Is there good news about the AI?

[WretchedGnu]

There's already a thread in the official forum about the various stupidities people have been seeing in both the strategic and tactical AI. So I'm wondering if anybody has seen situations in the game where a working AI seems particularly functional -- i.e., where the AI clearly adapted to some variable condition, to its benefit. Any thoughts?

[Khelavaster]

Unfortunately the news is not that good.
While HOMM 4 Strategic AI was almost completely broken, the battle AI was decent. In the case of HOMM 5 we got a pretty flawed AI both at the strategic and tactical level.

Case in point: I faced 6 Archdevils with my - admittedly powerful - army. It seems that computer creatures will not go beyond 3/4 of the map if you have powerful shooters, so as not to take much damage. The problem is, this rule seems to be too high in the AI priority list. As a result, the 6 Archdevils stood on their side of the field waiting turn after turn while I ripped them to shreds with my marksmen.

Any Archdevil worth its salt knows that it can take many of my men before going down and would never stay frozen over the course of several turns.

One another occasion I had an enemy stack reaching my edge of the battlefield and just staying there instead of attacking the adjacent units. Maybe it thought it was playing chess and was waiting for crowning?

Khelavaster

[DaemianLucifer]

The problem is that the devils are slow.They teleport for god sake,why cannot they cross the whole field then?Especially since it is so small.

And has anyone expirienced what I expirienced in the demo:AI detonating his overseers on his imps.

[Qurqirish Dragon]

One another occasion I had an enemy stack reaching my edge of the battlefield and just staying there instead of attacking the adjacent units. Maybe it thought it was playing chess and was waiting for crowning?

Khelavaster

I had this happen once- but the creature was a blood witch (who would have returned after the attack) The stack was small (about 10 of them), and moved adjacent to my pair of stacks of 70 archers. Obviously, this move was to prevernt my ranged attack (of course, my archers waited for the foormen and balltsta to kill the stack first, but...)

I haven't yet seen any real AI blunders, but I haven't played too much yet.

[Sikon]

Yes, Blood Maidens/Furies do seem to be fond of blocking archers instead of attacking them. I guess they do it if it's possible that the archers will retaliate and kill the whole stack.

[WretchedGnu]

Thanks for the great observations -- but I'm still curious about whether anybody has seen evidence of a responsive AI on the adventure map (as opposed to the mistakes it makes) -- because I'm willing to forgive a few glitches in the AI if I at least have some evidence that it will actually react to changing circumstance (as opposed to just sticking to a scenario script).

I only play single player, so I have to know there is at least some evidence of an AI in this game... I didn't buy Heroes IV because of its problems, and I can't believe there's a chance that I still won't have played a full Heroes game since H3!....

[Gaidal Cain]

The problem is that the devils are slow.They teleport for god sake,why cannot they cross the whole field then?Especially since it is so small.

The field is not small. When compared with the highest movement ranges, it's larger than the H3 one and perhaps even the H4 one.

As for AI blunders, so far, I've seen it happily walk into the moat. One thing it did where I'm not sure if it was lucky or if it cheated was when it walked into the moat, and then the catapult wrecked exatly the part of the wall that blocked it

[asandir]

i have seen the old blood fury thing .... but here's the "stupid ai" thing, if you have 10 furies, or maidens, in a single stack, and no other units, and i have 150 marksmen, 300 peasants and 50 odd footmen ..... WHY, oh why, would you go and stand next to my marksmen???? im gonna kill ya with no retaliation, for god's sake at least try and do some damage AI!!!

didn't find that AI too challenging, although other units seem to hit rather than stand .... odd

dunno much more about the ai cause im only upto about mission 4 in the haven campaign - nothing difficult yet thou

[vicheron]

The good news about the AI is that it's easier to beat than a three year old child? Not that I've beaten three year old children before.

[Orfinn]

The good news about the AI is that it's easier to beat than a three year old child? Not that I've beaten three year old children before.

It depends if you are a newbie, Homm veteran/elite, TBS hardcore etc. It also depends on which map and difficulty.

[DaemianLucifer]

The good news about the AI is that it's easier to beat than a three year old child? Not that I've beaten three year old children before.

Sure,we believe you

Same is true for H5. They're very similar when looked at from this point of view.

No their not,since almost all units can cross the BF in two turns.And completely unbosted,no less.

[Linky]

Thanks for the great observations -- but I'm still curious about whether anybody has seen evidence of a responsive AI on the adventure map (as opposed to the mistakes it makes) -- because I'm willing to forgive a few glitches in the AI if I at least have some evidence that it will actually react to changing circumstance (as opposed to just sticking to a scenario script).

It does adapt. If you happen to sneakily take one of the AI's cities, if it is able to take it back (which it in most cases tries to unless you're too overpowering), it'll learn from this and stay defend that city with additional troops for a while. This can be exploited though, as when the AI focuses on that city, you can quite freely roam around the other parts of the maps with its main army defending there.

[Ovarwa]

Thanks for the thread!

After I bought HoMM4 and hating it, I promised myself that I would wait for people to talk about the AI before I would buy Homm5.

Yay! I get to save cash and time rather than waste it in HoMM5.

Thank you.

[Khelavaster]

I hear you Ovarwa. As it is now, only players willing to engage in puzzles rather than maps (for campaigns) or neutral stack killingfests (for customs) or multiplayer need apply.

People who enjoyed single player from HOMMs 1-3 should be very wary.

Khel.

[Sikon]

Thanks for the thread!

After I bought HoMM4 and hating it, I promised myself that I would wait for people to talk about the AI before I would buy Homm5.

Yay! I get to save cash and time rather than waste it in HoMM5.

Thank you.

Come on, the AI is not THAT bad.

[Dublex]

True, and H4 was really bad.. I never really played many AI battles in IV but when I did it did really stupid things like sit on the map and do nothing like some sort of petrified zombie.

[Linky]

I don't remember the H3 AI that well, but I honestly don't think it was much better than the one here.

I think we should face the fact: The AI in HoMM5 is pretty good. No matter how hard it is to accept that they managed to pull it off, you can't smack around the AI any way you like.

There were tricks in HoMM2 and HoMM3 to get out of battles without losing any of your troops. The HoMM3 AI made a few mistakes on the adventure map as well. I think time might've scewed the memories a bit.

[kingu]

I for one have been surprised by the AI compared to the demo. Sure, the Heaven Campaign was a bit dull but AI is starting to "pick up speed" in Inferno.

[Sikon]

AI player behavior in the Haven campaign is completely scripted, so there's no surprise.

[Khelavaster]

I think we should face the fact: The AI in HoMM5 is pretty good. No matter how hard it is to accept that they managed to pull it off, you can't smack around the AI any way you like.

Linky, the fact that you cannot smack around an artificially inflated AI hero who's been given lots of troops and resources from the start does not a good AI make. Neither does scripting.

I'm afraid Nival hasn't pulled it off at all. Just compare it to other similar turn based games in the market (Age of Wonders series, Disciples series) which sport a capable AI (actually vicious in the case of the former). As it is today HOMMV's AI is disabled and needs scripting crutches.

Khel.