AI Bonuses at the highest levels

[trev]

I often see references to the AI bonuses at emperor level, they do not bother me much, but soon I may try playing at even higher levels, I was wondering what the AI bonuses are at immortal and top level.

[paul57]

There are about 70 parameter values specified for each difficulty level. They are found in directory:
C:/Program Files/Firaxis Games/Sid Meier's Civilization 4/Assets/XML/
in file:
CIV4HandicapInfo.xml

As difficulty increases, some parameters benefit the AI relative to the human player and others make it more difficult for both AI and human.

The values are tabulated below for easier viewing:

Sett Chie Warl Nobl Prin Mona Empe Immo Deit
5    4    3    2    1    0    0    0    0     FreeWinsVsBarbs
0    25   50   75   90   95   98   99   100   AnimalAttackProb
10   20   30   40   50   60   70   80   90    StartingLocPercent
0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0     Gold
24   18   12   8    6    4    3    2    1     FreeUnits
20   30   40   50   60   70   80   90   100   UnitCostPercent
60   75   90   100  110  115  120  125  130   ResearchPercent
45   55   65   75   85   90   95   100  100   DistanceMaintenancePercent
40   50   60   70   80   85   90   95   100   NumCitiesMaintenancePercent
4    4    5    5    6    6    7    7    8     MaxNumCitiesMaintenance
50   60   70   80   90   95   100  100  100   CivicUpkeepPercent
60   70   80   90   95   100  100  100  100   InflationPercent
4    4    3    3    2    2    1    1    1     HealthBonus
6    6    5    5    4    4    3    3    3     HappyBonus
2    1    0    -1   -1   -1   -1   -1   -1    AttitudeChange
100  90   80   70   60   50   40   30   20    NoTechTradeModifier
-100 -50  -25  0    0    0    0    0    0     TechTradeKnownModifier
100  80   60   50   40   35   30   25   20    UnownedTilesPerGameAnimal
150  100  80   60   50   40   35   30   25    UnownedTilesPerBarbarianUnit
3000 2400 2200 2000 1800 1600 1400 1200 1000  UnownedWaterTilesPerBarbarianUnit
160  150  140  130  120  110  100  90   80    UnownedTilesPerBarbarianCity
50   45   40   35   30   25   20   15   10    BarbarianCreationTurnsElapsed
55   50   45   40   35   30   25   20   15    BarbarianCityCreationTurnsElapsed
4    5    5    6    6    7    7    8    8     BarbarianCityCreationProb
-70  -60  -50  -40  -30  -20  -10  -5   0     AnimalBonus
-40  -30  -20  -10  -5   0    0    0    0     BarbarianBonus
-70  -70  -70  -70  -70  -70  -70  -70  -70   AIAnimalBonus
-40  -40  -40  -40  -40  -40  -40  -40  -40   AIBarbarianBonus
0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0     StartingDefenseUnits
0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0     StartingWorkerUits
0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0     StartingExploreUnits
0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    1     AIStartingUnitMultiplier
0    0    0    0    0    1    2    3    4     AIStartingDefenseUnits
0    0    0    0    0    1    1    2    2     AIStartingWorkerUnits
0    0    0    0    1    0    1    1    1     AIStartingExploreUnits
1    1    1    2    2    3    3    4    4     BarbaranDefenders
25   50   75   100  100  100  100  100  100   AIDeclareWarProb
0    0    0    0    10   20   50   75   100   AIWorkRateModifier
160  130  110  100  95   90   85   80   60    AIGrowthPercent
160  130  110  100  95   90   85   80   60    AITrainPercent
160  130  110  100  100  100  100  100  100   AIWorldTrainPercent
160  130  110  100  95   90   85   80   60    AIConstructPercent
160  130  110  100  100  100  100  100  100   AIWorldConstructPercent
160  130  110  100  95   90   85   80   60    AICreatePercent
160  130  110  100  100  100  100  100  100   AIWorldCreatePercent
100  100  100  100  95   90   85   80   60    AICivicUpkeepPercent
100  100  100  100  95   90   85   80   60    AIUnitCostPercent
50   45   40   35   30   25   20   15   10    AIUnitSupplyPercent
45   40   35   30   25   20   15   10   5     AIUnitUpgradePercent
100  90   80   70   60   50   40   30   20    AIInflationPercent
100  90   80   70   60   50   40   30   20    AIWarWearinessPercent
0    0    0    0    -1   -2   -3   -4   -5    AIPerEraModifier
                                              Goodies(from huts)
4    4    3    3    2    1    1    0    0     _HighGold
2    2    3    4    4    4    5    5    5     _LowGold
1    1    2    2    2    2    2    2    1     _Map
2    2    1    0    0    0    0    0    0     _Settler
2    2    2    2    2    2    1    1    1     _Warrior
1    1    1    1    1    1    1    1    1     _Scout
2    2    1    0    0    0    0    0    0     _Worker
1    1    1    2    2    2    1    1    1     _Experience
1    1    1    1    1    1    1    1    1     _Healing
4    3    3    2    2    2    2    2    2     _Tech
0    1    1    2    3    3    3    3    2     _BarbariansWeak
0    0    1    1    1    2    3    4    6     _BarbariansStrong

Whee Whee Whee -    -    -    -    -    -     FreeTechs
Agri Agri
Mini
-    -    -    -    -    Argi Argi Agri Agri  AIFreeTechs
                              Hunt Hunt Hunt
                                   Arch Arch
                                        Whee

[couerdelion]

Anyone fancy a Deity level game sandwiched between Napoleon, Genghis and Monty? I suspect that this would be pretty close to unwinnable, particularly if they get all the resource rich tiles..

