[geoschmo]

I think some people generally think that this kind of programming then it easier then it really is.

Consider for example the programming needed to create a quality chess playing AI program. There you have a game with a much simpiler rule set. Two players, 16 pieces of only 5 different kinds on an 8 by 8 grid. Most pieces have only 2 or 3 rules determining everything they are capable of doing in the game. Seems like it would be easy no? In fact programmers thought it would be easy. But it took decades of work by hundreds if not thousands of programmers world wide to come up with a program capable of beating even a moderatly skilled player. It was only in the Last few years that one could defeat the best players, and even now it doesn't beat them every time.

Se4 by comparison is much more complex. Exponentially more variables, just in the stock game, not even taking into consideration what can be done with mods. It's not suprising that the AI is much more difficult to program. It's actually suprising that it's as decent as it is.

It's no suprise that the game industry has gone towards real time strategy. With real time strategy it's much easier to give a human player a tough game because humans can't think as fast as computers can. This does wonders for masking repetative or illogical behavior by the AI. With a turn based strategy game the human player can think about their moves as long as they want before comitting to them. Remeber, computers, even the big ones, aren't smarter then humans, just faster. Make them wait on us the computer doesn't stand a real chance then.

Geoschmo

[ December 21, 2003, 23:37: Message edited by: geoschmo ]