AI in v2.6 beta0
Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 9:25 pm
I have played a couple of games against the AI with v2.6 beta0 (civ2civ3 rules, and all AI traits to 50), and I have noticed nice improvements compared to previous versions:
1) The AIs expand pretty fast. They research triremes quickly and use to colonize void continents faster than me. They do not protect settlers or newly created cities very well, but I think it is worth if this way they achieve such fast expansion. I just suggest that they try to send at least one defensive unit to new continents, else it is easy to use cavalry units to destroy all their newly created cities before they can build defenders. When fighting for a new continent, just one city with a defender that survives these rush attacks can change everything.
2) I like how isolated cities protect themselves before they reach size 2, so it is not easy to capture them.
3) The AIs sometimes perform naval invasions near your weakest cities, so you can no longer leave your cities completely undefended.
However, they still do not take full advantage of marine units to attack weak cities directly from boats.
4) They build wonders in an effective way. At least for me, there is a fun race now to try to build the wonders first. There was a time where I was able to build them all, now they use to build several wonders first.
5) While at peace, the AIs are able to develop their cities with most improvements. They seem to build now harbours, granaries and even supermarkets.
However, while at war, they keep building only military improvements, and wonders. I think they should think a bit more about the future, even when losing a war, as they do with wonders. Imo, if the cost to survive is to stop building improvements and stop researching, then it is not worth because you will have no chances to win the game anyway.
6) AIs research faster than previous versions. It seems they do not forget about science rates as much as they used to do.
The main weaknesses that I still see:
1) It is still too easy to stop most AI attacks by placing a line of defensive units that block the pass due to ZoC rules. In my latests game, the AI was able to cross such lines a couple of times by following the path of his own diplomats/explorers, but I think it was by luck.
If they were able to send IgZOC units on purpose to cross ZOC tiles, they would be more dangerous.
2) AI does not seem to take into account the danger of Kill Stack rule. They create large stacks of units that can be killed by one single attack.
3) Their attempts to attack unprotected workers are too predictable and mostly useless, since the attacking unit (usually more expensive) use to die next turn too.
I think the AI should stop trying to kill unprotected units in enemy territory, and focus on trying to conquer cities. I mean, the only reason to enter enemy territory should be to try to conquer a city, and then, once there, it is ok to kill unprotected units if they want. But there is no reason to send full stacks of units to enemy territory just because there is one single unprotected worker, as current AI use to do. It is not effective against veteran players, nor fun for new players.
Knowing all these weaknesses, it is easy to make a trap where there is only one path from AI territory to a tile where you place an unprotected worker, and you can easely kill full stacks of incoming units.
Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you for your work improving the AI, I'm enjoying my games against the AI more with every new freeciv version.
1) The AIs expand pretty fast. They research triremes quickly and use to colonize void continents faster than me. They do not protect settlers or newly created cities very well, but I think it is worth if this way they achieve such fast expansion. I just suggest that they try to send at least one defensive unit to new continents, else it is easy to use cavalry units to destroy all their newly created cities before they can build defenders. When fighting for a new continent, just one city with a defender that survives these rush attacks can change everything.
2) I like how isolated cities protect themselves before they reach size 2, so it is not easy to capture them.
3) The AIs sometimes perform naval invasions near your weakest cities, so you can no longer leave your cities completely undefended.
However, they still do not take full advantage of marine units to attack weak cities directly from boats.
4) They build wonders in an effective way. At least for me, there is a fun race now to try to build the wonders first. There was a time where I was able to build them all, now they use to build several wonders first.
5) While at peace, the AIs are able to develop their cities with most improvements. They seem to build now harbours, granaries and even supermarkets.
However, while at war, they keep building only military improvements, and wonders. I think they should think a bit more about the future, even when losing a war, as they do with wonders. Imo, if the cost to survive is to stop building improvements and stop researching, then it is not worth because you will have no chances to win the game anyway.
6) AIs research faster than previous versions. It seems they do not forget about science rates as much as they used to do.
The main weaknesses that I still see:
1) It is still too easy to stop most AI attacks by placing a line of defensive units that block the pass due to ZoC rules. In my latests game, the AI was able to cross such lines a couple of times by following the path of his own diplomats/explorers, but I think it was by luck.
If they were able to send IgZOC units on purpose to cross ZOC tiles, they would be more dangerous.
2) AI does not seem to take into account the danger of Kill Stack rule. They create large stacks of units that can be killed by one single attack.
3) Their attempts to attack unprotected workers are too predictable and mostly useless, since the attacking unit (usually more expensive) use to die next turn too.
I think the AI should stop trying to kill unprotected units in enemy territory, and focus on trying to conquer cities. I mean, the only reason to enter enemy territory should be to try to conquer a city, and then, once there, it is ok to kill unprotected units if they want. But there is no reason to send full stacks of units to enemy territory just because there is one single unprotected worker, as current AI use to do. It is not effective against veteran players, nor fun for new players.
Knowing all these weaknesses, it is easy to make a trap where there is only one path from AI territory to a tile where you place an unprotected worker, and you can easely kill full stacks of incoming units.
Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you for your work improving the AI, I'm enjoying my games against the AI more with every new freeciv version.