Poor AI

[Pnakotic]

quote:

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Originally posted by jc173:
Definately get the TDM modpack. It doesn't change the tech and or mess with any of the game's rules, but it does script the AI's to act more intelligently or efficiently...
...Get the modpack though, you'll see a big difference. I find that the Modpack Sergetti (Sp?), Rage, and XiChung to be very agressive and intelligent opponents.

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Unfortunately, the Modpack can't do anything to improve the underlying *hardcoded* problems with the AI in SEIV. The Modpack does a pretty good in making AI ship design and production more efficient. But the real showstopper is that the AI has very little idea of what it's doing or what it should be doing in a strategic sense (FYI, I'm not even talking about tactical combat - just the overall strategic play of the game). It really comes down to two main issues:

1) The AI has some very obvious problems when it comes to deciding what its goals are each turn. It tends to fortify starsystems with little to no strategic value while often leaving its important systems wide open for attack. SEIV AI really needs to be taught the "choke-point" concept, as well as how to tell the difference between important targets and unimportant targets. Coordinating the movements/attacks of ships and fleets is also something SEIV is fairly bad at. It mostly comes down to goal-setting; SEIV AI just tends to wander around without a plan

2) What happened Last turn? SEIV obviously doesn't know. If any code for turn-to-turn goal inheritance exists within SEIV, it sure isn't working. This apparently leaves the AI with the job of re-evaluating its goals each turn from scratch. SEIV has a lot of potential, but it's been a long time since I've seen a strategy game with AI that had so many problems coordinating and following through with attacks, goals and battle plans.

Basically, SEIV's AI seems to suffer from a combination of Attention Deficit Disorder and Amnesia. No mod is going to be able to fix that.

PS - Try not to take offense. I'm not trying to bash MM, SEIV or any of the fine modmakers out there. I'm just pointing out that the real problems are beyond the scope of any mod (even one as good as the Modpack--which I myself play SEIV with).

[jc173]

Oh I agree, the AI does seem to be very odd in the way it chooses to make strategic decisions. The lack of memory other than the anger rating also annoys me to no end also. What would be nice is if the ministers could be managed by an Uber minister which had some sort of memory of what has happened and what the intentions and long term goals fo the race were.

To be honest though I think it would be difficult to teach the AI what territory is important and what isn't because of changes that can be made with stellar manip. The other thing IMHO is that part of the reason the AI doesn't seem so smart is that SEIV is so open ended. It's relatively easy to design an AI to cope with a limited number of situations and scenarios, but to design one for a game in which almost anything can be changed has to be difficult at the very least. I guess it's a trade off of sorts. The AI is a passable opponent for me, I don't know maybe I'm more of a tactical person than a strategic one <G>. I find that I do have to handicap myself occasionally so as not to take unfair advantages, but I think that's the case with a fair amount of games out there... the players will always think of some off the wall sneaky tactic the designers never conceived of.

The way the AI is now makes it unpredictable. That may be the intended effect. You never know if a fleet passing through is going to warp onwards, return home, or attack. So far as defenses go, the AI defends with sats, WP, and bases - not fleets. I recall some very tough bases to crack made by the Cue Cappa and Phong. I also recall some Terran and Xichung planets that had far too many seeker WP for comfort...

[Sinapus]

quote:

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Originally posted by LCC:
The way the AI is now makes it unpredictable. That may be the intended effect. You never know if a fleet passing through is going to warp onwards, return home, or attack. So far as defenses go, the AI defends with sats, WP, and bases - not fleets. I recall some very tough bases to crack made by the Cue Cappa and Phong. I also recall some Terran and Xichung planets that had far too many seeker WP for comfort...

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Well, the AI can use improvement with weapon platforms as well. Something to make them jettison old designs and build new ones at least so you don't keep running into ones with CSM I's 100 turns into the game.

I must say I was pleasantly(?) surprised to find the Pyrochette race laying a rather large amount of mines (100+!) on a warp point bordering our systems. THAT was an improvement, and probably karmic retribution for me since I tend to use mines quite a bit.


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--
"What do -you- want?" "I'd like to live -just- long enough to be there when they cut off your head and stick it on a pike as a warning to the next ten generations that some favors come with too high a price. I would look up into your lifeless eyes and wave like this..." *waggle* "...can you and your associates arrange that for me, Mr. Morden?"

[This message has been edited by Sinapus (edited 13 June 2001).]

[Master Belisarius]

Yea, the AI is not bad laying mines (in fact, usually have not problems to determine the more dangerous warp points and full them with mines).
The problem with the AI is removing minefields. Some modders have included minesweepers into their attack ships as work-around, but I did not, because I like the cloaked Pyrochette ships... and the AI can't use the minesweepers with cloaked ships.