Strategically Improving the AI

[Pyrodrew]

I've often read some still get bored in the Industrial & Modern Ages. Have you used the Editor to add/remove anything from those ages to make things more interesting?

I've been away from Civ3 since 1.17 (1.19?) & recently only have been working on mods. Yet, I recall the AI was awful at using artillery & often produced too much of it. If that is still the same I'm tempted to not allow anyone build artillery, but that's a sad story too.

Any specific technology/unit that the human benefits far more from than the AI in 1.29 (railroads? cathedrals? factories? cavalry?) than others?

I'm posting this here since avid strategy game players are more likely to understand the AI's weaknesses than a graphic designer in the Creation forum.

Yes, I know PtW has a better AI, but I'm waiting on that & I've yet to see anyone say PtW cured their Industrial/Modern Age blues. Below is a listing of typical AI Brain options (if you've created a great one I would be curious)...

[aaglo]

Add emphasize shields, build often Offensive & Defensive Land units and Settlers

[DrFell]

The AI has a big weakness when you reach the industrialization period. It tends to put far too little focus on railroads and factories, whereas the human does and doubles productivity over the AI. In fact, you can often find AI cities in modern times with no factories. The industrial period is usually the period in a larger map deity game when I begin to gain huge leads over the AI.

[Pyrodrew]

For right now I'm going to check Militaristic, Industrious, Commercial, Expansionist, & Scientific for Factories so all 16 will hopefully find Factories more desireable. As of 1.29, currently none are checked! Temple is checked for Religious, Marketplace is checked for Commercial, but Factories are not even checked for Industrious???

If that does not work, I suppose I could take some of the teeth out of factories (Production 2 down to 1).

Cavarly & Railroads are also at the top of my list to investigate further. Yet if I increase the costs/time I fear, in the long run, it will only widen the gap between the "haves" & "have-nots" & the AI also may lose some interest in building them. If I decrease the costs/time then, in the short run, the human (me) will conquer faster (or am I wrong on 1 of those 2 points?).

Below is an image of what is checked for factories...

[Harovan]

Pyrodrew: You should try the AU mod ("A mod for the curriculum"). It has most of the things, you wrote about, already addressed.

[alexman]

Originally posted by Pyrodrew
For right now I'm going to check Militaristic, Industrious, Commercial, Expansionist, & Scientific for Factories so all 16 will hopefully find Factories more desireable. As of 1.29, currently none are checked! Temple is checked for Religious, Marketplace is checked for Commercial, but Factories are not even checked for Industrious???

I believe the civ attributes checked for each improvement is to flag it as half-price for militaristic, religious, and scientific. It has nothing to do with the AI actually building it, other than it being more appealing due to its reduced cost.

[DrFell]

Marketplaces don't get half price for commercial though.

[alexman]

Originally posted by DrFell
Marketplaces don't get half price for commercial though.

My guess is that they used to get half price at some point in Firaxis testing, but then they decided it would be too powerful so they removed the half-price bonus from all commercial buildings. They left the buildings flagged in the editor though.

[Solver]

I recall a thread on the subject, that I believe is linked to from the Greatest Threads thread, it also had Soren of Firaxis saying something on the issue, and it's a very good one, shows what to do if you want a killer AI.

[Theseus]

It was the "Key to AI Greatness."

Pyrodrew, check the AU Mod as Sir Ralph said. We've been playing with the same concepts, and more. It needs some further work though, especially post-PTW.