Rome: Total War

Mark MarateaCIS588 Winter 05

14 FEB 2005

Game Overview

• Rome: Total War is a hybrid real-time tactical (RTT) and turn-based strategy (TBS) game.

• The game contains 20 factions, 11 distinct cultures, and over 100 types of units, over 10,000 unique battlefields

AI Overview

• Tactical (Combat screen)– Unit deployment, formations– Unit movement, morale, retreat/flee– Each soldiers has its own AI.

• Strategic– City Management (Taxes, Buildings, Training)– Diplomacy, Spies, Assassins– Senate missions– Over land unit movement

AI Techniques

• Tactical– Culture based rule-based system (expert

system)– Flocking– No evident learning– Some Fuzzy logic– Pathfinding

AI Techniques

• Strategic– Simple rule based for where to send units,

what buildings to build, etc– Possibly some fuzzy logic for which units to

train (hard to test)– A* pathfinding (overall very basic terrain)

Tools

• No information was available.

Strengths• AI is very fast and scalable – able to

simulate over 10,000 individuals in one battle.

• Realistic unit actions – units react to their surroundings/situations as you would expect.

Weaknesses

• No learning – enemy reacts the same way each time. No tactical innovations.

• No long term strategy – enemy will sacrifice long term growth for no reason (ie. makes too many troops in a town, depleting the population.)

• Diplomacy makes very little sense. • Tactical pathfinding issues – unit stacking

Assessment

• The AI is significantly better than the previous installments (Shogun and Medieval) but still has a way to go.

• A learning system would greatly improve the AI’s battle performance and extend the replayability.

• Overall, the AI adds to the game’s enjoyment.