Our chat on the Civ3 AI with Soren Johnson. In red, the operators. In
blue, Firaxis team members
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[Atahualpa] see
[Executor5] yes
[Sheltem] yay
[Vorret] civ3 = no multi
[Wexu] hello.
[Misfire] "Waiting for Soren: A Play in Two Acts"
[ProvostHarrison] I am playing the French in Civ3, that commercial and industrial bonus are too much for me to resist...
[Executor5] finally
[Soren_Johnson_Firaxis] Hello?
[_Rince] hello
[DarkCrab] hey
[[XSS]] Hello Soren
[Guest02281] ah! les femmes de paris! elles sont comme les fleures en printemps
[Atahualpa] hello
[TheChief] hello
[Soren_Johnson_Firaxis] sorry, our web access went down...
[Sheltem] greetings
[Jannekorv] I really enjoy the fact that the cpu always knows which one of your cities that is poorly defended...
[Executor5] everybody shutup and let him talk!
[ProvostHarrison] Hello Soren? Fashionably late eh? ;-)
[Guest02281] greetings soren
[libredr] PH you made the good choice :)
[Zeitreisender] hello
[Soren_Johnson_Firaxis] ...so I had to drive home and log on here.
[Sheltem] heh.. it happens, we're just glad you made it
[TheChief] Where exactly is that??
[libredr] Hello
[OG_Quantum] respek going out to the one they call the soren
[Soren_Johnson_Firaxis] thanks...
[ProvostHarrison] Address please, we'll be sending you white powder ;-)
[DarkCrab] ;)
[TheChief] lol
[ProvostHarrison] So anyway, time to ask some questions...
[Guest20076] nasdaq 1857 good
[Executor5] When's the patch coming out?
[ProvostHarrison] Why are the AI such bastards when it comes to agreeing terms for exchanging resources?
[Misfire] Markos, time to moderate?
[Soren_Johnson_Firaxis] different resources have different values for the AI...
[Soren_Johnson_Firaxis] ...so it is sometimes hard to get a 1-for-1 trade...
[ProvostHarrison] OK, but even over luxuries, they try and extort me...
[Cassembler] Hey Soren, huge kudos to a FUN AI!!!
[Pembleton] actually it's easy to swindle the AI...I have to stop myself from doing so
[Soren_Johnson_Firaxis] no, even luxuries have different values becase...
[Jannekorv] Well I understand that they dont rate my world map very high, since they already know everything :)
[Vorret] I think the question everyone really want to ask is... Will there ever be multiplayer in civ3 ... and not in an expension pack please
[Soren_Johnson_Firaxis] ...luxuries are worth more to civs with more cities.
[Executor5] As long as the AI doesn't have the resource or luxury, you can really rip them off
[ProvostHarrison] AHA! Now that makes perfect sense!
[Soren_Johnson_Firaxis] sorry, I am not at liberty to discuss multiplayer...
[JGeorge] Wrong, Vorret. Not everyone cares.
[Soren_Johnson_Firaxis] ...we've got some great idea, though!
[Pembleton] it doesn't matter what they have or don't have there are too many loopholes in diplomacy
[Executor5] In other words, wait for the expansion for multiplayer.
[Sheltem] *raises his hand*
[Guest02281] multiplayer is tightly connected with ai matters
[OG_Quantum] soren:is corruption too high for the AI too?
[ProvostHarrison] Usually I have had a large handful of cities trying to get resources out of a smaller civ, but at a hellish cost...
[Soren_Johnson_Firaxis] yes sheltem?
[Killertox] any one here?
[_Rince] no
[libredr] What about scenarios ? Flat world, scripting language, etc...
[TheChief] no
[Soren_Johnson_Firaxis] The AI deals with corruption just like the human...
[Sheltem] Does the A cheat persay, gain extra resources over the play, or does it rely on simple efficency to beat you?
[Soren_Johnson_Firaxis] ...although more or less according to difficulty level
* nidz-onehalf would like to ask a rather silly, but fun-to-know question
[ProvostHarrison] I think you can minimise corruption with the right government, courthouses and strategically placing your palace and forbidden palace...
[Atahualpa] Sheltem: what does it matter?
[pg] instead of violating your borders, why doesn't the ai make a deal for right of passage more?
[Executor5] Why not set an absolute limit for corruption in a city, like 80%?
[Soren_Johnson_Firaxis] Sheltem: The AI gets no gameplay bonuses at Prince...
[Cassembler] Question: When the AI builds cities in crappy locations, is this a bug or just the AI sayin' "I have a settler, must find land"?
[Sheltem] thanks :)
[JGeorge] Jesus Christ, let the guy answer one question at a time!
[Cassembler] or both?
[OG_Quantum] soren:does the AI know where your cities and troops are without moving a unit nearby?
