AI blatantly cheating with naval maneuvers.

[Pellucid]

See for yourself.

Step 1: Construct a navy which can easily defeat an AI navy.
Step 2: Right-click seazone AI navy is in from at least two seazones away.
Observe: AI navy begins retreating when your navy starts to enter an adjacent seazone.

Step 3: Right-click the seazone NEXT TO AI navy's seazone from at least two seazones away.
Observe: AI navy does NOT begin retreating when your navy starts to enter an adjacent seazone; begins retreating once your navy has fully moved into adjacent zone.

Conclusion: The AI knows the final destination of your fleets and reacts using this information.

 

[awldune]

I believe this is true to a lesser extent for land units as well. Or at least, it used to be.

 

[Wizzington]

AI can see two seazones, this is pretty much necessary since computers cannot 'guess' where your fleet might be.

 

[CrabHelmet]

This is also true for land units.

 

[Wizzington]

This is also true for land units.

Only when you are trying to lure them into a trap.

 

[ATW]

I spent about 9 months of a war chasing down a French fleet around the British Isles, before using the old drip feed tactic. It's annoying but necessary but there should be some of check on it

 

[Panzerschiffe]

I've always been playing with the mindset that I could never catch any enemy fleet unless I throw some fodder to slow them down first.

I also always try to pick off those land units that are more than 2 away from their support. The AI is part of pre crime so they can figure out my intentions.

In CKII, if you didn't stack wipe, it was a chase fest.

 

[CrabHelmet]

Only when you are trying to lure them into a trap.

You know me so well, Wiz. ;D

 

[zezeb]

You know me so well, Wiz. ;D

Got any tips on a trap?

 

[FranKrsto]

I was under impression that AI has no fog of war at all, not only 2 sea zones.
If you have land army that is 2 provinces away from AI's army and you send reinforcement as soon as it attacks, it will abort the attack even though it shouldn't know there is reinforcing army 2 provinces away.. So, it basically sees the whole map but doesn't always act like it does.

 

[Wizzington]

I was under impression that AI has no fog of war at all, not only 2 sea zones.
If you have land army that is 2 provinces away from AI's army and you send reinforcement as soon as it attacks, it will abort the attack even though it shouldn't know there is reinforcing army 2 provinces away.. So, it basically sees the whole map but doesn't always act like it does.

The AI uses fog of war in most circumstances, for example they can't go hunting for armies deep in your territory because they don't know you're there. In some cases they ignore it because otherwise it'd be far, far too easy to exploit the computer's lack of ability to handle gaps in information.

 

[atwix]

The AI uses fog of war in most circumstances, for example they can't go hunting for armies deep in your territory because they don't know you're there. In some cases they ignore it because otherwise it'd be far, far too easy to exploit the computer's lack of ability to handle gaps in information.

nice to see the responsible dev answer this question.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

Only when you are trying to lure them into a trap.

No, the AI will spam actions based on the knowledge of forces marching on them from far away. I get what you're trying to say, that it only "sees" these stacks when being marched upon, but experienced players have used this to get it to "cheat" and lift sieges or combine stacks into attrition through the fog of war and cripple its siege progress, melt its own stacks, or lose because they or their ally got sieged first and suddenly one side is the player's vassal.

On sea, it's less abusable, but on land you can definitely make the AI screw itself over without the inconvenience of ever having to actually move.

 

[Wizzington]

No, the AI will spam actions based on the knowledge of forces marching on them from far away. I get what you're trying to say, that it only "sees" these stacks when being marched upon, but experienced players have used this to get it to "cheat" and lift sieges or combine stacks into attrition through the fog of war and cripple its siege progress, melt its own stacks, or lose because they or their ally got sieged first and suddenly one side is the player's vassal.

On sea, it's less abusable, but on land you can definitely make the AI screw itself over without the inconvenience of ever having to actually move.

That's a bug tho.

 

[atwix]

That's a bug tho.

an ai programmer dev admitting the ai has a bug? I lol'd. Hope it gets fixed then.

 

[Red John]

an ai programmer dev admitting the ai has a bug? I lol'd. Hope it gets fixed then.

Would you rather he denied that any bugs ever existed?

 

[Wizzington]

an ai programmer dev admitting the ai has a bug? I lol'd. Hope it gets fixed then.

I'm not in the business of denying bugs, only fixing them. Same goes for the rest of Paradox.

 

[Pellucid]

AI can see two seazones, this is pretty much necessary since computers cannot 'guess' where your fleet might be.

Shouldn't you alter code, then, so that the AI assumes that a superior fleet is ALWAYS approaching the seazone if they're approaching an adjacent one? I think current model is more exploitable than this would be.

 

[atwix]

I'm not in the business of denying bugs, only fixing them. Same goes for the rest of Paradox.

point taken. Sorry if the comment landed the wrong way.

 

[WhiskyGlen]

The AI uses fog of war in most circumstances, for example they can't go hunting for armies deep in your territory because they don't know you're there. In some cases they ignore it because otherwise it'd be far, far too easy to exploit the computer's lack of ability to handle gaps in information.

Except that with the navy, they do not use fog of war. I've had blockades on my ports that have lasted for a month or two. I select a much superior naval force that is 10 sea zones away and select the sea zone the blockade is in. The blockading fleet immediately begins to move. If I select the zone next to them, they won't move until I become adjacent to them or within maybe two zones. Speaking of which, I would like an option for a fleet which is called evasion to where if your fleet is blockading, it will retreat if an enemy fleet at a certain percentage of your fleet (can be adjusted when option is selected) comes within two noticed sea zones. Too many times I have lost fleets because I have been busy with land battles and didn't see the enemy fleet attack mine. Especially irritating when I have three large fleets that are nearby and could have easily won the battle, but they didn't reinforce because I did not realize the battle was occurring. That's why I almost never split up my fleet anymore unless I am paying strict attention or already have naval supremacy to the point where any enemy attack would be futile.