Could AIs be used to balance County Imbalance?

[Patches1]

Adding AI aircraft to Aces High will simply follow the footsteps of WarBirds when they lost most of their clientel. AI in the air is not an answer, it's a cancer.

[jimson]

Adding AI aircraft to Aces High will simply follow the footsteps of WarBirds when they lost most of their clientel. AI in the air is not an answer, it's a cancer.

Watch it slowly die without AI then.

AI has it's place. It doesn't have to be in the MA.

[The Fugitive]

Watch it slowly die without AI then.

AI has it's place. It doesn't have to be in the MA.

I think that is what the discussion is about, is AI good for the main arena when there are number imbalances?

I really don't think so. I fly to fight against other humans.... though that is becoming more and more scarce too.

[Oldman731]

I think that is what the discussion is about, is AI good for the main arena when there are number imbalances?

I really don't think so. I fly to fight against other humans.... though that is becoming more and more scarce too.

Not a problem.  Will even out numbers between LW MA and arenas that have the AI planes.

- oldman

[Butcher]

I think that is what the discussion is about, is AI good for the main arena when there are number imbalances?

I really don't think so. I fly to fight against other humans.... though that is becoming more and more scarce too.

If the AI was worked on it could easily be just as good as a human, you basically remove the "error" factor. An Ace pilot wouldn't make any mistakes, manage his E better while a novice would blow it etc. Nobody wants all AI pilots, I certainly don't - however when I quit in 2006 and came back in 2008, there were abundance of pilots even at morning hours. In 2012 I quit and 2014 I came back for one month, there wasn't even 50 people online during daytime hours (Where I would normally see over 125) if you figure 50 more then half of them were afk, I fully expected there to be numbers in 2012 when I quit I even bought a bran new thrustmaster warthog, but in 2014 I didn't even bother to hook it up; I logged in at various hours and just seen "no numbers" let alone fights going on enough to bother setting up my sticks.

If there were ample AI running around, it would peak my interest to rejoin simply because there are not enough players for me to bother - even with the new graphics. Do I want the AI? nope - but I can't continue to subscribe for over a year and not fly (as I did before) when the numbers are not there enough for me to continue paying for an account. I was more then willing to shell out for a year, but unless there is a big enough change, I won't be back. I do check the boards once a month hoping for some news; but I've lost interest.

[Chilli]

Anyone who wants to post something negative about use of AI all together, follow Jimson's link.  Fly the mission and see a glimpse of what Combat Tour was promised to be.  Add in the factor that you can have multiple online players mixed in (not your grandmother's offline drones), and THEN form an opinion .....  BBosen and others in the staged missions forums have put forward great things that could only get better and more exciting when attention by development continues.

Do as I ask and you will see that the question is not about shooting down AI or being killed by them (already happens if you haven't noticed puffy ack), but whether or not they could fill some "corner" of the game that would enhance the online players experience.  Many ways that could work, if you first do away with your own uninformed biases (believe me, I have some of the same biases..... but sometimes.... the heart wants what it wants       I want action 

[Brooke]

Yet....AI barges, trains and truck convoys are hunted by players constantly. It's already happening...this thing you don't want. Just not where you see it maybe.

I don't care about AI barges, trains, and trucks.  It makes no difference if they have people driving them or not.

I don't care about AI men in chutes or about AI buildings or AI bridges.

I care about AI aircraft a lot, though.  Having AI controlled aircraft would ruin the main appeal of the game for me.  I don't care to be fighting computer-controlled opponents.  That is enormously lame compared to the greatness of knowing that every plane you fight is controlled by another person somewhere.

[Brooke]

The solution to off-peak doldrums is to make smaller playing areas when there are few people up.

Air Warrior was fun down to about 4 people playing because the whole terrain was the equivalent of about 2 sectors by 2 sectors (in our sector size).

[Chilli]

Heya Brooke and a Happy New Year 

As I mentioned before, there still could be a place in online play, that would not interfere with what you prefer to do.  I don't personally think that engaging fleets with auto puffy ack shooting to the high heavens is my cup of tea either, but it draws a crowd and some pretty darn good action. 

Limiting where you could find the AI aircraft, should allow you the option to fight with other online players exclusively, while providing a role for AI to entertain others at lower populated times or maybe even newer subscribers needing the experience, before heading off to become cannon fodder for the chest thumping uber leet pilots.

Country balance wouldn't work, unless the lower populated countries had more AI flights protecting strats, soley.  <<<< In that case alone there would be a pretty good argument for it (thanks for whoever thought that one up).  In this case, if you don't want to fight AI then stay away from enemy strats.

[Tilt]

My AI wish would be ground war. But none of the vehicles we have now apart from the trucks which trundle along the supply routes.

It would be neat for an AI infantry war to serve as a back drop such that the player activity tips the balance in one direction or another. But there all sorts of reasons this would challange COAD, FR, and the present land grab model.

AW had AI'ish supply C47's but that was because it had no ground based logistic AI like AH now has ( trucks, trains etc)

I guess perked additional formations to Strat bombers could make some stuff more fun. Strat would have to be hardened appropriately.

[Randy1]

As a thought and inside the current AI supply boats, trains and trucks system.  Maybe the number of supply runs could be increased on countries with low numbers are maybe slowed with countries with high numbers.  The latter would be more realistic limiting fuel bombs and ammo simulating over burdened supply lines.

[JOACH1M]

i enjoy shooting down people who are real and might get mad, not a computer! What if you are chasing a AI (not knowing) and get shot down by a real person? I would be ticked 

[Arlo]

Is it the challenge that appeals in the human vs human philosophy or is it the fact that to win someone has to lose? Is the size of the smile measured by the number of frowns it causes? Then again, I may be an anomoly. I laugh whether I win or lose a fight. I'm just glad to log on from time to time.

[Skyyr]

Add AI's as fighters and they'll be farmed for kills and supporting stats, such as accuracy. I know because I would do this, as it's the most efficient path to fighter score. And if you don't, someone else will in an effort to outrank you.

Remove the ability for them to count as kills (or otherwise be stat-farmable) and they'll simply become a nuisance that no one wants to deal with.

-1

People say they want more fights and competition, but then they go and suggest things like this that completely oppose that vision. Want some real competition and fights? Turn nametags on.

[MrRiplEy[H]]

As a thought and inside the current AI supply boats, trains and trucks system.  Maybe the number of supply runs could be increased on countries with low numbers are maybe slowed with countries with high numbers.  The latter would be more realistic limiting fuel bombs and ammo simulating over burdened supply lines.

Maybe you're on to something there! Make the hordeing countrys factories remain where they are and extend the supply lines so that resupply comes slower unless part of the players do cargo runs... that will slow down the base taking in a historically correct way if a country expands faster than 'natural'.

In effect this could mean limited planeset or longer respawn times in freshly captured fields that are far from factories.