Rise of AI Global Mod updated to v2.3

[BornGinger]

Oh, thanks. Now I can add it when I come home from work.

[MarkShot]

Richard,

There is something I don't understand.

As you are the game's developer, why is a "new and improved" AI a mod as opposed to not directly incorporated into the game?

Do the improvements introduced unbalance campaigns and epic scenarios?

Thanks.

[rbodleyscott]

Richard,

There is something I don't understand.

As you are the game's developer, why is a "new and improved" AI a mod as opposed to not directly incorporated into the game?

Because it has been developed by a third party, we don't own it. Assuming we got permission to incorporate it, long-term maintenance could be a problem.

Do the improvements introduced unbalance campaigns and epic scenarios?

It should work OK in campaigns, but may unbalance Epic scenarios, so you are advised to turn it off for that.

[FrenchDude]

Hi ! Do you guys think that this mod can be used with exported FOGE battles ?

[Karvon]

See no reason why you couldn't, though I've not tried it out yet myself.

[rbodleyscott]

Hi ! Do you guys think that this mod can be used with exported FOGE battles ?

Probably

[roguedjack]

Hi ! Do you guys think that this mod can be used with exported FOGE battles ?

Yes. Here's the readme

RISE OF AI 2.3 GLOBAL MOD
by roguedjack
for FOG2 1.5.18


- Compatibility update for Fog2 1.5.18
- Included "AI tries to not block friendly units pushed back" from vanilla.
- Deployment: Cavalry armies more likely to deploy missile cavalry in front of non-missile cav (eg: Nomad Horse Archers in front of Lancers).
- Deployment: Rebalanced cavalry army distribution of mounted shock troops, don't put all of them in the centre.
- Deployment: Improved deployment of non-lights when constrained by bad terrain in its deployment zone.
- Deployment: More likely to deploy units hidden in woods and a bit more likely to keep them hidden here when defensive.
- Ordering: Prefer charging a unit frontally to pin it before flanking it with another unit to get the full flank charge effect (same idea as vanilla but implemented differently).
- Ordering: Units that have their target in front more likely to act before others, so AI less likely to cause traffic problems for itself when in close combat situations (units crossing each other path and making a mess).
- Masterplan: AI infantry centre formation more likely to keep its formation together when doing a group move through bad terrain, rather that going out of its way to avoid bad terrain unit by unit and making a mess of its group formation.
- Masterplan: AI doesn't waste time to pause to reform in Advance Guard and Rearguard scenarios, so AI will move forward faster.
- Targeting: Revised and rebalanced some target rating classes and heuristics.
- Minor tweaks & fixes.


HOW TO ENABLE AND USE AS GLOBAL MOD
Ingame, click on the icon on the bottom left of the main screen to go the "Global Mods" screen, select "Rise Of AI 2.3 Global" then click "Accept". To disable, select "No Mod Set" or any other global mod you might have installed.
If enabled correctly it will say "Using mod: Rise Of AI v2.3 Global" on the main screen.
While enabled, all battles you play (custom, campaign battles, epic battles, quick battles...) will use Rise Of AI for the AI opponent.
Epic Battles and some other user contents might cause some problems, see below in the compatibility section.
You don't need to keep or use the previous versions of Rise Of AI (campaign and custom battles). You can delete them.


COMPATIBILITY
* DLCs
Fully compatible with Immortal Fire, Legions Triumphant, Age Of Belisarius, Rise Of Persia and Wolves at the Gates DLCs.

* Field Of Glory Empires
Compatible with exported battles from Field Of Glory Empires.

* User content
Compatible with all campaigns and custom battles content that do not modify the same files as this mod. This means it should be compatible with the vast majority of them.

* Epic Battles
I advise not to enable Rise Of AI when playing Epic Battles.
Some Epic Battles have scripted strategies for the AI or exotic deployments that will overrule, conflict with or confuse Rise Of AI.

* Multiplayer
Do not enable Rise Of AI while playing multiplayer. It may cause bugs and crashes.


