[freeciv-ai] Re: AI Explorer Improvement Idea

[Kenneth Strom <the_one_relic@xxxxxxxxx>]

You pretty much point out all the problems with your 
list.  The primary one being the fact that exploration
is searched from the explorers point of view rather
than the overview of all your holdings.  

The next biggest problem is the use of log() which
makes it impossible to tweak values.  You need
absurdly high numbers just to counteract the value
made by the log() style checks which I believe is the
primary reason the explorers wander since the amortize
value would decrement so quickly that only the nearest
open spaces would have any positive value.  Even
valuing a city at 1000000 will create a minimal effect
with log() calculations.

I know this because I have tried multiple times to
revalue the information to only have the same
problematic exploration wandering happen even when a
dozen explorers are used.

Which brings me back to the point that exploration
needs to be done from a view of your empires holdings
point of view, rather than the explorers point of
view.

Even tried stuffing the city xy into the player xy
after it grabs the parameters in hopes of better
exploration, but still that has only had limited
benefits if you start with a lot of explorers.  
Zeroing out the amortize value hasn't done anything
either.

Eventually I will figure out how to build a proper
value map like the one I suggested to create good
exploration.  Hopefully finding the next highest
number in the full map list won't cost too much speed,
especially for the improvement it will bring.

Ken.

--- Jason Dorje Short <jdorje@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> There is already such an algorithm in place.
> 


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