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Author Topic:   AI bug?? City trading

b_star posted 07-31-99 09:48 PM ET
Playing the Morganites on Transcend (v4). After 250 turns or so, I've finally managed to pull into second place after languishing
for the most parts on the bottom of the faction dominance ladder. Finally getting the (weak) Morganite military machine into gear to take on the techologically and numerically superior University forces. I was quite looking forward to the epic confrontation, but I found out all those decades of preparation were unnecessary!
Apparently the University was quite willing to swap their top 5 cities (size 16, multiple secret projects, full city improvements) for my empty undefended frontier cities on the other side of Planet! (Their daunting technological lead (and any hint of a challenge) disappeared as soon as they gave away the Hunter/Seeker Algorithm and most of their other Secret Projects!)
What's the go?
Is this an AI bug? What is the formulae that SMAC uses to assess whether two cities are comparable and hence fair swaps. Does the Univerity value distance and expansion opportunities that greatly that it is willing to give away the heart of its empire???
Or is it what I really suspect - there is no formulae for working out swaps? The University would have swapped their crown jewels for my laundry list for all I know.
I would note that the University was in a cooperative mood (after buying the Morganites cowardly bought the peace for a couple of centuries).
Insights welcomed....
Technocrat posted 07-31-99 10:36 PM ET
b-star, unfortunately, you're more pessimistic views are true. The computer is almost always willing to trade any base it has for any base you have. This is true to such an amazing extent that I always try to evaluate the value of each city and decide whether it's an equitable trade on behalf of the AI before I propose a trade. Otherwise, many people (including myself) consider city trading to be a form of cheating. I would recommend that you never trade cities with the AI on multiplayer games, because your human opponents can become quite mad (not that that ever happened to me, of course.. )
Technocrat
Beta1 posted 08-02-99 08:31 AM ET
Yeah this is a major flaw in the Artificial Incompetence. If you let it build SPs you can even trade those cities for empty ones.
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Author	Topic: AI bug?? City trading
b_star	posted 07-31-99 09:48 PM ET Playing the Morganites on Transcend (v4). After 250 turns or so, I've finally managed to pull into second place after languishing for the most parts on the bottom of the faction dominance ladder. Finally getting the (weak) Morganite military machine into gear to take on the techologically and numerically superior University forces. I was quite looking forward to the epic confrontation, but I found out all those decades of preparation were unnecessary! Apparently the University was quite willing to swap their top 5 cities (size 16, multiple secret projects, full city improvements) for my empty undefended frontier cities on the other side of Planet! (Their daunting technological lead (and any hint of a challenge) disappeared as soon as they gave away the Hunter/Seeker Algorithm and most of their other Secret Projects!) What's the go? Is this an AI bug? What is the formulae that SMAC uses to assess whether two cities are comparable and hence fair swaps. Does the Univerity value distance and expansion opportunities that greatly that it is willing to give away the heart of its empire??? Or is it what I really suspect - there is no formulae for working out swaps? The University would have swapped their crown jewels for my laundry list for all I know. I would note that the University was in a cooperative mood (after buying the Morganites cowardly bought the peace for a couple of centuries). Insights welcomed....
Technocrat	posted 07-31-99 10:36 PM ET b-star, unfortunately, you're more pessimistic views are true. The computer is almost always willing to trade any base it has for any base you have. This is true to such an amazing extent that I always try to evaluate the value of each city and decide whether it's an equitable trade on behalf of the AI before I propose a trade. Otherwise, many people (including myself) consider city trading to be a form of cheating. I would recommend that you never trade cities with the AI on multiplayer games, because your human opponents can become quite mad (not that that ever happened to me, of course.. ) Technocrat
Beta1	posted 08-02-99 08:31 AM ET Yeah this is a major flaw in the Artificial Incompetence. If you let it build SPs you can even trade those cities for empty ones.