Restricting AI death scale?

[rabelais]

Any way to do this?

I hate when the ai commits long term suicide.

Forcing a non-death scale on non-abysia/ermor seems like a good option. The jotuns are especially fond of a death scale, which given their supply issues is just horrid.

Besides which it makes their provs barely worth taking over after early game, assuming one has a stable dominion boundary.


Thanks for any thoughts,

Rabe

[Saber Cherry]

Well, I agree... I've mentioned it before. DT Ctis should be allowed a Death scale too (and any future theme with unholy priests). But otherwise, the AI gets more points than humans... and should never take a death scale, if only for supply reasons.

[Graeme Dice]

The AI should also be a bit more proactive in dispelling Burden of Time. I've had a single casting of the spell running for almost 40 turns as Soulgate Ermor, and Marignon has made no attempt to dispel it, even though they've got mages that can cast the army telporting spell. After running for that long, there's no real challenge left, as all the provinces have been decimated.

[NTJedi]

From what I've used with death magic... playing Ermor against the AI opponents makes for a real easy game. And Burden of Time makes the game way too easy. I would only play Ermor against multiple human opponents.

[Truper]

Burden of time cast by an ai opponent however, may be the only way for the ai to "win". This brings up a change from Dom1 to Dom2 that I think is for the worse, and that is the dispell mechanic. Having to research enchantment 5 to be prepared against burdensome globals is painful.

I very much agree that living ai should not take death scales.

[ December 15, 2003, 23:28: Message edited by: Truper ]

Originally posted by NTJedi:
From what I've used with death magic... playing Ermor against the AI opponents makes for a real easy game. And Burden of Time makes the game way too easy. I would only play Ermor against multiple human opponents.

Well if you won the game against the AI by just casting Burden of Time; then obviously you need to scale up your difficulty and AI opponents. I believe the issue is that the AI doesn't actively either Dispel or destroy the nation casting such a spell, or probably even knows of it's existance. It just calculates it's actions based on it's current army composition and province situation.

Ermor are not overpowering in MP by any degree though are very solid; but you do have to deal with them in a different manner than I feel the AI does. And it is often a misconception of Ermor SP players to treat MP opponents to AI, which causes their quick and ugly downfall.

[ December 15, 2003, 23:50: Message edited by: Zen ]

[Gandalf Parker]

Ive been trying to consider this from the other side. We have people saying that the AI doesnt play efficiently. In the case of gems that would usually mean that gems get used up as much as possible? There will always be disagreements on what should be done. Certain spells cast, using astrals to boost research, summonings.

Id say having astrals used to boost research is probably the easiest answer for all nations. Now someone casts burden of Time. The AI would have to decide to save up in order to expel it.

So every turn the AI should check for a global spell. If there is one then dont use astrals. When you have enough astrals then try a dispel.
All globals? A list of certain globals? How many astrals over the minimum should the AI gamble on an expel?

Most of the Pretenders the AI uses are usually well versed in Astral or favored commanders. So it would not be inconcievable for the AI to hoard gems (or better yet, store and alchemize upon need) in order to Dispel a powerful global. From what I see; if they are using their gem income, it's probably on empowerment.

Certain Globals I believe the AI should have an increasing chance per turn of it being effect to 'cheat' and know what it takes to Dispel and do what it takes to do it ASAP. Ones that come to mind are:

Illwinter (for any non-cold friendly nation)
Burden of Time (non-undead)
The Looming Hell
Gift of Nature's Bounty
Arcane Nexus
Thetis' Blessing (for water nations)
Wrath of the Sea (for anyone with more than 5 costal provinces)
Second Sun (for any non-heat friendly nation)
Utterdark (non-undead)
Well of Misery

Most should be self-explainatory. Other than that; the computer should try to dispel any gem producing Global as soon as it has a reasonable chance to do so.

[ December 16, 2003, 10:05: Message edited by: Zen ]

[NTJedi]

Originally posted by Zen:

Ermor are not overpowering in MP by any degree though are very solid; but you do have to deal with them in a different manner than I feel the AI does. And it is often a misconception of Ermor SP players to treat MP opponents to AI, which causes their quick and ugly downfall.

That's not what I said...
what I was saying was that playing Ermor against all computer opponents makes for an easy game.

Originally posted by NTJedi:
That's not what I said...
what I was saying was that playing Ermor against all computer opponents makes for an easy game.

Uhm.

I would only play Ermor against multiple human opponents.

Does human mean AI?