military AI fixes for PTW

[bad0cat]

Originally posted by Stuie
The AI also needs to learn to upgrade or disband old units. I've seen the AI using galleys escorted by frigates well into the modern age. Upgrading doesn't cost that much.....

The logic could be something along the lines of "If a unit is from a previous era, make upgrading a priority over whatever else the AI is spending money on militarily."

Agreed. What's even weirder is that sometimes the computer will build Leonardo's Workshop and still not upgrade many of their units....

[Panag]

Originally posted by dunk999
I think the AI needs to build tanks and modern armor. In my last game, the French had 115 Mechanized Infantry and not a single Modern Armor. Not one!

hi ,

, got a SAV(e) somewhere , ...

it looks that sometimes they go on the "defensive" tour , ....

however they build modern armour , if they have the tech and the resource , ......

have a nice day

[player1]

Problem with upgrading is no in AI willingness to do that.

It's just that they are BROKE.
No money, no upgrades.

[Coracle]

Re: military AI fixes for PTW

Originally posted by bad0cat
. . .BASIC MILITARY CONCEPTS THE AI STILL DOESNT GRASP:

1) On a map with a decent amount of water and seperation between continents, one battleship is worth 10 infantry. This is a no-brainer to humans but the AI still can't grasp the most basic naval concepts. Coastlines need to be garrisoned with ships, troop carriers should be escorted, and most importantly - aggresors can't launch a massive land assault if they can't make it to your shores allive.

-fix-
Geography desperately needs to be part of the AI calculations for building and deploying troops. On a "continent/island" map, naval units should be integral to a civ's military. This makes for a better game and is also more historically accurate.


2) The AI still doesn't seem to get that some units are offensive and others are defensive. It will often throw stacks of infantry headlong against fortified tanks in a vain effort to counter attack, when these infantry would be far better off defending cities. By the same token, some civs will build disproportionate numbers of cavalry and tanks and use them only to garison cities... ?

-fix-
Flag units as either defensive or offensive. Have the AI build the appropriate units for its overall strategy. Then, more importantly, they must USE the units accordingly in combat. Currently, the AI will often EMPTY towns in a ridiculous effort to fight a stack of advancing units that is fortified in mountains....


OK - there are other areas that I think the military AI could improve but these are the "big two". Both of these changes could be implemented with little to moderate work on the AI and would make for a much more interesting MP and SP game.

Thoughts anyone?

Actually, in one of the very few areas where the Civ 3 AI is slightly better than Civ 2 is naval escort. Civ 2 NEVER did it. In Civ 3 it sometimes does, a little. But still inadequate.

Naval warfare is a lame abstraction in Civ 3 even worse than in Civ 2.

The reason the AI throws stacks of infantry is because of two reasons: the AI has no idea how to use artillery offensively, and there is no Shock Troops unit - the offensive foot soldiers that were first introduced in 1917 and would have a higher attack strength than infantry.

Units can be flagged offensive or defensive in the Editor. With 1.21 the AI flagged infantry as offensive as the game lacks that Shock Troops unit and they had no choice, but they still need to use artillery on the offensive.

and its not like humans arent known to make dumb mistakes too. makes the game seem realistic from time to time to see follies equivalent to rl maginot line or hitlers invasion of ussr

The Maginot Line was not a tactical mistake. Hitler's invasion of the USSR almost worked.

As for the AI, the difference is the human learns; this AI in the same game does not and repeats the same stupidity over and over. The programmers could learn and fix it, but nah. They won't.

[bad0cat]

Originally posted by player1
Problem with upgrading is no in AI willingness to do that.

It's just that they are BROKE.
No money, no upgrades.

Upgrading is usually more cost affective than building more troops, it's VERY cost effective when Leonardo's workshop is built - I find it suprising that the computer hardly ever does it.

Speaking of upgrading....

Try this in a game sometime:


1) Start a game as Egyptian

2) Build enough war chariots to carry on a small war and attack someone. If you win a battle with a war chariot, you you will almost always enter a "golden age"

3) Destroy your opponent or make peace . While still in the golden age, pump out as many war chariots as you can.

4) Start saving money

5) Build Leonardos workshop

5) When Cavalry come about you can upgrade your war chariots to cavalry, and it is CHEAP (20 gold I think?) You instantly have a huge army of Cavalry way before anyone else and are now free to "cry havoc and let loose the dogs of war"


Yet another example of a tactic you probably could never get away with in MP, but against the computer it works like a charm.

[Stuie]

Originally posted by player1
Problem with upgrading is no in AI willingness to do that.

It's just that they are BROKE.
No money, no upgrades.

Then the older units should be disbanded to help produce newer units.

[Panag]

Originally posted by Stuie


Then the older units should be disbanded to help produce newer units.

hi ,

it seems the AI never does that , not for buildings or units , ....

Firaxis , PLEASE , ....

have a nice day