impressed with the AI

[vmxa1]

Just a neatnik freak. I am always going around deleting stuff, often wishing I had not later. It is not even for disk space as I had 36GB and 80GB drives, mostly not used.

I do have a few from some AU games though. I see some have an orginized collection and that is cool. If I did that I would have to get nutty and catalog them cross ef and all of that, so I spare myself the work.

[Colwyn]

How did the AI use its land artillery I've not seen a example of it in my conquests games at all and I even did a mini scenario to test and the AI didn't use their artillery during its turns (just sitting their in city)

[Sarxis]

I've seen it use Radar Artillery in this last game. Its funny, I only saw it use this, and no other form of artillery.

[Cookie Monster]

Originally posted by vmxa1
Just a neatnik freak. I am always going around deleting stuff, often wishing I had not later. It is not even for disk space as I had 36GB and 80GB drives, mostly not used.

I do the same

Like you it's not for the disk space. Just a neat thing I guess.

[Plotinus]

Here's an interesting thing I hadn't seen the AI do before - at least, not that I can remember, and certainly not so effectively.

As the Byzantines, I had decided that the small island of Japan near me needed to be conquered. My strategy (early in the Middle Ages) involved shipping over lots of Medieval Infantries and Pikemen on Dromons, depositing them next to the target city, and then using the Dromons to bombard the defenders to bits before taking them. I should add how bowled over I've been by the fabulousness of the Dromons - here is a unit that is used for troop transport *and* as an exceptional combat ship as well - the only such ship in the whole game, and the only thing that can bombard enemy territory from the sea until you get Frigates. Cunning use of a strategy like the one I just described - if done less ham-fistedly than I did - could easily make the Byzantines as good at waterborne invasions as the Vikings, as they ferry everyone over and then suddenly use the ferries as fearsome siege weapons in their own right.

Anyhow, the thing is, I bombarded the defenders and proceeded to try to take them out with my land units. But between turns, the wily Japanese moved the injured defenders *out* of the city to heal elsewhere (I think there was no barracks in the target city), and at the same time brought healthy defenders *in* to replace them. There was a steady stream of them dashing back and forth on the roads next to my land-based attackers, who were having to turn their attention to the attack troops coming at them and were unable to take the city as quickly as hoped. I was very impressed by the AI here, and rewarded them by allowing them all to come under my beneficient rule and enjoy four whole luxuries each.

[Arrian]

Plotinus,

I think the AI would have been better served to just leave the wounded defenders fortified in the city you were attacking, barracks or no.

A unit in a city w/o barracks heals at 2hp/turn. Moving a unit, however, means it doesn't start healing until the next turn. Which means even if there was a barracks city within 1 turn movement via the roads, the unit would take just as long to heal from 1hp to 4 or 5hp as it would if it were just left where it was.

Bringing in more defenders was the good move. Also, if the wounded units were being withdrawn for upgrade, that would be good too. But just shuffling the wounded out makes no sense. Better to have the extra defenders around, even if they're hurt.

-Arrian

[vmxa1]

Funny you mentioned this as I watched the French do the usual send out 1hp calv to attack someone and get killed.

After watching them fight two or three wars and seeing how bad the RNG was to them, I will try to refrain from crying over my rolls.

[Tall Stranger]

I have to agree, though, that overall I think the AI is "doing combat" much better than before.

In my current Rise of Rome game, not only are the Egyptians moving more defenders into a city that I failed to take the first turn, but they are counterattacking MUCH more aggressively than I ever saw in PTW. Maybe it's just me, but after taking a few cities in PTW, the AI would usually hunker down, defend and wait for me to offer peace. Now, they've repeatedly attacked one of the cities I've taken, albeit to little success. (They're attacking a fortified army of Legion II's with their swordsmen. Not a whole lot of hope there, but I still think they have a better chance there than in waiting in cities for me to kill them.)

[Plotinus]

Arrian] You know, you're right - I suppose it would have been better to leave the damaged units there. That's what I would have done. They certainly weren't being upgraded (these guys were barely civilised! Just getting into the Byzantine mindset, you know). But I tell you, it *looked* impressive. Another thing they were doing was bringing stacks of spearmen/archers at my units. Sometimes I succeeded in killing or wounding many of these units, at which the survivors - including completely healthy archers - would all clear off again. It seemed like the archers were not prepared to hang around if their defenders were compromised. Evidence of guerrilla tactics, perhaps? At the very least, there was clearly a lot of care being taken regarding the placing of units from turn to turn - it wasn't just "all go and attack/defend the same place" kind of thing.

In any case, as Tall Stranger says, the AI does seem a cannier and more dangerous opponent in wars - even ones like this where I should have whupped them without much difficulty. It's not always easy to specify how, though.

[Jaybe]

HEADLINE: AI offered ME a Luxury Trade

The AI offered ME a Luxury Trade last night, the first time I have ever seen it happen.

In fact, they even approached me to make the deal (my Silk and 4gpt for their Furs).

[Arrian]

I've had the AI offer me a luxury trade before:

You give us your luxury and an astronomical amount of GPT, and we'll give you ours

To which I typically laugh, sigh, and continue planning their destruction.

-Arrian

[Kuciwalker]

The AI almost NEVER offers me stuff.

[Theseus]

I've been meaning to post this, whether here or in the Fortresses thread.

Not to shabby.

On the other hand...

[Kuciwalker]

That's why God invented Galleys.

[Colwyn]

Originally posted by Arrian


A unit in a city w/o barracks heals at 2hp/turn

Barracks healing it that hard coded for the barracks building or does it apply to any building with the Vet units tag?