So now we have patch 1.3 and the question has to be. Is the AI in Empire getting better or is it, and this is what I think, resolving one issue and replacing it with other stupid problems.
- Division of forces: The AI divides it's forces in stupid unwinable ways. If I am engaged in a pitch battle with someone who has equal power to myself the last thing I am gonna do is find a nation who is just as powerful and then declare war on them as well. I would push on secure my forces, defeat my current enemy and THEN declare war on the second enemy.
- You're my enemy I fight only you: France declares war on me. Why does it do that. Well it's been involved in a pitch battle with Spain for about ten turns so it obviously decides it's time to apply the point I made above. I am fighting them for about 3 or 4 turns and then Spain turns round and declares war on me as well. Yup we have a three way going now... except France and Spain suddenly forget that they are at war with each other and decide to focus everything on me.
- I can see you: The enemy seems to be able to see right through the Fog Of War. It always manages to move it's units to exactly the spot you happen to occupy. This is especially noticeable with ships which will pick your vessels position out in the middle of the ocean and move straight to it. It's annoying because it means their is no tactical movement. What's the point of giving the main shipping lanes a wide birth if the enemy will still be able to spot you inside the FOW?
- Left or right: The one aspect where the AI is allowed to take control of my units and it still manages to make an ass of it. Withdraw from battle, to the left open water for miles to the right land and a dead end, which way will I go? Let's see I'll go right. Why, why does withdrawing always end up with your forces backing themselves in to a corner only for them to get instantly beaten thus rendering the withdraw useless?
- I Like you but I still hate you: Diplomacy is a waste of time, the enemy AI is utterly unmanageable. I've had 'friends' turn around and declare war for no reason whatsoever. I was allied with the United Provinces since the start of the game. Then about 30 turns in they went from being an ally to being at war with me in the space of two turns. Now the only instance I would pull a move like this would be if I had amassed an invasion army on their border and was ready to go the second I declared war. However the UP didn't do anything of the such in fact they declared war twenty turns ago and still haven't done a thing. They were and still are a two region power, they have a tiny army and they were allied with the most powerful nation in the game, they also had a good trade set up with me, so why declare war, break the alliance and thus any hope of protection, lose the cash from the trade and then do nothing to back it up...
- Death, it ain't gonna happen to me: So I am in the Americas securing my lands there, when Pruissa turn round and attacks. I have little force in the region but some how manage to gather enough troopage together to counter attack and hold one of their regions. I then notice that the Prussians have around eight to ten regions. Uh oh I am screwed! Some how I manage to secure my single region and hold it until I can reinforce. I manage to capture a second region then the Americans kick off back in the Colonies. So I have to spilt my forces. I manage to secure a third and fourth region from the Prussians then notice that I have seriously over stretched my forces. I try to broker a peace treaty. That fails. Ten turns later I've put the Americans down, managed to reinforce the regions in Prussia and noticed that the Austrians are also at war with the Prussians. In these ten turns I've tried various methods to broker a peace deal and none of them have worked. The Prussians have gone from being fairly powerful with 8 or 9 regions and are now reduced to just two regions, with only one of them having any serious force in it. They have me on one side and the Austrians on the other and they still refuse to discuss peace. There is fight to the last man and then there is stupidity.
Diplomacy, it's for the gays: Trade, peace, diplomacy in general. Why is it the player that has to initiate it. The only time I see the diplomacy window open is when the AI wants to declare war or when it wants to demand the return of a region' although after 1.3 I've noticed that doesn't seem to happen anymore. The objective is to make cash, garner relationship so why does the AI never offer trade? Never offer research exchange? Never offer state gifts? Worst yet if I was down to my last two regions on the brink of annihilation I would be doing everything to broker a peace deal... yet the AI never does this. It can't be that hard. Civv 1 through 4 managed to incorporate a far more complex diplomacy system that the AI actually used but Empires AI seems to all but ignore it.
Ships, they're for the gays too: Yeah their is more shipping activity in this patch than previous ones and on the one hand you have the super spider sense of the enemy ships that can find you in the middle of the ocean yet on the other you have the idiocy of the AI that still has no concept of sea born invasions. Or the concept of if I attack this trade lane here and get my ass kicked I guess attacking it another twenty times wouldn't be stupid. I sent a fourth rate SOL down to the Barbary states to ***** slap some daft 2 cannon sloop thing they had raiding one of my trade lanes. This started 30 or 40 turns ago and since then they have rebuilt, replaced, and sent another ship to attack the same trade lane every 3 or 4 turns since then. Failing to work out that the same Fourth Rate SOL is still there and will kick it's ass everytime.
Their are improvements in 1.3, the improvements have been coming slowly. The AI is more aggressive, it spends less time sitting around reinforcing it's own lands and instead tries to expand and yes it's harder. Not because the AI is smarter or being more tactical but simply because just about every nation has decided to attack me and ignore all their other enemies. Yeah that makes it harder but not in a very realistic way but the thing is the AI still does stuff that makes you go WTF?
You have a well defended city the enemy has two regions, hardly any military force what would the logical deal be? Reinforce, send and army large enough to take the city? Maybe broker peace and wait for your enemy to get distracted. No what it does is send two armies both with only two stacks who both get instantly crushed. Not very smart.
