Good game, but....the AI is very bad.

[proteus]

The HoMM3 AI is not cheating for example, and I cant tell you with words how good it is.
Try it and you will see.

Kristoffer or any other devs...can you tell us the content of the next patch?
What is what you are going to add/fix?
If I am correct we still wont have AI improvements, that wasnt hard to figure out, eh.
If not now, with the second patch from now, please try to improve the AI, and solve the problems step by step.

[Kristoffer O]

Originally posted by proteus:
A dev comment that it might be fixed...however they cannot guarantee it after lot of months..made me pissed.
So sorry for the tone of my Posts, but that made me very angry.

Perhaps all the pointless complaining made us pissed.

There was some constructive AI discussions recently that made me interested, but I'm quickly loosing interest. Right now I'm more interested in doing something I am feeling positive about like improving Pangaean themes or finishing the Shepherds of Creation scenario, or for that matter work at school.

The reason I do not say that there will not be an AI improvement is because we also feel that the AI should be improved.

[Graeme Dice]

Originally posted by proteus:
In dominions 2. I win all games against 1-8 comps on all settings.
This tells about everything.

Actually, that tells us nothing, since you aren't discussing the nation you are playing, any of the game settings, which map you're using, and which opponents you've selected.

[Kristoffer O]

Originally posted by proteus:
The HoMM3 AI is not cheating for example, and I cant tell you with words how good it is.
Try it and you will see.

Kristoffer or any other devs...can you tell us the content of the next patch?
What is what you are going to add/fix?
If I am correct we still wont have AI improvements, that wasnt hard to figure out, eh.
If not now, with the second patch from now, please try to improve the AI, and solve the problems step by step.

No AI improvenents as of now, but a couple of balance changes that has been topics lately. Can't remember exactly.

[PrinzMegaherz]

This discussion is pointless.

The AI is as good as can be expected from a 2 man team. And I surely would not say that it is that bad. It is definitly a match for new players, and if I want a very challenging game then I play Mictlan (the nation I suck most with) against difficult Ermor.

The main problem with doing the AI is the following: You have to work out solutions for every possible situation, even those you have never encountered yourself, or situations where you actually don't know what to do. This might be fairly easy by such a simple game as heroes of might and magic, where you can calculate your decission down to a few parameters... however dominions 2 is so much more complicated with so many aspects to consider that the devs would surely need another ten years or so to code every smart solution.

What Illwinter actually did, very smart in my oppinion, is to take advantage of the computers strengths. Even today people discuss about the perfect army, the perfect strategy, and there is so much knowledge around here the AI could never match. Instead the AI uses some options that nearly every human would be too lazy to employ: It does the maximal recruitment possible out of every province and assemble huge armies.
Indeed, in most of my SP games and MP games involving AIs, they will leave everyone far behind in sheer numbers. Even tough their armies might not be the best designed, they are still a threat nontheless (in my current MP game, one of the more peacefull but most powerfull players dropped from the game. When the AI took over, its onslaught nearly brought 3 of his neighboring empires to its knees.

Imho the dominions 2 AI is comparable to that of Warcraft 3. Demanding at first, its not a match for an professional player.

[Gandalf Parker]

Originally posted by proteus:
The HoMM3 AI is not cheating for example, and I cant tell you with words how good it is.
Try it and you will see.

Ive played HoMM3 and you are correct. But its on a far less level of problem. Less units, less equip, less unit commands. But thats OK I can see the point.

The AI for Dom2 can be improved, has been improved, but will never be improved enough to not have these kinds of threads. If we get it to build LI at a level which works better for some nations then it will cause problems for others. If we get it to stop casting certain spells, or cast some more, or build sensible equip, or... well you see where its headed. There will always be more AI problems in a game like this one.

Kristoffer or any other devs...can you tell us the content of the next patch?
What is what you are going to add/fix?
If I am correct we still wont have AI improvements, that wasnt hard to figure out, eh.

Against my better judgement (as if that mattered) it appears that some responses to other loud threads here are getting addressed. But it does make sense that its multiplayer things that are loudly being proclaimed "broken".

And also a request of mine looks like its getting added (dont get mad Ive been requesting longer than you have)

If not now, with the second patch from now, please try to improve the AI, and solve the problems step by step.

He mentioned that a couple of threads had generated interest. Threads where Users discussed fixes and seemed willing to test them.

[Gandalf Parker]

Originally posted by Vynd:
I like Dom II a lot, and I think that SP is fun. But difficult? No. Would I like to see the SP AI improved? Yes! Do I think its going to happen? No. But do proteus and his brother and whoever else have the right to complain about it? Heck yeah!

Well I was with you right up to the end. As far as their right to complain, ok. Doesnt that mean others have a right to say "shut up" if its hurting our chances of getting the AI fixed?

And actually I wouldnt use "right to complain" too often on a board that is owned by someone and provided for a specific reason. Doing damage to the reason can wash those "rights" away fast. This isnt usenet newsGroups.

[ May 09, 2004, 01:41: Message edited by: Gandalf Parker ]