[Daynarr]

Originally posted by Nagot Gick Fel:
If the AI did actually sneak stealthy units, I expect some of them would be intercepted by my patrols eventually. Yet I've never seen it happen. OTOH I've seen lots of AI spies, assassins, etc. in standard battles.

You mean stealthy units = stealthy armies? If you are talking about armies I have seen Panganea on several occasions try to sneak an army to my home province (didn't see other nations though). As far as spies, assassins, black servants, etc. goes I use them often to mark target. So if you see a lot of them, why wonder if AI knows where to shoot?

No answer needed from the devs, I just ran a quick test to prove you wrong. Edited the Europa map, removed all #specstart except Pangaea which I relocated in Iceland. Added 10 Pandemoniacs to speed research up, and an air-4 Manticore pretender. Added a couple "BLasted Heath". Recruited the first non-mage merc available. Researched Conjuration 4 and Enchantment 4, then switched the nation to AI control. I did all this to make sure Pangaea could cast Call of the Wind/Wild and Seeking Arrow, while being unable to move outside its capital or to use Astral Projection.

My second test nation, Arco, was randomly placed on the other side of the map, in Aegyptus. One of the leaders here was pinned by a Seeking Arrow the very turn after I switched Pangaea to AI. Even if Pangaea had received a Stone Sphere as an event, it needed an extra turn to use it to locate Arco. QED. The AI knows where you are.

This is probably true (almost certainly since we can’t tell what info AI gets when you switch control in mid game) but that means that AI can see where to shoot those spells, not that he has all info about your troops, movements, or that he can declare war on you from other side of the map without spotting you with spies first. He could be using "cheat" info only in that aspect of the game. He doesn't appear to see everything judging by his actions (e.g. movement troops, directions of attack).
The thing is that we don't play same game and even if AI could see everything in Dom I things could have changed somewhat in Dom II. So, "no need to ask devs" statement seems a bit rushed. We are both guessing something they know.

[/qb]Now what's really funny is the AI seems to be fond of casting "The Eyes of God" - what a waste of gems ;-)[/QB]

Waste of eyes too.