Good game, but....the AI is very bad.

Kristoffer O · #1 May 8th, 2004, 09:41 PM

Hello MStavros.

I find it rather amusing that you try to influence us with split personalities

Hopefully there will be improvements in the AI, but as before I can't give you any guarantees.

proteus · #2 May 8th, 2004, 09:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Gandalf Parker:
Now we have Illwinter's PBEM multiplayer game because the AI isnt good enough for decent solo play. Maybe the game description needs touched up.

Correct me if I am wrong, but isnt this supposed to be a singleplayer - multiplayer game, just like many others?
If your argument would be valid, why is there singleplayer at all? I mean if the developers dont care about the singleplayer part, they should totally drop it for dominions 3, OR try to fix the singleplayer bugs/weaknesses.

Than they wont see Posts like this..yes the
game wont sell that good, but at least I wont spend my money than. What do you think?

Yes I feel cheated for my money sorta. The game is great, but its like a half game for me.
Good mp, crap sp.
For 25$ I wouldnt say a word, but for 50, I think the devs should try to do their best!

[ May 08, 2004, 21:00: Message edited by: proteus ]

proteus · #3 May 8th, 2004, 09:59 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Kristoffer O:
Hopefully there will be improvements in the AI, but as before I can't give you any guarantees.

Yes we do hope as well. I guess you dont really care about it as I see. Sad..

proteus · #4 May 8th, 2004, 10:09 PM

From the Dominions II. features page:

"Epic turn-based fantasy gameplay. Up to seventeen people can play at once thanks to the simultaneous turn structure. For those who would rather play solo the computer opponents put up fierce competition for those 3 AM gaming sessions"

So Mr. Parker?

I just checked the downloads section as well, and all of the fixes/improvements of the patches.

I havent found a singe improvement in the AI, maybe the spellcasting AI, but thats nothing.

Norfleet · #5 May 8th, 2004, 10:12 PM

There was a mention of the spellcasting AI being improved, but by and large, I think that Illwinter considers the SP strategic AI a secondary concern at best, since even the primary game blurb tends to indicate the game is mainly multiplayer, with single player as a sort of afterthought/training mode.

Writing AI is hard! Computers are inherently stupid, and excel only at doing dumb things quickly. It's hard to make a computer do smart things, except by having it do many dumb things and pick the Last dumb of the options.

proteus · #6 May 8th, 2004, 10:17 PM

Sorry, there was no information that the SP part is totally useless, and that it is for train and practice only, in fact read the features page. I wouldnt buy the game than.

Dont get me wrong, I understand that its hard to write a good AI, but hell, a half year passed since the release of Doms 2..or even more?!!!
Still nothing, and as I understand Kristoffer O. they havent even touched the AI!!!

I cant believe this.

PDF · #7 May 8th, 2004, 10:21 PM

While I agree that fixing the "strategic" AI, or even the combat AI, would be a big endeavour, I'm also pretty confident that the "AI builds crap armies" thing *could* be fixed quite easily, with only changes into the army build routines. The AI should weight its decisions mostly towards "heavy" units and discard light ones after a certain (low) number.
This alone will make the solo games *much* more challenging, at least we'll have to fight "real" armies, rather than an half dozen of worthwhile units lost in an ocean of militias ...