"AI Balance" mod idea - feedback appreciated !

[Pocus]

alternatively light units should get a boost in defence... (taken from the thread speaking of LI and terrain)

[Tris]

Wouldn't the ideal AI feel like playing against a human? I know that the guys who write GalCiv upload game files from players, and adapt the AI to play more like the best players.

Perhaps an idea for Dom3, but still a nice one. You could adjust it's tendancy to build fortresses, what preference it had for fortress provinces, what spells it targetted for research based on nation/pretender - lots of things.

[Pocus]

mmmh, can we keep focused on what the players can do, without waiting for the devs, in improving the AI? A perfect AI ok, but in 2071 it will be a bit late.

So back to topic, I would goes as far as propose as the boosted AI dont consider resources as a limitation: all units cost only one resource, the limitation deriving from his gold income, and thats it. This way, the capitol would be enough to churns out tons of units, *if gold is here*. As I'm pretty confident the AI is not cute enough to understand that a light infantry (10 gold 1 res) is even more crappier in the new system compared to a HI (10 gold, 1 res), you can be sure we will still see plenty of light national units, threading with the usual hords of recruited independants.

[Gandalf Parker]

I agree. GalCiv has always popped up in AI conversations for years. But it was written around AI. I dont think we will be seeing that kindof improvment for years to come (besides Id rather see player scripting for AI)

I think before a mod discussion someone may need to test the AI abit. See if its build instructions are influenced by cost, or by position. Try turning the cost of mounted units for Man down to 5 gold and see if Man builds more of them. If not then try swapping the mounted and an infantry.

[PvK]

Ya testing should be done to determine how the AI chooses what to build. Then this mod could tweak the costs to suit. If it likes to build low resource troops, then reducing the national heavy troops' resources (and even raising the resource costs of national troops you don't want the AI to use much of) might do the trick.

Another idea for this mod: give the AI units or commanders some supply generation, to compensate for the AI's incompetence at preventing starvation.

PvK

[PDF]

Well, I agree that we first need some testing done to see how AI build is influenced.
Unfortunately there's no "easy" way to observe what the AI build, and comparing builds with/without costs change will be even more difficult... And frankly I won't have enough time for that

If IW could give us some hint at how AI chooses builds we could save lots of testing !

PvK,
Good idea about supply generation for AI commanders, will keep that in mind.