Responsiveness of AI to tweaking?

[SittingDuck]

Directed to those who have created some scenarios or more importantly, AI files:

Does the AI react more to your satisfaction from tweaking, or do you feel there are still significant restraints in the program keeping it AI-like?

Of course, it is extremely rare to run across a game where you can get the AI to function decently, even more so in wargaming. But I'd like to know if you feel you're getting some promising response out of tweaking.

Basically, is there any hope?

[pzgndr]

I'll point out that there are two important features of the AI scripts that should be a beacon of hope for everyone.

First you have trigger conditions. These can be by date, by location, by min/max number of enemy units withing range of someplace, or whatever. These triggers can be set as one-time checks, recurring until triggered, or continuously recurring checks throughout the game.

Second, assuming the above trigger criteria is satisfied, you have a probability chance of something happening or not happening. And in the case of the AI scripts, plans can be set to steal from other plans or not steal. There's a lot of variability possible.

Between these two features, it should be possible to develop a robust, challenging and decent AI - one that can be full of little surprises. Hubert's been busy fixing minor bugs and resolving some gameplay issues with the first few patches, but expect to see some more emphasis on the AI development from now on.

[SittingDuck]

Thanks, yes I am aware of those scripts. I scripted extensively for several HOI and HOI2 mods (uggghh) over the years. But let us leave that subject.

The best thing that could be incorporated into SC2 scripting would be the option of CHOICE, which presently does not occur. Either conditions are met or not, and they are enforced as such.

To open up the option of choice would take SC2 to a level it currently does not have. This would be a fantastic development because it opens up so much opportunity and freedom in a game.

Nonetheless, scripting even in this format is absolutely the way to go. I remember the first game (not really a 'wargame' per se) to introduce scripting that was moderately modifiable and that was 'Age of Empires'.

User modification and enpowerment are the future! Raise your right fist in agreement, bruthus!

[Edwin P.]

In my opinion the most significant restraint to developing an AI with the current version of SC2 is the lack of support for Global Variables. Why? Currently you can not coordinate the selection of production, research, and diplomacy scripts.

You can't tell the AI to focus on researching advanced subs and building subs. It may do one or the other or both at its whim. Launching an effective battle for the Atlantic requires the AI to do both at the same time.

That said, developing new AI scripts is relatively easy. The hard part is testing them. It would be helpful if you could load a revised AI script into a saved game for testing purposes.