So I spent a couple of days trying to understand how AI in this game works. After dozen or so games I can say that complexity of the game was beyond AI creator's possibilities or he didn't have enough time to make it solid. And nobody was testing it on a deathmatch for sure.
I'll focus mostly on AI in deathmatch / sandbox modes as in Campaign clans already have all buildings they need so it's not a big problem there. I've used commands:
ai init 0 data/scripts/ai/std_ai.tcl
ai enable 0
to enable AI for my clan and was mostly watching them play. Everything they did is exacly the same what I've noticed on computer clans. Let's start with the problems:
- AI is not destroying barrels
- AI is not killing plants, gnomes are running away after taking damage
- AI is always sending help while fighting other clan members, but never when fighting monsters
- AI is not building lifts
- AI is building ladders, but never placing them
- AI have problems with detecting a free space for buildings
- AI have problems with making tunnels
- sometimes AI refuse to make a food and start again after a couple of gnoms have died of hunger (population reduction on purpose?
)- sometimes AI want to make food and orders are below 8, but gnomes refuse to make it (decreasing orders to 0 usually fix the problem)
- AI is not detecting boxes, items and resources covered by a fog (it's the same problem with our gnomes working in a stores but it's strange since AI is detecting enemy clans all the time)
- sometimes AI have something like a pause when it's not doing anything (it may be caused by attempt to make a tunnel / cave and falling into a loop)
- AI is not building power plants
- if you build a trap next to door, enemy gnomes will walk there untill they die
- sometimes mushrooms on a farm are blocked and AI can't cut them, falling into a loop
- sometimes gnomes can be blocked by mushrooms on a farm and the only way to let them free is by cutting a mushroom by gnome from other side
- sometimes gnomes are going behind the buildings and get stuck so it's good to leave some free space between building and a wall
AI also have it's own rules different from a player. But they're probably caused by bugs rather than made on purpose. Here you have some of them:
- AI does not need any skill in stone to build a huge caves (here's a screenshot of AI making a big cave without enough skill in stone)
https://i.imgur.com/1pna2Gt.jpg
- AI can build much closer to other buildings than a player
- sometimes AI is placing two buildings in the same place like on this screenshot:
https://i.imgur.com/SeOwRg6.jpg
You can even see this poor gnome who got stuck on a farm. It's funny because the only thing that is blocking him was box in a middle. After I took the box, he was free
But mushrooms were still blocked and I couldn't cut them- AI can make tunnels to caves from top (see screenshot above)
- AI can build one cave closer to other, making one bigger cave
It's also stupid that AI is not building doors and traps. It's making defending much easier. I've won last deathmatch using door and trap only. All enemy gnomes have killed themself on it.
And here's a list of buildings, tools and weapons that AI can make:
Buildings:
2-3 Fireplaces
1 tent
1 log
1 Stonemason
1 Smeltery
4-5 farms (1 for worms, 1 for hamsters and 2-3 for mushrooms)
1 Carpenter
1 Brewery
1 bar
1 Joinery
AI is also producing Riding hamsters for every gnome and Panniers for most of them. They're using Clubs and Stone slings for fighting.
That's all what AI can do on deathmatch because it's not building power plants so it can't develop anymore. And it's only when gnomes have enough caves and have not died of hunger yet. I still remember my first deathmatch. I was building without worrying about other clans and after a couple of in-game months I've seen a message "you won!" and I was like wooot? All of them have died of hunger.
If you build a power plants, they'll start developing again. But soon they're gonna start spending all iron on shields, making it impossible to develop more. I've read in game that gnomes loves metal shields but I didn't think it was that bad
Is it possible to improve the AI in any way? I'm not a programmer so I don't know what's possible and what's not.
