What causes the AI to just die and stop expanding?

Calahan · #1 June 18th, 2009, 08:54 AM

A 'Defensive AI' could also be playing a part. Played SP games for over a year before playing MP games, and altered the settings enough to know that 'Defensive' 'Standard' 'Aggressive' AI does have an affect on how the AI plays (as it should do).

Although going nowhere for 100+ turns does seem very odd for any AI setting.

Loren · #2 June 18th, 2009, 01:48 PM

Something I have noted on the AI's part at times: It gets into a war and expends all it's effort on it's opponent ignoring neutrals on another side.

Now, if it got into a war with someone on land that it couldn't attack it could get stuck.

I'm in a game against the AI now where I saw that with two empires. They both declared war on me and completely ignored a whole pile of neutrals. In one case I had deliberately left some of those neutrals alone so the AI would have an expansion path that didn't go through me as I didn't want to force a war while I was still expanding. It took the AI a few years to go around the mountain through the neutrals. (My army was mostly involved against the other AI and I was simply holding a chokepoint against the guy.)

iceboy · #3 June 18th, 2009, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Loren

Something I have noted on the AI's part at times: It gets into a war and expends all it's effort on it's opponent ignoring neutrals on another side.

Now, if it got into a war with someone on land that it couldn't attack it could get stuck.

I'm in a game against the AI now where I saw that with two empires. They both declared war on me and completely ignored a whole pile of neutrals. In one case I had deliberately left some of those neutrals alone so the AI would have an expansion path that didn't go through me as I didn't want to force a war while I was still expanding. It took the AI a few years to go around the mountain through the neutrals. (My army was mostly involved against the other AI and I was simply holding a chokepoint against the guy.)

Hmmm maybe I have seen this as well...

Arralen · #4 June 18th, 2009, 01:51 PM

Those are "Polypal Spawns", auto-spawned by "Polypal Mothers" ... which have 0 strategic movement ... so if they where generated into their mothers squad, they'll sit there foreever.

Strange, though, is one thing: the mothers have only leadership 10, therefore the majority of the spawns should end up elsewhere, but maybe there's a bug involved ... .

iceboy · #5 June 18th, 2009, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arralen

Those are "Polypal Spawns", auto-spawned by "Polypal Mothers" ... which have 0 strategic movement ... so if they where generated into their mothers squad, they'll sit there foreever.

Strange, though, is one thing: the mothers have only leadership 10, therefore the majority of the spawns should end up elsewhere, but maybe there's a bug involved ... .

Yep I think this must be it. It spawns all those troops but they cannot go anywhere. Then it probably just starves its capitol to death and cannot produce anything other than auto spawns. I definitely do think there is a bug somewhere here as I have seen this same situation before with EA Rlyeh many times...

iceboy · #6 June 18th, 2009, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Calahan

A 'Defensive AI' could also be playing a part. Played SP games for over a year before playing MP games, and altered the settings enough to know that 'Defensive' 'Standard' 'Aggressive' AI does have an affect on how the AI plays (as it should do).

Although going nowhere for 100+ turns does seem very odd for any AI setting.

Normally I would think this to but as you said it has been going on for way longer than any setting should...