[Soren_Johnson_Firaxis] ...at other levels there are growth, production, science bonuses or penalties
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[ACS_MarkG] ok, let's breathe for a while :)
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[Soren_Johnson_Firaxis] sorry, i am having trouble keeping up? :)
[ACS_MarkG] well that was for everyone
[Soren_Johnson_Firaxis] hi Mark
[ACS_MarkG] everyone, Welcome to our Civ3 AI Chat with Soren Johnson
[ACS_MarkG] I will make an effort to do this unmoderated
[ACS_MarkG] i would like to ask from everyone to not flood Soren with questions
[ACS_MarkG] and not post unrelated stuff
[Soren_Johnson_Firaxis] so how will this work?
[ACS_MarkG] Well, if everyone cooperates, it will be an open chat :)
[Soren_Johnson_Firaxis] k
[ACS_MarkG] Ok,let's give it a try, i'll put on a question from korn first and then open the chat
[Soren_Johnson_Firaxis] ok
[ACS_MarkG] The barbarian AI seems to almost always go for the closest city, one time the barbarians appeared at my doorstep with around fifty units and they all attacked a size one city with no improvements when my undefended capital was just two squares away and it was working on the pyarmids. If the city is down to size one and doesn't have any thing in i t then the barbarians should either bypass it and attack a better city or have a small chance for destroying it.
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[Soren_Johnson_Firaxis] that is true... the barbarian AI is quite rudimentary...
[Atahualpa] they are barbarians after all? :)
[Soren_Johnson_Firaxis] ...but that is on purpose. THey are barbarians after all...
[ACS_MarkG] Does that not happen with the actuall civs?
[Atahualpa] hahahahahaha
[Soren_Johnson_Firaxis] the barbarian combat AI is much different from the civ combat AI's...
[Soren_Johnson_Firaxis] I would compare the barbarian AI more to, say, a FPS AI...
[Eroberer] may i ask a fundamental question?
[ACS_MarkG] Ok, so what kind of things does the AI take in mind to choose where to attack?
[Soren_Johnson_Firaxis] ...or at least a bad FPS AI.
[ProvostHarrison] They see something and charge?
[Soren_Johnson_Firaxis] Mark: the barbarian or civ AI?
[ACS_MarkG] the Civ AI
[connorkimbro] In my experience, it doesn't happen with actual civs. I've seen the AI civ march right past an undefended, but somewhat weaker city and go for one of my strong cities, that was much better defended and in the middle of my empire. And they got the city too, (damn romans)
* Jannekorv wonders if the cpu gets mad on him when he builds his cities close to the cpu`s cities, on purpose of taking them over with culture?
[Eroberer] will enhancements, of whatever kind - AI od something else - come free for download...or as part of an expancion pack
[TheChief] *me, me, I've got a question*
[Soren_Johnson_Firaxis] well, the civ AI looks at terrain, proximity of its own units, resources, location, continent info, etc...
[ACS_MarkG] hold it thechief for a moment, thanks
[Guest20271] raises hand, let me know when
[ProvostHarrison] The golden question Ero, and one, from the last discussion with JM, seems to be in the hands of Infogrames *groan*
[Soren_Johnson_Firaxis] I'm afraid the AI doesn't "get mad" :)
[Jannekorv] hehe :) not annoyed either? :)
[atamus1] no the ai gets furious
[maximal] it says it does
[libredr] First congratulations. What about scenarios : flat world and script language. Can we expect them in the first patch ?
[ACS_MarkG] let's get the upgrades/patches question out of the way no
[Soren_Johnson_Firaxis] cultural acquisition of cities does not make the AI get mad b/c
[ACS_MarkG] Soren, what decisions are there right now for the patches?
[Soren_Johnson_Firaxis] it is not really directly under the user's control (unlike capturing a city)
* nidz-onehalf would like to ask a rather silly, but fun-to-know question
[Jannekorv] ok, thats the only way I aquire cities so :)
[connorkimbro] Soren_Johnson_Firaxis: i've noticed that alot of times, the AI seems to really like to share techs with other AI civs. . but not with the player. It's almost as if, diplomatically, they're ganging up on the player. Is that intentional?
[Soren_Johnson_Firaxis] oh sorry... we are working on a patch and it will address bugs and interface issues first as well as a few balance and AI holes...
[ACS_MarkG] upgrade on the editor?
[Mark13] Any hint of a release date?
[Soren_Johnson_Firaxis] ...sorry, I can't be too specific b/c we don't want to promise anything until it gets through testing...
[ACS_MarkG] Ok, thanks
[Misfire] ?
[Soren_Johnson_Firaxis] the editory will be upgraded soon although I am not sure if it will be in the first patch...
[SamSmithnz] But we're talking before christmas for the patch right?
[ACS_MarkG] thechief, please ask
[TheChief] Is simple trespassing enough of an excuse to start a war with an AI player without losing points with other AI players. In other words, I don't want to ruin my reputation in the long run to win by the UN vote.
