SMG Studio

Dear SMG Studio, I love your game and play just about everyday, but I, alongside many players, would like to see a change in the NPC gameplay. When I play Risk with my friends and bots at the same time, we want to have the most competitive game. The bots are always on expert level to simulate another one of us high level players in the game. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem the bots are very skilled. They are only programmed to take over the country/continent/region they have the best foothold in, and almost nothing else. They are missing some key strategic abilities that prolong the game and also give the winner a sense of real accomplishment. When one player starts to dominate in a game, it is pretty common strategy for the other players to temporarily align and take out the “leader” of the games current state, as this then opens up a new spot for another leader. If the players don’t work together at times, their selfishness can lead to their own death and the death of everybody but the one dominating the game. A brief focus of attention and attacks on a leading player keeps them in check and allows for another to take over. This can happen plenty of times in a single game. This recognition of excellence, followed by the shared understanding of the need to overthrow the leader, is a common aspect of the game and would seem to be therefore practiced by the bots. But, when one player is starting to take over many countries without being checked, the expert-level bots rarely pay any mind and continue to fight for the country/continent/region they are looking to secure. This is extremely detrimental to the other, less-dominant players of the game, especially when the bots have conquered territories surrounded the dominant player. This can create what some would call a layer of protection, providing a shield for the dominant player. This allows the dominant player to maintain a comfortable hold on their countries/continents/regions and stack up on troops while the other nations war against each other, leaving the dominant player unthreatened. The bot almost always acts in ignorant self-interest, not realizing that same selfishness is the reason for their own destruction and the destruction of others. A very basic strategy to keep players from becoming dominant is to make sure they do not receive bonus troops from secured countries. If a player is looking to gain troops for owning a country/continent/region, many players will exploit the weakest territory of the conquered land. If the player has a border territory with a small number of troops, it is common practice for a neighboring nation to take over that one territory and fortify those troops back. The player will most likely lose 1 troop when the other takes that country back, but it is more beneficial than leaving the territory untouched and allowing the dominant player to gain troops from it. Bots do not seem to use this strategy nearly enough, nor at the appropriate times. At the beginning of the game, moves like this many not be needed as much, as the majority of the players are still looking to secure their own first profitable land. But as the game progresses, and some players begin to dominate, this type of play must be used. A simple conquering of just one territory can greatly affect a player’s troop income, and take a player out of the top spot. I have witnessed first-hand countless incidents where a bot had the opportunity to conquer a territory with 1 troop on the border of a dominant players profitable land, but choose to attack elsewhere, allowing the player to gain troops for that land. That one move can make a huge difference in the future of the game. In conclusion, the lack of skill programmed to the bots frequently finds itself as the deciding factor in the outcome of a game. A sense of subtle favoritism and/or the lack of willing to attack dominant player has been the sole reason I have won and lost many games. I am requesting you program the non-players characters to have a higher skill-level and to simulate the play of another human better.