Why doesnt ai build farms?

from GalCiv2 Forums
Everyday I get on these forums looking for an answer to this specific question and it never comes up.

Why doesnt the ai build farms?

This game gets rediculously easy because the lack of population makes the ai poor and very easy to invade. All you have to do is cut off their trade and hurt their influence and they go broke. I was playing on tough, large map, all ai's with only 3 planets (bad corner start) and I was able to pass up the drengin in population. They had 12 planets.

For me, this issue is huge...even bigger then the social production and fleet problems. In that game I should have been annihilated because I only had 3 planets, yet I was still able to keep up. I think the AI in this game is incredible but the small popluation is really holding it back. Not only should I have been eliminated, but I wanted to be. The current replayability of this game continually decreases for me because this is just too easy to exploit (invasion, selling off farming techs, come from behind wins that shouldn't have been possible, etc). If I'm losing I want to lose...its fun trying to survive, but when the AI beats themself its really cheap and boring.

I've seen old screenshots where the ai had farms and I even saw an old post from gamma saying that the ai builds 4-5 farms on pq 9's...so where did they all go? I'd rather see the ai build too many farms then none at all...
16,489 views 13 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Because if they built farms, it would make it even easier for me to invade because the low morale would mean I could simply buy off their population to join my army with Information Warfare.

Heck, *I* don't build farms until I have a nice morale starbase and/or some morale trade goods.
Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top
There is the broader problem of AI's simply not utilizing their planets well either.
TouchTasks - Access tasks with ease on Windows touchscreens.
Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I see lots of farms when I play. I invaded two planets last night where the AI had farms. When I set the mini map to show pop I see 15 planets in a large galaxy that have more than 15 billion pop. I totally agree with Dracil. I never build farms unless I have a farm bonus square and some good morale improvements to build. Invasion is too easy with less than 90% approval because I can buy them off and do.
Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top
I agree that the AI needs to build more farms. I always have the best economy, because I have the largest population. I can avoid low morale easy enough, because I can lower the taxes to a rediculously low amount and get by, plus I can buy entertainment networks and the like. Even so, I am enjoying the one advantage I have, and not all AI's need to go after large populations; since it seems most players don't like to go that route; but a few should.
Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top
actually, the game becomes really easy if you set your econ early (i've been playing on the "duel" map to learn the game) make the home planet a manufacturing/research plant early (so u can get those 2 industries going right away to produce colony ships). Once the "land grab" part of the game is done, building a econ is essential to getting everything rolling. I used the same tactic in an 8 player map and by the time the AI was ready to invade me, i had enuf of an econ base/manufacturing base to counter anything they had (my econ allowed me to put 20% mil, 20% soc, 60% sci and still produce ships every 2-4 rounds) and still be able to tech up to something that the AI couldnt fight against (and basically be able to level up ships).
Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top
I see the AI building farms all the time, in most of my games it's rare for me to attack a planet that does not have a farm. I'm very unsure as to what you're having a problem with as from my point of view the AI seems to be doing fine at build up its population. The AI's not perfect, but it's certainly smart enough that if you play it on the harder levels it will give you your money's worth.
Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top
Also, in discussions like these, always state your difficulty level. The AI is dumb as a rock on the lower ones and might be able to buils better on higher levels.

That said, I don't build farms that often either, the morale problems just don't seem to make it worthwhile. And the AI *does* build farms from time to time, even on "normal". So... no complaints on this topic from me.
Reply #8 from Stardock Forums Top
What level are you guys playing on. Im playing on tough. In my game one of the ai's had a level 18 planet. When i invadet after quite a long time there was 5 mill people on the planet and it had that planet from the very beginning...

Thats just crazy.

Meybe this is a bug only found on tough level???
Reply #9 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Im playing on tough and I've yet to see a farm...the ai population grows to a point and then flattens out for the duration of the game.

Ive played games on normal, challenging, and tough and i have NEVER seen a farm...the fact that some ppl are getting farms and others dont is confusing me.

I see pq 18's with 5 b ppl also.
Reply #10 from Stardock Forums Top
It was also stated that on the higher difficulty levels the AI will nuke some planet specials so you won't get them if you are abou to invade.
Reply #11 from Stardock Forums Top
I have been playing were all th ai is on bright, wich I believe is on challanging dificulty, I see tha AI making farms, but believe it could utilize them more. But of course the ai is toned down in this dificulty. So I cant really comment, But if the Ai is so much better on the next level maybe they should make a level inbetween the two.
Reply #12 from Stardock Forums Top

There's a reason the AI doesn't build a lot of farms. It only builds them if it feels it needs them.

But bear in mind, different AI personalities have different planetary strategies.  Some build more farms than others.

Reply #13 from Stardock Forums Top
I just think its odd that the computer lets a pq 18 go to waste and lets it sit at 5 billion...that planet just screams "grow me and make tons of tax money"