What does the AI know?

[Shogun Gunner]

Just a simple question about AI. Why is not possible for the program to keep track of each civ and all the locations that each specific civ has searched?

So it takes nine maps into consideration: Master map, and 8 civ maps. No graphical information would have to be stored on eight of those maps, just numbers. Only the human map has to have the colors and pictures. That way the computer, when computing if it is more powerful than you or not, would only count the units and cities it has explored. Of course it "knows" the whole map, but the calculations will include what it should only know. Has this been discussed before?

[DrFell]

shogun:

as far as i know the computer DOES actually keep its own maps for each civ. probably the programmers thought that it would take too much processing power for all the civs to calculate everything they can see. probably not the case nowadays tho. or maybe its just to help the ai...

[Tical_2000]

The AI knows you are going to kick its ass so its makes endless 'agression containment' pacts against your civ with all other AIs. That's all it knows!

[DrFell]

i hate those 'pacts'. i mean, there i am the most peaceful civ in the world, never started a war, etc. and the computer civs are signing pacts to contain my agression???

[Urban Ranger]

It's really hard to write any decent AI at all. For example, how do you come up with an algorithm for effective exploration? Is it better to build settlers and explorers, or is it better to use military units? When is a good time to stop exploring and start attacking? There are no fixed answers to these questions and largely depend on the map, which is entirely variable.

[DrFell]

yep, the ai is a very complicated matter. and of course, the programmers must estimate how much processor power they want to go into the ai. too much and youll end up with a game that wont run on low spec machines which is no good at all, considering there are probably lots of civ2 players using older machines. ai is without a doubt the most difficult part of the game to program effectively.

[Shogun Gunner]

These "pacts" imply the AI civs count everything, even stuff they can't see. There have been many games I have played where I was really ahead of the curve and I prevented enemy civ units access to whole continents. There should be no way for them to know anything about all those cities/military units/resources, but they start ganging up on me - even when I have been completely peaceful. This suggests to me that the AI cheats by counting everything.

I really don't think the processing power requirements are that high for this AI cheat move. We do know the computer adds all your offensive and defensive power on one continent before it decides to be aggressive or passive towards you during negotiations. I think this is written in the Developer notes of the Civ II manual. If you have a phalanx, catapult and warrior it counts that as a 8/3 (6/1 catty, 1/2 phalanx and 1/1 warrior). I don't think that's hard to do from a programming standpoint.

The question remains whether that's the best way to balance the dumb computer against the smart human. I'm hoping for a better way in Civ III.

[Tical_2000]

In fact, I'd say that the majority of information that is available to you on other AIs in the early stages of the game is considered a cheat. How could you possibly know what rank your population is in the world? And, how could you figure out whether you are the strongest or weakest civ when you haven't even discovered other nations yet. My point is while 'cheating' is all that desireable, it helps the human in a similar way as it does the AI.