12-01-2001 19:40									#1
	Fix these AI strategy flaws... 'errr, I mean features!' Avatar Enlargement: We've got the solution

Several things I have noted while playing,

The AI needs to handle the slaver problem a little more aggressively. I am at war with the Greeks and have a slaver parked on a road tile just outside of one of therir cities. I have seen Greek units march on the road right up to the tile where the slaver is and stop. Obviously, they have detected it - I am assuming that they are attempting to get into the city - but they make no effort to either kill or expel the slaver.

...Oh, did I mention, I am at WAR with the Greeks!
(At least in CTP1, slavers would get expelled when detected.)

The AI does not seem to build trading posts. I have yet to see on in an AI civ. Either they are worthless, or it is not programmed to use them. I generally attempt to get a lot of gold, because gold drives science and having a huge surplus allows me to bump production up and rations down - in the long term, this pays huge divedends. I can already see on the powergraph in my current game (Impossible - 200AD) that even though I currently have the weakest military, my economic strength is already in the lead - and it is driven by trade routes and trading posts. I am now concentrating on military production - so it becomes only a matter of time to victory... (seeing as how the AI is passive to boot)

I do not expect the AI to build gold improvements to the extreme that I do, but when I have yet to see even one AI trading post, I scratch my head.

Both of these issues relate to a gripe that I have had with CTP. If the programmers put items into a game, then the AI should be using them and taking steps to counter their use. (And I will not even go into the lack of diplomat usage by the AI, because that one is already being discussed)

And if anyone else can alter the files to address these issues, it would be appreciated.

(BTW, BlueO's Aggressive AI mod sounds like one of the major fixes that I have been hoping for.)

	13-01-2001 09:56									#2
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I see trading posts and later versions pop up on desert squares quite a bit. The AI is programed to favor growth and prodution over gold. The useless tiles get trading posts when the AI has nothing better to spend it on.

To see it build up your empire, go to 100% public work and turn on a city manager. It will build them for you once it is done with everything else. The computer just never has enough PW to make them.