Personal Career AI

[MILINTarctrooper]

Actually the better idea would be called a "Mirror AI"...already in CnC3 and RA3...the AI does learn if you beat it the first go, the next mission on the same map...it will tromp you. (However, this is not persistent, because if you change maps or factions the AI resets, and the process restarts.)

However, a Mirror AI is better. It doesn't learn it copies, so lets say you use a particular tactic in game. Well during the game...the Combat AI is fighting...but a silent Mirror AI is watching your moves in Observer mode. The Mirror AI copies all movements, build que, and etc. And then next match subsitutes this build que setting you use as one of a multitude of new tactics for the Combat AI to use. So either the Combat AI will go counter, or it will mirror your earlier attack. This would allow the AI to be competitive and adaptive, and make it a more frustrating opponent. But not all AI's are perfect, if you play any game...there is a sweet spot...usually associated to the time played, which will create a fatal flaw in the AI's coding and allows you to go on the attack. If you play any RTS it takes alot of patience to find this sweet spot.

An example of a sweet spot is fighting for over 3 hours an Extreme AI on Company of Heroes, and the AI has almost total and complete map control. If you hold out, the AI begins to choke, and a gap opens up a narrow one at that...which you can exploit and then take back the map. Star Craft and Star Craft II...the supposedly "unbeatable" Extreme AI's probably have the same sweet spot. In RA3 the sweet spot is the 15minute mark...who ever is on the defense at the 15minute mark will survive and then crush his attacker. I did this in one game where my opponent in a 1v1 game had nearly 75% of all the land and had attacked me repeatedly and several times over had me up against the rocks. But the game lasted into 15minutes...and turned the tide...slowly but surely cutting away his power and forces. The match ended at 34 minutes...with a kill/death ratio of 2.95 for me. And I only had 24 units on the map.

Although, I personally would love to have a CnC game that gives you bonus awards for high kill/death ratios.

[R315r4z0r]

That wouldn't work too well, to be honest.

I mean, it would work in the first few moments of the match, but after that initial starting move, the AI wouldn't be able to defend itself. First of all, how would the mirror AI know how to distinguish the beginning of one of your attacks and the end of one? It can't because it doesn't know what you are thinking. All it would do is copy your movements and do it themselves... from the start of the match to the end.

However, the problem with copying your movement is that it leaves them more vulnerable to other types of attacks. If it tries to defend itself, then it would no longer be able to mirror your attack.

Think of it this way:
You're looking into a mirror back at yourself. You suddenly raise your fist and are about to punch your reflection. If the reflection is true, then it would copy exactly what you do regardless of what happens. However, what if just before you hit the mirror, your reflection dodged out of the way? Strange? Maybe, but that is what I'm getting at with the AI. The AI wouldn't be considered a mirrored attack anymore if you toss something new at it while it's executing its moves. If you change the scenario, it won't be able to mirror you and if it can't mirror you then the strength of the attack dramatically decreases. Thus, the AI would be much weaker and easier to defeat.

[MILINTarctrooper]

That wouldn't work too well, to be honest.

I mean, it would work in the first few moments of the match, but after that initial starting move, the AI wouldn't be able to defend itself. First of all, how would the mirror AI know how to distinguish the beginning of one of your attacks and the end of one? It can't because it doesn't know what you are thinking. All it would do is copy your movements and do it themselves... from the start of the match to the end.

However, the problem with copying your movement is that it leaves them more vulnerable to other types of attacks. If it tries to defend itself, then it would no longer be able to mirror your attack.

Think of it this way:
You're looking into a mirror back at yourself. You suddenly raise your fist and are about to punch your reflection. If the reflection is true, then it would copy exactly what you do regardless of what happens. However, what if just before you hit the mirror, your reflection dodged out of the way? Strange? Maybe, but that is what I'm getting at with the AI. The AI wouldn't be considered a mirrored attack anymore if you toss something new at it while it's executing its moves. If you change the scenario, it won't be able to mirror you and if it can't mirror you then the strength of the attack dramatically decreases. Thus, the AI would be much weaker and easier to defeat.

Well this is why its not a pure mirror AI...it copies all moves you have done in a series of games...and adds them to a combat AI. Meaning even if you change the scenario, the combat AI will have the counter plan in motion or available. So let's say you do the scenario change in a game now...the Mirror AI captures this...and then sends it off to the Combat AI's memory. Which then means...the Combat AI's will use the Mirror AI's intel on you...as one of many possible ways to attack you back. So let's say you try to attack with a new strategy, well the Combat AI will string together the Mirror AI's copied moves...or select one and use it to combat you, then switchs to a counter.

[Golan2781]

Current day RTS AIs can barely keep up with average players, analyzing and converting another's play to integrate it into its own attack patterns seems out of question.

[MILINTarctrooper]

Current day RTS AIs can barely keep up with average players, analyzing and converting another's play to integrate it into its own attack patterns seems out of question.

Umm...are you sure? I have played versus the Company of Heroes AI and Medium on upwards...it tromps you bad.

I think the major problem is the fact that new RTS's don't scout out their opponents, and don't attempt to gather intelligence.

If the maps had shroud, fog of war, regrowing shroud, hostile environments, both the AI and human player would be on equal footing. Also eliminating the hotkeys would even it tremendously.