Caster of Magic Release thread : latest version 6.06!

[Nelphine]

Unfortunately I failed st backing up my save file snd it got overwritten. Although I really don't understand how. (Had 3 of them as well.)

[Nelphine]

Something I commonly see in late game, is random lairs and nodes (more common on arcanus) that the ai has simply ignored. Like 1415+, on hard, extreme or impossible, and there's a node 3 tiles from the strongest ai fortress that has not been conquered... and it's got 6 Naga and 2 phantom beasts in it.

Amy idea what caused that? I'd say it happens in 90% of the games where I last that long and am able to explore everything.

And the ai will typically clear oh 60-90% of the nodes and lairs, with most of the remaining being extremely strong (3+ great drakes and 3+ hydras in the sane node level strong). The strong ones make sene, especially the way ai builds stacks. But the weak ones?


I don't even know that it's actually a big problem, as the ai is generally very efficient about clearing nodes/lairs. So it's nice to find ones they missed every so often. It's mostly curiosity.

[Seravy]

Something I commonly see in late game, is random lairs and nodes (more common on arcanus) that the ai has simply ignored.  Like 1415+, on hard, extreme or impossible, and there's a node 3 tiles from the strongest ai fortress that has not been conquered... and it's got 6 Naga and 2  phantom beasts in it.  

Amy idea what caused that? I'd say it happens in 90% of the games where I last that long and am able to explore everything.

And the ai will typically clear oh 60-90% of the nodes and lairs, with most of the remaining being extremely strong (3+ great drakes and 3+ hydras in the sane node level strong). The strong ones make sene,  especially the way ai builds stacks. But the weak ones?


I don't even know that it's actually a big problem,  as the ai is generally very efficient about clearing nodes/lairs. So it's nice to find ones they missed every so often. It's mostly curiosity.

Two possible reasons :
-The path to the lair is blocked. Either by the AI's own units, or someone else's, or another, stronger lair. Intercontinental stacks that could go around and attack from sea cannot attack lairs, so a path on land must exist for the attack to happen.
-The continent had over 25 other targets to attack at all time so it never got added to the list (extremely unlikely, now that continents are limited to 200 tiles)
-The continent always had a more important target to attack for every stack powerful enough to attack that lair. Also very unlikely.

[Nelphine]

Some of these are definitely not blocked. My example of near the fortress was a random one (although that particular case may have actually been blocked). It's always on a continent entirely controlled by the ai or the ai and other AI it has an alliance with. The location on the continent varies. Typically there are no more than 2-5 lairs/nodes on the continent at that point. Sometimes big continents (like 10+ cities) sometimes small (2-3 cities).

[GermanJoey]

I've noticed this as well. They'll come over and conquer the ones near me, but then strangely weak ones will still be there near them when I eventually come over to conquer.

Maybe it is a priority thing? Much of their quality units are dedicated to be used as defensive garrisons, and many more are in route to form stacks somewhere. Thus, the AI doesn't really ever have that many offensive stacks that are used for conquering objectives. Maybe by the time it can conquer these middling dungeons it decides that its too piddly to bother with compared to other things?

[Seravy]

I've noticed this as well. They'll come over and conquer the ones near me, but then strangely weak ones will still be there near them when I eventually come over to conquer.

Maybe it is a priority thing? Much of their quality units are dedicated to be used as defensive garrisons, and many more are in route to form stacks somewhere. Thus, the AI doesn't really ever have that many offensive stacks that are used for conquering objectives. Maybe by the time it can conquer these middling dungeons it decides that its too piddly to bother with compared to other things?

If the army they have can hope to win against multiple targets, it'll go after the highest priority one. In case of lairs, they all have a fixed priority of 50, which is quite low. Also, Lairs come second to last on the list so if there are 25 total nodes, enemy cities, enemy units then it'll not even make it to the list.
For comparison, towers have a priority of 150.  Nodes are 50+10*number of aura tiles.
Cities have priority in the 1000s. Units...have priority equal to their calculated military value which is like, 10 for a single swordsmen or maybe halberdier. So almost everything is higher except enemy stacks that are no real threat.
Still, if everything else is already done, these should eventually get attacked.

I suspect the problem is maybe something like 2-3 weak units, like unused swordsmen or hell hounds blocking the way, and the stack that would rank high enough to clear it contains too many units to go through those 2 units.
The other possibility, if the continent was already marked "nothing else to fight" meaning the previous "best" stack was not enough to attack anything, then the AI will gather units on shore and load them on ships immediately. It's very much possible to not have a large enough number of units on there at the same time to be able to attack the lair if boats are always readily available (though it would surprise me if AI transport loading would be THIS fast)

Oh, one more possibility. Is there an open tower nearby? If yes, those also rank at priority 50 but...if the distance is lower, those will be preferred, in other words the stack goes to the other plane instead.

[GermanJoey]

Based on what you're saying... wizards who are at peace with all/most will likely go after lairs, while wizards who are at war with all/most are less likely to because there will be many enemy cities/stacks that rank higher?

For what its worth, I feel like its large land size maps where I see a lot of untaken lairs, but I have no evidence for that and it might just be my mind playing tricks on me.

[Nelphine]

I play almost all my games on Fair and Small, and it happens there a lot - even on the massive continents that get created when large-ish fair ones connect.

And its not just lairs, its lairs and nodes. And having a relatively weak node unconquered when its squarely in their territory seems odd. I also suspect towers COULD have this happen, but there are so few towers you don't actually see it.

My guess is the 'nothing left to attack so go elsewhere' condition is put on, because at the time it was too strong, and since the other continents all have something to do, that original one never gets reevaluated.

However, I really don't like that guess, as I feel it's far far too simplistic. Thus why I'm not sure it's actually a problem - the AI clearly gets almost everything, which is.. amazing.

Also, I found Merlin.. and he is High Elf! We have an High Elf AI wizard!! (nicely done.)

[Nelphine]

It wasn't a famine spell, but my opponent conquered a city, my food production went negative, and I lost troops due to food desertion at the start of my turn. I think your fix just did the spells though so this may be intended?

[Seravy]

It wasn't a famine spell, but my opponent conquered a city, my food production went negative, and I lost troops due to food desertion at the start of my turn. I think your fix just did the spells though so this may be intended?

Correct. I can't do a thing about losing an entire city...it still produces as many food as it used to last turn...but not for you.