Something that needs redoing

[NTJedi]

Kristoffer O said:

Fortunately the new project is of another kind, and the need for a strategically powerful AI is limited.

Whether the game is an RPG, RTS, FPS, or TBS there are complaints about the AI. What has worked the best is providing gamers the ability to change/improve the AI by modifying the AI via scripts.

Some moddable AI is available for recent games such as Neverwinter Nights(RPG) and for older games such as Warcraft_2(RTS)... both were successful and provided great new gameplay. I believe Age_of_Empires_2 also had some moddable AI options. I cannot stress enough what a huge success this provided for Neverwinter Nights.


Hence anytime someone complains about the AI, the developers and community can respond with either try some of the optional personalities created by the community OR go improve the AI yourself via the scripting commands.

[Tuidjy]

I would love to try my hand at the tactical AI. But unless a game has been
designed for AI moding since day zero, it is unlikely that anything can be
done without full access to the code, and I bet no one but maybe Edi would
be allowed that.

By the way, half decent AI would probably multiply the hosting time by ten.
Some people would not mind. Some would.

[HoneyBadger]

I'm hoping for Dominions in Space [img]/threads/images/Graemlins/icon27.gif[/img]

[Edi]

Tuidjy said:
I would love to try my hand at the tactical AI. But unless a game has been
designed for AI moding since day zero, it is unlikely that anything can be
done without full access to the code, and I bet no one but maybe Edi would
be allowed that.

By the way, half decent AI would probably multiply the hosting time by ten.
Some people would not mind. Some would.

You have a higher opinion and expectation of what I would be allowed than I do myself. Dominions is Johan and Kristoffer's creation and they are rather damned protective and jealous of it and with good reason. The descriptions are the only thing I have gotten my hands on because typo fixes are easier to just enter into the description files than do it any other way. The only other code I might possibly see is the part related to events and that only for the purposes of typo-fixing event messages and dire portent messages, because those are in separate files from the unit, nation, item and spell descriptions. I do not need any more access than that nor do I have a particular desire to have any more.

I did see the code for the magic sites for Dominions 2, which is what allowed the magic site portion of the DB to be created as accurately as it was. I have not seen the same code for Dom3, but the efforts of DrPraetorious and EricM have ensured that the same accuracy continues in that regard.

It would be interesting from a curiosity perspective to see the entire code and briefly look it over before deleting the lot just to see the scope of Dominions, but it will be a cold day in hell (mind you, the home of the Frost Fiends and Ice Devils does not count here) before that happens and it's good that things are that way.

Even if I did have access to the full source code, it would do no good, since I'm not a programmer. I can read code and even (maybe) understand in general terms what is going on, but no programmer in his right mind wants me to even attempt to touch it. Death, havoc, mayhem, destruction and catastrophe would be sure to follow.

Seriously, besides languages, my strength is managing data and documenting things. The Dom3 DB, the Bug Shortlist, the FAQ and the Unofficial Reorganized Mod Manual are all manifestations of that. But actual coding or debugging code (such as interpreting the debug logs) or any such activity is outside my area of expertise. You want your data organized and collated or a manual written, I'm your man. You want your code screwed up beyond all recognition, that too. But developing code, no way.

[Aezeal]

So he's not working on the AI...

Well.. then he should get his priorities straight and start on the AI ASAP shouldn't he.

Because I say so!

[capnq]

NTJedi said: Whether the game is an RPG, RTS, FPS, or TBS there are complaints about the AI. What has worked the best is providing gamers the ability to change/improve the AI by modifying the AI via scripts.

Some moddable AI is available for recent games such as Neverwinter Nights(RPG) and for older games such as Warcraft_2(RTS)... both were successful and provided great new gameplay. I believe Age_of_Empires_2 also had some moddable AI options.

Also Space Empires IV and V.