AMAI 2.2

It's almost impossible to make the AI counter hero rush/harassments in eraly game, we don't really make them micro or save workers or anything like that if you only play like that you will never notice any difference in AMAI from the orginal AI.
We can't make AI react on things that fast, generaly it's only possible to improve what the AI builds and when and where it's going to use it but not to improve the reaction of harassments and such things, thats hard coded.
AMAI will of course attack your hero if it has anything, it cares about everything in base.


The skill differences have the exact same effect on AMAI as the normal AI.

Easy:
Some micromanagement disabled.
Like hero fleeing and towers sieging.

Insane:
Just like normal but with 2x income of gold and lumber.

I haven't really thought that far into the matter. I was just thinking if heroes were removed from the gameplay, the AI would handle things better. And of course it's a personal preference to not have heroes running around.


This would really be ideal. Do you think that the AI would become more competitive then?

I see, thanks for the reply. I guess I'll just have to forget about harassing the AI then; it's practically cheating. :)

I'm beginning to notice the improvements, though. I played an Orc vs Orc just now, and when I decided to get wyverns at tier 2, the AI actually responded by getting lots of HHs. Too bad I had a big tech advantage due to my imba harassment and had poison. If he'd had zerkers and some upgrades I'm sure he would've slaughtered my wyverns.

Are some profiles better than others (play more efficiently), or do they only differ in style?

hmm they have some different styles.
some are more agressive(will dare to attack you with a smaller army) like [AMAI]Aggressario and [AMAI]Crasy_Rusher. and others are less agressive, they will keep on creeping and only dare to attack you if they got large enough army like [AMAI]Chick3n.
There is many other differences than agressiveness as well, like they all got favorite heroes and units for every race, for example if a profile with huntress as favorite unit with NE plays NE it will use strategies that involves many huntress more often.
Other things is how early they build farms for example, if it's only 7 free food left or if it's 9 free food left.

Yo folks! I'm in a vacation, and had Warcraft III AMAI games on big maps and small maps. I think I figured out how to beat AMAI always. :)

1. For non-NE, Immediately build the Tower enablers (Lumber Mill, Warmill, Graveyard). For NE, build many moonwells, but be sure to get either Warden or BeastMaster.

2. Lumber harvesters should be: 7 for human, 8 for Orc, 5 ghouls for Undead, 8 or more for NE (you need the wisps later to build Lore and Wind Ancients).

3. Get a solo-creeper 1st hero. Tinker, Beastmaster, Archmage, FarSeer, KoTG, Crypt Lord, etc...

4. Quickly Upgrade to tier two. Then: For non-NE, build 2-3 well-placed towers. For NE, build AoW and Shop at the front of your base. More moonwells.

4a. When rushed by AMAI, go to your base ASAP, use all natural defenses. For Undead, don't forget to attack with lumber ghouls. For NE, fight at the moonwells and let the enemy get damage from the trees at front. Orc, you should have at least 4 burrows, so go Battle Stations. Humans, click the Big Bell and do some micro on your Militia.

5. Your 1st hero should be creeping the green creep zones once it's out. Use summons. Undead may creep orange creep zones with expansion areas with temporary help of lumber ghouls. Don't forget send them back to lumber work.

6. Upgrade to tier two finishes. Your shops should be built before this upgrade finishes.

7. Get a healer 2nd hero. Orcs: The best one for this job is the Shadow Hunter. If you got him, you must get Serpent Ward to level 3 first before Healing Wave. Undead: Death Knight. Get Coil to Level 3 first, before Death Pact (yes, do not get Unholy Aura until level 6). Humans: Pally :) Night Elves: No healer hero, so get any, preferrably another summoner with Staff of Preservation.

