I give----

[snoopy369]

The differences are generally 5-10 percentage points, ie research in Noble costs 100% of the normal costs, while on Prince it costs 110%; AI costs 95% of the food of Noble to grow their cities, 95% of the hammers to train units/create buildings; pays 95% of the civic costs. Again, this might be adjusted a bit if there's an area causing you trouble; but I'm not sure there's much room to fiddle with the entire difficulty level...

[Zoid]

Originally posted by Saygame


Us, too Zoid. I’ve never relied much on score as a game indicator. Sure I win at the end if I’m on top but there’s too much score doesn’t tell about where you really are at. Say, for example, the Net gold indicators say you’re underperforming by 200gp per turn or your power ratio to the leader is 1:6. Then you’re in trouble or soon will be. If you figure out what contributed to your success I’d be pleased to hear it.

I would be interested to find out what I did right as well...

[Saygame]

Originally posted by Zoid


I would be interested to find out what I did right as well...

I am laughin out loud at your authentic nature Zoid. Thanks for the laugh. I am refreshed at your candor and humor. And......if you ever figure it out........

[Zoid]

Unlike a firing squad I aim to please I'll have to analyze the game in detail one of these days...

[Saygame]

Originally posted by snoopy369


Well, one of the Blake AI changes is a much better treatment of 'emphasize gold' and 'emphasize hammers' and such, coupled with much more developed AI personalities and strategies. You may have encountered a group of AIs who went from "Growth" or "Production" strategies into "Tech" strategy, and thus changed a huge number of citizens working hammer-heavy plots to working cottages and gold mines. If it's reasonably late in the game (say, industrial era or further) that's not unreasonable to imagine.

That sort of shift I usually expect in the mid game, right around entering the Industrial era, in Prince level games. The AI reaches the point where it can't grow out any more, and it doesn't have any really good military options since you're presumably fairly powerful militarily, so those AIs who aren't on a war footing suddenly shoot up in research. The AI can and will outresearch you, always, if it chooses to try.

You are full of surprises, Snoopy. A fellow New Mexican....how bout that! Welcome home, in absentia Chicago!

Your post here is full of remarkable insight. First about the AI shifting so radically from one emphasis mode to another (makes perfect sense) and second your comment that the AI can outresearch a human always.....that's what got us so frustratated. Used to be a time when being a builder meant you could have fun just buidling cities and infrastructure and fight wars of a defensive nature while enjoying building. On Prince I have to come out of the corner swingin right away and like Vel, I prefer the building aspect. I get crushed without being early aggressive now with the built in AI advantages and I think I have figured it out. Blake's new AI is less passive and more apt to use its inherent game long built up bonuses to eventually snuff out weaker players. If I let the AI accrue those bonuses pretty much by mid game, I am dessert.

So the message I'm hearing is attack early and often. The one time I had won on Prince as the Romans, I took the early Praetorian war advantage and kept the tech edge through conquest of two-three times the numbers of towns of any of the AI players. That, along with my cultural advantages gave me a domination victory by 2018 with 75 cities, ten of which (my record) had flipped from culture during the course of the game.

Originally posted by snoopy369

At that point, just make sure you've kept up in the areas that are important... Remember, if the AI is beating you with its towns, you can always take those towns away as long as you have equal military technology, and you use your human brain to win. Stacks of (5 cavalry)+(5 riflemen)+(3 grenadiers)+(3 cannons) are very effective at pillaging, as the whole stack moves one tile per turn, and the 5 cavalry pillage with their other move, removing a town entirely from the map, while still remaining fairly safe from attack. Even if (when) you lose the stack eventually, you'll have removed a substantial part of the AI's ability to produce tech, and so long as you remain able to defend your own territory (which you should be able to except against an AI who will beat you anyway) you should be fine yourself.

I hadn't used much pillaging cause I am usually prone to want to keep the infrastructure builds after conquest but I can see how it could be used, as you suggest, to weaken a neighbor. The frustrating part is that, unlike the AI, I can't always go across the board through two countries to get at an opponent.

Originally posted by snoopy369


The way to combat that from my experience (and it sounds like you've read more strategy guides than I, so maybe this isn't useful) is a combination of cottage spamming, selective wars, making sure you have plenty of room by eliminating and/or choking nearby AIs in the early game, trading resources to AIs for gpt, researching techs the AI wants but doesn't research itself, and using GPs to generate income (Scientists, Priests, and Merchants).

Truly great advice, I think. It is easy for me to get out of balance either in war or in the builder's peace. And the selective war idea is great if you can "tame" an otherwise strong neighbor. I need to accruse sufficient mass to overcome the AI tech advantage to build one of my own.

Originally posted by snoopy369

Also, be aware of your own biases in gameplay. You might be someone like myself who gains a lot from Financial - ie, cottages everywhere, and lots of cities. Or you might gain more from Organized - very expensive civics, ie Vasselage +Organized Religion+Representation+Caste System.

I'd strongly encourage you to try Blake's AI (current version) if you're not already. It's so much better than the 2.08 AI it's not even funny; you'll find Noble to be pretty darn hard, at least until the modern era where human military tactics are still far superior.

Ah yes, self awareness. In gaming it is a nirvana of sorts. I have taken your idea and loaded Blake's AI (at least I think it is loaded....any clue how I can verify its my AI du jour?)
Set on the Noble level, the AI still seems pretty passive. I'm thinkin that without the buildup bonuses that Prince and higher levels accrue over a game, the AI sees no reason to attack. And that that accounts for my perception of its "inertness".

So far into 1750 with the Chinese, I'm well behind everyone in tech as the Chinese but still thrice as big and growing with pavillions and culture keeping my happiness up. My experience says that being behind in tech will kill me ultimately but I am downshifting my war production into science as quickly as I dare. Maybe, my mass will propel me forward quickly if I didn't wait too long. Time will tell.

Originally posted by snoopy369


As another option, if there is one element that is excessively bothering you about the AI - for some people, the AI builds too many units, and at a level of difficulty that is otherwise the right challenge for them, the AI overwhelms them with power; for others, the AI outtechs them consistently at the level where they can just handle the military side of things. If there is something like that, you could always mod the XML files to adjust the AI handicaps - I forget the exact file, but it's something like Civ4HandicapInfos.xml, and I am fairly sure it's in the Civ4GameInfo folder.

I really don't like messin, in general, with dynamics unless I was the programmer. It DOES bother me to watch the computer AI build these huge armies, which, if I don't match them, make me their dinner. Preemtive strikes seem to be the only solution. Tryin to both keep my power ratings up and my tech competitive is frustrating on Prince now, and yet I keep knockin my head against that wall, for I thrive on challenge.

You have given me some neat ideas I am experimenting with. Slavery and farming. But it seems it leaves me balance-less.
No matter how many cottages I build, no matter how many wonders, only war (city conquest) gold bonuses seem to keep in the game. Yet thanks for these leads. I think sometimes I just play too long without a break and get less than sharp at my moves. I notice I am always better when fresh. Thanks again Snoopy. Keep us on the learnin track.