Over the years I have had 2 complaints - no, 3, the Spanish Inquisition has 3 complaints - against the AI. First, it builds large air forces and does not use them save against colony pods, formers or any target that one aircraft can defeat by itself. I have asked about this before but been told, I think, that it cannot be corrected, nor can the AI planes be made to bomb improvements. Is this correct?
Second, the AI cannot conduct a competent war across oceans, unless the distance is only 1-2 hexes. This is especially destructive of fun games as it is my experience that the original colony pods are scattered over the world, meaning that there will always be a number of factions seperated by large expanses of water. Yes, sometimes you get 1 or 2 factions in your immediate neighborhood but this still leaves the problem of AI incompetence over distance of water, expecially in the middle or late game. The only partial solution is to play with very large land masses and little water, which I don't like as handling navies and such is fun and is 80% or so of the world is land the factions get so large and have so many units that a turn in the later game takes an eternity. Can this problem be solved? Has it been solved?
Third, some factions are remarkeable do-nothings when it comes to building improvements and most are when it comes to buildings; I'm looking at you, Spartans. When I get into their territories I find few farms, boreholes ect. Granted that some factions would, by the nature of their ideologies, build considerably less than others, a very low level of this dooms them to eventual defeat. Can this be solved? Has it been solved?
Fourth, the Spanish Inquisition has 4 problems, and this one is totally trivial. When I go to all the trouble of liberating a captured faction leader I would like an explosion of fireworks or some other such display to reward me for all my clever action, not just a line saying the geek has been freed.
Fourth, the Spanish Inquisition has 4 problems, and this one is totally trivial. When I go to all the trouble of liberating a captured faction leader I would like an explosion of fireworks or some other such display to reward me for all my clever action, not just a line saying the geek has been freed.
Finally, again, this is still, 16 years later, the finest turn based game ever made. Sorry for the length of the two posts.
Thanks
Fourth, the Spanish Inquisition has 4 problems, and this one is totally trivial. When I go to all the trouble of liberating a captured faction leader I would like an explosion of fireworks or some other such display to reward me for all my clever action, not just a line saying the geek has been freed.
In terms of gameplay, it would be nice to have a faction be able to surrender to another faction if it looks like its going to lose:
;deidre;: "Hey Lal, Miriam is going to overrun me. You're running Green right now and have tried to support me. Do you want all my basses, units, energy, and technology?"
;lal;: "But won't that just make Miriam declare war on me and put me on the same continent as her?"
;deidre; "They're really nice bases. I mean they don't have a lot of facilities but you can't find better parks anywhere on planet."
;lal;: "I think I can take Miriam, I'm two generations ahead in technology and have the Hunter Seeker Algorithm, and I love me some parks. Sure."
And if this happens, Deidre is being sheltered by Lal.
I've done this before when I was going to lose anyway. I don't have to be best friends with the faction I'm surrendering to, I just have to hate them less then the faction that would otherwise take over all of my basses. It's a great way to be passive aggressive and make war far less profitable.
In terms of aesthetics, it would be nice that instead of capturing the enemy faction leader every time you defeat them, they could flee to another faction. "Santiago has fled to the Hive and started a Spartans in Exile government." If I defeat the Hive and any sympathetic faction (based on how one faction feels towards another) is too far away to be fled to, I get them both at that time. "Santiago has been dragged out of her hidyhole and is now a prisoner of the Peacekeepers."
Now that I think about it, you're right. What have game makes been doing this last decade?
With .exe modding (which, in order to change the AI, would require me to first analyze the AI, a big project), it could be changed. However, air units are fairly expensive for their power (and probably should be even more so), so I'm not sure it's such a good idea for them to be used against hardened targets.I agree with the statement that analyzing the AI is a large project. Furthermore, it helps to specifically determine which aspects you want analyzed because some portions are easier than others to analyze.
Although to play devil's advocate, if the AI did war effectively I'd argue the game would be near impossible on Transcendi.
And yes a more difficult Transcend would be a good thing for sure. But at current bonuses any game where you reside near another AI would not be survivable past early game let alone winnable. The exponential growth in the early game seems the most difficult to overcome. That may be because with fewer early game options there are less 'mistakes' the AI can make
True, the innate AI bonuses could start low and scale up with TECH or something like that.
I found that the pacifist faction flag also tends to make the AI play worse than erratic/aggressive flag...but have to test this out more. Aggressiveness is sort of a double-edged sword too. It can be good or bad to play aggressive depending on the situation.
True, the innate AI bonuses could start low and scale up with TECH or something like that.
I found that the pacifist faction flag also tends to make the AI play worse than erratic/aggressive flag...but have to test this out more. Aggressiveness is sort of a double-edged sword too. It can be good or bad to play aggressive depending on the situation.
Would this mean that if one want's to optimize AI performance, one should have all AI players use the erratic flag?
Of course, having different factions have different personalities is also good for the game. There can be a problem if the AI isn't as skilled with pacifist rather than aggressive but, as been stated, AI is hard.