AI defenders being suicidal

[DeletedUser11289]

I know that AI is generally not considered to be good but this is just ridiculous:

enemy is attacking with 8 ballistas/catapults;
my defence is 2 catapults, 5 crossbowmen, 1 heavy melee.
During the whole battle my crossbowmen and the melee dude move forward only 1-3 squares each turn.
Needless to say, enemys iron age army destroyed my high/early middle age defenders without getting a scratch.

What gives? Is there any workaround to it? It wasn't just one battle, happened several times.

 

[DeletedUser3157]

Quite sure AI has been upgraded by a lot, at least the auto-combat AI. I've been using more and more auto-combat since I got military GP and compared to few months ago it seems a lot better. Matter of fact I just auto-combated 8 trebs vs 4 catapult 4 armored infanrty fight and AI actually chose correct kill order for 4 catapults to start it off and finished the battle with 0 injuries, and thats smth even human players screw up occasionally. Had they been crossbows instead of armored inf it would have confused AI too much and I wouldn't have clicked that auto-combat, but as long as enemy has 4 or less ranged, AI usually doesn't mess it up and chooses good kill order.

 

[DeletedUser11481]

Yes I have seen this even though im in iron age. The AI near suicides my units. You have to understand that the AI is not retarded it just doesnt know when to change tactics. If you have Long Range it will do everything it can to defend them and only move forward slowly. Not a bad idea in it self. If you had say 5 long range and 3 heavy melee the heavy melee will do great job of staying back and defending them and staying within move range of them until enemy approaches and they charge. I saw AI with 2 long range and 3 fast. It moved the fast at like 1/2 speed and i easily dispatched them. Long range controlled by AI does not allow the rest of the units to rush as they should. The only unit the AI does not mess up at all is long range since so hard to mess up. All other units it ignores terrain bonuses, does not protect short range and isnt smart enough to hold back 1 turn then charge with every thing.

I say the AI should have a hand full of tactics. And you tell it which to use. Say you want to have 2 long range but you want the rest of the units to charge. You could be able to tell each unit in advance how to act. Such as aggressive, passive, guard range, stay back.

Ive been trying to figure out what to do for Defence. It seems unless you have pallor opposite to what enemy attacks with you are probably going to lose. This because AI wastes most units. Its use of long range is as good as it gets. Heavy melee is hard to mess up. Light melee does not get on bush/trees and is ok use of them. Short range is charged in and not held back a few spaces to be guarded by melee. Fast is nearly a waste and any smart player can force them into wasting them.

Ive seem them lose fights to not very smart players with equal numbers where i would have only lost 1 unit but instead they all die! I know this because I attacked them with same units and they had same units on defense. I suggest they ither give some strategy options for each unit or something to off set the low IQ of the AI. Could just give you 1 extra unit slot for defense or make each unit slightly stronger on defense. Say +1-2 hp. Giving some sort of defensive structure would be nice for long range. Put them on a wall and say it gives and extra bonus on attack and defensive bonus. Same for short range if you tell them to hold position. The defending AI needs something. Not major but a little more.

 

[DeletedUser11481]

Here is what I found. In bronze age you short range have more speed/move than heavy melee. The AI moves each full move putting short range in front. In iron age they have same speed so less of a problem. Also using light melee who have more move helps put distance between the 2 and the enemies. Not prefered but better chances to survive. In high middle, late middle and coloniel heavy melee has equal or more speed than short range so they will be protected better.

The AI with long range will actually use strategy to protect them with all other units. Say you have 2 long range, 2 short range, 2 heavy melee and 2 light melee. It will place next to or in front of each long range the heavy melee with light melee behind it with short range behind that in a line. Not totally great but decent.

 

[DeletedUser9701]

I've encountered instances where some of the AI's units have a chance to attack and do damage, but it doesn't take advantage of this chance and just tip toes forward, ultimately ensuring that I win the battle next turn with no damage taken.

 

[DeletedUser]

I think that the AI is better in attack, rather than defense. *Hint, I think it has improved, too.

 

[DeletedUser11481]

I understand they want the AI to be beatable but its just dumb. I remember a old game remade for PS1 called nectaris. It was a hex grid battle game. The AI in took full advantage of terrain. If you could reach a unit in 2 different hex spots it would choose the terrain that gave it the better advantage. It gave preference to terrain that helped it but it was not the deciding factor on where it moved. If this AI did that it would makes the defense much better. Light melee would actually get on tree/bush deliberately and be much stronger.

The AI seems to be a damage math machine. It will only take into account the damage for that unit that turn. Allowing it to say with a light melee attack a short range surrounded by heavy melee who will wipe it out on their turn. It does not consider the terrain as a damage consideration or how placing itself can kill it next turn. It does sort of avoid moving max movement just to end up hurting a unit and being surrounded. Some what. Ive been studying their psychology and its complicated. They have each unit attack which ever unit in range that it can do the most potential damage too. Not a bad idea but not flawless.

Just wish the defending AI had some sort of way to off set its low IQ.