Posts from AI cheating on single-player maps.

I don't know if this issue has been discussed here before, but I want to bring it up; and let those who are not yet aware of it learn about it.
Experienced players have noticed that sometimes, highly leveled enemy heroes controlled by the computer suddenly start flying, without having the necessary artifacts or spells for it. Analyzing the map in the editor, the current game situation, and finally, examining the save files, showed that the "flyers" really don't have the ability to fly – but they do!
Personally, I have encountered this three times: twice it was Flight, and once it was Dimension Door. But then I only suspected it, and now I was able to clearly see that the AI is cheating. I offer a save file that confirms this.
So, the map is "Longest Journey" (quite difficult; recently, a mini-tournament was held on it on df2: http://forum.df2.ru/index.php?showtopic=23984 ; on this occasion, I decided to start playing it for the second time, because I couldn't complete it the first time, but even then I observed the AI "flying"). We take a turn and see how Loins (pink) flies across the sea and reefs to the witch's hut (in cell 39,81). Now, jump with Xenium to Mustos, defeat Loins, and see what artifacts he had. Among them, there are neither Angel Wings nor the Tome of Air Magic. And Loins does not have the Flight spell in his spellbook, because it is forbidden by the author, and it was not in his book at the start (see the prison in cell 59,100)!

It's quite amusing; I've never encountered anything like this before.

(I haven't looked at the save file yet).

Interesting. I initially thought that the AI took something like a pyramid, where it was given this spell. But if the author forbids it:)
I haven't encountered this before. Because every time after that, in the enemy city, this spell was present.

I checked the save file, cleared out Loins, and found him in the tavern – he doesn't have the Fly spell in his spellbook. So, it's a rather amusing situation.

Or could this situation have arisen due to a map bug? Marmot, have you noticed any such strange occurrences on random maps?

Perhaps this situation arose due to a map bug? Marmot, have you noticed such oddities on random maps?

No, I haven't encountered this on random maps, but I haven't played them much – I've mostly played standard single-player maps and custom ones. Fortunately, I've only encountered this on two maps (the other was the "Islands" map, a WoG map).
Here's what I wrote about that case:
http://wforum.heroes35.net/showthread.php?tid=772&pid=33018#pid33018
I looked at the map in the editor. There's no corresponding save file left, unfortunately. But I'm sure that: 1) the enemy was too weak to learn "Dimension Door"; 2) the guild of mages in his only Castle didn't have that spell; 3) there was no scroll with the spell or a book of air magic within reach of that hero.
Is a map bug when a spell or artifact appears even when it's forbidden by the author?

Added after 26 minutes
Here are a couple more threads that provide examples of AI cheating:
http://forum.df2.ru/index.php?showtopic=19126
etoprostoya:
I've already observed and described this bug, when the AI player gets spells like Town Portal or Dimension Door, even though it seems like there's no way for them to get it. Or teleports from Cursed Lands to their own town.
http://forum.df2.ru/index.php?showtopic=15443
read here:
Akorg:
On the seventh map, I was surprised by a bug (I don't know what else to call it) that allows the enemy to cast Town Portal from Cursed Lands.
etoprostoya:
This is a bug in the game and not the only one that appears in this Campaign. On the map where Armageddon's Blade is found, there's a bug where enemy heroes fly, even though they have neither the Flight spell nor Angel Wings.

Maybe I'm just getting slow, but it seemed to me that it wasn't flying, but walking on water. I can't check (I couldn't log in from my computer).

I bought Louis, and after the battle, he has the ability to walk on water.

maybe I'm just slow, but it seemed to me that it wasn't flying, but walking on a leash; I can't check (I couldn't log in from my computer)

This is more likely a no than a yes. Because you can't overcome water reefs by walking. Also, the analysis shows that Loenis had 1244 mana, and after the turn, he had 1233. He recovered 4 mana during the turn, so he spent 15 mana, which corresponds to an expert flight. Walking on water without a skill costs 12 mana. Interesting. But I don't have time for a detailed analysis right now. Could you upload the map for review?

