Bad Excuse For Poor AI...

[Shadow]

It might just be me, but I think the developers should honestly be ashamed of blaming the lacking AI in this game, or the actions of a bug/glitch, on the actions of the player.

The reasion I say this, is from them saying: The AI do what we tell them to do.

Considering we don't give out commands, we have no control over what the AI do. They have preset actions and behavior.
All we need to do is go around, buy stuff so they have something to do.

We can't tell Archers to go over towards the other wall because we're losing it, and the one they are guarding isn't even being attacked.
Archers can't be told to go down from watchtowers even though enemies never come up there, so they can defend the frontier with others and form a better defense.
Builders can't be told to tear down this wall no longer needed, to making room for a new farm.
They can't be told either to wait on building this wall/watchtower or wait on cutting down a tree, because it takes them a while to get there and build, which is bad if a bug/glitch or mistake happened.
Can't even tell useless builders/farmers to drop their tools and become an archer so they can be put to actual use.

How can anything be our fault when we have no control over the AI?

[Pinard]

Where do they blame the player?

[Shadow]

Originally posted by Pinard:

Where do they blame the player?

I can' remember which precise discussion the statement comes from. But here is the quote from one of the developers:

Originally posted by GordonVan♥♥♥♥ [developer:]
Hi Combat Philosopher, the AI do what you tell them. Thi smeans their actions were made by you, not the game doing this on its own. Try playing taking this into account Timing is a huge part of the strategy and not using that is typically why the AI might feel dumb, when infact they are just doing what they are told and is part of the design, and challenge. :)

[Karma Chimera]

Other quotes from the developers:

Originally posted by GordonVanDyke:

Sorry, but we will not make an easy mode. Everything behaves predictably. If you tell a worker to do a list of task they will do them. If you build a tower archers will try and fill it. If you build a catapult worker will push it to the furthest palisade. It's all about timing and strategy and in no instance should your hand be held, we have enough of those games already IMO. In short, it's not what this game is about and I promise if you play and really dig into the details you'll master this game and start petitioning for a hard mode. :)

Originally posted by RawFury_Jonas:

The AI is indeed not broken but there is room for improvement in some behavioral patters (sometimes when systems affect each other, the results could be tweaked). They are all pretty logical though, if you look at them closely - and how the systems interact with each other. What seems to be happening is that some people feel they are broken and perception becomes reality. This is something to look at, as it suggest there are ways to polish "signal sending" through the UI.

[Shadow]

Originally posted by Karma Chimera:

Other quotes from the developer:

Originally posted by GordonVanDyke:

Sorry, but we will not make an easy mode. Everything behaves predictably. If you tell a worker to do a list of task they will do them. If you build a tower archers will try and fill it. If you build a catapult worker will push it to the furthest palisade. It's all about timing and strategy and in no instance should your hand be held, we have enough of those games already IMO. In short, it's not what this game is about and I promise if you play and really dig into the details you'll master this game and start petitioning for a hard mode. :)

Originally posted by RawFury_Jonas:

The AI is indeed not broken but there is room for improvement in some behavioral patters (sometimes when systems affect each other, the results could be tweaked). They are all pretty logical though, if you look at them closely - and how the systems interact with each other. What seems to be happening is that some people feel they are broken and perception becomes reality. This is something to look at, as it suggest there are ways to polish "signal sending" through the UI.

The first one is plain stupid.
What if I did a mistake by ordering a tree to be cut down, farm to be build, wall made or watchtower constructed?
Why should archers continue to stay in towers through their entire life, if there is one further ahead there is better for protecting?
Why would a worker try and rebuild a wall being attacked, go out into the woods to build or cut during nighttime or try and go out to a catapult when the wall is down and enemies swarming the area?

None of those are our fault and requires no timing or stragety. That is just a poor, simple excuse for bad AI.

The second one?

Its easy to see how things work together and what does what.
But we got no control over when they do it or if they should stop it from having decided against something.
There is no stragety or timing required when we have no control over how to time or plan stuff when we can't issue proper commands on how units should be placed or they should be doing.

