AI questions

[trylo]

Hi, I've always been a big AC fan, but I've got a couple of questions about the AI.

First of all, it seems to be really unrealistic. I find it kind of annoying that every game I play ends up being a conquest game between me (Gaians) and The Hive. The Hive naturally dominate my enemies, and then declare war on me later in the game. The believers and morganits also declare war pointlessly when I am way more powerful than them.

Basically it is just unrealistic and predictable, as fun as the game is. I'd like to see if I could win the game in other ways, such as economic or spaceship victory, but by the time I am at that stage where I can start planning that stuff I'm halfway done with the Hive and then pretty much finished with the game.

I'd like to see the following:

Hive less agressive/expansionist
Civs don't declare war on civs much more powerful
Civs aren't as agressive and only go to war when absoulutely necessary

Is there a way for me to edit the prefrences file or prehaps I could download some pre-made prefrence files?

Any ideas? Thanks!

[Pandemoniak]

You'll probably find qualified person in the AC-Creation forums

[Method]

no, don't send him there! that forum is deserted. you're more likely to find an answer here.

[Pandemoniak]

D'oh, you're right.

[CEO Aaron]

Well, the thing is not so much that Yang has a better AI than anyone else, its more that the AI is much better at playing Yang. A subtle, but important distinction. We've noted on other AI threads here that the computer tends to overbuild units and rely too much on momentum play, so factions that are geared for a builder strategy tend to suffer in the AI's hands.

How do you address these tendencies? Well, if you plan on going for Transcendence or other victories, and want to have non-hostile factions, you need to develop a relationship with other factions early on. Basically, every time you tell a rival faction 'No', they're going to get pissed off at you a little more. This is why late game, Morgan and Lal and the others keep delaring war on you. To stave this off, you need to engage in an aggressive policy of foreign aid. Keep giving them stuff, stick in SE choices that make them happy, or just conquer them and accept their surrender.

You'll find the game is much more challenging and interesting if you set for yourself the challenge of _not_ conquering any rival factions, but merely expanding and defending your bases, engaging only in limited retaliation for open militaristic acts. Get yourself some pact mates, shake loose some tech or money, and you'll find you can have a stanch ally who will stick with you til you win Transcendence.

Check out the Faction info on your communication screen, and find the SE proclivities of everyone on the board, and figure out whoyou can be friends with, depending on what SE choices you plan on remaining it for most of the game. Since I'm almost always democratic, and usually will wind up running green toward endgame, I like to curry favor with Lal and DeeDee.

The point is, that making allies out of some of the weaker factions can put some much needed variety in your games, and will help curtail the inevitable Yang dominance that a straight militaristic conquer-fest tends to produce. The militaristic factions are strong when everyone else is fighting, they tend to lag behind horribly when they remain isolated from a peaceful coalition of factions.

[Straybow]

It usually takes extreme generosity to make treaty and pact mates less fickle. Don't try it with more than one or two factions early in the game.