AI nation skills

Zeldor · #1 October 21st, 2007, 05:58 PM

I've played that game many games already and what I noticed is that AI handles some nations much better than others. Did you observe that too? If it's common I think it should be addressed in a patch, I don't like getting same nations getting strong every time and some other disappearing even faster.

I have played mainly MA against difficult AI, so if you have any observations write that age and difficulty.

MA:

Nations that are extremely strong, always:
Ermor [huge armies, huge numbers of castles]
Pangea [rapid expansion, huge armies]
Oceania [unless it meets R'lyeh]

Above average nations [that most often are stronger than average with some unlucky moments]:
Mictlan
Pythium
Jotunheim

Very weak nations:
Bandar Log [huge research, dies very fast, huge problems with fighting indies]
Caelum [dies fast]

I play TC most of the time so I don't know about their performance...

sum1lost · #2 October 21st, 2007, 06:11 PM

It has to do with the amount of rubbish units that the AI has available to buy/obtain, I've found. The AI is also rather solid with MA and LA agartha, oddly enough- if it has enough resources. I think that this might be because these nations have no real chaff recruitables (similarly to pythium...)

Edi · #3 October 21st, 2007, 06:13 PM

In the EA the AI always does well with the glamour nations (Vanheim, Helheim, Tir na n'Og), Ermor and Ulm. It also gets decent mileage out of Yomi and sometimes Pangaea. Depends a lot on what scales it picks, misfortune 3 tends to slow it down a lot.

Zeldor · #4 October 21st, 2007, 07:10 PM

AI should really be able to adjust pretenders and scales to the map size.

Fate · #5 October 21st, 2007, 08:26 PM

in so far as it picks randomly, that would be nice. Anything is better than random.

Sombre · #6 October 21st, 2007, 11:21 PM

In terms of vanilla balanced mod nations the AI is surprisingly strong with Arga Dis. It gave me fits just by cramming huge numbers of Argan Hoplites down my throat early on.

NTJedi · #7 October 22nd, 2007, 02:27 AM

One of the greatest benefits an AI can receive is an order_3 and productivity_3. It's gold income increases per difficulty level and an order_3 can really make it powerful. I've seen and felt the difference.

To better understand which AI nations are the strongest each would have to be given identical scales with identical pretenders of small size on the most balanced map which can be found. The human player can provide himself two separate provinces with no neighbors, high astral mage pretender at start to cast eyes of god. Rotate starting positions and record results after 100 turns.
**Water nations should be tested separately since most AI land nations lack the knowledge for attacking water provinces.**

Chaos_3 and Unluck_3 really make a weak AI, Death_3 weakens the AI long term.

Meglobob · #8 October 22nd, 2007, 04:12 AM

Its probably not worth having EA or LA Mictlan in a SP game. It usually dies of dominion death because the AI does not use the perform blood sacrifice order.

MA Mictlan does not have this problem as the Lawgiver banned blood magic in MA.

When you can defeat impossible level there are various things you can do to increase the challenge even more, but MP is where the real challenge is.

Ming · #9 October 22nd, 2007, 07:13 AM

Meglobob?

I don't have time for MP. How can one increase the challenge beyond impossible AI in a sensible way ie. still fun to play? Thank in advance.

Edratman · #10 October 22nd, 2007, 07:34 AM

Quote:

Ming said:
Meglobob?

I don't have time for MP. How can one increase the challenge beyond impossible AI in a sensible way ie. still fun to play? Thank in advance.

There are 2 ways to do this that I know:

1. Create pretenders for the AI and start game with all factions human. One thing to watch in this is bless pretenders, because the AI does not use bless well. Better to use good scales and rainbow pretenders. Immobile AI pretenders might be the best choice, but that is subject to debate.
2. Edit a map file. This takes longer, but has definite advantages. You would place each AI in a province, and make AI pretenders and scales that are much more positive for the AI than the game allows. Make sure you than select "Cheat detection off". You can even give the AI fully outfitted SC pretenders. Also set all AI nations as allies so they will only attack you. If you do this and play on "impossible", you will have to be a top notch superior player to win. (I have found that I am not.)

3. Set indy strength to 3 or less. This will let the AI expand very quickly with the obvious benefits.