Atten Devs: AI (Rules-based dynamic scripting?)

MaxWilson · #1 March 14th, 2007, 05:47 PM

By the way, how much AI programming can you do with the mod commands?

-Max

Gandalf Parker · #2 March 14th, 2007, 06:10 PM

You cant really change how the AI thinks. But with map commands you can build an AI nation that makes better use of the AI brain.

With mod commands you can change just about everything. Remove units and spells you feel its using too much, patch weak points that are too well known and abused by players, etc etc.

Its not really a bad AI (IMHO) but the random generation when it sets up a nation makes it rare that you get one where the setting choices match that nations best abilities. Manually making an AI would tend to work better.

NTJedi · #3 March 19th, 2007, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Gandalf Parker said:
You cant really change how the AI thinks. But with map commands you can build an AI nation that makes better use of the AI brain.

One really strong benefit within Dominions_2 was the #startspell command where a non-blood nation could be given two or three specific blood spells, a powerful non_moving blood caster and a few magic sites with blood income. As a result you'd be pleasantly surprised from a stronger AI opponent.

UNFORTUNATELY... in Dominions_3 the #startspell command is broken because it only works for ONE turn!! Based on the progress things are getting fixed it looks like my favorite map command will remain broken in Dominions_3.

Gandalf Parker · #4 March 19th, 2007, 06:26 PM

Probably yes. Broken commands in the game tend to stay broken. Its taken me literally years to get some fixed.

JayThomas · #5 March 14th, 2007, 07:00 PM

This is a very interesting point. Perhaps, instead of selecting AI in game set-up, a human is selected and a script would generate a turn using the ftherlnd file, if that file contains data the AI could use.

Just thinking out loud.

Gandalf Parker · #6 March 14th, 2007, 07:25 PM

Making the fatherland formating available in general would create a situation for cheating.

But if the game shifted to a fatherland for each nation then it might work.

MaxWilson · #7 March 14th, 2007, 07:59 PM

Gandalf,

I thought that in MP only the host has the ftherlnd file. Are you thinking of cheating by the host? Depending on how much information is in .trn files I can see how cheating could be an issue (it could let you observe battles you have no way of knowing about, or see the distribution of forces across enemy empires), but I didn't think that sort of information wound up in .trn files.

How much is actually known about what resides in each file?

-Max

JayThomas · #8 March 14th, 2007, 08:09 PM

In SP, the .trn, .2h and ftherldn files are all in the save game directory.

Gandalf Parker · #9 March 14th, 2007, 08:11 PM

The fatherland does exist only on host. But at this time even the host does not have that level of access to the games. It might not be a problem but it would be a nasty one-way trip if it turned out to be one. Actually, the level of info available by the debug command concerns me enough as things are now.

The internal formats are rarely discussed.

If the faatherland was broken up by players or created seprately for the AI then it could be accessed seperatly without knowing everything about everyone. That would probably be best anyway since it would allow for creating a view of teh world that includes only what the AI has "seen".

llamabeast · #10 March 14th, 2007, 08:31 PM

Surely the trn file has everything an AI might need in order to play its turn, in the same way that it has everything a human needs to play its turn.

What Max needs to know, if I understand correctly, is if anyone knows what the format of the trn and 2h files is (the AI would need to create 2h files). I have no idea, but I presume the answer is that no one knows the formats. It's not obvious that there should be any problem with releasing them, though.