Age of Wonders 4 Community Survey

[FangirlCrazily]

Hi Rulers!

We've been hearing a lot of your feedback about Watcher and are actively using it to inform our plans for improving the game. In the interest of collecting as much data as we can about your experiences, we have opened a survey for you to share how AI has personally been performing for you.

Please fill in this form here to let us know your thoughts on the AI. Form closes on 5 September 2023.

Your input will be invaluable in shaping the future of the game. Thank you very much!

Yours,
Triumph

 

[Windscion]

It seems to be all about AI, so I gave up.

 

[Yavor]

Filled it in. Sorry for saying a bit more in the last part. I will always support this game, so if you have anything more, which we can do for you, just ask! I am not alone, we are ready to help you shape the game into a 4X masterpiece. It deserves it, and it deserves love, care and work!
Thank You!

 

[Blanch Warren]

Alright, here you go, attack me. 18 vs 15, loses 3 units.

Also make brutal available if you don't mind. Come and raze me with that bulk when available.

Now, raiding behaviour is more sensible than the time I tested the AI aggression mod, but if anything should be more timid with it if it isn't going to do it with a larger force. That is, if behaviour isn't intentionally sillier in the first campaign scenario.

 

[Fanta Morgana]

Only played one game on the new AI so far, so I haven't done the survey, because my experience may not be representative.
Before the update I played a few random maps and the campaign maps and only Grexolis posed somewhat of a challenge. In that map the dark blue AI would get lots of about ~2000 power rating stacks with which they would attack me. However here still the AI could have steamrolled me. I used to leave a borderguard and the AI would come at me with 5-10 stacks, however if the first battle went bad for them they retreated, even if the remaining stacks would have been able to kill my borderguard (and even whole army for that matter).
So I'd say the map is already very challenging and may have even been impossible (for me) if the AI was even more aggressive.

After the update I only started one game, in which the AI is extremely aggressive. Its a small map with only me and an AI and the AI seems to pull random stacks out of their arse. I was attacked with two stacks of about ~700 power each by around turn 20 in my town, which I was only able to defeat, because I found a pickup with lots of draft a few turns earlier.
And after I beat them two turns later my heroes army gets attacked by an even more powerful army.
So bottomline is: The AI seems not only aggressive, but seems to be able to pull way more units out of their arse than it would be possible for a human to produce.
I'm by no means a pro, but somewhat reasonably familiar with the game.
I had no problem with different maps before, but this seems excessively hard. I may be able to beat this, but only by cheesing or exploiting dumb AI behavior, but not by normally playing.

Now the question for me is: Is this intended to be this way, or is it just that each AI gets a massive boost at the start of the game and since on this map we are so close together it feels like it can use its starting bonus to instantly steamroll me?

 

[DragonZee]

Sounds like the changes to AI, as I predicted back when they were announced, would only make things worse... not happy that I've predicted it right. Welp, I probably won't touch AOW 4 until next DLC hits due to other things, but here's hoping it will be handled until then.

 

[Blanch Warren]

Sounds like the changes to AI, as I predicted back when they were announced, would only make things worse... not happy that I've predicted it right. Welp, I probably won't touch AOW 4 until next DLC hits due to other things, but here's hoping it will be handled until then.

I wouldn't judge it to be worse, I can still tell some work has been put into it. I just wouldn't say it's been revolutionized yet. That is, if they aren't intentionally holding back on the first campaign map despite my putting hard difficulty.

 

[Blanch Warren]

So bottomline is: The AI seems not only aggressive, but seems to be able to pull way more units out of their arse than it would be possible for a human to produce.
I'm by no means a pro, but somewhat reasonably familiar with the game.
I had no problem with different maps before, but this seems excessively hard. I may be able to beat this, but only by cheesing or exploiting dumb AI behavior, but not by normally playing.

You don't mention what difficulty you are playing on. If you play on brutal you may in fact unleash the horde.

 

[Xepep]

"The Amazon CloudFront distribution is configured to block access from your country."
I almost forgot there are some sanctions.

 

[Ashantai]

Please keep this thread on topic.

 

[nvc for the soul]

I did the survey after I've invested time in playing the game and paying attention to AI.

Some feedback notes:

• Aggressiveness of AI was fine in the games I played! Really liked the experienced improvement in this area when compared to some earlier games. *added* AI sieged my cities a couple of times (=good!)
• With respect to the capping the number of units of AI: I was worried it became too easy but Very Hard AI was fine. The slog of too many waves of AI-stacks is gone, so that is a plus.
• Did found one issue I mentioned in a bug-report; some AI are really too slow in turning an outpost into a city.
• In the Tactical combat AI-heroes tend to be suicidal; for example, running ahead of their troops and teleport right in the middle of my units. I think this need to get fixed somehow (maybe just forbid the use of teleport for AI-heroes for 5 turns or something).

Thanks for the opportunity to give feedback!

 

[Blanch Warren]

On the beta. I'm not complaining about it on account of annoyance, I'm just suggesting that making undefended outposts at my border is somewhat bold for an AI that isn't my ally.

 

[Denozor]

I created a realm where I am allied with 2 normal AI, against a hard AI. One of the normal AI allies was fighting against the hard AI because she was attacked due to proximity. The other normal AI ally did absolutely nothing the entire game tho. I noticed the same thing with Ashen War scenario where enemy dragons won't ever threaten/attack eachother unless they are very very close,and we know how uneventful Grexolis plays.
Neutral AI players never thinks twice about setting outposts/cities very close to you, although it generates grievance. They will also ALWAYS fabricate grievances if they are not friendly with you and that puts you in so much disadvantage. I think fabricated grievances need a time limit or smt.
Anything to improve AI to be more competent is welcome so we can maybe slowly get rid of cheat levels of bonuses they are getting. Also they need better planning for their special improvements.