The AI needs buffs to their bonuses across the board

from GalCiv3 Forums

Around the middle of the game, I do see the player often skyrocketing past the player in capability.

 

I think the AI needs stronger bonuses, and they should react dynamically.


By dynamically, I mean, let's say the power score between the player and the top AI:

 

  • Start of game, AI has X bonus (based on difficulty level)
  • Let's say then if by turn A (turn A should be adjusted for map size) AND player >= top AI points, then AI should get 2X bonus. This should be an "if" statement that is checked every turn after A
  • Now if turn by turn B (again adjusted for map size), and player is say, 2x score of top AI, then all AI should get 3x bonus
  • This should scale progressively so that the player is challenged more and more as the game goes by
  • Perhaps at the top difficulty, you could even have a point where the AI gets a super bonus

 

The problem I see right now is that the game is challenging most at the start. Higher difficulty levels make the early to mid game harder and push back the point where you overtake the AI, but don't make the end game harder.

 

The AI needs bigger bonuses as the game goes on to compensate.

67,680 views 7 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

The problem is the exponential growth. Give the AI too many bonuses and the human can never catch up.  Give the AI some bonuses and due to exponential scaling, those bonuses don't matter by mid/late game.  

Reply #2 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

It's not just a need for bigger bnus'.  There are a few problems contributing to this,  in no particular order some big ones :

  • some races need to have their tech weight priorities adjusted to be more in line with what a sane actor (ie player) would intentionally pick.
    • I started a thread to get some details from other players on this for a mod, the pimpact of changes from the feedback was enormous... but there was very little info given & only a couple people/races had people give details on their playstyle with that race (in other words you can help now).
  • The ai only operates on an empire wide level right now, so while a player will be adjusting the sliders on a planet by planet basis, the ai will be adjusting them empire wide
    • This is also probably contributing to why the ai planetary improvement queues are/were made so generic compared to highly specialized human/player ones
    • Brad has already posted saying that changing the empire wide to more theater focused is one of the things he's working to adjust.
  • The AIScripts currently lack any sort of if X then Y type check capabilities and might as well be flying blind.
    • how well would you play if you had to make all you logic weighing decisions for a game before the game even started?  
  • There is one ai for every map size/layout/density, the choices a player makes on an insane abundant will  necessarily be wildly different on an insane abundant map than an insane occasional/common one... to say nothing of smaller maps.  The ai has to play 
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Reply #3 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

More buffs won't help much when the ai still utilizes their planets like poop.

My placement is boss.   Their placement is random.  My planets are carefully-sculpted works of art.  Their planets are a chore to clean up once I finally take them with busted cultureflip.

Next up, my starbase placement is...

 

You get the idea.

Reply #4 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

Quoting drakkos137, reply 3

Next up, my starbase placement is...

as far as I can tell, all it looks at there is "does this spot cover $object I want covered?"  If the answer us yes, it doesn't check to see if those other spots will also be able to cover more nice stuff at the sa,e timewithout building a second starbase

 

 

Reply #5 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

I'm against (obvious) AI bonuses.

What I can imagine though would be e. g. something like the Antarans in MoO2. Strong fleets of a mysterious enemy hitting a random planet (so that strong players automatically get hit more often).

Reply #6 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

Quoting drakkos137, reply 3

My placement is boss.   Their placement is random.  My planets are carefully-sculpted works of art.  Their planets are a chore to clean up once I finally take them with busted cultureflip.

 

Not to worry - in 1.3, you'll be able to let the AI do your planets for you, so any advantage you're gaining that way will be removed.

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Reply #7 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

Quoting naselus, reply 6

Not to worry - in 1.3, you'll be able to let the AI do your planets for you, so any advantage you're gaining that way will be removed.

 

Oh yeah, right.  The one thing I do better than the AI and you're going to take it away.