GalCiv3 Forums
The AI is already slated to be able to learn strategies and ship designs from players, and it actively surfs the internet to do so.
wait, really? i don't remember reading this anywhere.
Ask Guanathor, he'll have the relevant quote for sure lol
But yes, Brad said the AI will eventually be able to use Steam to find strategies used by players.
There is something like this in the game FAQ :
"Q: Will the game require a network connection to play?
A: No. However, some of the AI learning mechanisms will require access to the Metaverse in order to perform analysis on player strategies. This will be optional and able to be disabled by the player but does require an Internet connection."
To add to the section from the FAQ Crocell44 quoted, here are two posts by Frogboy where he talked about the AI.
So the top Drengin player won't be the hard coded AI player I put in but more like the top rated human player.
To put things into perspective on how much hardware has changed:
In 2013, I can write an AI where not only every AI player has a thread (and thus potentially a core) but every function of the AI (such as calculating ship strategies) can have its own thread.
In addition, for the first time, I can crowd source ship designs. I have often said that people could beat the AI once they got better at the game than I was. But that's not really the case now. Now I can tap into the entire Internet.
I suppose it's possible if someone downloads 1.0, unhooks from the Internet they might eventually beat the game but that's an edge case. Players won't just be playing against me nwo. They'll be playing against an AI modeled after the best players on the net that updates every time they load up Steam.
It's already happened in RTS's. The Starcraft 2 AI can beat pretty much anyone without having to cheat because it takes on the best strategies from the various pro players combined with processing power to do infinite micro management.
Now, GalCiv, being turned based, doesn't have that level of micro. But it's a lot more complex.
This is really exciting. The AI is what sets GCII apart -- I am looking forward to it in the next game. I have been playing Endless Space lately and while it's a good game it's just not as interesting because the AI is just not that interesting. The game feels very static and puts the player in a position where he's the only driver of galactic events.
It will use Steam tricks to learn from players. That is not the same as actively surfing the Internet.
Well duh, it's not like the AI is going to be looking at funny pictures of cats while it's off work. But it still uses the internet.
nope it will have gotten bored of looking at funny pictures of cats while its at work
It will clearly be reading these forums to gather intel on strategies. 
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