What the heck is the AIs spending strategy?

[Underseer]

What does the AI spend money on, when, and under what circumstances? Does money only get spent on trade agreements? It it smart enough to rush-build units and/or improvements?

The AI just doesn't seem to keep as much cash in reserve for emergencies as players do, so I'm assuming it's spending its cash on something.

[Harovan]

The AI rushes units eagerly. This is especially visible, when it poprushes. I have no reason not to believe, that it uses money to rushbuy units too. It also uses money for upgrades, if it has. I don't know, if it rushbuys improvements. It certainly does not keep a cash reserve for emergencies or even to get the extra 50gpt for Wall Street. The rest of the money either goes in trade deals or it's been stockpiled. Especially in the late industrial/early modern age I've seen AIs with horrendous cash reserves, sometimes up to 10000 and more. Since PTW with the additional improvements stock exchange and commercial dock money in the late game ain't an issue anymore, neither for the human nor for the AI. In my opinion, this should be balanced a bit, perhaps by increasing unit upkeep for motorized units and modern ships to 2 or similar.

[Arrian]

Early in the game, the AI just sets science at 100%. This is evident when you found embassies in their captiols.

Later, when trade opens up (if and when they actually build the roads & harbors needed), they love to buy luxuries, resources, and tech. The AI in PTW does a better job of upgrading units, too, so any excess cash goes there.

SR,

I totally agree on unit upkeep. Motorized units, air units, modern ships, all should be 2/turn. Maybe Battleships & Carriers should be 3. Nukes should be 3 or 4 per turn.

-Arrian

[joncnunn]

Um, the AI only seems to upgrade units that are currently in cities where they can be upgraded.

If for whatever reason the stone age units are in a city without a baracks, they won't be updated until the AI gets around to building a local baracks there.

The AI never tweaks with the Science slider to save money like humans do.

Yes, the AI definately doesn't try to keep a resrve for the Wall Street, even when it builds it.

After the Ancient Era, the slider percentage seems to be based in part on the civI. On the Emperor level, The Zulus for instance, seem to basically stop reseraching sometime in the middle ages and fall behind as soon as people stop selling them techs. Other civs like Japan tend to keep on reseraching strong throughout the game. (Japan came close to actually catching back up with me in a game on Emperor level when I had previously passed them while Japan after the conclusion of their war of attrition agaist the Aztecs on the other landmass and I was at peace.)

[DeepO]

The Zulus don't get farther tech wise because they don't build up their empires, and totally underuse their potential. Once they get behind, they will still try to get techs themselves, but where others take 4-10 turns to research something, they take 30 or more. So they have nothing to trade with, and no cash to buy techs from the other AIs (or the player).

It seems this happens with more civs: the only civs I saw with large cash reserves are the ones who are in front tech-wise, and we're able to sell their techs to the rest of the AIs. The ones terribly behind seem to keep researching themselves.

Oh, and yes, rushbuilding an 'dumb' upgrades seem to be where all the AI cash goes to, but there are priorities. I saw more then once that the turn after I declare war on an unsuspecting neighbour, he upgrades all he can to counter me. Most of the times, that's not much, as he has no reserves.

DeepO

[Harovan]

Originally posted by DeepO
It seems this happens with more civs: the only civs I saw with large cash reserves are the ones who are in front tech-wise, and we're able to sell their techs to the rest of the AIs. The ones terribly behind seem to keep researching themselves.

In 8 or 9 out of 10 cases the AI civs in front are either industrious, commercial or both.

[DeepO]

True, but my rule holds when by coincidence (like isolation) ind and/or comm civs are in the back... they still keep spending too much on science, not building reserves, and having no gold to spend.

The 'builder' civs will always get on top given enough time, certainly with modded priorities....

DeepO