AI - The Artificial Idiot

[Kref]

2 Calahan:
How do you work on AI mod? I've read "modding.pdf" and didn't found anything that can improve AI, except the low-applyable methods like used in mod that raise resource costs of independents.

[Gandalf Parker]

@Kref:
I agree with what you say. There are many MP games on all 3 of the large servers. And more in games on peoples on machines. But Im one of those people that doesnt think the MP outnumbers the Soloers.

As one of the main server testers for the game I often requested that anything removed for speed of hosting be set aside to make available with a game switch on the command line. Because servers (mostly MP games) dont tend to care how long the game takes to host a turn. Unfortunately we didnt get that.

BUT part of the problem is in the AI itself. Its linear and general. If you turn on debug and read the log it takes up quite abit of its time. And most improvements tend to be in trying to make it less general. Once you start that it gets pretty involved. There are way too many nations, units, strategies in this game to start trying to take them into account for every action

As to modding the AI the only thing available to us is to try and remove things we feel the AI doesnt use well, and boost things that it does

[Fantomen]

Originally Posted by Kref

2 Calahan:
How do you work on AI mod? I've read "modding.pdf" and didn't found anything that can improve AI, except the low-applyable methods like used in mod that raise resource costs of independents.

Calahan is altering spells in a way that keeps their effects intact, but makes them more or less attractive to the AI. For example using nextspell commands to hide effects from the AI so it thinks the spells doesn't do anything.

This way it is possible to limit the amount of spells the AI chooses from to those that are the most generally useful. The result being a much more effective AI in practice.

Initial tests have been quite successful as I understood it, I believe we can expect this mod to become very popular when finished.