KNOWN ISSUES
- Sometimes when the AI turns a unit the camera will not move to focus on the unit.
This happens when the AI wants to tidy up a formation and change its facing. It will turn several units of the same formation one by one, but the camera won't move to show you that. This might be a bit annoying for players that play zoomed in but its no big issue.

[FrenchDude]

Thanks for the answers rbodleyscott and roguedjack ! I missed the line about FOGE in the readme !

[Athos1660]

I've just come across this mod. Nice ! It seems to work fine with beta v.1.5.29, if I am not mistaken.

[kronenblatt]

I've just come across this mod. Nice ! It seems to work fine with beta v.1.5.29, if I am not mistaken.

And with 1.5.28 as well?

[kronenblatt]

Richard,

There is something I don't understand.

As you are the game's developer, why is a "new and improved" AI a mod as opposed to not directly incorporated into the game?

Because it has been developed by a third party, we don't own it. Assuming we got permission to incorporate it, long-term maintenance could be a problem.

You still look at getting inspiration from it in order to improve the AI of vanilla FoG2? And, if permission is needed and given, incorporate aspects and parts of it for that purpose?

After all, it's a mod for FoG2 and some of the purpose of mods (in my view) is to generate ideas on mechanics and balancing for the base game developers to put into the game. For everyone's benefit.

[rbodleyscott]

Richard,

There is something I don't understand.

As you are the game's developer, why is a "new and improved" AI a mod as opposed to not directly incorporated into the game?

Because it has been developed by a third party, we don't own it. Assuming we got permission to incorporate it, long-term maintenance could be a problem.

You still look at getting inspiration from it in order to improve the AI of vanilla FoG2? And, if permission is needed and given, incorporate aspects and parts of it for that purpose?

After all, it's a mod for FoG2 and some of the purpose of mods (in my view) is to generate ideas on mechanics and balancing for the base game developers to put into the game. For everyone's benefit.

We have already incorporated ideas from it into vanilla.

[kronenblatt]

Because it has been developed by a third party, we don't own it. Assuming we got permission to incorporate it, long-term maintenance could be a problem.

You still look at getting inspiration from it in order to improve the AI of vanilla FoG2? And, if permission is needed and given, incorporate aspects and parts of it for that purpose?

After all, it's a mod for FoG2 and some of the purpose of mods (in my view) is to generate ideas on mechanics and balancing for the base game developers to put into the game. For everyone's benefit.

We have already incorporated ideas from it into vanilla.

Good! That's what I hoped for.

[Athos1660]

I've just come across this mod. Nice ! It seems to work fine with beta v.1.5.29, if I am not mistaken.

And with 1.5.28 as well?

I guess so but don't take my word for it.
I'm not the developper of this mod and I didn't even have a look at the scripts.
So try it and see what happens.

You still look at getting inspiration from it in order to improve the AI of vanilla FoG2? And, if permission is needed and given, incorporate aspects and parts of it for that purpose?

After all, it's a mod for FoG2 and some of the purpose of mods (in my view) is to generate ideas on mechanics and balancing for the base game developers to put into the game. For everyone's benefit.

We have already incorporated ideas from it into vanilla.

Good! That's what I hoped for.

I only tried this mod a couple of times, so more tests would be needed. However, I am not sure that all its aspects represent a significant improvement over the Vanilla AI. I think it would take some hard thinking/testing/debate to figure out what would be interesting as an implementation in FoG2.

[kronenblatt]

I've just come across this mod. Nice ! It seems to work fine with beta v.1.5.29, if I am not mistaken.

And with 1.5.28 as well?

I guess so but don't take my word for it.
I'm not the developper of this mod and I didn't even have a look at the scripts.
So try it and see what happens.

We have already incorporated ideas from it into vanilla.

Good! That's what I hoped for.

I only tried this mod a couple of times, so more tests would be needed. However, I am not sure that all its aspects represent a significant improvement over the Vanilla AI. I think it would take some hard thinking/testing/debate to figure out what would be interesting as an implementation in FoG2.

Because, as I hoped for, the mod's suitable parts that improve vanilla's AI have already been selectively incorporated into vanilla by RBS et al, then I'm happy sticking to vanilla.

