This forum has recently seen a few excellent discussions on the AI in TW games. I've read these with great interest as for me -and it seems most people here- a major improvement of AI is more important then anyting else. Personally, I would be willing to go back to Shogun's graphics if that would get me even just modest improvements in tactical and strategic AI... not to mention diplomacy - on a side note, there are no excuses for RTW's horrible diplomacy system, please CA go and license some CIV IV code and be done with it (not meaning to rant, just some particular frustration as this is really not something that involves pushing the bounderies of today's technological possibilities, as may be the case for the tactical AI. It could easily have been done so much better).

However, according to what seems to be general consensus on the forum, cute graphics are just too important from a marketing point of view, unlike the AI, and therefore AI development will continue ranking second.

I fail to agree here, and the proposition I would like to make is this: why not drop the graphics and adopt superior AI as the game's main selling point? It is a strategy game, after all. I am not saying graphics should be ignored, just that priorities should be re-arranged ánd that this will not need to lead to a marketing fiasco.

I know a thing or two about marketing in the gaming industry and I am baffled by Sega's apparent fixation with graphics as the one and only selling point. If this were true, why would other platforms even exist next to the PC?

Although there may be different types of gamers (let's just say, those that want AI first and those that want graphics first), it is not a matter of who you will sell to. Us AI-gamers will buy the game anyway (even with current poor AI its really the only thing out there), the graphic-junkies will also buy it in any case because it'll look nice and shiny in a preview or demo anyway, also if the graphics budget is scaled down a bit.

The difference is that under the current state of affairs, the AI gamer ends up disappointed. Why not make it the graphics-junkie who's disappointed? I find it hard to believe that this will have a negative overall effect on sales (any lost sales on that end would be compensated by extra sales on by real strategic gamers).

I understand where it comes from, with the marketing people currently in charge coming from Sega and all..... still, this is a different market, and it might be worthwhile to re-evaluate priorities... what might it mean to have a strategy game acclaimed for new ground-breaking AI, instead of just another set of fancy pictures that'll be outdated in 6 months anyway?

Just something I would consider if I were on the team.