big corporations.

So why write new code, implement new subroutines, when a perfect model has already been written.

cut n' paste and it's done.

[jim panse]

Ha, was that statement the real purpose of that thread?

Back to topic, if I recall I always try to be the first one to build Leo´s - what should you do with all them dashed settlers?

[Broken_Erika]

face it, if the ai didn't cheat it would be even dumber than it is now,

[:) Smiley]

Why is the AI sometimes seen with obsolete units then?

[biru biru]

If true, all elligible units would upgrade, rather than just the one or two that start attacking. In cheat mode, check AI cities to confirm that 100% of phalanx are suddenly musketeers.