Nice improvements in AI aggressiveness & smarts

They can make some pretty strong, simple strategies now.  If you fart around in the early game, they can make you pay.  

I have yet to lose a war in FE. The AI can build up fine, but when the war is due, I always have a stack or two of elite units that wipes out his numerical advantage. Its still early days for the AI, but there is a lot to do as well.

The AI doesnt pick up free stuff and dont build some tough champs with good magic. I play on challenging/hard with dense monsters

Yeah, that's the problem.  Mid-game and End-game AI are pretty weak.  It's pretty easy to turn back the onslaught of spear maiden/pioneer stacks of doom if you know what you're doing.

Frogboy said that's fixed in the next beta drop.

Yeah, from what Frogboy has said the AI should be much more competitive in the next release. Can't wait!

Has anyone seen the AI try to specialize with cities? From the end games I've played so far and the cities I've stormed, it appears to me the AI philosophy is "If it can be built, it shall be built."

The AI imo is in a middle ground of sorts when it comes to strategy.

In my current game I fought with Yithril from turn 30 for a very long time. They were openly hostile when they first met me and I was like fine im removing you from my region. Then proceed a cat and mouse game chasing them down from one city to the next. They then did something really unexpected. The AI marched his Soverign plus a warrior esque unit around a giant mountain pass which guarded my capital from the eastern lands. I at the time had no army stationed at home and thought "Damn this is impressive im going to suffer here", much to my dismay he ended up building a new city lodged between my capitals influence zone and Umbers nearest city zone. I sighed and quickly over run it.

Now here's something else that makes me wonder. During this time both Yithril and Umber were allied, Umber had already demanded gold or war which I complied since I couldn't fight a war on two fronts. After I defeated Yithril Umber declared war and launched an unholy stack against me which contained about 40 units of Peons. I thought it was a bug that I was being prompted to battle so much! Problem is Peons are awful and posed no threat and my small elite army easily defeated the horde and then launched a counter offensive against Umber which im winning easily.

This harks back to the main problem the AI has which is that it still builds armies which contain far too much thrash. They then launch stupid incursions into your territory which are easily checked and routed.

Yes, I want this fixed.  I hate taking over AI cities which were built on 3/3 or 2/2 tiles and have everything built on them.  I'm fairly certain the AI is not playing by the same gold maintenance rules we are so taking over an AI city becomes a maintenance disaster.  I end up removing half their buildings or just razing the city.  C'mon Brad!  Actually, it's not Brad's fault.  The city management/specialization in FE stinks so Brad doesn't really have much to work with.

Here are some ideas for improving this:

+ Certain buildings cannot be built unless there is a resource type available in the city.  You can't build a Barracks unless there is access to iron ore (or Gold if Gilden).  You can't build a study unless there is a lost library (or shard if Pariden).  You can't build a stable unless there is access to horses/wargs (or spiders if Krakis).  You can't build a magical forge unless you have both iron ore and a shard.  You can't build a magic garden unless you have both a food tile and a shard.

+ Certain buildings cannot be built unless there is a champion with certain abilities in the city.  You can't build a market unless a stationed champion has the merchant ability (or any champion if you're Capitar).  You can't build a training yard unless a stationed championed has the trainer ability (or any champion if you're Tarth).  You can't build an embassy unless a stationed champion has the diplomat ability (or any champion if you're Altar).

+ Each building has an upgrade option as the city grows

+ City upgrades should be based on specializing the city around mana, research, materials, training, gold, food, diplomacy, or capitals, or prestige.

+ Cities get 1 tile to build on per level (4 small buildings or 1 large building)

That is a bold accusation and requires proof. The reason why you are so easily able to take those cities is the economic disaster the AI has created. 

Asking for proof is rather silly if u ask me, and is just a measure to degrade someone's oppinion, instead you should post why you think it is incorrect.

That said I have seen the AI making some very smart moves, even though there was no evidence of him scouting my area, he waited with declaring war untill my hero stack of doom and destruction were somewhere on the other side of the world.
Seemed like a rather smart move, might just be coincedence.
I don't think the AI is considering the tech advancement or size of your cities when marching units in the direction of your territory, I am easily able to manufacture a huge team of heavily armored and highly equipped Knights before they arrive, so meaby the AI should start trying to get some faster moving units for the "blitz krieg" effect.

I do think the AI is decent for a beta AI, ofcourse alot of changes could be made, but so far the work has been good for a 2nd version of an AI!

That said I hope the devs ask for help if they want help in developping the AI for they're game, since I am fairly certain alot of forum dudes on here would be willing to put a few hours into finding bugs in the  AI.

+ I am having troubles deleting buildings, the demolish option is acting up, so big ai cities bother me usually, but most of the time I justt want to raze AI cities for outright silly "City-Level" choices.

Sincerely
~ Kongdej

I guess proof that the AI receives no economic help is in the xml. On Challenging and lower they receive no economic bonuses. Also, the devs have stated plainly on several occasions that the AI plays by the same rules. So to think otherwise is illogical unless there is proof of foul play.

It is notable that the AI players use crazy high tax rates, which probably messes up their economy realy badly due to unrest.

It the only way I bet them on ridiculous level is cause they don't pick up free stuff and I build a drake to stop their army's.

I need to think of a new way now!

On ridiculous level, each AI starts 15,000 gold, 300 metal and 300 crystal, but appear not to have any other help. So they don't have to worry about cities using lot of gold to run.

But on a large map, with max number of AI's all set to ridiculous, you can still win.