Another close look at how the AI builds up its worlds: 1.6 edition

[Ilushia]

I saw that in the patch notes, and I am very happy that they want to improve the AI. Unfortunately, the test game I hopped into still has the AI making silly decisions about tearing down buildings. This time it perceived itself to be in a food crisis, despite having positive food income, and was doing a lot of redecorating to put new farms in. (Though it had still knocked down a power plant to put up a monument, which it tore down to put a farm on.)

A quick test on my end also confirms this seems to be the case. Though it seems to be somewhat less bad about building things then immediately replacing them, it still seems to favor replacing buildings over building new buildings when it decides it needs a new resource for whatever reason.

 

[NeverUsedID]

beside its already mention so often here i want to stay in line and say:

These kind of thinks are the reason why people can't understand why paradox always says: "The AI is fine". Its not, and thats not about that a AI can't be think like a human its because the AI make stupid decisions that are easy avoidable with some small additions to a script.

 

[OdinTGE]

A quick test on my end also confirms this seems to be the case. Though it seems to be somewhat less bad about building things then immediately replacing them, it still seems to favor replacing buildings over building new buildings when it decides it needs a new resource for whatever reason.

In my short observation so far it's better than 1.5.1 or 1.6. Still wonky.

- Choosing to place a unity monument on a 2 mineral tile (no blank available, but plenty of 1 mineral tiles available)

- A bit of rebuilding going on. I seem to see this mostly on <5 pop planets. Like it perceives a need for a different resources but has very limited pops so it thinks it needs to change the building the pop is working. As opposed to building a new building and moving the pop or just waiting for more pops.

 

[Ilushia]

- A bit of rebuilding going on. I seem to see this mostly on <5 pop planets. Like it perceives a need for a different resources but has very limited pops so it thinks it needs to change the building the pop is working. As opposed to building a new building and moving the pop or just waiting for more pops.

This seems likely. My observation was that the AI seemed really, really averse to leaving un-worked buildings sitting around and would replace buildings preferentially over building new buildings and moving pops around, even when building new buildings would be the significantly superior option. Like building over a 1 food tile with a mine, rather than building a mine on a 2 mineral tile, moving a pop and leaving an unworked farm on the planet.

It also seems like the AI counts growing pops as full pops at a guess? It's hard to say, but I notice the AI consistently leaves its growing pops on food. Even when it's at a food deficit.

 

[OdinTGE]

The more I watch the AI the more it becomes extremely clear that it needs to be allowed to drop its ship shelters on (and thus auto-clear) tile blockers. It'd be nice if we, as players, could do that if we had the appropriate tech but I can see the logic in not allowing that. We can still handle it by landing, clearing the blocker, and moving the ship shelter. It's "fine."

The AI cannot handle that kind of fuckery and as such is very often left with bad capital locations. I really think the AI needs to be given the super power of auto-blocker-clear with our without the appropriate tile blocker tech.

 

[xMer]

some behaviour noticed in [1.6.1beta]
Issue: AI ignore tile with betharian stone for buildings before it get betharian powerplant tech. it even disband existing powerplant(adv start empire) (planet Trast)
solution: AI should consider betharian stone field for energy and replace power plant I with betharian power plant as soon as it get tech.
Issue: AI disbanded it's starting capital and build reassembled Ship shelter in corner. (planet Faf Prime)
solution: AI should evaluate capital position better, AI shouldn't move capital if it doesn't have resources to build new one.

 

[Epsilon Rose]

- A bit of rebuilding going on. I seem to see this mostly on <5 pop planets. Like it perceives a need for a different resources but has very limited pops so it thinks it needs to change the building the pop is working. As opposed to building a new building and moving the pop or just waiting for more pops.

This seems likely. My observation was that the AI seemed really, really averse to leaving un-worked buildings sitting around and would replace buildings preferentially over building new buildings and moving pops around, even when building new buildings would be the significantly superior option.

I haven't gotten a chance to play with it yet, but I wonder if that has to do with not wanting the AI constantly throwing pops into and out of serfdom and the criteria for that ending up a little overzelous.

 

[Ilushia]

I haven't gotten a chance to play with it yet, but I wonder if that has to do with not wanting the AI constantly throwing pops into and out of serfdom and the criteria for that ending up a little overzelous.

Uncertain. But it was definitely doing this before the recent change to the way pops do happiness regarding serfdom. I'd be more likely to guess it might be a left-over bit of logic from 1.0 when I'm pretty sure buildings did still cost resources to maintain even when not in use.