alright EXPERT players, how good IS the AI at upper levels, REPORT HERE: (please?)

from Stardock Forums
It sounds like you all just win and win big (1000+ pt. games), so when do you LOSE!?

Does the AI do supply side economics at any level, and export tech's like we do at all? or does it export scouts to other AI's like I do, or anything?

Does it ever focus on building a CULTURE terrorstar like you do?

C'mon, report on the SMART things it does here, or is this all still stuff that will need to be worked on in the future via the metaverse?

Just wanna know!

~SDC~
942 views 11 replies
Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top
At the higher AI levels the AI begins to get very intelligent. At the lower AI levels, the AI's ability to react to what it sees is purposely limited. At higher levels, not only is this not as limited but the AI may react covertly. Where this becomes very clear is where you try to plan an attack on a given sector or planet. The AI normally sees the attack coming. You can then see AI ships moving from all across the galaxy to help reinforce before you attack or even see the AI massing a fleet near one of your planets in a tit for tat attack.

The AI does not employ 'cheese' tactics, such as your scout issue, but does trade ships and techs and help allies in need. I've won wars on hardest levels before, purely because the AI has given me the techs and ships I needed to win.

Try playing genius or incredible AI yourself.

Paul.

~SDC~
Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top
Stop with the cheese stuff... it's totally legitimate and part of a good strategy game: to use your resources in a creative fashion. No need to get insulting.

I am playing it on Bright right now. At genius it gets cheats, not interested in that yet.

~SDC~
Galactic Civilizations III
Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top
Not insulting at all!

If you can do it then feel free to do it. I personally think that if it's something you would not see a human player do, then exploiting it is 'cheese'. But what's important is not how I play it's the fun everyone gets from the game themselves. I hope that over time the AI is modified to be more intelligent about such things. Buying a few extra scouts is a good idea. Buying 100's of them is not. At the moment the AI can be fooled by making lots of small value trades. It doesn't always look at the larger picture.

Paul.

~SDC~
Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top
I am a little bit worried that there are some players already claiming to win the game in "gigantic map" all computer set to genius!

Would be interessting to know how they do it, working through loopholes......

Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top
I haven't seen a claim that has shown up on the metaverse... ;)

~SDC~
Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top
Doh! just saw one! :)
:notsure:

~SDC~
Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top
Solitair,

Well, apparently my stick-to-it-ivness paid off anyway and Brad found a *bug* in the trading algorithm.

At any rate I won't subscribe to the idea that I have to artificially limit my playing style to constraints not built in to an artificial game to the degree that I have a list of rules I have to abide by outside of the rules in the game. It's jsut too stifling and wierd for me- I like to try to think of creative strategies. Mind you, I'm not a loophole seeker at all, it seemed like my ("cheesy" as you put it) scout strategy was a good idea to me that I thought the AI would eventually put a natural stop to after it had aquired about 5 scouts and had explored the galaxy, but it didn't. It bought them forever and always. That's a broken game design; a flaw that needs fixing; not a cheese tactic.

The game CAN be fixed of these little but profound deficiencies IMO; the underlying game DESIGN to GC is sound (unlike many other published games), and with the latest fix by Brad this particular problem seems to have been squished.

~SDC~
Reply #8 from Stardock Forums Top
Dearmad,
keep looking for these 'creative strategies' and feel free to use them, but if they end up being something which you honestly feel the AI should not be doing, then report them so that the AI can be improved.

Paul.

~SDC~
Reply #9 from Stardock Forums Top
I only resort "creativity" because I'm usually falling behind and needing to come up with SOME sort of deus ex machina thing to save my butt from the flames of Drengin weaponry!

~SDC~
Reply #10 from Stardock Forums Top
Dearmad,
the secret to winning on harder levels is always to attack the strongest empire. Never wait for them to attack you! Never attack the 2nd strongest or the weakest, they'll usually help you in your war against the strongest.
If you attack the weaker empires, the strongest empire will usually grow much stronger while you're distracted and eventually kick your ass.

Paul.



~SDC~
Reply #11 from Stardock Forums Top
Intelegent does not seem too bad, Genius is really tough atm with my current tactics, seems to me that you not only need to maximize your economy/growth/exploration but you need to be an expert diplomat too.

Yeah, last game I tried to trade heavily with the strongest empire to keep them happy but it bit me in the ass big time.