Going from Normal AI to Impossible AI...

[NTJedi]

quantum_mechani said:
Supplies really are a problem... but just not taking death is not really enough to save them, AI games should be with maxed supplies anyway.

As far as the misfortune thing, it can skrew particular AI nations, but it doesn't seem all that common.

Yes maxed out supplies are necessary for SP games, unless you're playing against only LA ERMOR... maybe EA ARGATHA wouldn't suffer as much as other nations. Most AI nations needs a growth scale to survive late game.

Depending on the nation it might be able to stomach misfortune 3. Ideally all positive scales work best for an AI nation. The magic paths for the pretender would be useful if the AI knew how to have priests travel with sacred units and stand near them.

[Ming]

I think the map used and whether score graphs are enabled are just as important as the difficulty level. The AI cannot judge the relative strategic importance of corner and border provinces and need a wrap-around map to be more competitive. For reasons discussed elsewhere in this Forum, turning on score graphs makes the game more challenging in the more difficult settings as the AI mistakenly see you as weak and will gang up on you.

I find the "Desert Eye" map with score graphs enabled and 12 impossible AIs to be the most challenging setting in SP(without going into any programming - as I cannot even do the simplest). The only problem is that starting positions vary in desirability a lot and one could get rather lucky or unlucky with the Desert Eye map, as the case may be.

Would be interested if anyone know of other wrap-around maps that is challenging to play in SP but with more uniform starting positions.

[Renojustin]

Wouldn't it be relatively easy to upgrade the AI to the point where it could use sacreds, scales, and supplies, everything really, in a far better fashion? I don't think SP Dominions gets enough love currently.

[thejeff]

AI behavior actually depends on the score graphs being on?

I know it's likely to attack if it thinks you are weak, based largely on army size, not quality, but I had always thought it got that information independent of the graphs being on or off.

[Endoperez]

thejeff said:
AI behavior actually depends on the score graphs being on?

I know it's likely to attack if it thinks you are weak, based largely on army size, not quality, but I had always thought it got that information independent of the graphs being on or off.

Me too?

Renojustin said:
Wouldn't it be relatively easy to upgrade the AI to the point where it could use sacreds, scales, and supplies, everything really, in a far better fashion? I don't think SP Dominions gets enough love currently.

Can you do it? At least theoretically? Unless you can, it isn't as easy as you think it is.

[Ming]

Maybe I am wrong, but I certainly found that I got ganged up on by the AI more often when I have the score graph on - in my last game 4 AI's declared war on me in year one (fortunately one was not my neighbour) and by year three I am fighting 7. that is 7 out of 10 as two have been eliminated by other AI's ( I have been unable to eliminate any of my opponents for a variety of reasons although three have been reduced to 1-3 provinces). This has never happened in my dozen SP games with score graph off. I sometimes get by without being attacked by more than one AI in year one with score graph off but with score graph on I usually get attacked by 2 AI's before year 1 is over.

Maybe it is just small sample variance. Could someone give a definite answer to this?

[MaxWilson]

I also did not think the AI needed the score graphs. I suppose I can try playing some more without the graphs and see if there's a perceived difference--although buying decent PD also keeps the AI off your back and I don't think that shows up in score graphs.

Endoperez said:

Can you do it? At least theoretically? Unless you can, it isn't as easy as you think it is.

Bear in mind that the "upgrade" has to be smart enough to work with modded units and nations, too. It can't be a bunch of special-casing like "If you're Mictlan, send a priest to bless F9W9 jags but if you're Marverni don't bother blessing your Boar Warriors." You'd need to either *always* bless blessable troops (I actually think that would be a pretty decent fix) or figure out a way to evaluate when it's worth it.

-Max

[Loren]

Renojustin said:
Wouldn't it be relatively easy to upgrade the AI to the point where it could use sacreds, scales, and supplies, everything really, in a far better fashion? I don't think SP Dominions gets enough love currently.

Yeah--I've taken multiple air-breathing items off the AI in a current game. There are no water races in the game!

[NTJedi]

Loren said:

Yeah--I've taken multiple air-breathing items off the AI in a current game. There are no water races in the game!

I would be happy to organize a complete shortlist of AI improvements, if KO and JK have an interest for improving the AI.

[Gandalf Parker]

Well I know that I have asked for such a list so that the modders and mappers could improve things. But it would tend to be a very different list.

For KO/JK the AI is linear in one section of code. It tends to operate in general rules without alot of "if" code. So it would be something like purchase infantry before cavalry instead of specifying IF Ulm then purchase specific unit before other specific unit. Or consider xxxxxx spell better than xxxxxx spell but not IF pythium or lines like not to cast xxxx spell on xxxxxx specific unit.

But for modding and mapping purposes the specific failures of specific nations can be addressed. Such as the fact that Mictlan tends to kill itself off early in solo games by not providing for its own dominion can be fixed by setting specific pretenders and specific scales.