if you modify the original levels, they may prove very challenging. The AI is crippled with bad logistics, bad navigation, bad expansion and attack patterns. I enhanced some of my favorite levels with triggers and easily recognizable dig/expand patterns that the AI seems to prefer, and the game has become much more interesting.
Basic things to consider when enhancing a level:
- give AI a gem patch. Placement may require some testing, because sometimes AI goes into digging frenzy and does nothing else but dig gold and build enormous treasuries. I found that most of the time, one of the dungeon heart sides is a good place. For example if the side goes like
Code:
O O O O O O
O O
O O
O O
O O
O O O O O O
you can place the gem seam in following places:
Code:
O X O O X O
X X
O O
O O
X X
O X O O X O
- give AI units. Seriously, give AI some units one in a while. At least you will not encounter flies and goblins 90% of the time.
- model the dungeon. For some reason, vanilla Swiss Cheese green keeper does not expand, and goes claiming all the portals, game to game. I noticed that this is happening due to the gold behind it. I rearranged the gold seams, and AI started working properly.