Does the AI give up?

[nationalist]

It seems to me that when a war breaks out between me and the AI the AI defenders do great jobs. Its not uncommon for me to lose veteran or elite Panzers to conscript riflemen. However, as the war progresses and I start conquering and razing cities, the AI's defensive units start to perform worse and worse. By the time I take the last cit yor two my veteran Panzers are taking out veteran or elite infantry with barely a scratch. Does this happen with anyone else? Does the AI have a point where it gets demoralized and gives up, effecting the performances of their defenders?

[Skanky Burns]

Its more to do with the luck of the roll, IMO.

[Locus]

Garrisoned defenders get bonuses based upon the size of the city as well as the number of improvements in the city. Most likely, you are attacking his biggest cities first and then mopping up his smaller ones.

[nationalist]

Originally posted by Locus
Garrisoned defenders get bonuses based upon the size of the city as well as the number of improvements in the city. Most likely, you are attacking his biggest cities first and then mopping up his smaller ones.

I'm aware of this fact, and its not what I do. I usually take out the border cities first, kill the offensive troops, then head for the larger cities in the heart of the empire. I tend to save the capital for last, and the capital is usually one of the largest cities. I guess other people don't experience this same phenomenon.

[PatLasch]

I've seen ai cities completely undefended when I have overwhelming force and they are down to the last few cities. In essence they have given up and I can just take them easily.

[Sabre2th]

Originally posted by PatLasch
I've seen ai cities completely undefended when I have overwhelming force and they are down to the last few cities. In essence they have given up and I can just take them easily.

Or more likely....you already killed all of their units and they can't build them fast enough to compete.

[Dienstag]

I haven't noticed changes in AI combat performance, but you'd think that if they were getting demoralized, they'd sue for peace a little quicker, no?

[The Rook]

I haven't noticed that, but I did notice that the AI has some crappy strategies for conducting a war.

1) First of all why does the AI go to war with an obviously more powerful nation in the first place? I could have 50 cities, and the next thing I know, the Aztecs with 3 cities is declaring war against me.

2) I can't seem to keep up with the AI civs unit for unit. A Civ juat as large as mine will usually have a far superior offensive force. However, when a war starts, after 2 or 3 turns, most of that nation's troops have been destroyed by me and my army of artillary units and clean up crew. If I have railroads, there is no way a single civ could hope to win against me. Their invading force is pounded by my artillary and then I send in troops to finish them off. If the Civ would just utilize artillery as effective as I do, it might stand a chance.

[Zachriel]

Originally posted by The Rook
I haven't noticed that, but I did notice that the AI has some crappy strategies for conducting a war.

1) First of all why does the AI go to war with an obviously more powerful nation in the first place? I could have 50 cities, and the next thing I know, the Aztecs with 3 cities is declaring war against me.

2) . . . If the Civ would just utilize artillery as effective as I do, it might stand a chance.

1. I don't know. Why did Japan attack the U.S. in 1941?

2. Yes, that would be a major improvement in the AI.

[godinex]

... Yes

I think the AI gives up after they have inferiority (or wathever spell it) in the combat zone... if the has reinforcesment on the way it will not cry out for peace.

[campmajor!]

Personally I agree with Skanky Burns that it is more a fact that if you increase the number of fights, the odds of winning are increasing. I have noticed this phenomenon several times. You also see this when you attack with a conscipt unit, you will loose. But if you attack with an elite unit, you start loosing, but after you have lost 2 or 3 hp, suddenly you start winning.....

So, I try to start a fight with only vets and elites if I have them.

[dengidavai]

I have had the same experience as Nationalist. It sometimes happens that after one or two turns of battles, the AI that has declared war on me just seems to give up and stops attacking, if I've been putting up a good defense. At that point, depending on my mood and my strategy, I'll either wipe him off the face of the earth or capture two or three of his cities. Two seems to be the magic number for getting the AI to stop "refusing to hear my envoy" and give me a peace treaty plus lump sum gold, per turn gold plus whatever else I can squeeze out of it. Then I get back to what I was doing before the attack.

[nationalist]

I've also noticed that AI conscripts seem to hold out long against my atacks than AI vets or elite. Does the computer give them higher random numbers?

[Willem]

Originally posted by Zachriel


1. I don't know. Why did Japan attack the U.S. in 1941?

Militarily, Japan was just as powerful as the US at the time. The physical size of a country has very little to do with strength of arms, just look at Britain being able to conquer India in the colonial period.

[Zachriel]

Originally posted by Willem
Militarily, Japan was just as powerful as the US at the time. The physical size of a country has very little to do with strength of arms, just look at Britain being able to conquer India in the colonial period.

That is correct, of course, but I was responding to a post concerning a smaller country attacking a larger one. There are many other examples, probably better ones.