[roguedjack]

Hi all, I just made an update to Rise Of AI for Fog2 1.5.30. It should be available soon. It adds nothing new to the AI of Rise Of AI 2.3 but I recommend Rise Of AI users upgrade to 2.4 because it makes use of all the relevant fixes and changes that happened to Fog2 since version 1.5.18.

[Athos1660]

+1. Nice that you keep this mod updated.

[roguedjack]

Just a reminder that v2.4 is up.
Here's the readme :

RISE OF AI 2.4 GLOBAL MOD
by roguedjack
for FOG2 1.5.30


- Compatibility update for Fog2 1.5.30


HOW TO ENABLE AND USE AS GLOBAL MOD
Ingame, click on the icon on the bottom left of the main screen to go the "Global Mods" screen, select "Rise Of AI 2.4 Global" then click "Accept". To disable, select "No Mod Set" or any other global mod you might have installed.
If enabled correctly it will say "Using mod: Rise Of AI v2.4 Global" on the main screen.
While enabled, all battles you play (custom, campaign battles, epic battles, quick battles...) will use Rise Of AI for the AI opponent.
Epic Battles and some other user contents might cause some problems, see below in the compatibility section.
You don't need to keep or use the previous versions of Rise Of AI (campaign and custom battles). You can delete them.


COMPATIBILITY
* DLCs
Fully compatible with Immortal Fire, Legions Triumphant, Age Of Belisarius, Rise Of Persia and Wolves at the Gates DLCs.

* Field Of Glory Empires
Compatible with exported battles from Field Of Glory Empires.

* User content
Compatible with all campaigns and custom battles content that do not modify the same files as this mod. This means it should be compatible with the vast majority of them.

* Epic Battles
I advise not to enable Rise Of AI when playing Epic Battles.
Some Epic Battles have scripted strategies for the AI or exotic deployments that will overrule, conflict with or confuse Rise Of AI.

* Multiplayer
Do not enable Rise Of AI while playing multiplayer. It may cause bugs and crashes.


KNOWN ISSUES
- Sometimes when the AI turns a unit the camera will not move to focus on the unit.
This happens when the AI wants to tidy up a formation and change its facing. It will turn several units of the same formation one by one, but the camera won't move to show you that. This might be a bit annoying for players that play zoomed in but its no big issue.

[Athos1660]

btw today I played a SP battle mixing "Rise of AI Mod 2.4" and the "Pursuit mod" that intensifies pursuing based on P&S. That was nice. Will play it again.

PS 1 : As the 'Pursuit Mod' is just a modification of the CombatTools.bsf file, I guess there is no incompatibility between the 2 mods. So if you want to try it, just add the CombatTools.bsf of the Pursuit Mod in RISE OF AI V2.4 GLOBAL\DATA\SCRIPTS\

PS 2 : however, the AI of this mod might not be optimised for pursuing... I don't know.

[MarkShot]

RogueJack,

I played the default 1.5.32 AI, then I enabled RISE_OF_AI_V2.4_GLOBAL_PURSUIT ... I have 2 versions. One with and without the pursuit mod.

In my second game with the AI mod, I reloaded Turn #1 an followed the same plan. I rate your AI mod at 4X more deadly.

How did I come up with that. Well, you would think the second play through would be to my advantage.

Just large open Romans vs Macedonians ... mainly open ... playing Level 4.

Game #1 (normal AI): Decide on Turn #24 over 60%, but was very close, and I might have won.

Game #2 (AI mod): Decided on Turn #12 going over 60%, and computer had double my score. So, 1/2 the time and twice the score victory. I would say that was 4X more deadly that the stock AI. I find your AI to be far more aggressive, but in a coordinated way. The stock AI hits your line piece meal; your AI hit the entire line in force looking for a break. The stock AI gives me local opportunities to create or exploit despite being outnumbered. Yours let me know I was seriously outnumbered.

I think adding in the pursuit mod created unpredictability. If anything, your AI might have been more deadly with zealous pursuit.

Thank you for this lovely piece of code. Now, I have 2 options for boosted difficulty!!!