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Yes, I know the AI isn't the brightest of creatures, but this showed me just how daft it can be... Actually, I was going to only show the first pic, but then it excelled itself in daftness!

2 Questions:

1. What is the general idea about the massive landscaping the AI does?
2. Why do they always use the 'wooden' bridge for long distances?

Good point about the massive landscaping... At one point, I thought it was responding to the music playing (in another program), because it seemed to be rather like the graphic equaliser displays you get...

AI stupidity is reknown, but that? I think it's reached a new level there...

I'm not sure what Chris Sawyer was on when he did the bridge-selecting algorithm for the AI. It seems to screw up and go with wood on really long bridges. At least it's not as bad when you use Pikkabirds bridge, as it replaces the wooden one.

AI: Artificial Idiocy.

DaleStan wrote:AI: Artificial Idiocy.

no. AI: Actual Idiocy

Isn't the wooden bridge the only one which can be built to such a ludicrous length?

Unfortunately, I don't have the picture any more of a Locomotion game where the AI built an enormous bridge across the Bristol Channel to Cardiff... with a bus terminal on the end. The bus terminal was about 3 squares offshore. So the bus would leave Bristol, travel along this enormous bridge, and stop in the terminal perched on the end. Passengers presumably had to swim from the terminal to the city.

metalangel wrote:Isn't the wooden bridge the only one which can be built to such a ludicrous length?

Unfortunately, I don't have the picture any more of a Locomotion game where the AI built an enormous bridge across the Bristol Channel to Cardiff... with a bus terminal on the end. The bus terminal was about 3 squares offshore. So the bus would leave Bristol, travel along this enormous bridge, and stop in the terminal perched on the end. Passengers presumably had to swim from the terminal to the city.

I believe suspension bridges can be very long aswell.

metalangel wrote:Isn't the wooden bridge the only one which can be built to such a ludicrous length?

I had a feeling that may be the case... Think I may have to go and investigate.

Any bridge can be built to that length (except the short length bridges as fhey were originally), but the wooden bridge is cheapest by far, but it is useless.

Later on the tubular bridges at long length are good, a lot faster too. I have seen AI use them, but not often.

I have a game where the AI isnt doing too badly although good is a term i would deffinatley not use.

mpettit wrote:1. What is the general idea about the massive landscaping the AI does?

It does massive landscaping but the towns still think they are gods.

Mr. X wrote:What is the general idea about the massive landscaping the AI does?

As far as I know (although I haven't checked) it's random. It reshapes the landscape randomly until it finds something it can use. Oh, and it doesn't pay for it either.

And it does that by digging holes and filling them up.

They're searching for gold because that's the only way for them to make any profit..

Desolator wrote:And it does that by digging holes and filling them up.

That's why it's called randomly. Furthermore the AI has no notion of foundations, so it can only lay rail of flat land and flat slopes, i.e. 2 times 2 adjacent corners at the same level.

Well anyway, even that the AI cheats with landsc... terraforming for free, we still win. (If the AI would look the game from his point of view then it would think that we cheat by having an IQ above room temperature. )

So they may cheat all they want for me. It won't help them.

Does the AI also not pay for laying rail? I love watching it lay its tracks: it first lays them in an impossible coil combination, then realizing it has nowhere to go, deletes it all. Then builds the exact same thing again.

i think AI pays for construction. The funniest is when you see the AI build 1 airport, and then spend years trying to landscape a 2nd site for a 2nd airport. They'll have a plane sitting at the first airport gathering maintenance costs and eventually run out of money and go bankrupt

The AI really needs to be able to level land between point A and B between where it wants to go. If 1 elevation doesn'tn work, it should try another. That would be much more efficient than randomly altering land levels until it can build an unnecessary coil through it

A.I programming simply wasnt that far ahead back then, as it is now. But yeah could be cool if anyone one could improve that or make a new one. But i bet its no an easy task