The AI is not taking attrition during circumnavigation?

[VampireBoot]

For circumnavigation the answer is VERY simple and minimal work: have the AI calculate what attrition it WOULD be taking, and if it takes enough to sink the expedition, it fails... but all the ships go home safe and sound. The AI does not attempt to circumnavigate again until it increases its tech.

Problem with that is, most likely the AI would just never be able to take the mission. Players have to plan things out, get colonies in the right places, and ask for naval access here and there in order to make the mission work. The AI can't really plan that much, so unless you have a Spain or Portugal that controls literally half the world, the AI would just never have the ability to circumnavigate. A hard limit of dip 22 would mean that they'll do it late, but at least they'll get around to it eventually.

I would really like it if the player gained some control over the explorer for this mission, or at least if the auto-explorer were less stupid. They really should dock and wait to repair when they're damaged and reach a friendly port. The complete lack of control here really inflates the difficulty of the mission; I can circumnavigate the world manually way earlier than I can via mission.

 

[Pellucid]

AI doesn't take naval attrition, instead it waits a number of tech levels before circumnavigating based on how suitable its circumstances are to give the player a chance to go first.

I realize it's a non-ideal solution, however.

I had Scotland circumnavigate in the first El Dorado game I played before Australia was even discovered.

 

[Kombatdoctr]

I had Scotland circumnavigate in the first El Dorado game I played before Australia was even discovered.

In real life the world was circumnavigated before Australia was discovered.

First circumnavigation completed: 1522
European discovery of Australia: 1606

 

[TheMeInTeam]

AI could be made to understand naval attrition, it's on my long-term todo but it's a huge amount of work and there are other things that are higher priority.

You mean like reducing the strategic depth in the game and scrapping looting as a serious consideration, instead tying it to occupations/carpet sieging? Breaking military access to the point where it's convoluted and difficult to understand while making part of the case against looting that it was difficult to understand...all while it's still routine to observe situations where one nation can go into areas another can't?

What are the priorities exactly ^_^?

 

[Pellucid]

In real life the world was circumnavigated before Australia was discovered.

First circumnavigation completed: 1522
European discovery of Australia: 1606

Huh. Then maybe that was the only circumnavigation in one of my games that was ever realistic.

 

[Nth Republic]

As a quick fix, how about just not allowing the AI to circumnavigate until it gets the tech to ignore "increase over time" attrition (dip tech 22 in vanilla)? That gives the player a lot of time get it done, but the mission itself is hard enough for players (pre-tech 22) that you don't really need much competition from AI to make it interesting.

I think this is the best solution proposed thus far.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

I think this is the best solution proposed thus far.

tech 22 is late 1600's, it's a bit too far in that direction.

 

[Nth Republic]

tech 22 is late 1600's, it's a bit too far in that direction.

Oh I know. It doesn't resolve the issue of it being impossible to recreate the actual, historical first circumnavigation, but it does allow the player to complete it before some random AI non-power. I'd settle for the latter for now, hoping for a fix for the former down the road.

 

[davinewrath]

Managed it last night as Pasai>Malaya, in the late 1590s. I had diplo tech 9, full Maritime for the repair in coastal provinces, a manoeuvre 6 explorer and the route fully explored. I had the Indian Ocean Islands, Cape, Fiji, Wake and Tahiti as colonies along the way. Having previously failed many times with Castille/Spain with a broader spread of colonies and better ships, I'd say that the super explorer and full Maritime are essential to doing this.

 

[zdlugasz]

...

Circumnavigation has an easy fix - if attrition hits 100% the ships continue and arrive safe, but the mission fails, and they need to wait to try again. ....

IMO they should not continue, but turn back. Or since attrition could be calculated in advance, do not launch at all.

And, as it was mentioned above, use colonial supply range!