Information - Civ 4: The List
The AI
The AI
-Nikolai
Introduction
The AI. What often makes a computer game playable, if it's made properly.
This is the place to read for finding ideas relating to this concept.
-List Threadmaster Nikolai
Summary
All in all, the thing people are most interested in, is a more "intelligent" AI. An AI that can defend itself, attack
in a smart way, recognize a good deal when it sees it etc. People clearly think the AI isn't nearly as good as it should be.
Index
1 - AI Madness
2 - Automation
3 - Treatment of Civs
4 - AI Performance
5 - Treatment of military matters
6 - Diplomacy
7 - Modability
Conclusion
The Ideas
1 - AI Madness
1.1 Aggressiveness
Currently, the game is too prone to AI madness.
For example, one AI will suggest-
"EVERYONE DECLARE WAR ON PLAYER!”
and the others will automatically agree. Or perhaps the player will utilize
this exploit, as is shown in this example and screw the other computer players:
"Everyone please declare war on Russia. Remember, Russia is going to nuke all
of your cities since you’re a lot closer to it than I am - Player.
Instead, the computer should see this and realize it and decide-
“Uh, no. How about we declare war on you instead? - AI" (Posted By Comrade
Tassadar; Heavily Edited by DarkCloud)
1.2 - No unit movement without a reason
One thing: the AI should NOT move its units all over the place for no reason.
It's really completely silly to see the AI constantly move its stuff for no
reason... (ed (darkcloud): and in addition to wasting player time;
it’s bad coding left over from Civ II. Can’t the AI make a decision and stick
with it- thereby completing a task? The GOTO commands do seem to work quite well
in this regard. Instead of being scrapped completely, this should be heavily
revamped because if the AI doesn’t have a plan for each unit- then it would
become much easier for the player to win while also making for a more tedious
game.)
(Posted by Trifna)
2 - Automation
2.1 - Units and cities
I want to be able to automate settlers to build cities in good spots without
worrying about them, but I don't want those cities to automatically go on
governor like in SMAC. I want automated land units and transports to work
together, if they don't already.
(Posted By Brent)
3 - Treatment of civs
3.1 - Treat all civs alike
I really hope they make the AI stop treating the player differently from the
other civs. It's the only thing that really bothered me in Civ3. It can't be
that hard to code a proper AI, hire better programmers if you can't do it They
did it in Galactic Civilizations (granted, it's a different game). For me it
really breaks the mood of the game when you notice that the AI-civs gradually
start giving you crappier deals even if it would hurt them more. And for no
apparent reason. Theoretically, in the deity level, it shouldn't be too hard to
code the AI to make "best possible" moves and give them a long term plan
according to their civilization characteristics.
(Posted By KorvaKikkeli)
3.2 - Small civs vs big civs
Fear & domination. I find it wierd when a 2 city Civ right at my doorstep
refuses my demands. The AI should be adjusted so that these weak Civs can be
"controlled"; & manipulated by larger one's without losing their independence.
(Posted by Strider_479)
4 - AI performance
4.1 - Overall AI performance
The AI should be able to handle every concept of the game with a decent skill
(Posted By TheBirdMan)
Make it better!
(Posted by skywalker)
4.2 - Adaptive AI
One idea I have seen being suggested is altering the AI's priorities, based on
your actions.
For example; if start researching tech x each time you start and get it first
because the AI never really was interested in it, it would change it's behaviour
to start 'copying' your style and try to beat you at your own game. Therefore
ruining your playing style and forcing you to change your game. (this will
probably be more effective on higher levels then on, say chieftan but it a
start)
(Posted by alva)
4.3 - Harder on higher levels
On a Diety, or whatever they decide to call the highest level, the AI should be
able to beat me, the worst Civ player ever.
(Posted by POTUS)
4.4 - AI recognizing reasons to events
Give the AI the ability to recognize if events leading to deals with them
getting canceled were out of your control or deliberately player-caused.
I'm tired of trading with one computer civ only to have some crazy war break out
somewhere that disrupts my trade route with them. After this no other civs will
trade with me; they're all "RAR WE REMEMBER WHAT YOU DID TO FRANCE WE'RE NOT
DUMB SO WE'LL NEVER TRADE WITH YOU"
(Posted by ixnay)
4.5 - Multi-threaded AI
Perhaps that to consider a multi-threaded AI like in GalCiv would be a good
idea. In the case of GalCiv, it permits an overall better AI.
