Re: has the AI been upgraded?
 

It looks like a very good point. Even in GalCiv which probably has better AI than other games, AI needs large bonuses to compete with good player. However, GalCiv's AI plays much more like a human player, it plays differently for different races and its strategy is much less obvious, which makes it more interesting to play against. Dom2 is much more complex game, and, surprisingly, AI isn't too bad, with relatively mild bonuses it is doing decent job, but it follows a very simple plan which makes the best use of its bonuses. Unfortunately, it makes all games vs AI look alike.

Re: has the AI been upgraded?
 

I wasn't even aware the the AI didn't build castles. that is too bad. that would make it much more difficult I think. how is the AI compared to the Civilization series?? Civ III kicks my butt even on the lower levels. I guess I'll put Dominions back on my shelf until the next patch and I will hope and pray that there will be an adjustment to the AI. At least so they build castles. I know nothing about programming so can only assume it would be a monumental task to alter.

Re: has the AI been upgraded?
 

The code-writing developer doesn't like AI programming. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/frown.gif

As someone suggested, playing maps with pre-placed castles AI can conquer would help. And while the AI won't be able to do everything, it will still prove quite a challenge. Especially if you play one of the races that depend more on armies and less on magic. In multiplayer most national units become worthless in few turns, but in single-player I find using them more rewarding than bLasting enemies by magic.

Re: has the AI been upgraded?
 

I would it say it is better than in Civ III. I've found Civ AI relatively competitive only on the hardest level, where it has insane bonuses. Dom2 AI, even on hardest level has fewer bonuses, though hardest Dom2 AI is somewhat easier to beat than hardest Civ III AI. One problem with Dom2 AI is that you need to play very specific tactis to win against it, which is totally unlike the strategy one would play in MP.

I don't remember AI in Civ I/II very well, but I think in both of them you could win reliably against the hardest AI. At least I remember playing England to start on the small island and make game more challenging...

That's not normal. You need to practice more http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

Re: has the AI been upgraded?
 

Blizzard games tend to have a good AI.

I I remember one game of starcraft where I heavily fortified my position with lots of rocket turrets around my base, enough to destroy anything airborne the enemy might throw against me.

I lost the game due to the fact that the AI did not bother to destroy the defence and strictly flew towards my main base, loosing about half its aircrafts.

But then, on a per developer basis, dom 2 surely owns all other game AIs

Re: has the AI been upgraded?
 

Hey, at per developer basis it owns every game out there =P

Re: has the AI been upgraded?
 

Scenario-based games frequently pose more of a single-player challenge, as (a) the author frequently has the tools to write a customized plan for the AI, and (b) single-player scenarios tend to be grossly unbalanced in terms of advantages granted to the AI(s) to the point that were the computer replaced by even a novice human opponent, defeat would be all but automatic. In addition, the human player frequently needs to fight the interface itself and (relevant in RTSes) the fact that his units tend to be utter imbeciles who need excruciatingly exact, explicit instructions every step of the way forces micromanagement.

Random-map TBS games have a harder time giving a good game to the single-player -- the player might actually have the time per turn (if not necessarily the motivation...) to micromanage, and random setups prevent exact scripting.

That said, some more configurable games have done somewhat decently without massive scenario-specific scripting. The tactical AI of the Combat Mission series, for instance, does at least try to avoid some large possible errors (such as firing too early and accomplishing nothing but revealing one's location, or sending units piecemeal) and employs some reasonably healthy habits (like sometimes towing a gun away after its location is known, so that it's gone before your artillery responds). It may even be capable of blocking your LOS with smoke rounds, IIRC. It's not a match for an experienced human player, particularly on offense, but it tends not to make one scream at its idiocy quite as much as does, say, an AoK AI which cheerfully stays put on its tiny island and waits until the Imperial Age to build a dock. I once played a random map AoK game in which one AI somehow managed to mine *zero* gold during the entire game -- and this was a game in which I'd taken a absurd (and were it multiplayer, surely a guaranteed-losing...) amount of time building economy and teching up before bothering to assemble an attack force. How? Heck if I know...

Re: has the AI been upgraded?
 

In my opinion:

Multiplayer games with humans has the most fun yet most people play the single player game of Dominions_2. The biggest improvement for single player games would be improving the AI. Most game developers just focus on getting the AI to attack/defend and expand... then when human players discover a pattern its easy to win.

The biggest improvement for multiplayer games would be having an option for maps to be randomly generated and/or a more user friendly map editor. (Hopefully the developers can glance over the map editors from Heroes_III and AgeofWonders:ShadowMagic for ideas)

Also I'm praying the arena death match gets improved where human players can consider it worthy enough to send someone. Currently the prize is not worth risking the life of a good or even average commander.

Re: has the AI been upgraded?
 

There is another disadvantage of single player dominions 2:
You do to many turns in a row. The fun thing with multiplayer is that you are eager to do the next turn because you have to wait for it. It makes every turn special.

Re: has the AI been upgraded?
 

On the other hand, when you have to wait for a really long time for your turn, you forget what happened so far and what you have planned for the next turn.