8. Build Tier 2 buildings. Orcs: Get Wyverns ASAP, and prepare to get Taurens. You should have 5 Headhunters already. Prepare to get Berserker Strength Undead: Get at least 2 Obsidians. Build a Sacrificial Pit and prepare to get Frosties. You should have 4 fiends already. Humans: Get Sorcs and Priests supporting your 5 Footies or 4 Riflemen, and prepare to get Gryphs. Night Elves: Get Dryads and prepare to get Bears and Chims.

9. And at this time you have already cleared up an expansion site. Expand. Your expansion site should contain at least 3 offensive buildings. Orc: 2 Watch Towers + 1 Burrow. Undead: 3 Spirit Towers OR 1 Halls of the Dead + 2 Spirit Towers. Humans: 3 Guard Towers. Night Elves: 2 Protectors + 1 Ancient (Wind or Lore).

9b. Build a few tier 2 units, and get to upgrade to Tier 3 ASAP.

10. Creep like mad. Out-creep the AMAI on the orange creep zones.

11. Observe what units your AMAI has. You can see this when they make their first attack on your expansion. Adjust your unit mix accordingly.

12. Upgrade to tier 3 finishes. Start with the Building Armor upgrades.

12b. Get your Tier 3 building ASAP. Orc: Tauren Totem. Humans: No prob, you may have your Gryph Aviary up by now, upgrade Animal War. Undead: 1 Boneyard. Timing is important. NE: Chimaera Roost.

13. AMAI will attack your base or expansions.

14. Get a healer 3rd hero, preferrably a tank hero, a hero with AOE Spell, or another summoner. Orc: Tauren. Undead: Lich. Human: Mountain King. Night Elf: Priestess or Naga SeaWitch.

14a. 1st Orb. Orc: Give it to a ranged hero. Undead: Give it to the Lich. Human: Give it to a melee hero. Night Elves: Give it to the Keeper of the Grove.

Why? For non-Human races: Ranged heroes has better chances of hitting enemies with your Orb effects. Especially the Purge effect and "Undead Faerie Fire". For Undead, this is very powerful when you focus fire.

15. Get your 2nd expansion. And plan your 3rd expansion by now, because you will be going past 80 food, High Upkeep.

16. Build your meaty power units and some master casters. With a 3rd expansion, target to reach 100 food.

Orc: At least 2 Taurens with 1-2 Spirit Cows (forgot the name), Wyverns, 1-2 Kodos, 4-5 Shamans, 3-4 Witch Doctors. Hire some Abolish Magic/Slow caster mercs if you have spare food.

Undead: At least 2 Frost Wyrms with 4 Fiend Support. 2-3 Aboms, 1-2 Destroyer with 2 Obsidians (heath and mana). Optional casters. Hire some Abolish Magic/Slow caster mercs if you have spare food.

Humans: 3-4 Gryphs, 1-2 Shackle Birds (forgot the name again) with 4 Rifles support, 4 Knights. 4 Sorcs + 4 Priests, optional 3 Breakers. Hire Faery Fire caster mercs if you have spare food.

NE: 2 Chims, 4-5 Dryads, 4 Bears, 4-5 Druid of the Talon (Cyclone is important!). Optional Hippogryphs. Hire some healer mercs if you have spare food.

17. Creep all the red creep spots when you reach 80 food. Get all the best items, especially aura items.

18. Items: All heroes must have an Orb. Strategize your items. E.g. Give vitality items to heroes with low HP. Give your aura items to tank heroes. Enhance hero abilities with items (e.g. Gloves of Haste on a Bashing Mountain King is so fun).

* When you reach 100 food, even if you even demolish one of AMAI's expansions, it will not dare make a direct attack to you.

* Always get a TP ready. AMAI will always target your bases. When it does, TP to your base. Use all the best abilities of your 100 food army, all the buffs and debuffs, all AOE damage spells.

* For best results, try as much as possible to kill the enemy units first before the heroes. You don't want the make any of their heroes TP very early. >:) Maximize the free experience tomes running away, giving free hits.

* This is possible in Plunder Isle, too, just make sure you get your enemy expansion site as yours by Tier 3.

