Re: Dominions 2. AI. Suggestions, that how to fix it.
 

Mmmmmmmm I've seen many AI priests...so this can't be a problem. The other mentioned things on your 'list' are very valid however.

Re: Dominions 2. AI. Suggestions, that how to fix it.
 

Tactical AI note:
It would be rather helpful if mages would refrain from casting damaging-aura spells (notably Breath of Winter and Soul Vortex) if next to non-immune friendlies. A Jade Emperor of mine chose to kill his Celestial Master prophet that way; what's worse was that it had absolutely no point, because the enemy had no mages, fliers or summoning-items and never even got close to getting past my front line, let alone near the pretender.

(Variation: As R'lyeh, once one of my Sea Kings (whom I'd deliberately put waaay back to avoid this problem) cast Breath of Winter and then ran to be next to my non-cold-immune Starspawn. This again had no particular purpose.)

[ November 24, 2003, 20:57: Message edited by: Taqwus ]

Re: Dominions 2. AI. Suggestions, that how to fix it.
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Hehe, I've seen mistakes like that! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif
I think there are lot more problems with the AI mages, since the AI is not builsing too many mages/wizards/etc.
Just a lill comprasion: The AI builds lot more priests, than mages!

Re: Dominions 2. AI. Suggestions, that how to fix it.
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">A Jade Emperor with Death magic? Where do you ppl get those design points? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif

Yes, i hate when this happens. This is why i spread my mages. The mages also seem o be way too happy of casting Fire/Astral/Air Shield and other self-buff spells.

Re: Dominions 2. AI. Suggestions, that how to fix it.
 

To clarify, the Jade Emperor didn't have death magic, if memory serves; he used only Breath of Winter. Soul Vortex I mentioned because of its similar "hurt those nearby" effect.
'course, the same could hold for certain battle summons, hm -- notably fire elementals for their heat-radiating effect. That's somewhat more controllable, 'tho, as even the lesser elementals require gems now.

Re: Dominions 2. AI. Suggestions, that how to fix it.
 

Another AI tactical glitch...

It was the penultimate battle between Marignon (me) and Pythum (him). I caught his main army to smash it so that I could freely seige his home province.

Pythum had 2 Hydras and 5-6 (I forget exactly) baby Hydrai. He also had about 100 assorted infantry and 5 or 6 commanders (not real important). He set the Hydrai in the front center of the battle with attack closest (I assume, cuz that's what they did), and the rest of his hoard of infantry about 2 turns movement behind the hydrai (also with attack closest apparently). So what happened?

Yep the Hydrai charged forward to be met by my summer lions and a few pikeneers, they proceeded to poison gas a large area though which... his infantry proceeded to rush though... by the time his infantry met up with my knights and support infantry they were completly poisoned and died veeeeery quickly. I took some poison casualties as well, but heck, he could have beaten me if he could have kept his infantry from getting shredded by 'friendly gas'.

I also saw Arco but chariots *behind* infantry, only to have the chariots rush maddly through the infantry taking down ~25% of them before they even met my forces (yeah I like to sit back and let my xbows and falling fires take their toll http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif )

Re: Dominions 2. AI. Suggestions, that how to fix it.
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">So if hydras, elephants, chariots, mammoths, behemoths, and summons larger than size 2... were all considered Big_Units...

Where would you place them?
What orders would you give them?
How would you change your other formats?
Would you do this all the time or have it be an occassional option?

Re: Dominions 2. AI. Suggestions, that how to fix it.
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">So if hydras, elephants, chariots, mammoths, behemoths, and summons larger than size 2... were all considered Big_Units...

Where would you place them?
What orders would you give them?
How would you change your other formats?
Would you do this all the time or have it be an occassional option? </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">On the flanks, with attack rearmost. Or in the center on attack closest while everybody else (including commanders) is placed on the flanks. Not ideal solutions, but slightly better than the described ones.

Re: Dominions 2. AI. Suggestions, that how to fix it.
 

Chariots, Elephants, Mammoths you would put in the largest Squad with the best Morale and have them shore up the center if they have lower morale.

Hydra's you are just screwed, have them attack archers or rear while putting them quite far on your flank so they have a chance of not running into the main host and actually not killing half your army.

Behemoths with no morale issue on a flank. Others have other orders http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Dominions 2. AI. Suggestions, that how to fix it.
 

I think the AI's quite difficult...in fact I think I'm going to have to start playing normal AI now. The problem is I like to play games with multiple players, but I'm no match for 3 ai at one time, and inevitably in every game every ai adjacent to me declares war within a few turns, and then cooperate to take over every province I don't have a large army in. There really isn't much I can do at this point...anything I take I lose the turn I move out and trying to take their capitals is complicated by their ultra high level mage pretenders that can defeat whole armies.

Either that or one ai gains in strength and refuses to get weaker even when turn after turn I kill hundreds of his troops at no cost to myself. Ulm did that in one game...I attack a province or two of his, killing hundreds of defenders, and more just flood in and take the province I moved from.