Nonbasic lands and the AI

[jatill]

Have you ever noticed how the AI skips its land drop a lot, especially on the first turn? I think this happens when the AI has certain non-basic lands in their hand. Does this happen with any of the original non-basics, or just ones we've coded since then?

[Bog Wraith]

I've seen it in both Shandalar & regular game play, especially when the AI has non basic lands like Bazaar of Baghdad in hand.

I've looked at the AI hand using the Debug menu at times when a land is continuously not played and I've seen the AI have basic lands in hand. I've seen the AI go a long way into a game before playing a land even though it has one to play.

The AI as you know has even more difficulty with any of the bounce lands, especially when trying to cast them as their first land without a basic one already in play, although these are from cards added in after the original game cards.

[jatill]

I wish I had a clue how to fix this. It's so irritating watching the AI Time walk itself.

[Bog Wraith]

Frankly jatill, if I could change anything, I would wish we could correct some of the dumb moves we've all seen the AI do, a la Giant Growth our creatures instead of his and to hang back from attacking with all his creatures when in a late game state, it really needs to keep them back for blocking purposes to avoid losing & keep the game going.

This has always been the Achilles heal of this great game. I would gladly give up some of the development of the game if we could only address this vital flaw that stops this from being a true representation of playing real MTG the way a human does.

[jatill]

Yeah, that's never going to happen. Not unless Mok sends us his source code

I've been playing around with ways of bribing the AI into playing those lands. Just giving them 1 (or 100) free life doesn't help, but if I give them 1 free life RANDOMLY sometime during the turn they play the land, then the AI will play the land on time. Who wrote this AI anyway? :0

[Bog Wraith]

It also was written over 15 years ago!

The game was originally written for DOS, including the Shandalar module that was Sid Meier's last work before he left Microprose.

It then was pulled back and re worked for the new GUi that was to be for Windows 95. However from what I understand, none of the AI script needed was changed from the DOS version.

DO I understand correctly that if you had access to Mok's code, or someone else could decompile the entire program that the AI could be changed?

If so, I vote we kidnap some recent MIT computer wiz and put him to work!

[gmzombie]

I agree and i would even be willing to donate some cash.

[mathusalem]

If so, I vote we kidnap some recent MIT computer wiz and put him to work!

I agree and i would even be willing to donate some cash.

Now seriously folks, If we have to kidnap a guy from MIT, we can't give him cash !
if we're forced to be scoundrels we have to keep our credibility : no cash .... and we'll have to keep him in a cellar.

and remember to look threatening !

[aww1979]

Have you ever noticed how the AI skips its land drop a lot, especially on the first turn? I think this happens when the AI has certain non-basic lands in their hand. Does this happen with any of the original non-basics, or just ones we've coded since then?

Yes, City of Brass had this problem even in the original Microprose game.

[gmzombie]

well the thing to do maybe and i dont know how it would work since im no a programmer just a hacker lol is to rewrite city of brass in c. maybe with the new code we would eliminate that problem? just a thought

[gmzombie]

lol yea i was thinking more of just borrowing...kidnapping is such a harsh word..

[mathusalem]

lol yea i was thinking more of just borrowing...kidnapping is such a harsh word..

you mean borrowing like when the russians "borrowed" those german rocket scientists ? yeah ! I'm hip ! lol !

we still need a cellar

[MalkolmX]

Sometimes AI doesn't use the mana from non basics when it should, for example AI has Crypt Ripper in play and Piranha Marsh and it's only untapped land, if i use Burst Lightning on the creature Ai will not pump it.

In a different matter, is it possible to make change in the game so Ai doesn't put itself dead on the board? For example AI is at 3 life, and has an 1/1 creature, i have 2 creatures 2/2 both of them tapped Ai attacks and plays nothing and dies due to my attack, this kind of situations is a bit akward and happens quite often, generally in draft/sealed mode.

[aww1979]

Another one I noticed today was that the AI was holding nonbasic lands like Urborg (which I knew it had due to a Dark Confidant revealing them) and it had only played two basic swamps. I had a Wasteland in play on my side, so I wonder if that was scaring him into not playing them?

[gmzombie]

all i got is a michigan basement so no go there..lol