Waves of attack

Place to report bugs in MoM IME and suggest ideas for enhancements (please read rules before posting)
Post Reply
Coyote
Posts: 21
Joined: Mon Jun 26, 2006 11:09 pm
Location: Austin, TX

Waves of attack

Post by Coyote »

I don't know code, so this is just tossing out ideas in a hit or miss...

But as far as making a computer allied attack more effective, maybe there'd be a way to integrate 'waves' of coordinated attacks, where there'd be a 'buildup' of x units within y squares of the target city (possibly lurking in the hills just beyond normal visual range), before a critical mass occurs and an attack is unleashed. That would definitely be an 'oh crap!' moment for the player. Invest in scouts, buddy. :D

Other complicated bits could be getting the computer to recognize say 'last time there were flying units' so 'this time I need archers' or some recognition of difficulty. Or maybe just more well rounded armies to work with. If a computer enters a player's city and it'd be rated some value "Impossible", next time the computer will send heroes and things appropriate for the challenge... Or send larger armies for more valuable cities (count ratio of the buildings, population to invading army size).

Then there's always the Mongolian horde strategy. Have computer develop invincible army. Begin rampage. Plunder cities until the army is wiped out.

Maybe these various tactical styles could be attached to certain AI personalties.

Other bits could be an AI recognizing the 'passes' in the terrain that are natural locations to defend, allowing it to guard large areas behind it.

Edit: oops this was supposed to be in reply to Magnate. Not sure how it wound up here.
AussieKSU
Posts: 5
Joined: Thu Apr 17, 2008 3:48 am

Post by AussieKSU »

This is really an AI question, which just so happens to be my forte.

If you want to talk about changing the current game's decision process (which I understand is pretty basic), and introduce a depth search lookahead type implementation let me know.
elliott20
Posts: 108
Joined: Tue Nov 21, 2006 8:56 pm

Re: Waves of attack

Post by elliott20 »

I like the idea of having their attack pattern be personality based. Though, it would be hard extrapolate though. I mean, just because Ariel is a pacifist doesn't necessarily mean she won't hold a huge army contingent. And what does aggressive mean? Does that mean they build a lot of pikemen? what?

What I think would be interesting, is if the AI decision process were to become more reactionary based, where it would try to see a prospective city it wants to attack, and note the units that are held within. Based on that knowledge, it would create it's own army to try to match it. (with a flexible spot or two in the stack to account for the growth that happens between now the time of attack) Though, creating the logic of what constitutes a good "matching" army would be very difficult. some method of categorization would be needed and we would probably end up just programming in set "combos" that the computer would normally use against certain types. Then we would have to create a way for computers to do so, whilst working within their own resources.

Sounds like a huge undertaking to me.
Post Reply