AI and Total War

**ScrapTower** · 12-06-2006, 02:49

If you do some research on AI you will find that most AI as we know it today is not intelligent at all. It is merely reacting to given situations by choosing from a list of viable responses given by the programmer. For example lets say you are writing AI for a moon rover, and how to handle a rock in its path…

If the rock is small go over it
If the rock is big and the way is clear, go around it

Very simple example there but you get the point. The code chooses the best action from a list of actions. This can become predictable however for game AI so some programmers code a human element into it. For example a kid may walk home from school one way on Monday, and a slightly different way on Tuesday. There may not be any advantage or disadvantage for taking a different rout on Tuesday… the kid just felt like it. To add a bit of unpredictability to AI, the programmer may “teach” the AI to pick the best 3 actions from a list of actions, and then randomly choose one to perform.

To code the AI for a game like this is a monumental task indeed. Literally millions of different situations could happen on the battle field, and we expect the AI to react at least reasonably intelligently to all of them. Unfortunately the AI in MTW, RTW and now MTWII has NEVER given me even the slightest challenge. While I give the guys at CA props for taking on such a task, I’m afraid the campaign in MTW3 will become just a quickly boring as MTWII is starting to be.

**Yun Dog** · 12-06-2006, 03:48

Given your understanding of the limitations

why did you buy M2TW?

I understand the limitations but am still enjoying playing the game - In most cases you should be able to outwit the AI - but every now and again the AI may just catch me sleeping or surprise me - which gives me a laugh

Luckily for me my appreciation for the limits of a programmed opponent has no detracted from my enjoyment of what is 'just a game'

my sympathies - you wasted your money

**PaulTa** · 12-06-2006, 05:21

Oh gee... I realize that artificial intelligence is still confined to Isaac Asimov short stories, but I sure do wish that those guys at CA could develop it for their game... Heck, those guys are terrible.

**ScrapTower** · 12-06-2006, 05:23

Nah I bought it for online play. Sadly I dont think the patch will address any of the online issues.

**Yun Dog** · 12-06-2006, 05:32

Originally Posted by ScrapTower

Nah I bought it for online play. Sadly I dont think the patch will address any of the online issues.

MP has always been a neglected side of TW games ..since there were TW games... you mustve known this if you had spent any time playing MP on any previous titles.?

and that wasnt what you started this thread talking about

theres the MP forum ... if you want to express your disappointment over there... but you mustve known all this before purchase

**ScrapTower** · 12-06-2006, 05:37

Oh I get it, a die hard TW supporter. I started this thread to talk about AI and Total War. Thats the title. I didnt start it so you could waste keystrokes telling me what I know and what I did wrong. Thanks tho.

**Yun Dog** · 12-06-2006, 05:40

Originally Posted by ScrapTower

Oh I get it, a die hard TW supporter. I started this thread to talk about AI and Total War. Thats the title. I didnt start it so you could waste keystrokes telling me what I know and what I did wrong. Thanks tho.

LMAO

well this is the TW supporters forum... where'd you think you were.. the TW whiners forum

and you said it... why did you start this thread then

**ScrapTower** · 12-06-2006, 05:50

Im not going to waste any more time on this. You obviously nothing better to do, or anything informative, helpful, or interesting to post. I like TW and am not here to bash it. My point was that the AI alot of people expect is alot harder to produce. Not that I owe you an explination. I think people can read your posts and mine and decide for themselves who iw whining.

**Cesare diBorja** · 12-06-2006, 06:28

Just getting tired of hearing people dis' on the AI. Have you seen the config_ai_xml file. You need to reload your game. Run your machine at top notch standards and dump useless material on your hard drive and start again.
Or give up on playin' the game. The problems you have, I don't have and I am in a death match with Venice as the Papal States and getting tired of it. It's taking going into debt to survive where I once had 500,000 Florins. I am just taking a break.

**ScrapTower** · 12-06-2006, 06:32

Im not having any problems...

?

**econ21** · 12-06-2006, 11:17

Yes, good AI is hard to program. But I am not sure this is going to a very profitable thread. There are signs it will lead to a refighting of the flamewar in the "Whining" thread with the same participants. They've had enough warnings today, so as a preventive measure