Which strategy/tactical game do you think has the best AI?

[eklektyk]

M.A.X. all the way in

AI scouts the fuck of U and looks for holes/exploiits that you didint even knew are there and then RAPES U HARD
awsom game - pure work of art [shame that single campaign is shit ...]

 

[Malakal]

Guys I've been thinking: M.A.X. is such an awesome game, why not try playing it in multiplayer?

I don't remember how does it work there though, is PBEM possible? Direct IP? We could play it in nice sessions seeing as it is turn based (real time mode sucks ass unfortunately). I bet it would be laods of fun with many many units and things to play with.

 

[Awor Szurkrarz]

Since M.A.X. has proven that it's perfectly possible to make a working AI, now I consider any wargame with bad AI to be an unfinished, flawed product.

 

[felicity]

I wonder are there tactical games more similar to board game and chess? There must be a sweet spot between chess and tactical game. Simple and well defined enough for the AI to handle but complicate enough to keep things interesting for human. Some sort of hybrid of chess and tactical games. In a game of chess, a player has to think carefully on every move because make one wrong move and it will cost you the game. A successful tactical game should provide this experience. A game that focus on head to head practicability. Make it so that a game doesn't cost more than an hour, with 15 min - 30 min being the norm, and resolving in 5 min to 10 min isn't uncommon if one player is much better than another. TBS gamers like to say starcraft is a twitch game, but there isn't a TBS game with a size of online player base comparable to any popular RTS.

 

[Burning Bridges]

I wonder how Jagged Alliance 2 (1.13) fares in comparison ?

 

[MetalCraze]

JA2 AI is still pretty stupid, even with 1.13
They will almost always run to investigate a noise and fall into a trap - which lets you slaughter even Drassen counter-attack by just camping the door in the mine building.

JA2 AI is saved by balance though.

 

[felicity]

I wonder how Jagged Alliance 2 (1.13) fares in comparison ?

Not even close. JA2's AI doesn't give me a feeling that it's 'thinking'.

 

[ChristofferC]

There is no such thing. Computer AI simply isn't that advanced.

 

[Fez]

I'm happy enough as long as the AI is pretty good, doesn't have any stand-out moments of suicidal stupidity or path-finding problems and the game is balanced with numbers or some other fair or story-based advantage to help the AI.

I dislike games where the AI side simply cheats outrageously all the time and does so in a manner that is not explained in any game-world context.

 

[marlboroo]

wesnoth have ai that is constantly updated by the community

 

[ZbojLamignat]

M.A.X. is a good shout.

As for the Panzer General series - its AI is good at gang raping stranded and vulnerable units, but not so much at achieving strategic targets, its power is based on "luck" in their turn (meaning: AI units receiving virtually no damage even in very difficult situations). But yeah, it's generally OK and the games are awesome.

I would probably add Myth I & II to the list. It actually used different units completely differently and according to their strengths. Ghouls attacking archers from the flanks when Thrall engage your melee units, Soulless acting as skirmishers and luring your forces into difficult terrain, etc.

 

[Gondolin]

M.A.X. raped me, killed me and buried me in a remote place, never to be found.

Panzer General has a rather simple AI. I've yet to see it mount a decent attack.

Enemies in Warlords 2 fell to same trick over and over and once you get 4-5 dragons as quest reward, it's pretty much game over.

 

[CrimsonAngel]

Doesn't Galactic Civilizations 2 have what is widely recognized as one of the best AIs around?

Admittedly this is probably due in large part of the fact that the game's mechanics are streamlined and made extremely boring so that the computer can handle them with ease.

The game is like a spreadsheet and computers are apparently good with that kind of thing.

The GalCiv2 "AI" was pretty good over all over all made my life hell at times in that game.
At times i felt like it was actually trying to out think me instead of going through routines

 

[Phelot]

I would probably add Myth I & II to the list. It actually used different units completely differently and according to their strengths. Ghouls attacking archers from the flanks when Thrall engage your melee units, Soulless acting as skirmishers and luring your forces into difficult terrain, etc.

The problem with the Myth games is that all the enemies are pretty much scripted to do a certain thing in each level. So a ghol ambush is really just a scripted event for them to attack at a certain point and to target certain enemies. At least, that's how it felt to me. I always knew what to expect each level after playing it.

Still, they are surprising. They effectively stay out of archer ranges and some ghols just try to taunt and lead you into traps.

EDIT: Awesome games though and a good pick

 

[astrosmurf]

If you like (Magic-clone) card games I have found Astral Masters to have pretty strong AI. With random decks, I'd say it beats me about than half of the time. (And I am at least not bad at the game.) It knows how to use the cards and how to use them together so it even plays well with custom decks. (But you have to skip your first turn and let it go first. Going first is a big advantage in the game, and the AI is not strong enough to counter that disadvantage.)

 

[Everything]

Doesn't Galactic Civilizations 2 have what is widely recognized as one of the best AIs around?

Admittedly this is probably due in large part of the fact that the game's mechanics are streamlined and made extremely boring so that the computer can handle them with ease.

The game is like a spreadsheet and computers are apparently good with that kind of thing.

The GalCiv2 "AI" was pretty good over all over all made my life hell at times in that game.
At times i felt like it was actually trying to out think me instead of going through routines

Agree. Gal Civ 2 has v good AI