(Posted by Trifna)
It makes a huge difference, and should DEFINATLY be done.
(Posted by Fosse)
4.6 - Variable AI
A good way to simulate this might be to have a variable ai...so at random times
for periods of 20-40 turns the ai of a civ will move up a difficulty level, and
a t random times for a period of 20-40 turns the ai of a civ would go down a
difficulty level. You could maybe tie this in with the first suggestion - during
its golden ages the ai goes up one difficulty level and in its dark ages it goes
down a difficulty level. All this would occur pretty much in the background and
be fairly unnoticeable to the player (although dark/golden age notification for
other civs as a popup/newspaper would be cool.)
(Posted by Comrade Raoul)
4.7 - Respect borders
The AI needs to respect borders. If I'm in their territory I get 1 "OK, I'll
leave" and then it's "Leave or war!", but the AI gets 5 (or more?) chances to
ignore my polite requests to leave, all the while moving deeper into my
territory, until finally the auto-leave takes them all teh way across ny
territory to where they were wanting to go anyway, and now they got there even
faster. The Civ2 auto-leave where units got sent all the way back to the capital
might help alleviate some of this abuse. (Although I will have to admit that I
sometimes used that to redeploy my troops closer to home.
(Posted by patcon)
4.8 - Trade networks is important
The AI needs to recognize the value of trade networks. I have all too often
had AIs with resources to trade who refuse to connect their road network to
mine, even if I have gone to the trouble of building a road across tiles of open
territory just to reach their borders. Then if I try to bring in workers to
build a road in their territory to connect up, I am told to "get out". Also, the
AI tends not to build harbors that could establish trade routes.
(Posted by patcon)
4.9 - Don’t let the AI know all resources’ location
It's one thing to have an AI that cheats by knowing the whole map, but I
think it is complete and utter bovine feces that the AI knows where resources
will pop up, once they discover the appropriate tech. This leads to the
absurdity of the AI establishing cities in tundra or desert tiles because oil
will eventually show up there.
(Posted by patcon)
5 - Treatment of military matters
5.1 - Military Decision Making
5.1.1 - Improve AI Military Decision Making
Improve the AI's military behavior by improving the methods to how it builds
it's strategy.
(Posted by Shogun Gunner)
5.1.2 - Weighing Decision To Go To War
The AI civ should weigh all factors that humans consider before evening deciding
to go to war: relative strength of civ versus targeted civ; probablity to get an
ally to join the war; risk of being attacked by other civs; desire for
luxury/critical resources; assessment of targeted civ's military; evaluation of
geographical features/avenues for attack.
(Posted by Shogun Gunner)
5.1.3 - Picking Military Objectives
If the AI civ decides to go to war it should decide what the objectives are,
picking several, and select one as the primary objective. A set of objectives
could be: reduction of bordering civ's presence; obtaining a luxury/resource
from targeted civ; willingness to call off hostilities if tech/gold/city is
handed over; taking away a city with a Wonder.
(Posted by Shogun Gunner)
5.2 - Military Strategies
5.2.1 - Devising a Military Strategy
Before war is actually declared, a strategy should be devised to reach the
primary objective. The AI should analyze the strength of the known defense,
location of objectives and pick a set of units it will attack with. The set of
units available would be all the civ's units MINUS the units kept for defense of
borders/cities and battle plan devised using these units in a concentrated,
orderly fashion. Additionally, the AI should determine what are acceptable
losses and cease attacks when the has been exceeded.
(Posted by Shogun Gunner)
5.2.2 - Program Classic, Historical Military Strategies
The AI should be programmed with classic military strategy techniques. For
example, if the targeted civ has a lot of units, setup a trap inside the civ's
borders, move units out of the way, when enemy units enter the kill zone, attack
and concentrate on destroying units. Another concept is a diversionary attack
away from the real objectives, wait one/two turns, launch attack with massed
forces towards real objective.
(Posted by Shogun Gunner)
5.2.3 - Evaluate Progress, Reassign Priorities, Modify Strategy
Every turn during war, the AI should re-evaluate the full series of
considerations and adapt by readjusting priorities and/or strategies.
