Feedback and Test Results: AMAI 2.50 RC 1

Use this thread to consolidate all feedback, test results, and accompanying replay files in this thread.
The version scope for this thread is only for AMAI 2.50 Release Candidate 1

Played a fun Human vs. Insane NE game last night. Shouldn't have won this game, but did due to some strange things:

1. AMAI didn't get it's first hero out for a very long time. I had already creeped almost half the map by the time their hero popped out!
2. AMAI didn't creep the entire game, even when it had several opportunities to do so.
3. After my army was defeated the first time, AMAI didn't finish me off. This gave me a chance to recover and eventually win.
4. When I defeated the AMAI army, they retreated, but some of their army stayed to fight back. I got enough free XP to get an ultimate. I even killed their hero because of this!
5. The AMAI hero didn't TP, even though it was level 4!
6. When I was attacking AMAI's base, one of my rifles was about to get killed by their Tree of Eternity. When my hero got within the tree's attack range, the tree focused on my hero instead.
7. AMAI never went into high upkeep, even though it had more than enough money to get a 100 food army.

I'll hand it to AMAI for forcing me to fight in my base to defeat their army, but that's expected if AMAI camps in its base all game.

Here's the replay. 1v1 on Teranas.

@rmanger:

Thanx for replay. It was a script crash caused by the ancient expansion technique so loads of stuff no longer was working and explains most problems that occured. In respect you were not actually playing against amai but something else

The high upkeep is strategy related and i dont think would be affected by this crash.

EDIT- The crash only has a chance to occur with nightelf players if they decide to do ancient expansion and the job system loads quickly ( as far as i am aware). I have fixed but its not a common crash.

Hi Strategy Master:

I've tested the new version and it's quite interesting.

Some things that I noticed in general:

• The AI is more "shy" probably in my test I didn't get aggresario personality, but in general several of them take a lot of precautions when they want to attack.
• I've noticed something... strange: When the AI buys a Zeppelin, it adds the zeppelin in the assault group. A strategy or a bug??

For this test I used (12)Emerald Gardens, 11 AI player and me as an observer, 4 teams of 2 players in normal mode and a team of 3 players in easy mode.

I played in this way because I love to see huge battles, is fantastic

Hi SM,

I've just tested AMAI 2.5 RC1 and I've just noticed small bugs :

- AMAI (orc) tries to build its expansion three times with its peon but it hasn't killed creeps in there, it is quite strange (about 5min30s, 6min30s, and 7min30s)

- moreover, AMAI is a bit too slow to build tier 2 with its second hero, I suppose it's the strategy

- an other thing, sometimes AMAI doesn't take or see all items on the ground, it seems to forget some of them (Blizzard AI does it too) (it also happens if the hero is blocked for a certain time by its own units)

here's the replay

@moyack:

1) Shy i'll check some of the retreat behaviour strength checks. May need adjusting with the strength changes.
2) Zeppelins should follow the main hero. If its not doing that behaviour ... we have a problem.

@graffity:
1) Damn i thought that was long gone and fixed.
2) yup hero build is strategy related.
3) I never said i got that working in rc1

Ahh!! it's intentional then, so no problem. It's just that I think that it was strange to see the zeppelin following the hero and the assault group. But if you do for a good reason, I understand.

Hi SM!

I've tested 2 other games Blizzard AI against AMAI and there is some things strange. I'd like to help you improving AMAI.

First game :
- First of all, why AMAI hesitate for a long time before attacking creeps even if it knows that it is the best and it wouldn't loose any units? (~5min in game)
- when a human AMAI chooses the spell casters strategy, why AMAI doesn't choose Archmage as its first hero?

Second game :
- Have you changed Blizzard AI ? I have the feeling that it isn't the same, look at the tree of ages it builds (~5min20s)
- The same bug as before : AMAI wants to build an expansion and it sends a wisp against creeps (~6min20s).
- Last thing : Why AMAI always teleports its dying hero when it wins the battle. It should just send it to its base and leave the battle by walking and it should just teleport when loosing the battle. With this way, its other hero and units can continue the battle and win the game. (~10min30s)

here's the replays

@graffity:

First Game:
1) Will check
2) Remember it only increases the chance to choose archmage. AMAI wont nessecarily definatly pick archmage. It still has some choice.

I take that back. It seems there dosn't seem to be many strategies with the hero bonuses active. Interesting. I must of forgot :P

Second Game:
1) Shouldn't be any change. I havn't touched the actual blizzard code bits themselves. If its doing new things it shouldn't then i will have to investigate.
2) Yeah i've found it too. This is a bit serious. Its being problematic to solve as the code appears to be correct and debugging stuff shows it should be working but it just suddenly dosn't. This is gonna take me a while to solve.
3) Thanx for reminder of that. I must implement that too.

hi again

I've tested AMAI human against Blizzard Undead (both insane)

- Undead behaves as night elves, it builds an other necropolis in its first base, quite strange. I've never seen blizzard AI doing this.

- What is the criteria to buy zeppelin ? because AMAI bought 2 zeppellins but it didn't need it, the map wasn't islands, so I don't really understand. (i know that AMAI can't detect the type of map but, I don't know)

- Have you implemented a script which checks heroes life ? AMAI and blizzard were fighting and 2 heroes of blizzard had a very low life (<100), but AMAI didn't kill them, as a result, AMAI lost the battle and went back to its base with a teleport. I suggest that AMAI should detect if an ennemy heroes is low (in a battle) and kill him immediately.

hi!

congratulations on new release!

i'm hoping to test it extensively soon, but so far i've noticed two things:

1) when base is threatened, AMAI imediately charges atteckers with severly damaged units who camp in base (with, like, 10-50 hp left), giving the free experience
2) AMAI attacked my full army with only few units (like 3 raiders and a grunt), while he had complete army in base

also, one suggestion: is it possible to make AMAI give all its resources to partner in team game (before resigning)?

@Graffity
1) Interesting. Very odd.
2) Well strategies may build zepplins but they shouldn't be buying two. Its possible i got a build 2 zeppelins in code somewhere instead of one. The zepplins are used for microing harmed units.
3) AMAI already does and has for ages. Probrably before 2.43 . A whole load of different factors have to be true for it to occur and even then it only urges amai to force kill hero. They may not be able to due to positioning.

@deutschepharma
1)Can't really prevent that. And in any case I would rather the units try and protect themselves instead of just staying put at base so that ranged units can pick them off without even fighting.
2)Its a distraction or harass to confuse the opponent. Noted the distractions are not too quick in calculating things and end up with units not fleeing fast enough etc so it becomes free exp.

Hi SM,

just an other try (it's been a while I haven't tested, have I? lol)

just a remark : Have you translated everything in this version ? because I've noticed that some sentences are not translated, here are some examples :

-I'm countering the ennemies tower
-I'm going melee units and raiders
-The <hero_name> has fallen
...

Have you forgotten or are they non-translated sentence ?

Because those strategies are new they dont have corresponding translations so just use the english text. So yes they will need translating but i didn't want to do it too early as those orders have potential to change before 2.50 reaches final release.

If you need a french translator, just think of me, I'd like to help you. It's just a little work but it can help.