List of strategy or tactics games with random map generators or an unpredictable computer opponent

[kyrub]

I disagree, these don't prove anything. You can always find examples of AI behaving badly in games that were played and replayed 10000x. Every game is exploitable, once you get hold of the inner AI rules (it never flies out the dragons, hahaha, would you believe it). And the first example is not even an example of stupidity, that is pretty hard task for a programmer to win such a battle. - If you deployed Eador AI on this place, the units would be unable to wait for first move. They would walk out of castle like sheeps, always, invariantly, like they do. Which other game with limited stacks on limited field has better AI than HoMM 3? There may be some, MAX, they told me. I haven't played any others.

On Heroes community web, there are examples how AI on highest difficulty can sidestep sophisticated traps (manifold landmines). Google it, than talk.

 

[Grimwulf]

Why so aggro? It's not like I'm defending Eador's tactical AI. They all just feel the same. When you play with AI - you are mostly exploiting, and build your combat tactics around this basic fact, in any game of the genre. When you play multiplayer - you just know that none of it works. You don't think about exploiting, you actually play the damn game.

Eador was superior in other matters, mainly the difficulty of strategic domination. Somehow I never cared about filler combat, and just auto-resolved most of the fights as the game progressed. HoMM 3 was enjoyable while it lasted, it's a gud game. And no doubt a lot of effort was put in it, AI included.

We are just talking about different things, you and I.
Playing with AI: I will move my unit around the obstacle, because I know that AI will split the stacks, chasing me in a wrong way. I can win battles that are not supposed to be won, woo-hoo.
Playing with human: the damn faggot is just going to cockblock my path. Goddamit.

Once again, it doesn't matter what game of the genre you play. The drill is one and the same.

 

[Ephesos]

Kohan: IS and Kohan: AG. Feel free to ignore Kohan 2, it feels like a Warcraft 3 clone even though it was released before it.

The economy system is a bit unique: companies and buildings require gold for immediate expenditure plus upkeep costa such as stone, wood, iron and mana. A positive value in these will increase gold per second generation, while going negative subtracts gold.
The gameplay is unique too, units are lumped together into companies: five front units, 2 support, 1 leader(captain or Kohan hero). You cannot control individual units, and once battle is joined the only commands available are retreat or rout, you cannot micro them a la age of empires.
Companies can be ordered into formations, but these can be set only outside of battle. Skirmish formation makes moving across the map much faster and leaves you vulnerable in combat, others formations make you slow as a turtle but increase attack/defense modifiers, etc.

The AI is decent and the game was pretty easy to mod, but few mods can be found today. I remember downloading new AI files that made PC expand much faster and rather difficult to beat.