[BizzMrk]

To be fair, if you tell your guys to cut down trees in the middle of the night or right before sunset then it is your own fault. Same with archers staying in the towers, of which you are aware of after 5 minutes into the game.

My main complaint is that i have to literaly build the wall 2 meters away simply because the AI is too stupid to get back early enough. Well, sure, it could be argued that that is our fault.

Builders running into walls that are under attack and loosing their stuff or archers piling up on the outside wall resulting in an immediet game over if that one single wall cant last long enough and your whole army dies literaly 10 meters away from the next wall then i dont really see why that should be our fault. They should really allow us to set priorities to walls.

[Censuur]

You're making mistakes, and you're upset that you're punished for them.

"What if I make a mistake and..." Simple. Don't, or you get punished.

"Why should archers" Why should building towers not have lasting consequences? It is what it is, it makes the area you build it more defended at the cost of some gold and a unit, if you do not want this then don't build a tower there, think about what you're doing.

What the developers have said is simply not wrong, the AI does what you tell it to, and while you're limited in your control it's not about having the AI doing whatever you want at any given time, it's about how you use the tools at your disposal to solve the challenge that the game provides (destroying the portals) and the game does that just fine, you have all the tools you need and they work as they should, if you tell your builders to cut down a tree in the middle of the night they will do exactly that, if you build a tower for an archer to man he will do exactly that.

Stop whining over the fact that the game challenges you, and that you're apparently incapable of dealing with the games arguably simple challenge.

You get punished for doing it wrong, this should mean to you to stop doing it wrong, not whine about the punishment.

[-=}EWo{=- Turtle Dude]

They the main issues I have is with the fact the AI doesn't cancel its own movement if the wall has changed so if your upgrade a wall your army falls back but if that wall if built before they are back to the other wall they will keep going to that wall before heading back, it's the same with npcs and getting items from the racks. One should go for the item not every single one, it causes them to run away from the next item i purchase because I need both...

I've had issues also with Archers exploring the map because they see a clearing in the woods or chase after a deer they saw or shot once and don't give up till they run into the monsters at night. Also really all monsters come out at night, but it takes till it turns dark for the AI to move behind the wall. I can see the more heavily armed/trained AI taking there time, but the archers shouldn't only move when it gets dark they should move before then.

[BCS]

I've seen a mechanic try to fix a wall with the giants that knock them back over and over... that is NOT good design. It doesn't look intentional, it just looks badly coded.

[Kinja]

I do agree that you should be punished if you're an idiot and order a tree cut or wall upgraded just before nightfall, i'v done it plenty of times as well. However, i'v had retarded moments where ALL my archers on one side didn't come inside the walls when it got dark and all got slaughtered because of that, i'v had moments when my builders didn't come back inside after fixing smth and all died, had farmers that stayed on a farm outside the walls when night came and got slaughtered as well, i don't think in any of these cases it was me doing something wrong. The AI at times has 0 survival instinct and it can be really frustrating when it happens. There should also be a way to command archers to move to the other damn side, this is a second thing i agree on, it's stupid for them to waste time fapping on the left when the right is falling.

[waffle_within]

I agree that the game would benefit from slight changes:

- Improve AI for better survival

- Give the player more commands/tools to handle stuff
or a combination of the 2

[Censuur]

The game is easy enough as it is, you really don't need the extra help, if these "issues" are at any point a problem for you, you've already been making countless mistakes.

As for builders repairing walls mid-attack, you want them to, they can potentially save the damn wall or at least take a hit away from it while they're at no risk of losing their hammers (and even if they do, by the time giants arrive 3 coins for the hammer is peanuts)

[Dor]

No excuse for builders not staying by catapults at night.

[Aech]

I currently have a problem where my workers just sit in farmsand dont leave, even when i want them to build something close by, forcing workers on the other side of the map to have to make the long trip.

[Talon]

Originally posted by Oniiku: Uprising:

I currently have a problem where my workers just sit in farmsand dont leave, even when i want them to build something close by, forcing workers on the other side of the map to have to make the long trip.

You may have wanted to look at the last post, you kinda nercoed an old post

[Farkas MacTavish]

Psssssssssssssssssssst...I don't think OP has ever heard of roguelike games before...