AI question

[rmsharpe]

If given the opportunity, will the AI try to bribe cities?

[Six Thousand Year Old Man]

Speaking of Civ2 generally, yes.

I have noticed that the AI will cheat and allow non-diplomat/spy units to bribe other units - but I don't recall seeing anything other than a dip/spy incite or subvert a city.

[curtsibling]

The non-spy bribes seem to happen more at the top skill level (emperor)...

[Dr Kellogg]

Giving the AI the opportunity, everything is possible.
Yet, as far as my experience with vanilla civ games goes, the AI uses spy units primarily for opening embassies and stealing technologies.

[rmsharpe]

I ask because I might be interested in working on a scenario where the only way to gain terrain is through subverting cities, and I don't want to wind up with a bunch of AIs that won't do anything.

[Stefan Härtel]

Ask my poor keyboard

Yes, the AI bribes cities, and it will bribe in scenarios. I don't know if there are any special circumstances necessary, though.

[jim panse]

I suppose it depends on the difficulty level. All I can say from my vanilla games is that I never saw the AI bribing cities before Deity level.

Also, on Deity the AI uses also other units to bribe units.

[Boco]

I'm sure a little surplus money in AI coffers and desirable techs in your portfolio would encourage the AI. I'd also bet communism might influence AI behavior, but perhaps only to use spies, not necessarily to bribe cities.

[jim panse]

You might be right about that, Boco. I never saw the AI actually bribe a city, no matter how "hard" the difficulty was set ...

[Catfish]

I've found that the AI will only bribe cities at Emperor difficulty or higher.

[Boco]

Cities bribed by role 6 units only in your experience?

[jim panse]

As I said before, none of my cities were actually bribed ... must have been the troops surroundding my cities

Jokes aside, I guess it depends not only on the difficulty level but also on the size and might of your civ. You know, in vanilla games it is quite boring to see your enemies coming up with crusaders or such stuff against your armoured platoons. The AI cheats, you all know that.

[Stefan Härtel]

I vividly remember how I lost Toulouse thanks to bribes a few turns after I had conquered it with all my blood and steel in a scenario once. I also remember this happening every once in a while, wishing I would at least get the money.

[Dr Kellogg]

The AI in ToT acts somewhat smarter than in FW/MGE. Possibly, AI bribing will happen more often in ToT...

[JCP]

I play only at deity level.
In classical or MGE version, AI may bribe unit, steal tech and even subvert a city.
I've noted that bribed units are generally isolate in ennemy territory and subverting cities is used by AI only after I subverted one (or several) of his cities, especialy to recover a lost city.