Why do the AI....

Eddy · April 15, 2000, 17:57

Whenever I play SP [practises and strategy development] does the AI always move its capital from one city to another every few turns?

I could only think of a few reasons:-

1. Barbs.... [unlikely]
2. In more advance governments moving capital to the very centre of your civ for corruption purposes.
3. Got bored?

I always play at Deity, and I have always learnt the best strategies from the AI, but I don't understand this....

Strange,
Eddy

Smash · April 15, 2000, 19:23

I think it may be that the ai didn't have anything else to build.The ai never seems to change improvement production.It will change from a library,for instance,to a unit but I've never seen it change from a library to a market for example.I do a fair bit of ai watchin in single games these days.

So a palace was the only improvement available(usually after barracks) and the ai wouldn't change after Writing or Currency to library or market.

probably not the reason but it sounds believable

tobyr · April 15, 2000, 23:50

But the AI will move its capital later in the game also. I've been assuming that the AI can precisely calculate how much production is lost to corruption, and that it will move its capital to minimize corruption. OR, that it moves its capital away from attacks.

- toby

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toby robison
criticalpaths@mindspring.com

Smash · April 16, 2000, 03:44

later in the game there are useful units and improvements for the ai to build.Early in the game the ai is seems to be "limited" until you set the rate of play.Then it starts developing "normally" paced against your play.Until then it won't build huge armies or lots of settlers.At deity the ai has a small sheild box so early improvements are built quickly.It also has a corruption "handicap" of king level

hit the cheat menu next time.Maybe that will give a clue

April 17, 2000, 02:50

I noticed that as well recently. But only when I'm playing the higher levels. You'd think they'd have more techs and thus more to build than in the lower levels. It makes me think I'm doing good though.

Steve Clark · April 17, 2000, 14:42

When the AI runs out things to effectively build, it hasn't learned the value of caravans. But nevertheless, it doesn't have to for it can 'manufacture' shields whenever it sees fit.

poppawoppa · April 17, 2000, 18:18

Here is an interesting occurance. I just captured the Carthage capital, and the AI has now got two palaces in the next two cities, Utica and Malaca. I checked with a spy, and they both DO have palaces, and even though they are a Republic, I cannot get the spy option to allow for bribing either city.
Strange. Had never seen that before....Ming, is this another item for the "Cheats by the AI" list?

poppawoppa · April 17, 2000, 18:42

Another thing that the AI can do? I had my cavalry blocking a Railroaded Coal mine to deprive the AI city of those shields. At the time my treasury was about 1800 gold and the Carthaginians had about 220 gold. Next, to my complete surprise, the Carth had bribed my cavalry and used it to kill another of mine next to it. The surprise was that on my turn when I tried to bribe this same cavalry unit, the price was shown as 528 gold. If I remember right, the bribe price has something to do with the amount of gold the opposing civ has in its treasury...higher cost if the civ has lots of Gold. So, has anyone tried to find out how much the bribe price is when your own unit gets bribed....and by the way, the AI civs don't have to use a diplomat or spy to bribe. I think that is pretty common knowledge cause I've seen it on these threads before.
So, the AI had little gold (220) and the bribe price was 528. I had lots of gold 1800 and the AI was able to bribe me even tho they didn't have as much gold in their whole treasury as it would have cost me to bribe the same unit.
Since it was outside the city, I just blasted the inside city defenders until they were blown away, then took the city, and the AI unit outside was no longer there (no support)
he he he.

geofelt · April 17, 2000, 20:31

The bribe price decreases as the unit gets more distant from the palace. In this case you were near the AI and distant from home so they could bribe you cheaply. Afterward, The bribe price went up because the unit was now closer to it's new home.

April 26, 2000, 18:41

poppawoppa -

Establish an embassy and see what it says is the capital. Do it even if you have to cheat. Im curious. In response to your other message, your calvary was far from home so he was easy to bribe, and then the reasons he cost so much to get back are geofelts reason and that the AI are slightly harder to bribe

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Long live the Communists!
-- SilverDragon