Posts from AI cheating on single-player maps.

Yeah, sometimes there are ridiculous bugs where the AI flies or walks on water. I've noticed that this happens more often on random or custom maps, and less often on standard maps. I had an interesting experience on the "Heroes of Sword, but not Magic" map, where magic was completely forbidden, and the enemy AI somehow used a magic arrow in one battle. Unfortunately, I don't have that save file anymore. In general, if the computer didn't cheat so much, it would be even easier to win. After all, the AI is a computer, and the restrictions on the maps are more for the player than for the computer. So, if it's more advantageous for the computer to do something, it will do it, even if it goes against the rules. The computer rarely digs for the Grail, if I'm not mistaken, it digs it up if it has explored and discovered enough of the game world and visited several obelisks. Since the computer mainly acts linearly according to a program, if the goal is to destroy opponents, the computer will do just that if it has the opportunity. But yes, the computer compares the fragment of the map it has opened with the fragments of the obelisk map, so it only needs a few fragments of the puzzle map. But the thing is, it "knows" where the Grail is buried, but it doesn't immediately run to dig it up; instead, it continues to carry out its programmed actions. For fun and to test, you can try a map where you need to find the Grail to win, and then see how the computer will act. But even there, the computer doesn't seem to be particularly eager to dig up the Grail. Therefore, even from a technical point of view, it's difficult to talk about the computer having an advantage over the player in finding the Grail.

Added after 5 hours 6 minutes

The AI looks for the Grail out of boredom. If it is forced to defend, it will look for resources, troops, and upgrades...

It's not quite like that; in general, all the AI's actions are described by a simple algorithm. This is how the computer explores "terra incognita," gathers resources, builds, and so on. In general, if it has the opportunity to visit several objects, the computer first chooses the most important one, what it needs, and in a certain sequence, the AI collects everything. If it has the opportunity to visit or collect something, the computer will usually do so. Priorities are largely determined by the assigned behavior. The AI can be: a warrior, a builder, or an explorer. All AIs will do roughly the same things, but with different priorities. For example, a warrior will first gather resources, build troops, and look for upgrades, and attack neutrals. An explorer is more likely to run around with a group of weak heroes, explore the map, visit everything, including looking for the Grail. That's roughly how it works. The computer's action program looks like a simple sequence of actions, so the computer acts quite linearly and rarely surprises.

I had an interesting moment when, on a "Heroes of Might and Magic, but not Magic" map with a complete ban on magic, the enemy AI somehow used a magic arrow in one battle.

As far as I remember, magic isn't completely banned on that map. Specifically, the author of this map forgot to remove some heroes' "native" spells from their spellbooks, so when hiring certain heroes, they already know one of their native spells.

Yeah, sometimes there are absurd bugs like AI flying or walking on water.

I've noticed that too, but it seems like we'll just have to accept this fact. :)

Regarding the Grail, the computer doesn't know where the Grail is hidden. It searches for it based on fragments of the map, as evidenced by the many holes where the computer digs for the Grail.

Let him cheat, poor thing. His life (as AI) is hard enough as it is. :D

Another “tangible piece of evidence” for the pile of proof against the cheating AI! :smile29:
Save file for the map “Seven Seals.” Since this (evil) deed is done under the cover of darkness, to see the “magic trick,” you first need to open the map using a cheat code and then make a turn. After waiting a bit, you will see how the Orange heroine, Adelaide, shamelessly flies from an island in the sea to land in the southeast direction (across mountains, no less) – and that’s despite Flight and Dimensional Door being prohibited in the map properties!
P.S. Don't forget to reload the game afterward! ;)

Also, the computer can transfer artifacts from one hero to another when both are trapped in a town.

there might be another option, and it's not specific to this example. A hero with the Air Magic book gives it to another hero, who casts Flight and then returns the book to the first hero BEFORE casting Flight. This "trick" can often be seen in tournaments.

This isn't cheating at all, but rather actions in accordance with the game's rules: the cast spell Flight lasts until the end of the turn. On the map "007 chases Dr No," this is exactly what you have to do to defeat one enemy hero, in precise accordance with the author's intention – otherwise, it's simply impossible. Are you even a player, or just a spectator? If tournament organizers didn't want this, they would have banned Flight and Dimension Door altogether (in fan-made "one-on-one" games, the rules can be anything the players agree on). And, of course, if spectators can see it, then it certainly isn't cheating.

(HOTA 1.4.2)
Can the AI assemble composite artifacts?
Can it transfer the necessary artifacts to another hero for assembly?

It’s best to ask questions about HotA in the corresponding section: Heroes of Might and Magic III: Horn of the Abyss (HotA) Personally, I haven't had anything to do with this mod yet.

I had some serious issues with cheating in RoE due to the computer. Basically, I made a map (I used to dabble in it – and it even turned out to be playable), and my friend and I started playing through Hotseat... And then, in the second month, a huge problem appeared in the form of a blue player, playing as the Stronghold, with an army of about 1,800 creatures and about 600 advanced creatures. On the ground, of course, there were boxes (near each starting castle, under heavy guard, where you could find 1 full reinforcement of improved creatures) – but it was impossible to gather that many. We looked at the map, looked at the saves, loaded the blue player's game, and checked – but we still couldn't figure it out.
Unfortunately, the saves, screenshots, and the map itself no longer exist, because more than ten years and three computers have passed since then. I haven't encountered such glitches since then.

Here's another one for the collection.

There are two bugs (or rather, most likely one common bug) with the "walk on water" spell.
Details:
1) The AI walks on water as if it were land – it can turn and attack floating monsters at will.
How to reproduce: In the archive, there's a map called bug1. You need to start as red and watch how blue moves. Then, you can start as blue and try to repeat it.

2) The AI, after casting walk on water, can fly.
How to reproduce: In the archive, there's a map and a save file from it called bug2. You need to load the game as red and pay attention when the day turns to the purple hero Vlad, standing in cell 73,121,1 (in the dungeon). All flight spells are disabled on the map. The AI casts walk on water and continues its path through the rocks.

I've seen the 2nd option. But the 1st one is more interesting: it turns out that even on a micro-map created by yourself, where you know everything, you can see the AI cheating right on the 1st day! His hero has no artifacts or spellbooks, but he walks on water without any shame! I replaced his Azure Dragons with Golems. When there's only 1 Golem, the hero completely avoids the Elementals, without fighting them.

Let this feature remain unfixed! It's so amusing. It can (and even should) be used when creating a map. The players will be so happy :)

On strategic maps, similar in nature to standard ones, this isn't a major issue.
But it becomes a problem when the map is in the RPG genre, and you are the one playing through it, while the enemy hero ends up in a place where they absolutely shouldn't be, and takes something they shouldn't take. This disrupts the flow of the playthrough and can make the map unplayable. It's just that, perhaps, this hasn't ever backfired on you, so you consider it "cool." I don't.

Here's something interesting: it turns out that even on a micro-map you create yourself, where you know everything, you can see the AI cheating right on the first day! His hero has no artifacts or spellbooks, but he shamelessly walks on water! I replaced his Azure Dragons with Golems. When there's only one Golem, the hero completely avoids the elementals, not even fighting them.

The hero has the ability to walk on water. The trick is that the AI can attack creatures on water while walking on it, but we can't. We only have that one route.

And this can really be used in mapmaking. For example, by placing guards on the water that we can't destroy, but only trigger a powerful enemy hero to attack them.