from the chat: Does the AI see the whole map ?!

[Sunstone]

Hi,
not really a PTW-topic but interesting anyway, in the chat i found this one really strange :

Gacel> why can the ai see the whole map? it always feels like the ai is cheating... is it the only way to get the ai strong/good/intersting eough? (as a programmer i know how hard it is to get somthing like that working good)
Gacel: I'm not sure, though I think it was to increase the challenge. END
Jeff: If the AI already sees the entire map, then does trading world/territory maps with them have any real effect? Why do they value the maps so highly?
Xuen: Not to sure about that. Maybe to facilitate the illusion of a human opponent. END

That would be really sad. But I remember Soren to say sth about the AI fighting the same FOG of War Problems like humans. I really hope Jeff talks nonsense.

Anyone knows something about this topic ?


p.s. very sorry if this has been discussed before.

[notyoueither]

Knowledge of the map is the one *cheat* given to the AI that we have no control of according to Soren.

[Jon Shafer]

So if somehow you have an undefended settler out of sight range of anyone, cover it anyways, since the AI will know where it is anyways.

[Random Passerby]

If you don't feel like "being the bigger man entity" and don't care about sportsmanship, you can always abuse the AI's knowledge by setting up impossibly tempting targets on purpose to lure the AI blindly, i.e., leave a juicy city that can't be reached in 1 turn from the border completely undefended, with a stack of defenders right outside--let the AI come at it, then pile in everything you've got. Or at least you could pre-PTW; dunno if the Ai has been tweaked to be less gullible.

[joseph1944]

Play the World Strategy Guide explain all of it on page123.
The AI sees everything.

There is one, and only one, area where the AI actually has an ability that you don't. From the start of the game, the AI know the entire world map. For the purposes of interaction with other civilizations and overseas trade, the AI cannot "see" the whole map-it is still affected by the fog of war. However, the AI knows the location and contents of every terrain tile, including the locations of every strategic resource before it appears.

As the book said, when the AI will trade maps do it. It know where your cities are, so now you will know where his cities are.
Now we know why the AI will build some cities to close to one another or in the Desert, or in Ice Land, because a resource will show up.
And the person that said build a city undefended is correct. The AI just might send his Army to conquer and you can sent your army into his empire and raise hell.
Another thing the AI does not know who is the Human player from the other AI's.
Does the AI cheat, Firaxis said NO, however after reading the above, you make your own guess.

[notyoueither]

Actually, Soren has stated just that repeatedly and for months now.

[vmxa1]

Holy crap there is a strat guide for PTW? Does it have all the old units and new units listed? I know they will not reflect the patch changes, but it is a drag to have to go to 2 places to see all of them.

[Zurai]

Originally posted by notyoueither
Actually, Soren has stated just that repeatedly and for months now.

And even if he hadn't, it's very easy to prove. Set up a quick scenario map with two cities controlled by you on an island, with a railroad between them and a single defender. Then place a boat with a few offensive units aboard just off the coast, under an enemy civ's control. Play the scenario and switch the unit between the cities every couple of turns. Watch the enemy's ship shuffle around the coast back and forth between your cities as it aims for the undefended one and avoids the defended one. It'll do it every time, assuming your defenders are tough enough that it doesn't think it can take them.