* AMAI will tend to build massive ground ranged units when you hit 100 food. Protect your air units and casters from them by attacking with melee units first.

* Special Strategies:

1. Death Knight can survive without healing potions with Death Pact on Carrion Beetles or Skellies.

2. Lich can survise without mana potions with Level 2 Dark Ritual on Carrion Beetles or Skellies. Get Level 3 Dark Ritual only at Level 10.

3. Paladin vs Undead: Abuse your Level 3 Holy Light. Best used with Level 3 Storm Bolt.

4. Pay attention to the Shadow Hunter Serpent Ward cooldown! You can have 5 or more Serpent Wards at the middle of your army killing enemies. :)

5. Priestess of the Moon Level 3 Searing Arrow with Gloves of Haste and +Agility items and +9/+12/+15 Claws is a sniping killer! Best with Roar and TrueShot aura.

6. Far Seer with Level 3 Wolves: As soon as you summon them, select them and Shift right-click all weak units with Medium Armor. VS Heroes: Right-click on Keeper of the Grove, Archmage, another Farseer, Blood Mage, Lich, etc... Low-HP hereos.

7. Tinker: Casting Level 3 Pocket Factory in an unsuspecting pack of AMAI units is glorious.

8. Pit Lord: Abuse the Rain of Fire, coz this AOE spell is not capped (correct me if this is wrong)

9. Panda: Abuse Drunken Haze. It's like making all your units have Evasion. Don't forget that Breath of Fire can be used on buildings, too.

10. Naga: Teh cheese sniper. If you are playing night elves, you can try getting these heroes in the following order: Dark Ranger, Naga, PoTM. Then you must get more melee heroes like Bears and MG's to protect them.

That's All!

Any chance of slightly less obvious names? I mean, no one on Battle.net would catch you out with a rush if they told you in advance they were going to do it, so I don't think the AI should advertise its rushing tendancies :)

It would be handy if each personality had a pool of names. This would make it harder to pin down the rushers and the porcers, etc.

Thats just 1 of 32 names the chanses are slim that you are going against that one. :)


hehe nice big list, but do you mean it's 1vs1 against a Normal skill AMAI or Insane?

Me my self is already having the problem that I win against normal 1on1 all the time no matter what, I guess I know it too well but I really hope that will start to change after the release of 1.17.

(*hint hint* A little secret, we increased AMAIs creeping/attacking efficiency with over 90% from previous versions this time.) :)

Ah, you've bypassed the "return to base" code? :)

aah how did you know? :)

Now we just hope Blizzard won't release the 1.17 patch without fixing the new hardcoded bug they added in it that makes computers waste a lot of resources on nothing.

Have you reported it, or do you need to be part of some group to do that? If not we could always get every AMAI player who's watching to report it :)

We did report it but Blizzard seldomly respond but I guess they fix it since it's a serious bug that make cause trubble for many custom maps and AIs if it isn't fixed.

AIAndy said above you might know why Blizzard made the AI return to base after each creep. Did you figure it out, or have a good educated guess? I'd certainly like to know why it wasn't in RoC but was in TFT.

I think the main reason is the racial shop added with TFT.
Blizzard used it as a solution to make the computers go back to base and get units healed and buy/sell items with the hero in the shop. but doing it that often is a bit too much, besides AMAI already got own functions that takes care of this much better so we definitly don't need it to be like that.

Earlier in RoC new produced units ran out of base and joined the army out in the field at once when they left the buildings, that is not the case any more with TFT, they stay in the base until the army return and they can join, this is probably done becuse they wanted to prevent units from running over the map to the army and get killed if they ran into creeps at day time. I still haven't checked if we get this problem now with AMAI but most of time this is no problem unless they are on the other side of a large central placed creep group like the one by the fountain on Lost Temple.

Thanks for helping out with that problem. Due to the large fonts other programs were showing problems too.

No problem, just made a simple observation. :)