Looking for games with good AI

[Adrian II]

Artificial intelligence is nice, human intelligence is a far better opponent than any machine and groups working together are smarter than soloists.

Sooo, the answer is Battlefield2.

Nothing beats a few rounds on a BF2 64 ticket map in a six-member squad with a squad leader who is Medic and has VoiP, no noobs on board and every member knows the map and can fly, drive and use anti-tank or C4. Gets my adrenaline going every time.

[Bijo]

Then you might as well suggest joining the army. Human opponent "AI", human friendlies who have "AI", and real-time action in the field :)

You can even feel real pain or die ;) Maybe paintball is a better suggestion, heh heh.

[Rodion Romanovich]

Artificial intelligence is nice, human intelligence is a far better opponent than any machine and groups working together are smarter than soloists.

Sooo, the answer is Battlefield2.

Nothing beats a few rounds on a BF2 64 ticket map in a six-member squad with a squad leader who is Medic and has VoiP, no noobs on board and every member knows the map and can fly, drive and use anti-tank or C4. Gets my adrenaline going every time.

You have a good point, and I indeed prefer human opposition in most cases. But there are situations in which human opposition is not a good idea: when I want to be able to play when I feel like it, when I want to play a non-mainstream or old game that has lost/never had any notable mp community, and when I want to play complex long-time campaigns that would be too much fuss to arrange with others, etc.

[Dunhill]

Thank you for bringing the thread back on topic. It is actually quite difficult to find good AI's, particularly with certain kinds of games.

Go is one game where AI research hasn't progressed very far. Most AI's for Go as easily beaten on a smaller board by players of relatively low experience, even if the computer is given a large benefit of handicap against the player. That type of game just doesn't lend itself to programming, due to the nature of game resolution. More pieces are going onto the board, not being taken off.

I'd say that the more simplistic the game, the more likely the AI is to be able to give you a challenge. I think that is why the AGEOD games are quite good in that the economics are abstracted, so the choice are restricted to what kinds and sizes of armies, led by which assortments of leaders moving to take specific areas. Abstracting economics and diplomacy leaves more time for the strategic assessment. These games also permit some choice in AI time for assessment. They say the latest game permits dual cores to think about the move as you are conducting your, but I can't ouch for how that works without a dual core myself.

[TinCow]

I'd say that the more simplistic the game, the more likely the AI is to be able to give you a challenge. I think that is why the AGEOD games are quite good in that the economics are abstracted, so the choice are restricted to what kinds and sizes of armies, led by which assortments of leaders moving to take specific areas. Abstracting economics and diplomacy leaves more time for the strategic assessment. These games also permit some choice in AI time for assessment. They say the latest game permits dual cores to think about the move as you are conducting your, but I can't ouch for how that works without a dual core myself.

Yep, that's true. Most RTS AIs are pretty decent simply because the game itself is simple. The C&C series, Warcraft series, Starcraft, etc. all had AIs that would give you a run for your money in random battles.

[Fragony]

Artificial intelligence is nice, human intelligence is a far better opponent than any machine and groups working together are smarter than soloists.

Sooo, the answer is Battlefield2.

Only if you play with good players, multiplayer games can be free for all spray and pray-fests as well. A good AI feels like it actually works together, in the case of Halo and F.E.A.R. the AI trumps 90% of the multiplayer matches.

[Kekvit Irae]

Battlefield 2 multiplayer can make you feel like either you are against supermen or idiots. However, this is also the case on single player too. Case in point: The Great Wall map, single player. Chinese players can dominate the map because of a bug in the map causing the EU AI to clusterfudge over at one ruined part of the wall at one of their main spawn points, all of them TRYING to jump over onto the wall, but failing, getting all of them stuck.
Multiplayer can be the same, with some players thinking they are god when they really aren't. You don't charge into an area you just threw a grenade at, idiot! If someone is manning a machine gun nest, you don't charge across a field directly in its line of fire to get to it! If you gain command of a transport helicopter, you certainly don't crash it, with your human cargo, into a tank!

[Adrian II]

Battlefield 2 multiplayer can make you feel like either you are against supermen or idiots.

Exactly. The supermen would be in the well-oiled squad. The squad with the leader who calls for artillery support so you get killed without knowing what (or rather, who) hit you. Who tells his squaddies what's what, where the opposition is, what kit to bring to a situation, &cetera. And with a squaddie called Adrian II who either drives tanks or kills them.

But I believe the original poster does not appreciate multiplayer discussion in his thread. Maybe we can pursue this some other time.

[Kekvit Irae]

Exactly. The supermen would be in the well-oiled squad. The squad with the leader who calls for artillery support so you get killed without knowing what (or rather, who) hit you. Who tells his squaddies what's what, where the opposition is, what kit to bring to a situation, &cetera. And with a squaddie called Adrian II who either drives tanks or kills them.

But I believe the original poster does not appreciate multiplayer discussion in his thread. Maybe we can pursue this some other time.

The ultimate nutjobs are Commanders who go out into the middle of the fight INSTEAD OF DOING THEIR JOBS.
The single player version didn't even have commanders, unless you put yourself in that seat.

[Husar]

Only if you play with good players, multiplayer games can be free for all spray and pray-fests as well. A good AI feels like it actually works together, in the case of Halo and F.E.A.R. the AI trumps 90% of the multiplayer matches.

I played with that seperate free FEAR MP client(FEAR Combat IIRC) and it was mostly a whole lot of shooting and dieing involved. I had great fun because it was so...absurd. How do you want to aim if your screen is full of particles, smoke and special effects that you cannot see a player anyway?

[Fragony]

It is very much possible to turn that off. But the real meat is in the single player thanks to the oh so excellent enemy behaviour. These guys really keep you second-guessing all the time, and then OHNOES behind me