[snafuc4]

Originally posted by couerdelion
Anyone fancy a Deity level game sandwiched between Napoleon, Genghis and Monty? I suspect that this would be pretty close to unwinnable, particularly if they get all the resource rich tiles..

Forget the resources, just put Cathy in the other opening. Whilst you're being creamed by the military, she's sucking up your borders.. ) come the midgame (if you make it that far) her Cossacks are riding out..

[Nacht]

Nice table

[trev]

Thanks very much for the table, mostly understandable, will be a great help

[Verrucosus]

Caligula most helpfully posted the link to this thread in response to cynyck's question. It's probably best to continue here because of paul's nice table.

Taking up trev's comment ("mostly understandable"), I have only vague ideas about the meaning of the following statistics:
- StartingLocProbability
- MaxNumCitiesMaintenance
- NoTechTradeModifier
- TechTradeKnownModifier
- AIWorld*** as distinct from AI***

Finally, is the table exhaustive or are there any undocumented differences between the difficulty levels?

[couerdelion]

Originally posted by Verrucosus
Caligula most helpfully posted the link to this thread in response to cynyck's question. It's probably best to continue here because of paul's nice table.

Taking up trev's comment ("mostly understandable"), I have only vague ideas about the meaning of the following statistics:
- StartingLocProbability
- MaxNumCitiesMaintenance
- NoTechTradeModifier
- TechTradeKnownModifier
- AIWorld*** as distinct from AI***

Finally, is the table exhaustive or are there any undocumented differences between the difficulty levels?

The Tech modifiers are probably the rates that apply to your total city beaker output to generate your per turn science. These are modifiers to the beakers

My guess is that AIWorld is to do with World Wonders although I can't see why this would include a "train" variable. Guess it isn't then

[Shaka II]

Does this mean that on deity the AI starts with 4 defenders, 2 workers, 1 scout? What about the 2 settlers that the AI gets? Is that what the starting unit multiplier applies to?

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 AIStartingUnitMultiplier
0 0 0 0 0 1 2 3 4 AIStartingDefenseUnits
0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 2 AIStartingWorkerUnits
0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 AIStartingExploreUnits

And the AI gets 4 techs to start with.

- - - - - Argi Argi Agri Agri AIFreeTechs
Hunt Hunt Hunt
Arch Arch
Whee

[Jmaz]

I started a 'Diety' game just to see what they had besides the tech speed etc. I opened up world builder and scoped around.

They start with
2 settler
2 scout
2worker
4 archer

The previously mentioned techs are in addition to the base techs that come with the AI civ, so some might start with 4, 5, or 6 techs.

[Shaka II]

Thanks Jmaz. It's nice to know what the AI starting advantage is. Deity seems like it has to be experienced, even if it's only to get humbled by the AI. To have tried and failed is nobler than to have never tried at all.

[cynyck]

Wow, this table is spawning so many questions for me.

I am at Prince and wanting to move to Monarch. It looks like the difference, according to the table is as follows.

The AI starts with a worker and a defender, but it loses a scout so the defender has to become its scout or it loses out on huts. There is a slight hit financially (about 10% total, 5% more for the human and 5% less for the AI) but the health and happiness bounuses are the same. If NoTechTradeModifier means what I think it means, then its a bit more difficult to get the AI to trade techs (which leads to another question, see below).

Barbarians are slightly more troublesome, but that seems O.K. to me because barbarians are the strop on which I sharpen my razor. The goody hut situation might complicate things a bit because "high gold" has a lesser chance of popping and gold usually helps fund 100% research at the beginning.

Can any of you that have made the transition from Prince to Monarch confirm or deny this based upon actual experience?

If NoTechTradeModifier refers to the likelihood an AI civ will trade with you, then could there also be modifiers for each specific civ or leader? Otherwise, how do you explain Tokugawa's extreme reluctance to trade and other leaders' varying reluctance?


I would love to know what StartingLocPercent means.

[NFIH]

I just started a Noble level game, 11 AIs, epic, me as Hatty. I went into worldbuilder on turn 5 and discovered that the AI does appear to have another advantage over the player at this level: its units build faster (although my understanding was that at Noble the AI received no bonuses). Which of the values in the table above controls that?

What I saw was this: On turn 5 every AI was at 13 turns for the next pop point (up from 1). Every AI except for two (China and one other, and I'm guessing it had to do with traits) was 2 turns from the next warrior, all on a 2F, 1H, 1G start. (China and the other were 5 turns away--still better than me.)

I had the identical start but was at 13 turns for the next pop point and 7 turns for the next warrior.

It appears the AIs have a 5-turn advantage here, which would seem to explain how they always manage to hem me in so quickly no matter how quickly I try to expand and have several defensive archers up while still somehow building settlers to expand.

Then I thought my lag might have to do with whatever tile that 1 pop was working. So I tried different combinations and discovered that there is no combo that will give me a faster start.

Can anyone else confirm that this AI advantage is the case?

[Jaybe]

MaxNumCitiesMaintenance = the highest that city maintenance can be for number of cities you have. Distance from capital is added to form the total city maintenance cost.

[deredico]

Can anyone else confirm that this AI advantage is the case?

AI starts with an extra 8 hammers @ Noble.