How is the Ai?

can the ai deal with the massive number of complications of this game?

from Elemental Forums

So I am interested in how this game is turning out especially with the fact that it doesn't seem to be dumbed down for the masses.  I like that, though honestly I wish the graphics looked a little better.

Still my biggest worry is the AI.  This seems to be a massively complicated game.  Is the ai just generally going to be given various increasing bonuses at each level or is it going to be actually able to think and plan?  Honestly I haven't found a strategy game yet that is able to have a good ai and a reasonably complicated game.  Even civ (the most well known and many would say best tbs strategy game) has a seriously lacing ai in many ways.  Please put as much work into the ai as you are into the rest of the game!

elemental
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Reply #1 from Elemental Forums Top

I like that, though honestly I wish the graphics looked a little better.

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Still my biggest worry is the AI.  This seems to be a massively complicated game.  Is the ai just generally going to be given various increasing bonuses at each level or is it going to be actually able to think and plan?  Honestly I haven't found a strategy game yet that is able to have a good ai and a reasonably complicated game.  Even civ (the most well known and many would say best tbs strategy game) has a seriously lacing ai in many ways.  Please put as much work into the ai as you are into the rest of the game!

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I think the graphics look very good, and it's going to be better by release.  There is a stunning amount of detail when you zoom in.  Frogboy has stated that aspects of the graphics, such as terrain and forests, for example, will be changed by release, but aren't in the beta because it's not something that we need to "test."

Maybe you don't mean the graphics per se.  Do you just not like the art direction?

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Indeed, the AI is one of my biggest concerns as well.  I'm not convinced it will be able to handle all the different aspects of the game well enough to provide competent competition to an experienced player.  However, I find that very few video game TBS's have good AI, whether they be complicated or simplistic, so this is more of a general skepticism of AI in the TBS genre.  Previous Stardock titles, GC1 and 2, have provided amongst the best AI compared to its peers.

Frogboy has said many things that would lead you to believe that AI programming is his favorite part of designing the game, and having a good AI was one of his core requirements.  My view is that the game will have good AI compared to other games of its type, but I wouldn't expect it to be anything groundbreaking.

The AI in the beta is currently non-existent.

Edit: Lots of edits, quotes weren't formatting properly for some reason.

Reply #2 from Elemental Forums Top

You can count on the AI being competent at the least. Frogboy has too much pride in his work to release the game with crappy AI, which is his "thing." If you're really good, obviously you'll be able to beat it - this game is just too complicated to make an AI that can reliably beat the best players. Take a look at GalCiv 2 for some perspective. 

Ashes of the Singularity II
Reply #3 from Elemental Forums Top

At the moment, as Xtropy mentioned the AI is non-existant because a lot of things keep changing still, and it's kind of a waste to keep re-making parts of AI because some important game mechanic changed.

However, in release you can definitely expect AI to be good, and to get improved even more in subsequent patches.

Reply #4 from Elemental Forums Top

Forum ate my post last night. 

Quick rundown. AI now.. in beta sucks.

AI in the future will challenge you to a game where you're never really sure if your going to win, until the end.

Reply #5 from Elemental Forums Top

Honestly I haven't found a strategy game yet that is able to have a good ai and a reasonably complicated game
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Have you played GC2: Twilight of the Arnor?

Reply #6 from Elemental Forums Top

Ok to make sure it is clear I am not in the beta (no money to buy another game right now) and i am only going by what I see in the pics and the various demos online.  To me in these the graphics look on par with civ 4 which isn't good as civ 4 is an old game...I haven't played GC in any form.  Looked even more complicated than civ 2 or 3 and I didn't have time for a game like that...not sure I will have time for a game like this honestly but it at least looks like you could play a game that won't take six months...

The point of this post was just to ask for ai focus to be a priority.

Reply #7 from Elemental Forums Top

I haven't played Elemental yet, I'm fine waiting for the final game, however if you haven't yet tried GalCiv2 with the last expansion pack your really missing out. AI is fantastic, I really like the diplomacy, and the AI uses each road to victory quite well. It's not that complicated of a game really, and honestly a sandbox game is as long or short as you want. One on One map or huge universe with 8 empires duking it out, great game, and I think a solid preview for what AI in Elemental will be like as Frogboy is the AI guy at Stardock

Reply #8 from Elemental Forums Top

The point of this post was just to ask for ai focus to be a priority.
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If you have played GC2:TotA, you wouldn't ask this question as the main AI programmer on GC2 is Frogboy, aka Brad Wardell, CEO and the sole owner of Stardock. And he is also doing the AI for Elemental ands very proud to have the AI playing with the same rules than human player (ie AI that don't cheat until very difficult level)

BTW, If find really strange to state 

Honestly I haven't found a strategy game yet that is able to have a good ai and a reasonably complicated game
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and also 
...I haven't played GC in any form. Looked even more complicated than civ 2 or 3 and I didn't have time for a game like that
End of quote
Why complaining about good AI in a reasonably complicated game if you haven't time to play them?