KI Cheating - True or Not?

Aaaand I was just advised by a fellow poster on the GS Boards, that there are several threads pertaining that subject here already. Well, we need a search function for these forums.

without scouting and not into "empty" systems.

Humans can do this with stella cartography since it shows all planets and system on the map.

there are several threads pertaining that subject here already

Well, you might want to look at this thread https://forums.galciv2.com/?ForumID=162&AID=103881

I dunno... I've been sending colony ships to the nearest star systems with planets without scouting, and I've gotten the best planets in the entire map doing so. Since I'm not cheating by doing it, is the ai?

Yeppers. That was the one I was pointed to. Thanks again. I´ll add what I translated to it.

The German print magazines are bought from big Game-manufacturers (EA,Activision....)

I´ll add what I translated to it

BTW, KI should be translated into AI (Artificial Intelligence)

Ooops... true. That´s the danger of being tri-lingual, I fear. There are always discrepancies that creep in.

I think the AI colonize pretty stupid. Me and the AI just came to a star system, he took the planet with Class 6 and left the Class 9 for me, maybe he can't react?

I think the AI colonize pretty stupid. Me and the AI just came to a star system, he took the planet with Class 6 and left the Class 9 for me, maybe he can't react?

Or maybe its sensor range wasn't big enough to spot the class 9 planet while seing the class 6 planet

I have seen that happen too, the AI colonizing a class 6 planet when there is a class ~15 a few parsecs away in the same system. I usually check all the planets in a system before I colonize unless the first is really great or I'm in a hurry, the AI would benefit from doing the same. But I guess then that even more people would assume that it was cheating.

Here is another more recent thread where the OP accused the AI of cheating, with replies from Frogboy:
https://forums.galciv2.com/?ForumID=162&AID=110654

I ALWAYS send colony ships into galaxy cluster. I hardly every used my flagship (except for retrieving anomalies) or build a scout. For the first few turns I only rush-build colony ships, then I send them out blind to ANY star system in the vincity.

If I don't have 'stellar cartography', I would research this first with a research spending of 80%. I expect the AI to do the same otherwise it will be slow. The drawback to this is sometimes, you are left with used colony ships.

I am however dissapointed why none of my near by planets ever have a high PQ rating - now I could call that cheating and the computer working against me but that's another story.

Would be interesting to know if maybe using the cheat functions to reveal the map maybe reveals it for all races including the AI? That would certainly explain why this behavior was observed.

#13, Was thinking the same. Would be fun if enabling cheats for the player also enabled them for the AI (Although that kinda ruins the point of enabling them in the first place... Debug mode would be more accurate. )

Would be interesting to know if maybe using the cheat functions to reveal the map maybe reveals it for all races including the AI? That would certainly explain why this behavior was observed.

Well, you should read the whole thread mentionned on post #3

Yes, the AI cheats and the developers lie to you.

They also want to make love to your sister.

No, but in all seriouseness, the AI does play by the same rules. I "beeline" to good planets all the time. Is it because I know they are there? Nah, I just build transports and bum rush them to any stars around me.

In fact, I think I cheat more than the AI. The AI has to actually scan a planet to colonize it. What will I do? I just go discover the sun, click it, see if there are any planets there that I can habitate. If there are I'll explore more, if not I'll just go off in search for more without exploring the rest of the solar system.

First, there is a search on the forum, above the reviews.
Second, the reviewer was a fool. Research is not "insanely" high, it's better than him. I can thrash it on pretty much all levels in terms of research, it's using all the same models as you. Same applies to planet production: high enough military spending will get you a ship a turn on a low-prod planet. Only at "gifted" AI level or above does it cheat, and then only gets money. I suggest the reviewer get a better grip on the game, it NEVER cheats research or production.

However, there seems to be argument regarding the ships thing. What people forget is that all AI's apart from human DO automatically see every single planet. Yes, they beeline, because if you click on the planet icon in the mini-map it will beeline and colonise it. But I have seen them many times go to systems with terrible or no habitable planets.

