We surrender! AI flees in terror from my forces

[ixnay]

I was playing one of my games yesterday, and something happened that convinced me the AI is either smart or incredibly stupid. My cavalry was laying siege to New Orleans with the help of some artillery. New Orleans was a city that they had built early in the game on the other side of my empire, so it was completely surrounded by me. I was having trouble killing their infantry and had moved several cavalry units next to the city so that I could probably take it the next turn. During the AI's turn, a galleon sailed in and out of New Orleans. When it was my turn I discovered that there were no longer any defenders left in the city, so I just waltzed in and took the city without a fight. So, did the AI see that it would eventually lose the city and evacuate the infantry to get some more use out of them? Coincidentally a privateer of mine sunk their galleon the next turn. Or did it just blunder and accidentally move them out of the city? I must say I've never seen anything like this before.

[Solver]

Ixnay, this is an obvious example of the AI being clever, the action was surely done with intent. It just won't be taking units in and out of the city.

What patch are you using?

Go Soren !

[ixnay]

I'm using 1.21.

[Jaybe]

I would wager that a Settler was onboard that galleon (especially if New Orleans was still of a size to build one).

JB

[Arrian]

I've seen this many times, not necessarily with ships. The AI will pull units out of cities under siege. I don't really think it's very smart, as those units are usually caught out in the open and killed. Jaybe's probably right that it was a settler team. The AI will attempt to recolonize cities that you've just razed - they will send a defender/settler team right through your massive invasion force to try and rebuild the city. This team will, of course, die.

The AI will also send out last-ditch survival teams from coastal cities. They will be the standard settler team on a boat, and will beeline for some open coastline (usually a tundra island or something like that) and plunk down a city. I'll say this: it does prolong the civ's lifespan, and is a pain in the ass for the human player, who has to hunt down and kill those little outposts (or make peace, which means the AI did its job - it survived).

-Arrian

[Harovan]

Like Arrian, I've seen that many times, but I've never seen that the AI leaves the city completely undefended. Strange, strange...

[Harovan]

Originally posted by Arrian
The AI will also send out last-ditch survival teams from coastal cities. They will be the standard settler team on a boat, and will beeline for some open coastline (usually a tundra island or something like that) and plunk down a city. I'll say this: it does prolong the civ's lifespan, and is a pain in the ass for the human player, who has to hunt down and kill those little outposts (or make peace, which means the AI did its job - it survived).

Correct, and it was even more pain in 1.17f and earlier, due to the "sink last galley crashes game" bug. It didn't help to hunt down that last galley, because sinking it you ruined your game. You had to set a sea blockade and kill that galley before you capture the last city. Now, with 1.21f, things are easier.

[Theseus]

I've seen the AI leave cities undefended... usually in the face of overwhelming force.

[Coracle]

You are all missing what this REALLY proves.

The AI's determination to FLOOD the map with settlers building towns everywhere they can is DUMB and DUMBER.

These towns/cities - although annoying in the extreme - are usually INDEFENSIBLE in case of war because they are so isolated.

Thus, strategically, the AI is indeed dumb as a doorknob.

[KrazyHorse]

It's a genius compared to Civ2 AI.

[Theseus]

OK, when we get MP, and I show up on your doorstep with 100 Tanks, you're just going to sit there?

Hmmm, if I remember, the Iraqis in Desterm storm SURRENDERED by the 10s of thousands, due to a combo of PsyOps and concentrated overwhelming force. But then, I guess your argument would be that Iraq is secretly controlled by an Ai from Civ.

[Skanky Burns]

It's a genius compared to Civ2 AI.

And certain posters on this forum too.

[GeneralTacticus]

I've actually seen the AI with empty cities that have been there for hundreds of years. I was playing the Imperialism map, and was at war with the Russians (I was the Germans). I had one city on the other continent, the Russians had four. I'd been using cavalry to clear out the barbarians before and sent it across the continent at the Russians. When I got there, one of their cities was completely defenseless.

[SpencerH]

I saw the AI move out its units in my current game but I thought they were heading for its other opponent. It didnt leave the city undefended though.

Another new AI strategy (to me) was to found a city in the neutral zone between our civs in the middle of a war. While it had some advantages and disadvantages, I didnt like it. Its kind of like using your buildings to attack with, a la AOE.

[bigvic]

yup, I've seen it too. Good Idea, but usually poorly executed.