Home Port For AI Opponents Are Solely Selected By POC

Sparky

When I start a new game and nominate my AI opponents I am also asked for their home ports.
But what for ??? POC is not interested in my choice !!!

In the majority of cases POC changes my selection and declares another port. I consider this a bug, not a feature. Because ...

... when I select my rivals I have a certain conception where they live and from where they operate. I do not want the game to baffle my strategy in the beginning.
Perhaps settings could depend on the level, where beginners have only the choice of quantity of AI and experts nominate all.

Christian Todt · Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 7:35 pm Post subject:

sounds interesting.
this problem didn't appear in my games so far.
I have to try it out. Confused

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rdklein · Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 7:43 pm Post subject:

Its not a bug !
The AI opponent want to check you ! If you select a port which is too bad for him he changes the port, otherwise he checks if its acceptable (which depends also on you selection if done before). This gives some interesting results. This also avoids giving too much hints on good ports which the AI player tries to avoid, otherwise you get advantage on the next games. YOu can never be sure if the homeport is already at an optimum.

Sparky · Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 8:24 pm Post subject:

I see

- it's a feature.

But I am not really satisfied to know this. It prevents from creating an authentic environment. I carefully select name of company, owner and home port for each opponent to match up and fit into the big world of shipping, and at the end the AI decides that i.e Panama is not good enough - move to Lae !?! Woooow. Crying or Very sad

rdklein · Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 8:39 pm Post subject:

the AI player plays by itself otherwise you can give him a bad start ! You can give him a hint but not more.

When you play with your friend and say to him take Panama, he can beleave you or not - and he decides not to take Panama but Monrovia -- thats the same with the AI player its an AI player (artifical intelligence). He might be wrong, but thats another story.

The whole decision process also depends on the selected level. The AI player only plays with the maximum power (I can give him at the moment), when using the expert modus.

Llens · PoC Visitor Unlicensed Joined: 07 Jul 2008 Posts: 7

I agree how the game is done. It is logical. Expert IA requires a good start strategy as every non-IA expert play will do.

So maybe what can be changed is the Company Name & Player's name after the homeport election. Sparky I think this can meet your desires.

Regards,

LLENS

Sparky · Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 9:43 pm Post subject:

That's right - good idea.
First question is for the home port. And company and owner can be named accordingly.

Sparky · Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2009 2:06 pm Post subject:

Sorry, but I have to reopen this topic because I am upset again with this feature.

I started a new game with 7 AI players (like last time).
My choice of home ports for them was disregarded 7 times (like last time).
The new choices were 6 out of 7 times exactly the same ports like last time.

This cannot be a coincidence anymore.

List of changes (my port selection was different from last time):
My choice Aarhus (Denmark) was changed to Lae (Papua New Guinea)
Keelung (Taiwan) -> Port Moresby (PNG) (this port was not in the game last time)
Lubeck (Germany) -> Rabaul (PNG)
London -> Mogadishu (Somalia)
Piraeus (Greece) -> Port aux Francais (Kerguelen)
Kawasaki (Japan) -> Ash Shuaybah (Kuwait)
Auckland -> Aden

I have now more than 400 ports in the game - and the random generator picks the same ports again, the first three even located in the same country (PNG) - shaking my head Crying or Very sad

I hope this feature will be changed to the better very soon. Who would seriously consider to operate a world wide shipping company from the Kerguelen Islands.