Diplomacy unbalancing against AI (aka These aren't the droids we're looking for.)

from GalCiv3 Forums

I've played about half a dozen games and am finding it way to easy as a player to exploit diplomacy currently.  I can win in just about any situation against non-human opponents using cheap tricks.  For instance, re-selling technologies after just acquiring them.  Or an even dirtier cheap trick is buying all of an enemies capital ships immediately after they declare war on you, then using their ships to sweep their territory.  Surprisingly, you can continue to enter the Diplomacy every turn and keep buying all of their ships, locking in the advantage.  Why build constructors of your own when you can get them so cheaply from your competitors and cripple their game plan in the process?  There's lot's of other exploits involving Diplomacy (all shamefully cheap and dirty) allowing the player to easily win without challenge.  In fact, every time I even feel like clicking the Diplomacy button, I feel so dirty that I need to shower.  Kind of like Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi!  

Stormtrooper: Let me see your identification.
Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi: [with a small wave of his hand] You don't need to see his identification.
Stormtrooper: We don't need to see his identification.
Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi: These aren't the droids you're looking for.
Stormtrooper: These aren't the droids we're looking for.
Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi: He can go about his business.
Stormtrooper: You can go about your business.
Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi: Move along.
Stormtrooper: Move along... move along.

The diplomacy exploits are wildly fun and historical the first time you do it, but quickly detract from the game.  Sooner or later you start feeling like the only way to make the game challenging is to never research Universal Translator (i.e. Jedi Mind Trick); and especially to never initiate dialogue with an AI player.  At least that's the way I feel.  I know that the current AI is just a placeholder, so hopefully all of these cheap tricks are being addressed already.

Don't get me wrong, I love the game.  i just don't think Diplomacy works as intended under the current AI placeholder.

11,414 views 4 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

Yeah, its well known that the AI doesn't use the appropriate values for...well just about anything, really.  It's beta, so I would recommend avoiding obvious exploits unless you're specifically testing something.  Just because you can rob the placeholder AI, doesn't mean you have to. About the only thing I do with Diplomacy right now is trade tech for tech, and initiate open borders.

It does work "as intended" because the values the AI use for trading aren't at all what will be in the final game, the devs know it and it was intentional - probably because that falls under AI and balance and they were more focused on getting diplomacy framework up and running.

Reply #2 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

Yep, there are lots of things that are not "working as intended" at the moment.  You found one of them, thanks for reporting :P

 

But yeah as Turkwise said, just don't abuse the crap out of something that obviously isn't working the way it should.  Especially if it makes your testing un-fun.  Just note it, report it, move on to finding the next little quirk you think might need fixed before release.

 

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Reply #3 from GalCiv3 Forums Top


About the only thing I do with Diplomacy right now is trade tech for tech
End of quote

Well, this is one seemingly innocent act which sounds okay until you inspect it a little further.  In a game against 6 opponents, and lets say you have access to all of them on the diplomacy board.  If I traded one-for-one with my first AI opponent, I can use the newly acquired tech in a one-for-one trade with opponent #2 and so on.  Eventually daisy chaining these innocent one-for-one trades landslides and the one tech you initially traded away has a 6-to-1 payout.  To add some gas to the fire, you can cycle back to opponent #1 and keep trading 1-for-one.  Even if you are in last place technologically, you can launch yourself technologically into first place in a single turn just with these one-for-one trades.

Until the coefficients for trades gets raised, every trade is a dirty trade!  =)

 

Reply #4 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

Quoting ppundy, reply 3

Eventually daisy chaining these innocent one-for-one trades landslides and the one tech you initially traded away has a 6-to-1 payout.
End of ppundy's quote

 

57 -to 1 more like it

1 tech from the first guy

2 from the second (repeating the first tech)

4 from the third

8 from the fourth

16 form the fifth

32 from the 6th