[Soren_Johnson_Firaxis] yes, before X-mas
[ACS_MarkG] yes, sam, Jeff Morris mentioned "end of month"(this month).
[ProvostHarrison] Will we be able to more specifically select civ starting locations? (do you know?)
[ACS_MarkG] now lets get back to AI
[atamus1] the editor needs a little map
[atamus1] ok
[Congestion] Will corruption levels be tweaked in a patch, or is there a decision to leave them as is?
[Soren_Johnson_Firaxis] connor: the AI does trade techs amongst themselves, but they follow the same rules....
[Wexu] I think everyone agrees that AI should respect more others' borders, but they run on others territories all the time, could that be changed? It's annoying to tell them all the time to withdraw.
[Soren_Johnson_Firaxis] ...for example, if the Romans are willing to trade you the Alphabet for 100 gold...
[Guest] wakamoto1
[gamadictG] Soren, does any AI actually try to play to try to get a lead in tech, or do they all just trade constantly...??
[atamus1] yes the ai always go into my ground
[ProvostHarrison] He has a broken pipe. Sounds painful :-)
[pg] yes, it'd be nice if the ai used right of passage more..
[atamus1] i hate telling them to leave
[Soren_Johnson_Firaxis] ...then they will only be willing to trade it to the Greeks if the Greeks will also fork over 100 gold.
[atamus1] again
[atamus1] and again
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[connorkimbro] Soren_Johnson_Firaxis: thanks. . :) a follow up question. . . How does the AI determine which tech to research next?
[Guest08363] nick new_wakamoto1
[ProvostHarrison] you forgot \
[Soren_Johnson_Firaxis] the AI picks what tech to research depending on their present needs and their personality...
[Sunstone] Will you be able to "deport" an unwanted ai settler running through your realm ??
[Soren_Johnson_Firaxis] ...thus one civ might prefer military techs while another might prefer infrastructure techs...
[atamus1] they do that alot
[connorkimbro] interesting, and good to know. I'd hoped such was the case. Thanks. :)
[ACS_MarkG] guest20271, please ask
[ProvostHarrison] I presume it would depend on their civ attributes, yeah?
[atamus1] keep on trying to get to the other side of my area to build
[Soren_Johnson_Firaxis] The AI tries to get a lead in tech... in fact, one of the few AI tweaks I have done recently is make the AI less willing to trade away a tech which it has exclusively.
[RedFox] Soren - how does the game difficulty level affect AI?
[Guest20271] ok, based upon previous statements, i assume there are many AI subsystems. Is there a master system? Does it goal seek (space race, military, cultural victories)?
[EEKthedog] What kind of bonuses or disadvantages does the AI get on the verious difficulty levels varying from Chieftain to Deity?
[ProvostHarrison] How does it handle the Great Library within the game?
[gamadictG] That sounds great...I think it's annoying having every single race bunch up...
[Vorret] So if i'm right you can't give ANY detail on what the patch will contain.. ?
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[ACS_MarkG] 30 secs moderation
[ACS_MarkG] Soren, take your time :)
[Soren_Johnson_Firaxis] the Great Library is one of the Wonders the AI prefers... if they are under the right set of circumstances (they have met at least 2 other civs...)
[Soren_Johnson_Firaxis] Vorret: sorry, but I can't talk much about the patch until it is out (it won't be long!)
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[Congestion] Without going into further specifics on the patch, could you rell us if there is a discussion on reducing the corruption levels or not?
[Guest1] hi there
[zerbonar] hi mark!
[Zzzax] a lot of people have noted that the AI doesn't respect culture borders and that it will build cities even on the smallest and most unusable patches of land. will we see any change in this?
[Vorret] Welll.... that's better than nothing.. it wont be long than "we don't have an eta..." :) thanks
[atamus1] will the patch be out before christmas!
[Soren_Johnson_Firaxis] Corruption levels are one thing we have looked at...
[Wexu] Soren_Johnson_Firaxis: I think everyone agrees that AI should respect more others' borders, but they run on others territories all the time, could that be changed? It's annoying to tell them all the time to withdraw.
[Soren_Johnson_Firaxis] and I'll give you a hint: we are NOT increasing corruption. :)
[Congestion] :)
[EEKthedog] Soren - What kind of bonuses or disadvantages does the AI get on the difficulty levels varying from Chieftain to Deity?
[OG_Quantum] soren:thank you
[Guest20271] I guess my question got lost? :-(
*** ACS_MarkG changes topic to 'Civ3 AI Chat with Soren Johnson- NOW - no question flooding, no useless chating, thanks!.'
[ProvostHarrison] Yes, well perhaps there should be a level of dependence of corruption on map size...yes?
[Twostep] eek: rtfm, it tells you
[Soren_Johnson_Firaxis] another possible AI tweak will be to have it not build cities when its new borders will be surrounded by a rival civ...
[Soren_Johnson_Firaxis] or nearly surrounded...
