All Out AI Attack

[David Floyd]

Actually I just wanted to reply to the statement that the AI doesn't use carriers.

That is actually untrue. They just don't use the carriers supplied by the regular rules.txt.

In my experience, if you modify a destroyer to act like a carrier, the computer will actually base fightesr on the destroyer/carrier, and hit you with airstrikes. I think I got it to do this on King level about a year or so ago, don't know if that was a freak accident or if it works with any other units, as I never tried it again.

There, MarkG. There's my contribution to non-OT stuff

[rah]

I wanted to see how the AI would use carriers so I gave them some in a game I was playing (prior to mp). As with all ai strategies it does not base it on multiple units. It looks at each unit as it is it's turn and performs within it's perameters. As a result, unless there are planes in the city where it leaves port, it will go to sea without planes. If a carrier was near an enemy city, it must have thought it was a battleship because it attacked the city and was quickly destroyed. It was also a very rare event that a plane would land on a carrier. (since their bombers don't need to land) An occasional fighter would land on one if no cities were within range, but it was not consistent.
It would be nice if someone could program the ai to look at multiple units to determine strategy. (I know all the possible combinations would be tough, but even looking at two or three units would improve the AI greatly.)

RAH

[My Wife Hates CIV]

The carrier I made in rules.txt the AI used. But only for missiles, nukes and helos. I dont think (I might be wrong) the AI was using it for planes.

[David Floyd]

What I was initially trying to do with a destroyer-carrier, BTW, was to make a good destroyer/helicopter ASW combo for a scenario I was designing (never finished it). I was playtesting the new destroyer in a game, and I found the AI basing fighters and (IIRC) helicopters on it. It didn't use it very well, but it was something new.

My experience with the AI using carriers has been generally bad. Yes, AIs WILL use carriers full of planes - but only if you stick them out in the middle of the ocean near one of your fleets (look at the WW2 Pacific scenarios for examples, particularly the first few turns). They will even launch air strikes against you, most of the time. However, this doesn't last long, in my experience, as the AI simply flies the planes off the carriers and either sacrifices them in lame attacks or puts them in the land based air force.

Again, the only exception to this I've encountered is my destroyer example - the AI was using destroyers loaded with planes close to the coast line.

Anyway, that little tidbit is for anyone who cares