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- Note: this document is not entirely up-to-date.
-
- The AI hasn't changed much recently, since John has stopped working
- on it. The main change from the information below is that an "easy"
- skill level has been implemented, and made the default. Also, the
- AI now uses diplomats and spies, for defense only. --dwp
-
- New for 1.9.0: the AI will sometimes build spaceships, and sometimes
- create trade routes, although not very skillfully yet in either case.
-
- Old README.AI from John Stonebraker, from the 1.7.1 release:
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- I haven't worked on the AI as much for the past three weeks as
- I did for the previous three months. I did substantially improve
- its ability to manage invasions and conquer cities, and prevent
- misbehaviors that I doubt anyone else would have realized were bugs.
- The AI seems capable of winning against experienced players now,
- although to my dismay it still hasn't beaten me.
-
- The AI is getting so complicated that I'm sure there are problems
- that I haven't encountered. If it does something stupid or questionable
- that isn't referred to as a Known Problem, send me mail mail describing
- the problem and attach a save file so I can take a look at it. If you
- have opinions on which of the below are most important, send me mail
- about it. I'm always happy to get user feedback.
-
- The AI difficulty levels aren't fully implemented. I've done all my
- work getting the default level to work right, and based on what I've
- heard, I defined that level as 'hard'. The only available alternative
- is 'normal', where the AI doesn't know where huts and military targets
- are before it sees them, and also must obey government max rates.
- It seems to behave sensibly in the few tests I've run in normal mode,
- and I haven't gotten any complaints that there are problems with it.
- There is no 'easy' mode yet, although I suspect there needs to be.
-
- John Stonebraker
- ppaqebb@surfshop.net
-
- Known problems:
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- AI doesn't understand when to become DEMOCRACY
- Cities don't realize units are on their way to defend it
- AI doesn't understand obsolescence
- related: AI likes to build Oracle more than Chapel
- AI doesn't know how to use spies and diplomats, even for defense
- AI doesn't know how to use planes and missiles
- AI doesn't understand how to favor trade when it needs luxury
- AI builds cities without regard to danger at that location
- city tile values are not cached; wastes CPU time
- Food tiles should be less wanted if city can't expand
- AI doesn't build infrastructure near where a city is about to be built
- ai_calc* routines are slow and perhaps shouldn't regard government
- AI won't build cross-country roads outside of city radii
- Non-military units need to stop going where they will be killed
- GOTO doesn't popup diplomat/caravan dialog when city is reached
- Locally_zero_minimap is not implemented when wilderness tiles change
- AI doesn't understand 13th city is unlucky
- Settlers won't treat about-to-be-built ferryboats as ferryboats
- If no path to chosen victim is found, new victim should be chosen
- Values for Mysticism, Electricity, and Theology need to be verified
- AI doesn't know how to make trade routes or when
- AI is vulnerable to well co-ordinated mass attacks
- AI doesn't acknowledge effects of MAGELLAN in some of its calculations
- Boats sometimes sail away from landlocked would-be passengers
- Ferryboats crossing at sea might lead to unwanted behavior
- Emergencies in two cities at once aren't handled properly
- Auto-settlers never change terrain types
-
- Partially fixed problems:
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- AI handicaps are minimally implemented
- AI manages workers one at a time, which is not as dumb as it used to be
- Transport paranoia code is mostly working but not 100% reliable
- Auto-settlers have a simplistic idea of enemy territory
-
- Idea space:
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- Friendly cities can be used as beachheads
- It might be best to only sentry the #1 passenger and its bodyguard
- Unit_move_turns should be implemented more thoroughly
- Assess_danger should acknowledge positive feedback between multiple attackers
- Urgency and grave_danger should probably be ints showing magnitude of danger
- It would be nice for bodyguard and charge to meet en-route more elegantly
- It may be correct to starve workers instead of allowing disorder to continue
- Bodyguards could be used much more often
- AI should sell barracks (and other worthless buildings) voluntarily
-