[freeciv-ai] Re: New settler code

[Mark Metson <markm@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Tue, 15 Apr 2003, Mike Kaufman wrote:

> > (And of course, since the AI must spend more production and time
> > exploring, and will choose less optimal city placemnts, it will become
> > significantly less capable.)
> 
> Sure it'll be less capable just like an AI which can't open up enemy cities
> to check for defenders is less capable. Any AI which can't cheat is less
> capable.

[snip]

> I really like this argument. And next time it'll be "Well, foo could be 
> non-omniscient, but the rest plus the citymap code is all omniscient, so
> it's a waste of time." And the the time after that: "Well, bar could be 
> non-omniscient, but the rest plus the citymap code plus the foo code is 
> all omniscient, so it's a waste of time."

How about a compromise? I agree that, like a human, an AI that heads out 
to explore an area that turns out to be useless has wasted time, just like 
a human doing the same thing would be. Tough luck, maybe in some other 
game you'll get lucky. The more players there are the more lucky ones - 
and maybe the more unlucky ones - there'll be. So you could just have more 
AI opponenents if some of them making some unlucky guesses bothers you.

Which brings me to the compromise. How about in the interrim between 
omniscience and as-if-client-side (aka as-if-human) the AIs cheat by 
sharing info instead of by any of them having any info that none of them 
ever legitimately obtained?

That would shift the cheating accusations from "they never even 
explored that" to "they have free shared vision without using 
diplomats to establish embassies to do it". So big deal, they got free 
vitual diplomats instead of free virtual explorers, when we fix one we can 
move on to the next...

-MarkM-

-- 
Got a website? Get 10,000+ hits a day FREE...
http://makemoney.knotwork.com/10000hits/