What is AI intelligence factor number in ai difficulty settings and how does it work?

from Elemental Forums

If challenging level AI is using 100% of its algorithms at 1.30 AI Intelligence Factor then what does the 10.0 Intelligence Factor setting do for the insane setting? What cheats are given above 1.30? I can not find an explanation for this anywhere?

    <AIDifficultyLevel InternalName="AIDiffLvl_Challenging">
        <DisplayName>Challenging</DisplayName>
        <AIEconomicRatio>1.0</AIEconomicRatio>
        <AIFOWCheat>0</AIFOWCheat>
        <AIHPRatio>1.0</AIHPRatio>
        <AIStartingFundsRatio>1.0</AIStartingFundsRatio>
        <AISovereignHPRatio>1.0</AISovereignHPRatio>
        <AIUsesCombatMagic>1</AIUsesCombatMagic>
        <AIIntelligenceFactor>1.30</AIIntelligenceFactor>
    </AIDifficultyLevel>
    <AIDifficultyLevel InternalName="AIDiffLvl_Hard">
        <DisplayName>Hard</DisplayName>
        <AIEconomicRatio>1.1</AIEconomicRatio>
        <AIFOWCheat>0</AIFOWCheat>
        <AIHPRatio>1.0</AIHPRatio>
        <AIStartingFundsRatio>5.0</AIStartingFundsRatio>
        <AISovereignHPRatio>2.0</AISovereignHPRatio>
        <AIUsesCombatMagic>1</AIUsesCombatMagic>
        <AIIntelligenceFactor>1.5</AIIntelligenceFactor>
    </AIDifficultyLevel>
    <AIDifficultyLevel InternalName="AIDiffLvl_Expert">
        <DisplayName>Expert</DisplayName>
        <AIEconomicRatio>1.25</AIEconomicRatio>
        <AIFOWCheat>0</AIFOWCheat>
        <AIHPRatio>1.0</AIHPRatio>
        <AIStartingFundsRatio>10.0</AIStartingFundsRatio>
        <AISovereignHPRatio>2.0</AISovereignHPRatio>
        <AIUsesCombatMagic>1</AIUsesCombatMagic>
        <AIIntelligenceFactor>2.0</AIIntelligenceFactor>
    </AIDifficultyLevel>
    <AIDifficultyLevel InternalName="AIDiffLvl_Ridiculous">
        <DisplayName>Ridiculous</DisplayName>
        <AIEconomicRatio>1.5</AIEconomicRatio>
        <AIFOWCheat>1</AIFOWCheat>
        <AIHPRatio>1.4</AIHPRatio>
        <AIStartingFundsRatio>20.0</AIStartingFundsRatio>
        <AISovereignHPRatio>2.0</AISovereignHPRatio>
        <AIUsesCombatMagic>1</AIUsesCombatMagic>
        <AIIntelligenceFactor>3.0</AIIntelligenceFactor>
    </AIDifficultyLevel>
  <AIDifficultyLevel InternalName="AIDiffLvl_Insane">
    <DisplayName>Insane</DisplayName>
    <AIEconomicRatio>2.0</AIEconomicRatio>
    <AIFOWCheat>1</AIFOWCheat>
    <AIHPRatio>1.5</AIHPRatio>
    <AIStartingFundsRatio>1000.0</AIStartingFundsRatio>
    <AISovereignHPRatio>3.0</AISovereignHPRatio>
    <AIUsesCombatMagic>1</AIUsesCombatMagic>
    <AIIntelligenceFactor>10.0</AIIntelligenceFactor>
  </AIDifficultyLevel> 
</AIDifficultyLevels>

 

17,054 views 9 replies
Reply #2 from Elemental Forums Top

It is one factor that decides how much time the AI spends on deciding what to do at the strategic level. The more time it spends the better decisions it cah reach, and thus becomes more difficult to play against. I believe valid values are 1, 2 then anything above 3. So if you crank it up to 1000 it will act the same as if you set it to 3.

 

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Reply #3 from Elemental Forums Top

My experience is that the starting bonuses etc. are far more important than time spent. I made custom ridicilous+ AI with the same starting bonuses as Insane AI (and more HP for all units), and it was like playing insane AI.. so it kinda failed ;)

Reply #4 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Heavenfall, reply 2

It is one factor that decides how much time the AI spends on deciding what to do at the strategic level. The more time it spends the better decisions it cah reach, and thus becomes more difficult to play against. I believe valid values are 1, 2 then anything above 3. So if you crank it up to 1000 it will act the same as if you set it to 3.

 
End of Heavenfall's quote

If that is the case then why is the insane setting set to 10?

Reply #5 from Elemental Forums Top

It also gives a bonus to AI resource production.

Reply #6 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Heavenfall, reply 5

It also gives a bonus to AI resource production.
End of Heavenfall's quote

So what is the highest intelligence setting you can give it without a bonus to resource production?

Reply #7 from Elemental Forums Top

No idea.

Reply #8 from Stardock Forums Top

It's primarily used by the AI to determine the depth of its various internal search trees.

For example, a lot LOT of time is spent by the AI evaluating area threats. The intelligence factor helps determine the radius for those searches when it builds its threat matrix. You get into diminishing returns in a hurry (let's face it, if an enemy is 100 tiles away and moves at 2 tiles per turn, it's not really very worryable0.  On the other hand, cities looking at potential threats that are 12 tiles away might be useful as opposed to cutting off looking at units that are further than say 2 tiles away).

That's just one example. There's lots of other things like that such as how often the AI should look at upgrading its units, how often it should evaluate the inventory of its champions, how often it should look at shopping.  

Anything above 10 is likely to wreck performance and cause memory problems.

The AIFOWCheat is probably the most lethal setting.  Letting the AI not worry about FOW will result in faster performance but it's also pretty obvious that the AI knows where everything is.

Reply #9 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Frogboy, reply 8

It's primarily used by the AI to determine the depth of its various internal search trees.

For example, a lot LOT of time is spent by the AI evaluating area threats. The intelligence factor helps determine the radius for those searches when it builds its threat matrix. You get into diminishing returns in a hurry (let's face it, if an enemy is 100 tiles away and moves at 2 tiles per turn, it's not really very worryable0.  On the other hand, cities looking at potential threats that are 12 tiles away might be useful as opposed to cutting off looking at units that are further than say 2 tiles away).

That's just one example. There's lots of other things like that such as how often the AI should look at upgrading its units, how often it should evaluate the inventory of its champions, how often it should look at shopping.  

Anything above 10 is likely to wreck performance and cause memory problems.

The AIFOWCheat is probably the most lethal setting.  Letting the AI not worry about FOW will result in faster performance but it's also pretty obvious that the AI knows where everything is.
End of Frogboy's quote

Thanks Brad so there are no cheats added on the intelligence factor setting as you go up to 10... only more time to think?