Cool Ai move

[Theseus]

My apologies to all for the outstanding responses I owe... I will try to catch up in the next couple of days (it's that work thing!).

I do want to note, however, yet another surprise in the military AI...

Remember in Civ2 how you paid attention to the nearest gaps between continents? I mean the closest points between peninsulas, or where you had an extended ocean-front... initially, you might station ships there as a warnig system, and then later ironclads or even destroyers as an early warning / defense picket. Finally, those midpoints became carrier waystations for bombers on the move.

Well, while the execution is less then perfect, I got totally surprised tonight when I found that Egypt had stationed a Carrier, covered by a Battleship, right at one of those midpoints, and started bombing the heck out of me when drawn into an alliance war. Kudos, Firaxis!!

I am so impressed with the game at this point, post-1.21, what with this example, Infantry attack stacks, etc. I keep seeing AI actions that further the feeling... a couple of more tweaks please, Soren, esp. the AI understanding overwhelming force, and I'll put Civ3 in the Hall of Fame.

Anyway, cool move on the AI's part. BTW, it's Egypt... maybe it's a holdover from Civ2, but I am finally at the point where I have cleansed MY continent, and coming into MY house is a bad idea... I have personalized my hate for Cleo... smacking Joan around is another story, but she is next, bee-yatch.

[ALPHA WOLF 64]

my naval invasions have been thwarted by wolf packs of subs.

[Cookie Monster]

Fascinating!

Yet another ai behaviour improvement courtesy of 1.21f.

[=DrJambo=]

indeed, it's nice to hear stories of the AI giving us humans a run for our money and occasionally surprising us.

i wonder if what we are seeing is actual more a consequence of the AI in 1.21f not self destructing under communism anymore, thereby being able to afford modern units and use them effectively. You see, in 1.17f the AI's self destruction to 1 pop cities under communism effectively meant the AI headed back into the dark ages and couldn't ever afford to build the modern units.

Still, whatever the reasons behind this, it's still great to see the AI being more effective in the modern era....

[Theseus]

AW64,

You serious?! That's fantastic for the AI... I've only been seeing subs in 1s and 2s, although even so they are still a threat.

[Solver]

The AI definitely was improved in 1.21, especially its unit tactics.

[Inverse Icarus]

yes, i'll give firaxis that one. even in the early game they seem to make use of packs of warriors / swordsmen. then all seem to end up within striking range of a city / stak on the same turn, and often come in from different angles.

it's not the same as a human player [MP RANT] but it's a lot better then the previous Civ3 AI. keep it comming soren.

(i yell at you because i love you, you know that)

one such instance was a few games ago, i was playing the standard world map, as the iroquois. i owned all of europe, and basically all of russia. i also controlled the Tigris-Euphretes, and thats where i planted the city "German Border". The germans owned all of africa, so i figured i might as well chop them down, and take over meddeterrianian (cant spell) africa. when i decleared war, i took over 2 cities (with ease of course), but the backlash was one of the best i've seen since. i held the cities, but i lost 4 or 5 swordsmen in the process.

[Grrr]

The AI is getting a lot better, but I agree with Uber. MP will always be better.

[Tuberski]

I've actually had the AI attack stacks of units just to weaken them, and I'm talking from inside a city!

I was the Americans fighting the Iroquois. I took one their cities and BAM they started throwing infantry and cavalry at me like you wouldn't believe. Always before I would move tanks out and capture the stray workers or destroy the stray infantry. Now that's a lot harder because the Ai is also attacking these lone units EN MASSE. I have never lost so many tanks to the AI in one turn..

Great Fun.

Thanks Soren!!

[Solver]

MP is also fun because you engage people you know from boards or otherwise. What a pleasure.

The AI's combat system is OK - yes, I do hit the table when I lose 4 Archers to one Spearman, but then I remember my Marine that beat two Tanks on defense, and get calmed down. The combat system's oddities work both ways.

[DrFell]

Yeah the best bit of MP isn't the difficulty but the fact that it's human players... nothing better than getting the bragging rights after winning a big game

[Inverse Icarus]

Originally posted by DrFell
Yeah the best bit of MP isn't the difficulty but the fact that it's human players... nothing better than getting the bragging rights after winning a big game

oh yes

[Jaguar]

I like playing psychologically. I like to wear the person down with little annoyances like pillaging. Then they get frustrated and do stupid things.

[Inverse Icarus]

Originally posted by Jaguar Warrior
I like playing psychologically. I like to wear the person down with little annoyances like pillaging. Then they get frustrated and do stupid things.

yes, i'll concur mental warfare is much better in MP (becuase you're actually facing a MIND). i think a stack of 20 artillery or a bunch of bombing missions would seriously piss off some people i know

[Fidel]

i had several invasions repelled massively. once you hit modern age, you have to disembark over 20 mechinfs on a beachhead to have any chance of securing a springboard for invasion. while examining the best spot to land, i naturally wanted some hills. imagine my surprise that every hill was guarded by a fortified mechinf, and it would be pointless to use marines. i had to disembark in the plains and lost about 20 mechinf in two waves before i could consolidate, bring in the modern armor in the third wave and start really fighting.