I have to admit, everything from the new way decks work, the balance changes (except nerfing Jinete range 
) the graphics and the general smoothness and modernisation is just lovely. But there’s a very big elephant in a room so small a baby dwarf couldn’t outstretch their hands - the AI is even worse than I remember in the original. What’s going on?
I’ve had (this is all the extreme AI for reference):
- Portuguese AI does a load of aggression, out-ages me, manages a revolution while I’m still in Age 3 still clinging to survival then hits me like a freight train out of nowhere. One of the most fun games I’ve had. (1v1)
- Portuguese and Aztec AI vs me and a friend. Friend’s first game. Effortlessly 1v2 “both” the AI for the entire game near enough, (don’t see any Aztec units from 2nd age to 5th age when I finally advance upon their base). Aztec AI has 210 pop military and 90 pop villagers at this point according to the timeline. All military is stuck in one giant ball in an open space, completely unable to move. Aztec AI doesn’t even bother to replace the units as they die.
- Indian and one of the native AI’s 2v2, both just fizzle out midgame, never advance past industrial and hardly produce anything.
WILD variation in difficulty, from struggle for survival to “did I forget to add an enemy?” on the same setting.
Loads of dodgy things going on. AI doesn’t build on trade routes anymore? AI doesn’t attack economy anymore and exclusively attacks most forward building/unit only? (No need to even wall in?)
AI builds docks near-enough IN my civ. Seemingly every time on Araucania?
Units get stuck in native settlements and coin mines somehow? Sometimes multiple. Having to delete and remake my units is a bit ridiculous.
Had some fun with it, but I’m quite surprised the game has been polished up to the level which it has excluding this, yet this, in this state, was deemed worthy to ship?
5 Likes
The ai feels worse then vanilla, which is an accoplishment non the less.
6 Likes
yet this, in this state, was deemed worthy to ship?
the team was asked many times to not ship the game when they did, and instead delay it at least 2 more months.
this disaster was easy to see coming since the 1st beta period, but it became even worse during the 3rd one.
at this point, we might lose the entirety of the potential new players that the community could have had, would the game have been in an actual good state for release
3 Likes
So far in all my matches against the AI I have never seen it build a single trade post on a trade route. Even if the TP socket is right besides their starting TC, the AI will straight up completely ignore it. The AI also will often ignore unguarded treasures that spawn right beside their bases or send their explorer on suicidal missions against group of guardians it couldn’t ever possibly beat alone.
2 Likes
It’s reassuring to know other people have made noise about the issue. I’ll freely admit even though I dedicated a lot of time to the AoE2 beta and provided a lot of feedback which apparently made it into the game (particularly regarding the minimap) I didn’t put any effort into the AoE3 beta.
Still, a good chunk of the reason AoE2 is just far more special to me is on HD with the resonance bots and now in DE with the extreme AI, there’s a challenging but relaxing coop experience to be enjoyed with friends which is consistent in challenge, to the point you can ensure a winnable game you likely will lose.
AoE3’s just never had this. I understand that the only thing most developers care about is streamers and “competitive” gameplay, but getting the other stuff right is something I think AoE2 excelled at which is one significant reason why I think it’s the far more successful title.
It would be wonderful if the AoE2DE AI’s designer could unfuck the AoE3DE’s AI.
Has this issue, in general, been addressed by the developers at all? Will this be sorted in future? Is there a promise/commitment made?
2 Likes
There is a bug preventing the AI from building Trade posts on trade routes.
1 Like