Well, if you define a stat in the game, it would seem to follow that you can reference it in the AI code. Similar to making a new unit or structure and then having the AI use it.

While I agree that changing AI can be just changing the weights that it will give certain units/buildings/abilities in certain situations, I think that if we but in a new combat system where say, weapons have a separate damage stat and then attack is to-hit, then if we wanted to have an AI that liked to favor high damage, we could just weight the new damage stat.

I have a hard time thinking of how we could create a new stat in the game, but then not be able to tell the AI about it. As long as that stat exists on the objects we are asking it to weight, it would HAVE to work?

No expert here either, but just on my experience with making units and adding them in and then telling the AI how to use them on some games in the past, it would seem stats would be the same way, especially in a nearly purely data-driven game like Elemental.

Where are those damn experts when you need them

The key word is "will", as in the future. A game that is advertised as the ultimate mod game should, at least, have all mod tools available since its release. I understand that many people may not see it that way, but that's just my opinion based on the fact that this point, in special, had intense advertisement.

Even so, I look forward to the day that we will be able to do some python coding then.

Cheers.