AI in skirmish games

unsided perhaps

from Demigod Forums

I notice the AI for the different demigods either is good or sucks.  Some of them do not really help the fight at all, but run back and forth between the base and the battle lines, doing a little or capping flags (which is ok, but can really cost you late in the game when you need fighters for the push).

 

In a long running game, a rook AI literally has become a lane controller where you cannot take him down due to his ability to heal and huge health.  Not 1v1, but rather he is swarmed by giants and lower and you're hitting him in the butt while he ignores you.

That would not be so problematic, for example, but because either your "teammates" (AI) is having a pow-wow in the middle of the map somewhere playing craps for stolen gold or you got lucky and its pwning the game for you.

 

The general types in particular are problematic, though Erebus seems just fine.  The Oak and Queen lack any punch (including all their assets, i.e. minions) and Sedna does little damage, but can stay alive forever (which is ok, I guess).

 

A few tweaks are necessary I think.  It sucks being saddled with idiot AI and the enemy luckily getting the demigods that have effective AI (or are more effective with the all purpose AI, I don't know).  It also sucks to go finish making dinner while the game runs long and come back and find out you won in a 1 Player 2 CPU VS 1 Player 2 CPU match.  You weren't even needed.

 

 

demigod
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Reply #1 from Demigod Forums Top

Well I share half of your concerns. I haven't played enough to know about 'balance' issues as far as AI goes, but sometimes it does act plain rediculous. I play easy AI while learning the game a bit and expect them not to be all that clever, but my teams AI players tend to just stand near the citadel for 2+ minutes, the same at flags, not attack enemy DGs shredding our towers, walk past enemy owned flags while no enemy is around (in other words: easily cappable), or just all swamp one side of the map while the enemies are owning the other. Now the last point can be a valid strategy except the AI hardly ever moves forward so owning half the midfield is all they will do, while we lose towers on the other side.

 

Now, DG is an all MP game for sure, but as I tend to hate PCs I chose the bot option most of the time. I usually have more fun that way. But forementioned AI behavior makes me wanna kick them off the map. I don't expect GPG/SD to drop everything and start making better AI, but please don't forget us bot players!