How AI evaluates Trades?

[CombatSquirrel]

I am just testing this, and I do not yet have a clear picture of how the program determines if a trade is valuable or not to an AI opponent. It seems to take real junk sometimes and I wonder how effective it is at understanding the importance of tech levels, and how much it values comm channels and such... I know that you can mod under the AI files what percentage of value in both sides of a trade the AI will accept, but no way to affect the method of its evaluation.

So my question is :
"How Do It Do the VooDoo That it Do?"

Kind of a sweeping question, I know, but it is puzzling. I am looking for insight. Insight, or anecdotes of the trade oddities.

Inquisitively,
CombatSquirrel

[ November 04, 2002, 00:47: Message edited by: CombatSquirrel ]

[Fyron]

I think that may be hard-coded. If so, only Aaron Hall would know.

[ November 04, 2002, 08:00: Message edited by: Imperator Fyron ]

[dogscoff]

I suppose you could conduct a series of tests, to see what an AI would accept for what, and so build up a grid of the relative values of everything.

However, I imagine the value an AI attaches to different things would change according to it's mood and economic status, which would make it just about impossible to gauge consistently.

Still... it would be interesting to try.

[CombatSquirrel]

Apart from the settings in AI_politics, it seems to be entirely hardcoded, but I can't yet tell if it assigns relative or absolute values to the items in the trade. There seems to be two basic states for the AI: dealing with Friend, or dealing with Enemy but does anyone know if there are other factors that enter in to its computation?

Any ideas about the relative resource value of Technology? Does the AI value different Tech areas more?

CombatSquirrel

[Arkcon]

Originally posted by CombatSquirrel:
Apart from the settings in AI_politics, it seems to be entirely hardcoded, but I can't yet tell if it assigns relative or absolute values to the items in the trade. There seems to be two basic states for the AI: dealing with Friend, or dealing with Enemy but does anyone know if there are other factors that enter in to its computation?

Any ideas about the relative resource value of Technology? Does the AI value different Tech areas more?

CombatSquirrel

Mood towards you and general AI settings may have more to do with the trades the AI will accept than any "value algorithim".

I've had the AI refuse trades, gifts, even tributes of a variety of techs, even something thay could definietly use, like colonization techs, mine sweeper technology, and medical tech when I saw their planets had plagues.

Ofetn I've tried to trade one theortical tech for another, or even two. Like I'll offer Construction and Chemistry for Physics. And they just alter the trade to give me something called "unavailable tech".

It's so difficult to get them to agree to something usefull I've pretty much given up trying.

[ November 05, 2002, 01:59: Message edited by: Arkcon ]

[Arkcon]

It's hard to know exactly what the AI will take. It really does depend on it's mood. Here's just one example.

[Cheeze mode] [CM]
I can easily find a resource trade the AI will accept -- I just wants any profit. For example, it will (often, not always) give 100,000 minerals for 101,000 organics or rads. Maybe 110,000 if they're in a bad mood. They will even do it if they're at war with you. You can backrupt them of minerals they need for ship maintenance -- they wont stop until they run out
[/CM]

[ November 04, 2002, 12:13: Message edited by: Arkcon ]

[Gryphin]

One item they will Almost always trade:
Colonization types.

I thought there was a setting that affected the willingness of the AI to trade. Last night the United Flora refused to trade at a 10 percent profit in their favor. Hm, could be we were at war even though no clashes had tanken place.

[Captain Kwok]

There are settings in AI_Politics that are used to determine if a trade should take place. In general, if you're friends with the AI, they'll usually trade at a loss - if an enemy then you'd have to trade something more then'll you get back.

[ November 04, 2002, 12:39: Message edited by: Captain Kwok ]

[HEMAN]

I also have problems trading with ai, reguarding teck trades , Just like Arkcon explain.
But i always can trade with Ai with colonization .Example; I give, M 10,000/O 10,000/Rad 10,000, and i get from AI, 1 ice colony.His mood doesnt seem to matter .