Quote Originally Posted by Procrustes
The problem w/ an AI - and I don't think there will be a way around this until HAL comes along - is that it can't learn, it will only ever know what was tediously programmed into it. I mean, I made a lot of the same dumb mistakes that the AI makes during my first campaign. I thought about it, read the manuals and checked the boards, and made a lot few mistakes the second time. The AI however didn't learn a damn thing and never will.

My imperfect solution has been careful use of the -ian switch to give the AI a hand here and there, and to use a few self-imposed rules to keep me from mauling the AI too badly and ruining all the fun.

The day someone makes a complex AI that can learn and improve in complex areas such as a Total War game will be a fine day indeed-it will provide and endless challenge as we constantly must find new ways to defeat an opponent who learns and counters our tactics.

Until then-wait for an MP campaign in a Total War game. Human players on all factions would make things difficult-and I doubt an AI will come along any time soon that would be better than playing real, skilled people. (Of course, there are difficulties in making such a thing, like the time it would take to play through and so on.)