Custom AI - [RBP Help Contents]

RBP comes with six built-in computer opponents, plus lets you create and configure the playing style of up to 10 more. To create or edit the play style of a computer opponent, from the File menu, choose Create/Edit AIs.

From the Custom AI Editor window, click on Add New to create a new opponent, or choose an existing opponent from the drop down list.

ATTRIBUTES

Presently, there are 12 purchase-related play style attributes for each computer opponent. You can assign each attribute a weight of -10 to 10. Increasing the value of a particular attribute makes the player put more emphasis on that factor when deciding what to buy and how much to bid in auctions. All weights are relative to the value RBP's built-in AI "James Hill" employs. The attributes are as follows:

1) Access - preference for service of highly probable cities

2) Monopoly - preference for total control of access to cities

3) Close - preference for being at least close to highly probable cities

4) Coverage - preference to service all regions as equally as possible

5) Corner - preference to spread service to all corners of the map

6) Connect - preference for RRs that connect two otherwise unconnected RRs

7) Broker - grabbing up RRs that opponent(s) need for next destination

8) Segment - preference for making sure network fully interconnected

9) Isolation - preference for RRs that are connected to present network

10) Terminal - minimal service area overlap, with good "union stations"

11) Superchief - how soon an upgrade to Superchief is made

12) EstIncome - preference for RRs that generate income (collect use fees)

BUILT-IN AIs

For your reference, the values used by the built-in players are all 1, except as follows:

James Hill - all attribute weights = 1

C Vanderbilt - Access = 3

Jay Gould - Monopoly = 3, EstIncome = 2

JP Morgan - Connect = 3, Segment = 2, Terminal = 2

IA Newby - no weights (RRs chosen randomly)

Geo Pullman - all attributes = 0, except Coverage = 2, Corner = 3, Segment = 1, EstIncome = 1

So, when choosing values for your custom AI players:

>1 means the player will think this attribute is more important than does James Hill

>0 and <1 means this attribute is less important

0 means this attribute is ignored

<0 means this attribute works opposite to James Hill's approach

EXAMPLE

As an example, to create a non-aggressive player ("Mr. Polite") you might set all attribute weights to 1, except as follows: Monopoly = 0, Broker = -1, and EstIncome = 0. This would make Mr. Polite similar to James Hill, except he would ignore monopolies, and would tend to avoid buying a RR that an opponent needs in order to get to a destination.

NOTES

You cannot change the attribute weights of RBP's built-in AIs. You can, of course, create an identical player and then change his weights. This is a good way to experiment to find the strategies that work best: customize an AI, then pit it against the built-in ones in continuous play games. Can you create the best player of all time?

A particular group of attribute weights might play well on one game map, but not on another map. This is because the best strategy can vary with the map.

The attribute weights are stored in your RBP.INI file; they are not stored with saved games.