(Posted by Shogun Gunner)
5.2.4 - Fronts
Make the AI think in terms of "Fronts". So if its at war on three fronts, it
first analyzes each position, says "I'm good here" or "Little help please" and
the AI then distributes reinforcements, but the battle strategy is figured out
on an individual front basis. This allows the AI to work much faster because the
scope of its calculations is narrower.
(Posted by wrylachlan
5.2.5 - NOT fronts, but targets
This ruined the MoO3 AI. It tryed to spread its forces over many fronts, meaning
it was never a real threat on any of them. The Ai should think TARGETS, not
fronts. It should have a goal like : get Athens, and defend Rome with x troops.
Simple.
(Posted by Jamski
5.3 - Employ Combined Arms
All unit types should be used to bring maximum force onto the enemy. If the AI
has sealift capability, it should load troops to attack either as a diversionary
attack, or the main attack WHILE a land attack is occuring. Paratroopers and
other units with special abiliites should be used in concert.
(Posted by Shogun Gunner)
6 - Diplomacy
6.1 - AI always open to talk
I want the AI to ALWAYS be open to talks, even directly after a DoW. Of course
the AI should accept peace if there's been no actual fighting, or if its clearly
losing. If the AI declares war, you should be able to contact it straight away
and ask "what do you want to call off your dogs?" Those times where the AI DoWs
you out the blue and won't even talk until x cities have changed hands really
makes me MAD!
(Posted by Jamski)
6.2 - Ask for help when in war
If the AI is under attack by another AI, it should contact all civs, including
the player, and ask for help. Depending on situation it could ask for trade
embargo, cash, alliance etc.
(Posted by Jamski)
6.3 Right of Passage treaties
If the AI wants to move through your territory all the time it should also want
to PAY for a RoP agreement. As it is, it keeps wandering through, and then wants
you to pay THEM for the RoP.
(Posted by Jamski)
6.4 - Always negotiation before a DoW
Before declaring war the AI should always make a final demand.
"Give me Athens/Gunpowder/Furs or I WILL declare war"
You should be able to make a counter-offer
"How about instead of Athens I pay you 8gtp?"
Then the AI says, "hmm... offer a bit more and I'll leave you in peace"
(Posted by Jamski)
6.5 - World War triggering
World-war triggering. The AI embarks on a world war if it "feels strong enough"
(more than 25% of the worlds forces or something, adjusted by number of civs
alive at the time) and attempts to take on everyone. It contacts all civs with
the offer,
"Pay huge sum/cities/tech or join me in war against xyz, or I DoW you."
This results in either a killer AI, or at least a huge war with multiple civs on
each side.
(Posted by Jamski)
6.6 - New agreements
6.6.1 - Research pact
research pact. You and the AI civ agree to share all your research. If one civ
has a better research rate, then the agreement is "worth more" to the one with
the lesser tech rate, and they may offer additional trades (luxuries, money,
troops)
(Posted by Jamski)
6.6.2 - Favored trade partner
Favored trade partner. This gives you +1 gold in each town connected to the AI's
cities, +2 in each city and +3 in each metropolis. The AI gets the same
benefits. You can only have one trade partner at a time. It make that AI like
you more, and makes other AIs dislike you more. Breaking the agreement lowers
your reputation with all civs EXCEPT if you break it by signing the agreement
with another civ, who then think you are great.
(Posted by Jamski
6.7 - Trading
6.7.1 - Restrict tech trading
Neither you or the AI can trade a tech in the turn you get it. This cuts down on
tech whoring AND the "feature" if you trade a tech to the AI in its turn, it
then trades it to all the other civs immediatly. Should slow the tech rate
marginally.
(Posted by Jamski)
6.7.2 - New trade
UNITS! Make all units except UU's tradeable just like workers are now. Mercenary
units from another civ cost double gold or something to support. The units
appear in you capital.
(Posted by Jamski)
6.8.0 Long Term, Short Term, Etc. Goals
Civ4 needs to implement long term, short term, and era term goals for the ai
so it acts rationally.
(Posted by Lawrence of Arabia)
7 - Modability
7.1 - Rule based and modable
I believe the AI should be rule-based, and importantly should modable by the
community.
(Posted by Merp)
Conclusion
The general opinion is that the AI in Civ4 should be improved, expanded,
improved, expanded…
Respectfully compiled - Nikolai
With special thanks to: Asmodean
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