I don't think AI did cheat in the game at all, except the initial research and treasure (never been able to test, since Esp to advanced happen later at the time) to begin with. The situation happen to seen cheating by AI are happen to what we called a micro control method, which is essential to the harder mode gaming, things such as changing resource ratios apply to each turn and building (or ideal buy) a infrastructure are also key to the victory. Often time, for the AI with harder mode are initial their resource ratio to a more RES and SOC rather than MIL. which give them a boost in the ranking and technology benefit. But remember, getting a MIL boost is important, acquire overal 1st ranking mean, they don't dare to touch you in a while, and tributes frequencies increase and later time those factor are important to negotiate when opposition request a peace treat. (money? IP? non hostile teachnology? you name it, you got it!) After all, I haven't seen any behavior by AI consider cheat to me, but initial teachnology maybe a concern, but it can be less hassle, if you get you Universal translator early as possible, then we can trade for some teachnology which we believe is a ideal trade of, or ideal buy. (I remember I used to see a situation of tiny map with rare HP, and 10 race game, and with ownership reveal there is no chance to acquire any planet in away region, then I don't build ship, but those normal opposite still build 2 to 3 colony, and guess what, we end up having alot of colony ship in the tiny mode, and funnier seen to me is that, they don't even bother upgrade the ship, and take advantage of situation, but rather return the colony ship to their planet after failure of colony invasion.) maybe the AI play in my computer is stupidier than normal computer, but I haven't seen anything unusual which I may consider a cheat, but a AI cheat doesn't mean it is unfair, after all, a harder mode in most of the RTS mean AI cheat! it is quite unusal for a excellent AI build up instead of a one big rush done by other RTS, then died down, after all, I think, this AI make galciv2 worthy of buying and more enjoyable!

When you become a competent player in GC2 you get just a many planets as the K.I and just as much research also.I think the big statements about cheating come from players who are not very good yet.

And what's all this German hate towards GC2.Giving this game 62%,ect is a disgrace.

If the AI cheats, guess what! It's not helping them!

There are, indeed, tons of posts on this topic alone, but without making you go and read for several hours, here's a short breakdown from my perspective as someone who have wasted way too much time playing the game:

1) Stellar Cartography. One of the most important technologies, and the reason why the Terrans are never HUGE after the colonization stage. This is because the terrans just don't have it, and either 1) have to research it, trade for it, or 2) have to dedicate extra time to scouting. Personally, I have always put Stellar Cartography into my custom races, and have almost never needed a single scout. I scout with colonyships that will fly directly to systems just like many of the complaints (yes me, I don't know either, but I'm guessing... the AI guesses too) and my flagship on auto-aurvey.

2) Scoutting. The AI is very aggressive in it's scoutting from my experience, that is, it will try to scout every system that is towards another player first. This is VERY obvious if you've played more than 3 games, especially on larger galaxies. You will see literally fleets of scouts going through your territory, and the AI will colonize towards other players, but will completely miss a GIANT planet, deep behind their space. To me, this means that the AI is 1) smart as hell, and 2) can't possibly be cheating, because that 18 PQ planet is worth 3 times those tiny 4-6 PQ planet. I should know, I have a precusor lab bonus on that planet. The Arceans like to do this a lot, and in the 3 times that I didn't end up with those planets, the Altarians did because they scouted out the Arcean territory before the Arcean got to it..


Now, I don't proclaim knowledge on anything in the german gaming community, but that reviewer seriously need to play some more before saying something like that. If he would just look into the debug.err that is generated, he would have notices that the AI will trade between themselves for technology and money so that it can buy stuff. Believe it or not, most of the AI has their research spending around 20-30% MAX (sometimes it will be less than 10%), and they trade what they discover with one another. In fact, one of the ways to beat the best AI is to do this to them before they could do it among themselves. This is also the reason why a research heavy player will easily out tech the AI in the later game, when the technology costs starts ramping upwards.

I thought stellar cartogrophy just told you where planets are, not habital planets or has it changed recently?

Steller catography wont tell what's habitable, but you can guess. If habitable planets are normal, odds are at least one will be habitable. On abundant, I'm averaging 4 planets per star, with at least one pq+17 per system (and one lovely pq27)

Aaaand I was just advised by a fellow poster on the GS Boards, that there are several threads pertaining that subject here already. Well, we need a search function for these forums.

No worry, my post simply came a bit too late. So it might be the best to close this thread, cause there are already others around dealing with that topic

and the developers lie to you

Funnily, he (the reviewer which is mentioned) is implying that. Unfortunately for him, he could the same motive for lying as any developer, cause they can only sell their magazine when the consumers believe in them. Admitting that he had lied would simply erase his credibility

also the AI gets tons of bonuses at the higher levels (ie money, etc) so they can make alot of ships.