AI needs improvment in a few key areas

[Zoso]

1: Computer needs to be more aggresive when Land is up for sale especially early in the game. I shouldn't get land for 350 dollars when the AI has 1000 plus.

2: Computer needs to be more aggresive with Crystite especially the last few turns when Smithore has bottomed out and they have average or better crystite land.

3: Computer needs to stop selling Energy the last few turns for 10 dollars each. Make the players / AI at least pay market price. I wouldn't sell any myself unless the player / AI paid at least 75 or more depending on what position they are in.

A strange thing that happen was during the last turn of the game I was in first with only two plots left. During the land grab I just held down my button and got a plot. This shouldn't happen.

Improvments in these areas would go a long way to improving play against the AI.

[wumpus]

I completely agree with Zoso on all four points. I was thinking all of those same things. Especially that the AI's have got to get more into chrystite to make them competitive again. Regarding Zoso's last item, that happened to me too - I was in 1st place and was still able to get a land plot in the last round, even tho there were only 2 plots left. When there are less plots available than players in the last round, they should always go to the players in last place, then 2nd-to-last-place, etc.

[Oboenick23]

I agree with all of this.  I also think the AI is too merciful when given the opportunity to price gouge.  If there's no goods in the store and the AI is the only one with a surplus, they often don't wait to have the players pay top dollar. 

This also comes into play if you're playing a game with three real opponents and one AI and you and the AI are the only ones with a surplus (with an empty store).  The AI will sell right away, and sell off any remaining surplus to to the store, therefore negating any advantage you and the AI might have at that point.

[joncnunn]

To me, it looks like the #1 is the same as the original.

#2 is mostly because the AI doesn't ever seem to change production of existing tiles unless it loses the mule to radiation and meteor showers.

#3 looks the same as the original. By this time which multiple AIs the store price for energy isn't getting above 10 anyway, especially since the AI isn't changing the Solar M.U.L.E's on Chrystaline rich plots.

I would agree on #4 as well; in the original, there would be no way you'd grab that last plot from first place. And unless that last plot was very valuable you probably wouldn't have been able to grab the first plot either.

[Griffyn]

I played this as a kid with some mates back on the Commodore 64, and never really understood how to play.  Now, with my first game in 20+ years, I won easily against the AI.  This doesn't seem right.

Only one AI player mined for Crystite, which was because of a meteor on it's existing plot.  All AI players were producing 20-30+ energy in the second half of the game and selling it all (except 1 unit) for 10 each round.

In the final round I had about 60 Crystite units, the other AI player had 5.  During the final auction the base sell price was 136, and I set myself to buy as high as I could go in the time allowed (got to about 3500), but the AI didn't try to sell a unit, despite it being better for him to raise the final price.

[Big Head Zach]

In the final round I had about 60 Crystite units, the other AI player had 5.  During the final auction the base sell price was 136, and I set myself to buy as high as I could go in the time allowed (got to about 3500), but the AI didn't try to sell a unit, despite it being better for him to raise the final price.

So what I'm gathering is that in the C64 version, you were able to affect the final value of Crystite by trading a single unit? If so, this is mounting evidence that the alleged difference in final round price valuation between the Atari/C64 versions is a bit fishy. (And why, in your opinion, would it benefit the AI to make your vastly larger stockpile worth more? I'm just asking, lol.)

In the time I've played the C64 version, AI never sell anything in round 12. I know for a fact that the devs have coded this for the AI in version 1.1 and beyond.

[Intergalactic Mole]

In the time I've played the C64 version, AI never sell anything in round 12.

The same applies to the Atari version.  Computer players NEVER transact in round 12.  However, in some cases it's because they are too dumb. 

[djohns]

Has anyone ever seen an AI switch MULEs on a plot?

[Intergalactic Mole]

Yes I've seen it on the Atari version.

[piete]

Has anyone ever seen an AI switch MULEs on a plot?

Has anyone seen AI selling their plus-50 mining products if the price was low?

Anyway, AI tweaking should not be an urgent priority since we are able to play against humans here almost every time of day...

[Yarr]

Agree to all above, maybe this is about the artificial dumbness that I've been investing in.

#1  AI should be reconfigured. When a player a player quits and is replaced with an AI the game is ruined due to cheap electricity (the AI has a thing for that) and food.
#2 It's too easy to manipulate the AI. If it has a shortage on food at turn 4, and nobody sells, it goes crazy, building only food factories.
I know you all have heard all of this before, but what do I care?