Allow AI to use CPU intensive algorithms

from GalCiv2 Forums
I was wondering what the setting in the new game set up changes when you click on "allow AI to use CPU intensive algorithms"?

Does this dedicate more CPU cycles to the game?

Or does this make the AI play better by allowing it to play at closer to full strength because you're telling it through this setting that you've got a beefy enough system that you can afford for the game to take up more cycles running a more robust AI in the game?

In short, does clicking on this make the AI play better?  
9,980 views 10 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
It lets the AI redesign its ships more often (normally it only designs new generations of ships once per year), making it adapt more readily and field new technologies faster. It also affects some other descision making, though I'm not sure exactly what.
Reply #2 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I've had a few games with it enabled. It might be just chance, but both of those games were noticably harder at tough difficulty level. WIth my P4 3.0ghz I didn't notice any change in performance on a large size map
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Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
No performance loss for me either on my Pentium Dual Processor 2.8Mhz System with 2MB Ram.

It seems that it does allow the AI to redesign ships much more often. During several blitz attacks that took only a few turns to complete, I did not the AI actually designing ships to help counter my weapons. Within TURNS!.

The AI also seems much better at creating fleets.

I have been adding the intense AI change in my pref.inin file since the 1.2 betas. I now see it in the game setup.

I am not sure how much the Intense AI option is affecting the AI versus the general improvements of playing the 1.2 AI at Intelligent level. But the AI does seem to be noticably better and aggressive in fleet operations and now is pretty effective at planet colony management.
Reply #5 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Thx for the replies. Sounds like this is another good way to crank up the difficulty when you need it. I'm just feeling my way around this game so far so I've no need yet to crank up the AI, but when the time comes it's good to have a basic understanding of what this option does.

As for where you turn it on, it's on the first set up screen when you generate a new game. At least that's where it is on 1.2 version. I don't recall if it was there in 1.0 or 1.1, I basically just picked the game up a couple weeks ago, so I wasn't paying much attention to this particular feature when I first started playing it
Reply #6 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
The option in the setup screen is new in 1.2.
The option has been in the Prefs.ini file for a while, but it did not work before the release of 1.2.
Reply #7 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I don't know if it's related to the option in question here, but I've just completed my first 1.2 game with the '' CPU algo '' ON and for the very first time in GalCiv 2, I witnessed the Ai - at last - being able to push out Dreadnoughts equipped with ultimate weapons by 2231-2232.
Reply #8 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
OMFG!

I just played with that on and there was a SIGNIFICANT difference in the feel of how the AI played.
They played more like sentient beings rather than figments of a game designers imagination.

300 cheers for Stardock!

Yours in Plasma,
Star Dagger

P.S. I recommend that everyone have this setting on, the game is better that way!
Reply #9 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Yesterday, I played with this setting on for the first time, and took a serious whalloping!   

I started in a corner with the Yor, Drengin, and Korx in a crescent around me. They all declared war on me within a turn of each other, moving in like a pack of wolves. Only these wolves had Disruptors, hyperwarp engines, and high-powered shielding. I had never seen this before in a late-middle-game situation.

Also, they sent a wave of warships that took out my defenders, then followed with a wave of troop transports in sufficient quantities to take planets. I think I've seen AI factions trying to do this in the past, but on those occasions I pretty much swatted aside their outdated warships and shook my head as I took out hordes of unescorted transports.

  Stardock!
Reply #10 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
...but on those occasions I pretty much swatted aside their outdated warships and shook my head as I took out hordes of unescorted transports.


I have only been playing for a week and 4 of my 5 games have been on 1.2 but I am seeing the above in my current game now. The Acreans (sp?) are doing this in wave after wave. They alternate attack/invasion waves. I must admit that they do seem to be trying to escort the transports (I think they are just short of escorts) and the fact I have the Eyes of the Universe (or whatever it is called) and can see them coming across the galaxy is making it much harder on them...

Actually, I think the key AI defect that is hindering the AI strategy is more basic in nature (and much harder to fix as well)...

I think it stems from the AI's estimation of an opponent's military strength. In my current game I have yet to have my "military rating" even approach one-half of my Acrean enemy's rating. Yet I have destroyed at least 30-50 of their ships (up to frigate sized) they have KO'ed only two tiny fighters.

I think the AI keys too much on hull size, cost and not enough on tech level when evaluating military strength. In a nutshell my armor is too much for thier mass drivers while I have missles and the galaxies best armor they (you guessed it) they have not researched a single level in chaff/anti-missle tech.

Just a few off-cuff-remarks from a bored application developer/tester at work.

Later,
GG