- Division of forces: The AI divides it's forces in stupid unwinable ways. If I am engaged in a pitch battle with someone who has equal power to myself the last thing I am gonna do is find a nation who is just as powerful and then declare war on them as well. I would push on secure my forces, defeat my current enemy and THEN declare war on the second enemy.
- You're my enemy I fight only you: France declares war on me. Why does it do that. Well it's been involved in a pitch battle with Spain for about ten turns so it obviously decides it's time to apply the point I made above. I am fighting them for about 3 or 4 turns and then Spain turns round and declares war on me as well. Yup we have a three way going now... except France and Spain suddenly forget that they are at war with each other and decide to focus everything on me.
- I can see you: The enemy seems to be able to see right through the Fog Of War. It always manages to move it's units to exactly the spot you happen to occupy. This is especially noticeable with ships which will pick your vessels position out in the middle of the ocean and move straight to it. It's annoying because it means their is no tactical movement. What's the point of giving the main shipping lanes a wide birth if the enemy will still be able to spot you inside the FOW?
- Left or right: The one aspect where the AI is allowed to take control of my units and it still manages to make an ass of it. Withdraw from battle, to the left open water for miles to the right land and a dead end, which way will I go? Let's see I'll go right. Why, why does withdrawing always end up with your forces backing themselves in to a corner only for them to get instantly beaten thus rendering the withdraw useless?
- I Like you but I still hate you: Diplomacy is a waste of time, the enemy AI is utterly unmanageable. I've had 'friends' turn around and declare war for no reason whatsoever. I was allied with the United Provinces since the start of the game. Then about 30 turns in they went from being an ally to being at war with me in the space of two turns. Now the only instance I would pull a move like this would be if I had amassed an invasion army on their border and was ready to go the second I declared war. However the UP didn't do anything of the such in fact they declared war twenty turns ago and still haven't done a thing. They were and still are a two region power, they have a tiny army and they were allied with the most powerful nation in the game, they also had a good trade set up with me, so why declare war, break the alliance and thus any hope of protection, lose the cash from the trade and then do nothing to back it up...
- Death, it ain't gonna happen to me: So I am in the Americas securing my lands there, when Pruissa turn round and attacks. I have little force in the region but some how manage to gather enough troopage together to counter attack and hold one of their regions. I then notice that the Prussians have around eight to ten regions. Uh oh I am screwed! Some how I manage to secure my single region and hold it until I can reinforce. I manage to capture a second region then the Americans kick off back in the Colonies. So I have to spilt my forces. I manage to secure a third and fourth region from the Prussians then notice that I have seriously over stretched my forces. I try to broker a peace treaty. That fails. Ten turns later I've put the Americans down, managed to reinforce the regions in Prussia and noticed that the Austrians are also at war with the Prussians. In these ten turns I've tried various methods to broker a peace deal and none of them have worked. The Prussians have gone from being fairly powerful with 8 or 9 regions and are now reduced to just two regions, with only one of them having any serious force in it. They have me on one side and the Austrians on the other and they still refuse to discuss peace. There is fight to the last man and then there is stupidity.
Diplomacy, it's for the gays: Trade, peace, diplomacy in general. Why is it the player that has to initiate it. The only time I see the diplomacy window open is when the AI wants to declare war or when it wants to demand the return of a region' although after 1.3 I've noticed that doesn't seem to happen anymore. The objective is to make cash, garner relationship so why does the AI never offer trade? Never offer research exchange? Never offer state gifts? Worst yet if I was down to my last two regions on the brink of annihilation I would be doing everything to broker a peace deal... yet the AI never does this. It can't be that hard. Civv 1 through 4 managed to incorporate a far more complex diplomacy system that the AI actually used but Empires AI seems to all but ignore it.
Ships, they're for the gays too: Yeah their is more shipping activity in this patch than previous ones and on the one hand you have the super spider sense of the enemy ships that can find you in the middle of the ocean yet on the other you have the idiocy of the AI that still has no concept of sea born invasions. Or the concept of if I attack this trade lane here and get my ass kicked I guess attacking it another twenty times wouldn't be stupid. I sent a fourth rate SOL down to the Barbary states to ***** slap some daft 2 cannon sloop thing they had raiding one of my trade lanes. This started 30 or 40 turns ago and since then they have rebuilt, replaced, and sent another ship to attack the same trade lane every 3 or 4 turns since then. Failing to work out that the same Fourth Rate SOL is still there and will kick it's ass everytime.
Their are improvements in 1.3, the improvements have been coming slowly. The AI is more aggressive, it spends less time sitting around reinforcing it's own lands and instead tries to expand and yes it's harder. Not because the AI is smarter or being more tactical but simply because just about every nation has decided to attack me and ignore all their other enemies. Yeah that makes it harder but not in a very realistic way but the thing is the AI still does stuff that makes you go WTF?
You have a well defended city the enemy has two regions, hardly any military force what would the logical deal be? Reinforce, send and army large enough to take the city? Maybe broker peace and wait for your enemy to get distracted. No what it does is send two armies both with only two stacks who both get instantly crushed. Not very smart.
