Dominions 2. AI. Suggestions, that how to fix it.

[licker]

Originally posted by Gandalf Parker:

quote:

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originally posted by licker
I don't see why this wouldn't work for Dom as well. You'd have a list of commander types (maybe also broken down into magic types for different mages) and a list of unit types (classes rather than specific units so indies fit in). Then a weight is assigned to each type, a crude example for just infantry could be:
LI: 25%
MI: 50%
HI: 25%
So the AI would look at its current army and see that it had only 10% LI, then it would build more LI to get the ratios set. Something like that should be made external so that modders can tweek away to their hearts content. In fact you can use lists like that to control many aspects of AI choices, you can do it for magic, artificing, recruiting, summoning, ... and have master matricies to control the embedded ones...

Seems simple and workable. On the other hand, lets pick one race and try to write it all out. Ulm should be simplest. It has a cheap and expensive Version of each of its units which is nice. But I suspect that anything we come up with to "fix" this will amount to fixing it for the indep 2 games people are playing (fast player conflict) and will need fixing again for 4, 6, 8. Then for levels of magic research, and levels of resources, etc. Im thinking that this level of "thinking" might end up being equal in size to the game now (Ive run into this problem before).

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I don't know if its as large of a task as you make it out to be

There would be a series of matricies, and it would be a bear to optimize them, but if they are moddable... then we can count on the relentless fans tweeking their fav nations to get them to be kick *** wicked

As to the differences in game settings... I agree completely that these need to be factored in, but I don't think its that hard to do. You have a matrix for the game settings with 'correction' values to the national matricies. Or you may have a game setting matrix for each nation (though some nations are similar enough...).

What I think we would find if we did this is that there are indeed preferable units for nearly all situations, especailly when we are dealing with shades of grey in Ulm Infantry, in fact this would give the AI a boost as it wouldn't be tempted to use inferior units (slight though the difference is) as a human would be.

I'd still like to hear from the devs is such a system is at all possible before I devote any more time to specifics. Though if others want to take a nations unit roster and break it down go for it. Remember that the %s should differ depending on what the goal of the nation is (magic, might, dominion, ...) also modified by the available richness of provinces, income, ... its alot of tables, or inputs, but its not that hard to do (I think )