Hopes for diplomacy AI?

Green Giant · October 10, 2001, 13:25

I enjoyed the AI in SMAC, it wasn't perfect but it was one of the best around. The only problem I had with SMAC was the diplomacy AI. It was pretty bad in my opinion. After only a few hundred years eventually everyone had declared a vendetta on me at once. It was absolutely no fun at all because diplomacy was a joke after a while. Here are my hopes for Civ 3:

- The AI stops making ridiculous demands. I am the most powerful faction on the planet and the weakest one wants me to pay 5000 energy and give up a valuable technology to appease them or they will declare a vendetta. What?

- As I understood it in SMAC the 2nd and 3rd strongest would tend to ally against the 1st and then the weakest factions would tend to ally together. It would basically end up with everyone declaring war on me. I understand the 2nd and 3rd allying against the 1st, but shouldn't some of the weakest ones ally themselves with the 1st? It would certainly be more realistic and advantageous than declaring war all the time. Its like Canada declaring war on the US.

- I should be able to do anything the AI can. That means when I contact an empire, I should make the first offer/demand, 'nuff said.

Sabre2th · October 10, 2001, 13:40

Your complaints have already been addressed, AFAIK. I can't speak for the AI, but they have redone the diplomacy system. They have come up with a bargaining table of sorts, which allows you to make demands and offers, just like the AI.

Jason Beaudoin · October 10, 2001, 14:02

What would be nice is if the AI would do a massive sneak invasion. If you're playing the most powerful civilization, and no one could touch you, they should all make secret packs together, gather a huge military together and launch a huge simutanious assault on your empire, on different fronts, and going straight for your strategic resources.

I could imagine that 6 civs attacking all at once with hundreds of units would be overwhelming.

It may not be fair, but if it were a multiplayer game and one guy was killing all of the rest, I'm sure that there would be some evil plotting going on behind his back.

drake · October 10, 2001, 14:10

Yeah but Jason, that breaks the sp game rule!!!

"I must win every game, every time by an overwhelming margin"

Firaxis doesnt want to mess up their winning formula!

Felch · October 10, 2001, 14:52

It would be nice for a change of pace if that rule only held true for the easier difficulty levels. I think it's rediculous that, "I must win every game, every time by an overwhelming margin" holds true even for Diety level.

Of course, it'll still be fun no matter what.

Skanky Burns · October 10, 2001, 21:23

I think the AI will be more difficult on higher levels according to the interview with Soren (links to it in the civ3 news). He stated that so far, no Firaxian has beat the Deity level, yet on Cheiftain level, the AI cheats FOR you! How that works i dont know, but it looks like Deity will no longer be a cake-walk.

Dida · October 10, 2001, 22:05

I do not need more difficult AI. Rather, I want them to be more lifely.