Quote:
Originally Posted by Japo
Dunno, I don't think we need to be so forgiving on a poor AI, it wasn't warranted by processor power alone. And the fact it was substituted for with cheats by the computer opponents. There are older games with good enough AI.
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Could you name a few of them?
There are different approaches to AI in 3 Microprose games I love - in Master of Orion 1, in MoM, and in Ufo defense (X-com).
The AI in X-COM is totally pre-defined, mechanic, which is covered by the fact that the opponents are "THEM", do not use the same logic as mere humans. It really works, or worked at the time I played the game.
The AI in MoO is very simple and it is driven by the personnalities and the races. It works surprisingly well (bar a few exploits), mostly due to the fact that the game rules ARE very simple, not complex (like the AI knows exactly where the human fleet is going to attack in 3 turns). They did a very poor job on AI, making it random and intentionnally sub-standard, but dependent on the AI race. It's interesting - it works for me quite well (better than the plastic "super AI" from Galciv). But, in fact, they could do a much better job on MoO if they tried a tiny bit more.
The AI in MoM is the most complex (by several levels) of the three games, but it is found out times and times again. The game simply has incredibly complex rules for its time, several strategical levels. Believe me, this was a lost war from the beginning for the Microprose. The tactical combat itself could use half of the exe (with all the rules, spells, units, combos, exceptions). The omnipresent exceptions are the killer. No way they could put all this inside AND make the game exe small enough to be playable under the machine restriction of the time. Maybe if they changed the memory conception.
But you are right they were probably overwhelmed. And they left a lot of bugs inside as well, so even with the buffs the AI is not good enough. This is a pity.