Does the AI use creative tactics?

[Gandalph]

As I have seen the AI make "intelligent" attacks, attacking a non-defended planet instead of a defended planet for instance, I have to go with #2. I have also seen the AI heading for one of my planets and turn towards another because I just launched the 50 mines I had in storage. I truly believe the AI can see things the human player cannot, but since the AI is particularly stupid anyway, I have just accepted this as "the AI needs all the help it can get".

[Arkcon]

Originally posted by Rollo:
This is one area where the AI cheats. It can look at stuff (ship is being retrofitted or not, planetary defenses, etc.) that a human player cannot.

Rollo

edit (after seeing Geo's post): my money is on 2

Every so often it comes up that the AI might have an advantage in detecting targets -- I once tried to gain the advantage for myself by sending a fleet to a system and turning on the attack minister.

I forget what happened exactly -- either the fleet just sat there or flew across the galaxy to attack something else.

I just feel like guessing that it's an algoritim to determine what's likely on the planet based on size and population. And if the AI knocks over the soft target, it could just be coincidence.

Someone could build a map, with two moons, same distance from the warp point, one defended and one not, one enemy ship, and see what happens.

If I tried it, the ship would probably run away for resupply and the get scrapped

[Alpha Kodiak]

I tend to agree with Arkon. In all of my AI testing, I have never seen anything that would indicate that the AI makes use of any information to make an intelligent attack. Instead, I have all too often watched in helpless frustration as the AI ignores an obviously soft target and wanders around aimlessly with a large fleet until it finally withdraws for resupply. In the latest Versions, it has gotten better, but by no means have I seen anything close to "intelligent".

[Gandalph]

I decided to test this and spent the time necessary to create a map with only 2 systems, 1 planet in 1 and 2 planets in the other, then set them both to starting points, then saved the map and started a game with it. I used a transport to divide the population evenly between the 2 target planets, (after colonizing the second planet), then decided to test with different kinds of defenses, ie mines, WP's, fighters. To shorten the story, after everything was ready for the test, I turned on all Ministers for the attacking Empire and sent the recently built Dreadnought through the warp point to see what happened. Well, the minister sent the warship back to the planet and scrapped it. So, though we still don't know the answer to the question, it has definetively been proven that THE AI IS STUPID!!!!

[Ragnarok]

Originally posted by Gandalph:
THE AI IS STUPID!!!!

You mean you had to run that test to figure this out? *tisk tisk* We could've told you that without having to run tests man.

[Master Belisarius]

I go for the first option...
Sorry Rollo, but I'm with Mephisto and Alpha Kodiak: I think that sometimes the AI can do some "intelligent" actions, but really is not smart. In fact, I would prefer that the SE4 AI could cheat something and then, play better.

[Gandalph]

OK, I have completed this test. With all else equal, I put up a minefield on planet B and the AI attacked planet B and blew up, conclusion - AI cannot see mines. Next scenario, I put 5 small WP's on planet B, AI attacked and destroyed planet A. Next scenario, I put 25 fighters on planet B, AI attacked and destroyed planet B. Last scenario, I put 50 fighters on planet B, AI attacked and destroyed Planet A. Between scenarios, I wiped out previous defenses. From this, I conclude that the AI CAN see WP's and fighters and will avoid that planet if it does not think it can win.