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the AI DOES cheat

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the AI DOES cheat

from Stardock Forums
Yes, the AI cheats. I'm playing on all intelligent, and I'm aware that it automagically knows yellow stars, galactic resources and such (and the background story on that isn't very clever IMHO), doesn't ever research certain techs (weapons theory, for example), and sometimes has weird alliances or ship ranges (as reported by others).

But that's not very essential. What IMHO is the way AI is having an unfair advantage, is that the AI KNOWS THE GAME MECHANICS!!

How is the player assumed to choose between abilities, techs, social projects, anything, if he isn't given information about how is pop. growth or morale or tax income or production calculated? There are caps, other limits, secret formulas, whatever, we can't know! Publish the info, please!

If the game mechanics info would be published, it would also have another positive effect: game logic bugs (which are in dozens now) would be found very fast. I have been on the lookout for the different values GalCiv calculates on my empire, and I'm sure that there are some weird bugs in calculating all those bonuses and bonuses of bonuses and so on. Sometimes having +X% on something (not even near the caps) doesn't have any effect on anything. Choosing between +10% morale and +10% influence becomes quite hard: one might have the effect and another might not.
1,673 views 29 replies
Reply #26 from Stardock Forums Top
Well, the thread seems to have taken quite a different flow than when it began.

I think it doesn't matter if the AI knows the planets (if it wouldn't, it would be better IMHO, but nothing to really care about) or something else.

All counterarguments to publishing basic game mechanics have been "I like playing, and learning by playing". Yeah, I do too. But the point is, you can't learn the pop. growth formula by playing. Then why would one want to know it? I think that publishing a few formulas would not rip the fun out of game, but enable the development of much deeper strategies. IMHO, and it is IMHO, it is frustrating to try guess the best strategy. I'm impressed to this game, but not much so that I'd begin reverse engineering them - that's the only way of "learning them while playing".

Publishing game mechanics (and only a few basic formulas) would make the competition of best game scores intelligence vs intelligence, not amount of time played vs amount of time played.

It seems that I'm the only one willing to put my brains into use in this game, so I won't fight. IMHO the game isn't really so complex, that one would need anything beyond common sense to win on all-intelligent AIs (haven't tried genius, I don't like AI bonuses). By publishing the mechanics the developers would enable those hard-core strategists to use their brains. Otherwise the game is simple click-and-win.

That's my opinion, nothing more. I'm not willing to begin arguing here endlessly. If the devs won't publish the mechanics, then they won't. I can't do anything for it. But I just can't understand why they don't - IMHO game mechanics is part of documentation, not any top-secret stuff.
Reply #27 from Stardock Forums Top
I really do not see the point of knowing the exact game mechanics...

mmm, is it better to conquer one star system with one planet quality 20 or a star system with two planets quality 15... ((1+NbSh)*(PQ/SQRT(Nbcol+GPmul)/(Tot+arg(SQRlilo)+(Shootthealien)*Nbpl+Nbciv/alColsh)) = BOTH !!

lucky I had my ultra-computer...
Galactic Civilizations IV
Reply #28 from Stardock Forums Top
Let me just add that it would be a conceptual difference, psychological.

The AI knowing hasn't stopped people from crushing it. People win all the time. As Frogboy said, he expands faster than the AI, so it isn't a balance question either.

For me, I just like seeing the AI explore.

Sort of a `hello there, keep moving thank you' that I think when I see them (ala MOO and MOO2).

Maybe putting this on the bottom line level would help.

Would I like to see this done as a patch instead of something else?

No.
Reply #29 from Stardock Forums Top
gal lord,

What if you knew that the one class 20 planet would give you more income, but that the 2 class 15 would provide for more research. Now you'd be able to make an intelligent choice based on the information, rather then just guessing blindly.