The AI is cheating!!

the AI in this game is one of the best ever in terms of being actually fun to play... except for a few things.

if the AI has no visual on my fleet, then why does it run as soon as I initiate phase jump to reinforce my planets?

...for that matter, why does the AI always run away, period? They're always on the brink of devastating my planets when they decide to cut and run.

why do I never get to force AI players to give ME money for loyalty?

why do the AI always, always end up in a 3v1 alliance?

and why does the AI always get an artifact in the first 5 minutes?

you guys are close to making the AI almost as fun to play as real people... now if only they didn't cheat all the time =P
25,908 views 20 replies
Reply #1 Top
You're right - never really thought about the fact that you can't ask them, force them to give you stuff for loyalty - what's with this one-sided relationship!
Reply #2 Top
if the AI has no visual on my fleet, then why does it run as soon as I initiate phase jump to reinforce my planets?
End of quote


Because there are ships that have the ability to see incomming enemy ships, just like you can see them.

Other questions are good though! I'd love to find some decent artifacts..
Reply #3 Top
It does seem like it's really easy for the computer to create alliences within themselves.
Reply #4 Top
because they spend money to look for them, most people dont

the AI runs because tactical strategies like that are VERY hard to program in

the AI winds up in a 3v1 alliance because you dont do any of the missions for the AI and wind up losing alliance chances because of it

also, the AI is very good at scouting and predicting where your ships will be if you bee line toward them
Reply #6 Top
The AI doesn't cheat.  We considered cheating, but decided not to go that route.
Reply #7 Top
Remove missions as they currently are.

Set all non-allies to neutral, not hostile, unless you are playing in a locked team game.

Keep the ability for the ai to request resources, with a standing gain if you give them, or a standing loss if you dont, if you are in very good standing you get more of a gain for giving them than you get of a loss for not giving them.

Add in the ability to gain some standing by giving resources even if the ai is not asking for them.

Add this functionality for players as well. To make requests of other players (both ai and human).

Add the ability to trade research. Do this not by trading specific research items, as different races get different ones, but rather allow the ability to give a certain amount of 'time' to the other race. If you give say, 2 minutes, for 2 minutes all your research is suspended, and the other player/ais research speed is doubled.

Add the ability to trade/gift/demand a planet


Make sure everyone, both AI and players are able to make demands or give or initiate a trade for any of these things.

This will increase 4x style diplomacy will out requiring dramatic changes to the way the game is played.
Reply #8 Top
[Craig Fraser, Ironclad Games :]

« The AI doesn't cheat. We considered cheating, but decided not to go that route. »
End of quote


You've just (officially) answered a question I was recently asking on another thread.

If you are stating that, I must then conclude that the comps receive no bonuses : no free resources, no free buildings, no free ships, no free upgrades, no free research, etc.

On the other thread, people were asking why the after-action-report graphs sometimes show that the comps are not spending resources -- since the graph lines appear flat over a long period of time.

I (hypothetically) suggested that the comps might not have to spend if they received stuff for free, as a pre-programmed cheat.

Your straighforward and categorical affirmation surprises me : most games give bonuses to the comps at some of the less easy levels of difficulty.

I must take your word for it, of course, but I dare say that I am very :SURPRISED: and  :NOTSURE:  . 

Reply #9 Top
if the AI has no visual on my fleet, then why does it run as soon as I initiate phase jump to reinforce my planets?
End of quote


There's a research for all 3 empires that allows them to see fleets jumping to their planets 1 to 2 jumps away.

why do I never get to force AI players to give ME money for loyalty?
End of quote

Agreed. Threatening the AIs in Galactic Civ was a lot of fun :P.

why do the AI always, always end up in a 3v1 alliance?
End of quote

I'm not 100% sure but from what I've seen the more missions you fail the more allied that AI becomes, like there's actually negative loyalty and AIs in negative loyalty team up on you.

and why does the AI always get an artifact in the first 5 minutes?
End of quote

I've played entires games (>5 hours) where the AI got no artifacts. Actually I've never not gotten an artifact before the AI come to think of it...looks like it's just your bad luck *shrug*
Reply #10 Top
Please, lets not worry about diplomacy. It doesn't really fit the story created for the game, doesn't really work in practice and is much more fun with locked teams (vs the AI anyway).

As for the AI cheating and knowing when you are jumping in, it's no cheat. You can monitor up to 2 jumps away what is jumping in. I always monitor what the AI is doing so I don't get surprised either.

I love how great the AI is, just now the bar has been set, lets see it rise some more.
Reply #11 Top
I guess i didn't really clarify about the jumping thing.

I'm talking about the AI running when I give the ORDER to jump, before they initiate it. I know you can see incoming ships with the right research but not before they leave the gravity well, right?
Reply #12 Top
I personally have never seen that happen, I may just be lucky.. but rarely do I see the AI even start to turn to run before my fleet has finished completely jumping and deploying strike craft.
Reply #13 Top
You're right - never really thought about the fact that you can't ask them, force them to give you stuff for loyalty - what's with this one-sided relationship!
End of quote


i believe that they said this may be a thing they will fix in v.103. not sure though and dont take my word for it.....sd, please let us initiate diplomacy. :)

Reply #14 Top
I personally have never seen that happen, I may just be lucky.. but rarely do I see the AI even start to turn to run before my fleet has finished completely jumping and deploying strike craft.
End of quote


Me either
Reply #15 Top
I want to threaten the AI, and if they reject me, follow it up with a shot to the nose (3 novaliths at a single planet), followed by another threat.

I don't like how the AI continually will band together in 3 or 4 on 1 against me, but never goes after each other. I've yet to see an AI player eliminated by anyone but me.

Reply #16 Top

if the AI has no visual on my fleet, then why does it run as soon as I initiate phase jump to reinforce my planets?
End of quote


They tend to have scout ships everywhere.


why do I never get to force AI players to give ME money for loyalty?
End of quote


Maybe you hadn't noticed, but doing other missions, like the kill missions causes them to give you around 1000 credits, 500 metal and 250 crystal, so you can eventually earn far more than your money back.
Reply #17 Top
True you can earn money back, but the AI is still forcing you to fulfill commitments in order to earn standings between your two empires, it'd be nice to make them undertake tasks to improve standings with you.
Reply #18 Top
Occasionally I've gotten missions that aren't even possible, like killing more of his tactical structures than even exist, that one's just mean.

Kill 3 of his turrets! (but.. he only has 2)
Reply #19 Top
I don't like how the AI continually will band together in 3 or 4 on 1 against me, but never goes after each other. I've yet to see an AI player eliminated by anyone but me.
End of quote


Did you try "locked teams" + one A.I. per separate team in the game setup ?

Reply #20 Top
I don't like how the AI continually will band together in 3 or 4 on 1 against me, but never goes after each other. I've yet to see an AI player eliminated by anyone but me.


Did you try "locked teams" + one A.I. per separate team in the game setup ?

End of quote


No, I wanted a FFA but what happens is the AI always bands together vs me in 3 and 4 vs 1. I have yet to see the AI actually fire a shot at each other.