[glob2-devel] AIs and maps (was: patch with improvements: brushes (6), fix AI cheating (2), explorers (4), other GUI (7))

[Joe Wells]

"Kai Antweiler" <address@hidden> writes:

>> > That AIEcho feature was intentionally put there and I would like if
>> > you replaced it. It is meant to simulate an AI looking at the map
>> > beforehand and seeing where the enemies are. This is something the
>> > player can do and will definitly give them an edge over the AI.
>
> Makes sense.  Until we get good on the fly random maps we should
> use the old setting.

I think it should be a user choice.

And the issue is not so much good random maps, but AIs that can deal
with resource overgrowth.  Humans do much better than AIs on random
maps because they can clear areas intelligently.

Right now, there are already a number of things that can help when
making random maps:

* Use minimum wheat and wood proportions.  The resources will still
  overgrow, but it will take longer and may give the AI enough time to
  attack.

* Increase the desert proportion, because deserts (sand not at the
  water's edge) are guaranteed paths that never overgrow.

* Increase the proportion of grass and decrease the proportion of
  water.  This will give more empty space at the start and it will
  take longer for the wheat and wood to fill it.

* Minimize the stone proportion to avoid impassable barriers.

In the future, my proposal on a new system for
building/upgrading/repairing buildings can help the AIs because it
incorporates automatic clearing.  This will allow AIs more freedom in
where to place their buildings.  (Although AIs already have the
potential to be programmed to do automatic clearing, someone has to
program this, and no one has done so yet.)

-- 
Joe