Any AI mods to make it more challenging?

[Alneyan]

I will be thinking about that AI Pretender idea. A couple of better Pretenders for the AI may also be needed, but that would depend on checking what the AI is good at with her Pretender. For example, a few tests seem to show the AI doesn't use Pretenders in battles, even with an army to back them. But I would expect the AI to use their Pretenders for research at least, where a bonus would likely be welcomed. And so on.

The biggest problem when dealing with the AI is indeed to make it clever rather than powerful. There are not so many ways of making a clever AI for the Users of Dominions, but powerful AIs are very, very easy to make. Since AIs with unbelievable bonuses are unlikely going to be fun, the goal is to strike a balance between "lack of cleverness" and "bonuses to compensate for said lack of cleverness". But I am digressing.

Incidentally, does anyone know of a way to fully spy on the AI? The best I can do is cast a free Eyes of God spell, and put as many Astral Windows on the map as possible (giving yourself a *slightly* increased astral gem income helps obviously; these Astral Windows do not Last long enough otherwise). All these spells are cast by free Mystics, who can in turn summon other Astral mages, and so I can watch an AI play without too much problem.

However, it doesn't tell me how the AI uses her commanders/research, and so my information is still not too accuracte. Is there a better way to spy on the AI, and is it actually useful to know more about how the AI plays?

[Gandalf Parker]

Alneyan said:
However, it doesn't tell me how the AI uses her commanders/research, and so my information is still not too accuracte. Is there a better way to spy on the AI, and is it actually useful to know more about how the AI plays?

The devs have ways but have not informed us.

The closest you can get is to set the parameters the way you want and put the game into a hosting loop for about 50 turns.

From your points Im thinking that there might need to be more than one set of gods. Some people totally play beserker SC head-2-head combat. They might want SC gods. And others might prefer to play nation-vs-nation and would rather have reasonable support-role pretenders.
Might be worth doing a poll.

[NTJedi]

I have some positive feelings the next patch will be excellent too.

[Arralen]

Alneyan said:
I will be thinking about that AI Pretender idea. A couple of better Pretenders for the AI may also be needed, but that would depend on checking what the AI is good at with her Pretender. For example, a few tests seem to show the AI doesn't use Pretenders in battles, even with an army to back them. But I would expect the AI to use their Pretenders for research at least, where a bonus would likely be welcomed.

.

In a current game (Karan,turn80, very difficult research, 1player, 11 Ai, 4 of them already extinct), the "Father of Serpents" and the "Scorpion King" from the above list are showing up in battles since around turn 40. Sadly, the AI managed to kill both multiple times ...

In another game, I'm 67% shure I have seen a Ghost King go sitesearching ... . Definitly the AI uses human rainbow pretenders for research (you can see this from the research graph).

Incidentally, does anyone know of a way to fully spy on the AI? ... Is there a better way to spy on the AI, and is it actually useful to know more about how the AI plays?

I think the devs have a "debugging Version" of the game, which spits out lots of information which players shouldn't get (easily). I doubt they'll make it accessable to anyone of us

[deccan]

Alneyan said:
For example, a few tests seem to show the AI doesn't use Pretenders in battles, even with an army to back them.

Eh, I've seen AIs use Pretenders in battle. If anything, they seem too willing to throw their pretenders into battle against impossible odds and get all sorts of afflictions.

[Alneyan]

You were lucky then, or I was facing a pretty craven AI myself. Marignon and Caelum did not send in their Pretenders when I watched them, though they were quite eager to send mercenaries against impossible odds (ten pirates against as many knights and supporting units, I take your bets).

I am currently toying with the notion of putting five hundred clams in a corner of the map, and/or a few provinces with the Scrying magic sites. It should do the trick of watching all the moves of the AI, with the Eyes of the God thrown in for good measure.