Strange AI Tech development

The AI doesn't value influence or diplomacy techs. I have yet to see them research more than one influence tech beyond embassies.
By the way, I haven't seen the AI ever win an influence victory.

quit bashing the ai brad is doing all he can to make it as good as it can get without being such a reasource hog that you need to buy a 64bit dual core processor to get good time on the game

Ditto. I made a longer post about this too. The AI barely touches the "yellow" techs...

The colors the techs appear actually to mean something. The AI determines its research priorities based on those groupings.

Not only do they barely research influence, diplomacy, government, morale and ethics, they don't even do it when they need to defensively. If the AI determines its loosing in terms of influence, it builds 4 influence bases and dozens of embasises and entertainment centers, but it never researches upgrades for any of these things. Heavens forbid it'd research "Good and Evil" in order to build propoganda centers.

I think the one good thing I have to say is this. I have a great deal of confidence that this issue will eventually be acknowledged and addressed. What I don't understand is what specific value(s) could/should be adjusted. I know the values for the particular techs are in TechTree.xml; I don't know where the values for the categories are found, because I'm pretty sure it's different for one AI compared to the next.

quit bashing the ai brad is doing all he can to make it as good as it can get without being such a reasource hog that you need to buy a 64bit dual core processor to get good time on the game

Well I don't know about the other two posters, but I certainly wasn't bashing. There's a huge difference between offering candid observations and bashing. I'll up the ante by saying I'm pretty sure neither you nor I nor those two have any concrete sense of exactly how much work he and the other developers have on their plates, but I'm pretty sure it's enough for anyone.

I mean, really, they're adults. I'm sure they don't need everyone to pay homage to their work thus far every time they write about something they feel could use improvement.

yea.. it needs to develop other parts of it's game too.. especially diplomacy........

I think the AI is quite good in a lot of respects. I certainly find the game more challenging than Civ 4. But there are some quirks so I'm pointing them out. One thing I like is that it seems the developers really want feedback from us.

-- hintikka

i have had the ai win influence victories LOTS of times haha

i have had the ai win influence victories LOTS of times haha

???

I think the AI is quite good in a lot of respects. I certainly find the game more challenging than Civ 4.

The point being made is that the AI could be made more challenging without having to do a major overall of their programming.

And we are not bashing! We are advising Stardock how to their great game even better. (After all there is always room for improvement !)

The rules for influence victory have changed, in case no one has noticed since the early versions.
Now, influence (for an influence victory) is determined on territory owned, not influence points. So you actually have to conquer several races to achieve it. It is just short of a conquest victory, and when you control more than 75% of the galaxy.

I had a game where I had 3 influence resources and all the influence improvements and bonuses. On the graph I had like 90%, but in the Victory screen I only had about 30%. I had to take over several to gain enough planets to achieve 75% control.

And as it is now, I do not see how a conquest victory is even possible any more. If two races each own half the galaxy, and I decide to take the other by conquest, I will achieve influence victory conditions before I can complete the conquest. I guess the influence victory option has to be turned off at the game start to do it. A choice of one or the other.

Hi!

I do not see how a conquest victory is even possible any more

Arm.., not sure, but IIRC for an Influence victory you need to be at peace with other civs. If you're at war, you can't get neither diplomatic nor influence victory. But I finished only two games on 1.11 so I could be wrong.

BR, Iztok