Orc AI suggestions

[Alexander82]

As in the Q&A post i'd like to give my 2 cents about the behaviour of the orc AI

As far as i've understood the AI works by defining units production based on what the enemy players already produced, so i'll define for every orc units when it should be produced.
I also suggest that some units/upgrades should be set as having always a certain priority to avoid one_unit_armies especially when it comes to anti cavalry or anti fortifications (both of them should be made in a adeguate number but not as a single unit army)

Buildings:

Volcano
The AI should make as many as he can but just after he made any small factory before it (to speed up production). When you have no more factories that you can build you can start making volcanoes

Shaman Hut
Make always some but not many as other factory (i hope there is a way. Sometimes the AI make an insane amount of these)

Orc Camp
Make Always a decent amount (it generally works this way, maybe too many compared to other factories)

Uruk Tent
Make always. They should be made not less than orc camps (they make the only decent ranged unit for orcs and can make also anti cavalry and a strong infantry)

Monster caves (both)
Make Always some but not before you have a orc camp, a shaman hut or a Uruk tent)
Make no more than 1/3 combined of your factories (unless the wolf rider is placed there)

Dock
Make never, unless some maps really require it... no still is better to make transports with workers, so never make this

Stone piles & Shelters
Only if you can't make anything else (volcanoes included)

Units

Orc warrior and upgrades:

Always produced. They are the spine of your army and you always need a lot of them and the AI often stop producing them just to make goblin spearmen or orc crushers.
If you need to set a trigger to make them produced i'd go for any building and any ranged and infantry unit.
The upgrades for these units should be made ASAP by the AI players.

Goblin spearman and upgrades (if they are introduced in game with the next voting)
Those should be always produced in a little amount (to be ready if your enemy is preparing cavalry) and in a large amount if the enemy has a large amount of cavalry (not just 1/2 knights)
If possible i'd make AI produce no more than 3 for every enemy cavalry
When upgrades shall be in they should be made only if needed (e.g. if the enemy has some amount of cavalry)

Orc Axe thrower
Never make them, they sux

Goblin Archer
Like orc axe thrower unless the enemy makes really a lot of flyers

Orc Crushers
Only make if you haven't fully upgraded Orc warriors and the enemy makes mega buildings or towers and walls. If you already have fully upgraded orc warriors you can skip them unless for mega buildings

Armored Orc Warrior (and upgrades when in game)
Don't make it if you have fully upgraded orc warriors and this unit isn't upgraded
Greater priority agains archers heavy armies (especially when upgrades shall be in)

Hamletback
I'm not saying is a bad unit, but waiting some more you can have better things
I'd make it more if you have goblin cannons as they need a goblin to shoot and the goblin spiker is perfect for that job (it won't live for long anyway), otherwise i'd prioritize other units

Cave Troll
Prioritize more against archers and mainly as a defense (it should be kept inside tcs to prevent loosing them).

Ettin
Make always. They are fast enough to act as attackers. Make more if AI makes spellcasters or siege weapons.

Uruk Warrior
Make always until you haven't upgraded orc warriors. Still make some if you don't need archers or pikemen but 2 fully upgraded orc warriors are still better and cost the same turns.

Uruk Archer
Prioritize them at the uruk tent. Orcs needs a lot of them. More priority if the enemy AI makes spellcasters.

Uruk pikeman
More priority as anti-cavalry
Make more as they are viable as 2nd line infantry thanks to theyr range (they should act after infantry but before archers to better place them at attack range but letting infantry take the hits)

Fodder cannon
As far as i've tried it it seems not useful and the effect is like a spell, so i can't really tell how it works so i wouldn't make it. If ai makes one it should choose goblin spikers before other goblin units as ammo.

Wolf Rider and upgrades
Make many and upgrade it (both upgrade and warg training) ASAP
Make less if enemy use a large amount of anti cavalry
More priority if the enemy makes vampires and spellcasters

Orc Leader (and upgrades)
Make a balanced amount
You should alays have some but you shouldn't have too many and too close one to the other.
When upgrades will ne in make it after the orc warrior upgrades, and if the enemy uses cavalry also after spearman upgrades)

Orc Shaman
Make many but not more than the units you need to buff

Troll Shaman
Make some
Make it not casting summon dragon on healty units (use almost dead units) and possibly not on costly units (sacrificing a ettin to summon a dragon with vanishing is not a smart move)
I would suggest to make the dragon vanishing long as the combined turn cost value of the sacrificed units.

Orc Wagon
Make if only with goblin slaves and after you have nothing more to do
Make only slow units like trolls or some casters and archers (if they can attack/cast from inside) enter it.

Pea Shooter
Make it after every factory and volcanoes and before stone towers/shelters

Orc Transport Ship
Make only if enemy can't be reached by land and in maps with a large amount of water tiles
Better if you make it with slaves only.

[Stratego (dev)]

currently we can set only these:
- which units to produce against a kind of target unit
- and what is the (percentage to produce it among other possibilities that is also set against that unit)

buildings are random as i remember.

------------------
to make all you suggest above would require approx 3 month of development (maybe a little exaggeration )

[Alexander82]

Are units set as a category? (Like cavalry, infantry, archers etc)?

About the building i believe that at least fortifications works cause when playing against humans that makes tower the orcs make a ton of useless crushers that just die against a single hit of a catapult xD

[Stratego (dev)]

category: the new json way: yes OR individually (the old non json way only individually - so it is ok to define it by category and the exceptions individually)

fortifications: i dont understand. crushers are produced against buildings, that is ok. but buildings are not created against units (eg against many archers it will not build more stables).

[Alexander82]

Then we should just change a building % and/or priority?

[Alexander82]

For example can i say that ai should make

100% volcanoes

40% orc camp
30% Uruk Tent
10% shaman hut
20% Monster's cave

?

[Stratego (dev)]

volcano is buggy (as all great structures can be put in wrong places and can block the entire player for a long building time - but the rest can be set.)

other: done, will be in in next update.

[Alexander82]

Thanks. When put it on server i can test it