I once encountered a similar situation on an M-map from the AB set. The enemy had either a Portal or Dimension Door, but I didn't see anything in the guilds or when capturing artifacts. However, I didn't think much of it at the time and chalked it up to my own poor skill (I've dealt with worse AI glitches!). But I don't remember anything like that happening since. Now I'll keep in mind that the AI can cheat, not just be stupid.

This is more of a no than a yes. Because you can't overcome water reefs by walking.

Exactly: it's flying! And the fact that the AI even spends mana on it ("like an honest player") is surprising! I didn't know that (though Loins had so much mana anyway that it wasn't a problem).

Could you upload the map for review?

Yes, I can. The map is interesting, I repeat. Link:
http://heroesportal.net/maps.php?search=longest+journey

Added after 11 hours 44 minutes
Addition. I continue the "Longest Journey" walkthrough. I defeated Solmyr (who also flew more than once) - among his artifacts, there are neither Angel Wings, nor a Wizard's Hat, nor a Tome of Air Magic, nor a Scroll of Flight. And the following week, he appeared in the tavern. I hire him: and he doesn't have Flight in his spellbook! This is proof #2.

Have you ever witnessed such strange occurrences on random maps?

It happened to me. Gundula was flying around the map and even teleporting once a day. Naturally, I started hunting her, thinking it was the Air Magic book, but no! I attacked: she had 2 Knowledge, meaning even with an experience-boosted Intelligence, she couldn't use Flight and Teleport every day! I was shocked!:eek:

Hmm, that's interesting, but maybe it's configured in a specific way for that map. And did you buy the hero in the tavern already leveled up, just like he is?

By the way, I have a question: for example, when playing a map and using cheats, then saving the game, can another person see from the save file whether a cheat code, such as nwctrinity, was used? If so, how? Thank you.

Maybe it's configured in some way specific to the map.

The problem is that the spells and artifacts needed for flying/jumping are prohibited in the map's specifics!

When playing a map and using cheats, and then saving the game, can another person see if a cheat code was used by looking at the saved game?

There is a program that can do that (although I haven't used it myself):

---------------- Sniffer -----------------
This program analyzes HMM3 save files.
Currently, it can identify heroes
sitting in taverns for different players, and
also check if standard cheats were used in the save file.

Author - Kirinyale.

Here’s another example of cheating (there’s no other way to call it) for those interested: On a random map (XL, 8 slots, no underground, islands), one of the AI, without a single obelisk on its island (out of approximately 20!!!) and only 1 day’s travel from the city to the teleport on the island where there were only 2!! obelisks and the Grail was stored, somehow managed to dig up the Grail on the 1st!!! attempt and bring it to the city in just 3!!!! weeks, as witnessed by observation (I was located nearby): 2 heroes with 7 phoenixes each + 2 firebirds in the castle for 4!!! weeks (2 in the first week, +4 in the second week, +4 in the third week, and only with the Grail +6 in the fourth week (could not hire additional units, as the corresponding buildings were missing)). And that’s not even considering the economic aspect...

Abdula, if possible, please attach a save file to your message for analysis. Based on this situation, I can suggest that the issue lies elsewhere. I have encountered this before, and it happened in my last game, which I finished just yesterday. The thing is that the AI, unlike a human, analyzes the map of obelisks using a completely different principle, simply comparing two matrices (the map of obelisks and the map of the terrain) and noting the exact overlap of landscape cells. And it is with this method that to find the Grail, you need to open not almost all the obelisks, as a human would, but much fewer (what specific percentage depends on the map)! And this needs to be taken into account when playing against the AI, and also by the map creators. If possible, it would be good to patch the "Heroes" executable so that the AI only gets the right to dig up the Grail after finding at least ~90% of the obelisks! Then it would play on equal footing with a human in this regard. But for now, it has an undeniable advantage. :(