"AI Balance" mod idea - feedback appreciated !

[Peter Ebbesen]

PDF, at the risk of a shameless plug, might I suggest you try running the Orania War Nasty Edition vs 16 impossible AIs?

It obviously does not address your main point, but it shows some ways in which even the AI can be pretty nasty if it has some decent resources on hand to start with.

[MStavros]

Well, WOW! I havent been on these Boards for ages now, and I stopped playing Doms 2 because of the weak AI.
I thought that after some patches it will be improved, but as I see the AI still very weak.
Still the same old problems?
[Mass LI armies, etc..]

What a shame! The devs should focus on the AI in the next patch.

[MStavros]

Hm...I wonder..what if someone makes a mod without LI?

Than the AI wont be able to build weak armies!

[Tuna-Fish]

MStavros: try playing a map with some (like 5 for every player, starting under indie control) preset good (fortified city) castles. You'll be suprised how much better the ai handles it's recruiting when it has some extra castles lying around.

Alternatively, try Orania Nasty Edition, made by Peter Ebbesen (I think). If OraniaNE isn't enough, ally all the computers in it together...

[PDF]

Originally posted by MStavros:
Hm...I wonder..what if someone makes a mod without LI?

Than the AI wont be able to build weak armies!

Great idea ! I'd incorporate that in my mod
At least I'd fire all the "totally useless" Light units (Cardaces, Slingers, Velites, Archer Lt Cav...), but keep the better ones (Peltasts, Archers obviously).
It won't prevent the AI from building Indy militia though...

And indeed Nasty Orania, and some other maps, are a real challenge. But what I want is to have a "better" AI independently of any map.

Lastly I'd add 2 features
- Increase the starting armies so that AI nations will have a usable force right from the start (let's say some 50 units, with HI, missile, and some cav if possible)
- Give all nations an extra Astral site (2 gems or so) and maybe a Gold or Resource site. As I don't think a province can have more than 4 sites adding 2 won't be doable for all nations, but 1 should be ok. Drawback is that a player will get that stuff if he invades the province... No self-destruction flag exists !

[Pocus]

2 comments:

Some starting nations have already 4 sites (Mictlan).

The cost of all light units should be lowered (from 20 to 40%) IMO, as the AI also like to build tons of independant crappy units. Also as we know that few players if any build light troops, then it would be better to fix the situation as a whole.

[Pocus]

alternatively light units should get a boost in defence... (taken from the thread speaking of LI and terrain)