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BTS: Changes to Difficulty and AI (Highlights)

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  • BTS: Changes to Difficulty and AI (Highlights)

    This is basically what you need to know about the changes to various handicaps and settings in BTS, along with some of the abilities of the AI which changes the way the game plays.

    HEALTH AND HAPPY CAPS

    Health and Happy caps are now much lower at easier difficulty levels and slightly higher at higher difficulties, now every difficulty level above Chieftain has the same health and happy cap, the same as old Monarch.


    REDUCTIONS IN AI BONUSES

    The AI no longer receives massive discounts on Unit Supply (units outside territory), Unit Upgrades, Inflation and War-Weariness.

    Unit Supply: Used to range from 10% (Deity) to 50% (Settler), now 50% at every difficulty level.
    Unit Upgrades: Used to range from 5% (Deity) to 45% (Settler), now 50% at every difficulty.
    Inflation: Used to range from 20% (Deity) to 100% (Settler), now 80% at every difficulty above Chieftain.
    War-Weariness: Used to range from 20% (Deity) to 100% (Settler), now 80% at every difficultly above Chieftain.

    Barb Combat Bonus: Now only +25% vs barbs (was +40%) and +40% vs Animals (was +70%)

    Free Units: All difficulty levels receive 1 less free worker (if they got any), Prince has had the free scout taken away.


    MAJOR CHANGES IN HOW THE AI PLAYS

    The AI can effectively utilize the economic aspects of technologies like Biology, Communism, Assembly Line and Railroad. It no longer suffers an "Industrial Collapse".

    The AI can expand effectively on watery maps.

    The AI can effectively utilize all of ground, naval and air power in warfare.

    The AI will aggressively stockpile and use nuclear weapons.


    BARBARIANS AND THE RAGING BARBARIANS SETTING:

    Barbarians spawn more aggressively on watery maps, Raging Barbarians is less of a toothless setting on watery maps.


    THE AGGRESSIVE AI SETTING:

    The Aggressive AI no longer has a relationship penalty with Human players - at higher difficulties humans are still tempting targets due to lower power, but you can use the usual diplomacy tools.

    The Aggressive AI takes military seriously, good luck catching it with it's pants down. It will launch attacks which will leave you needing new pants. A player probably wont survive a dogpile by two Aggressive AI's.

    Aggressive AI is not a toothless setting on watery maps, it will launch more credible naval invasions.

    In general it's easier to win using peaceful strategies against aggressive AI (vs non-Aggressive AI), IF you can stay safe through diplomacy.

  • #2
    Granted that there's a degree of apples and oranges between old and new, are old and new level X intended to be equally difficult?

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    • #3
      Re: BTS: Changes to Difficulty and AI (Highlights)

      Barb Combat Bonus: Now only +25% vs barbs (was +40%) and +40% vs Animals (was +70%)
      Note that there is a bug in CIV4HandicapInfo.xml:
      On Monarch, and only Monarchy difficulty, combat bonuses vs animals and barb still have +70% and +40% bonus, like before BtS.

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      • #4
        Blake

        Does the 25% still mean barbs will just avoid the AI and beeline for the human?

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        • #5
          That has never happened.

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          • #6
            Have you included any of the BetterAI improvements to worker actions?

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            • #7
              Re: BTS: Changes to Difficulty and AI (Highlights)

              Originally posted by Blake
              GREAT STUFF
              Blake,

              I don't know if you remember me, but I was often a doubting Thomas about your BetterAI over on CivFanatics.

              I want to congratulate you on exceeding any of my expectations. This AI is in many ways much improved. Great job.

              Will you continue to refine the AI, either through patches or through another modification?

              My pet issue is Vassal AI; I think it could still use some improvement. In fact, I think the vassal game rules need to be (very slightly) changed. But I think that's for another post.

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              • #8
                Re: BTS: Changes to Difficulty and AI (Highlights)

                Blake,

                Thanks for posting this. I can't say it enough -- if the ONLY thing done to BtS was the inclusion of your AI, I still think it would have been worth every penny.

                A question. You said:


                [SIZE=1]
                Health and Happy caps are now much lower at easier difficulty levels and slightly higher at higher difficulties, now every difficulty level above Chieftain has the same health and happy cap, the same as old Monarch.
                I don't quite understand -- do you mean that the health/happy caps for the human player are lower on easier difficulty levels and higher at higher difficulty levels (whereas the caps for the AI are static on all but Settler)?

                Thanks.
                "The nation that controls magnesium controls the universe."

                -Matt Groenig

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                • #9
                  How well does the AI play with non standard rules? For example different units from a scenario or the absence of nukes or airplanes in the modern age.

                  Anyway sounds really exciting.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Re: BTS: Changes to Difficulty and AI (Highlights)

                    Originally posted by jkp1187

                    I don't quite understand -- do you mean that the health/happy caps for the human player are lower on easier difficulty levels and higher at higher difficulty levels (whereas the caps for the AI are static on all but Settler)?

                    Thanks.
                    No, he means the AI happy health caps are slightly higher on high levels and lower on low levels.

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                    • #11
                      I have been playing the 'Final Frontier' mod and I find myself building lots of carriers for my squadrons because of the ability of squadrons to kill (not just damage) enemy units. It doesn't seem that the AI "knows" how important the squadrons (and Anti-ship missiles) are. I haven't seen the AI build any squadrons yet and it doesn't seem to use its anti-ship missiles. I've been playing for more than 200 turns (on emperor).
                      Needless to say the AI gets its butt kicked by my lightly defended carrier fleets (and a couple of destroyers).

                      So I guess the AI hasn't been optimised for the various mods.

                      Are my observations correct or was it just a coincidence in that particular game?

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                      • #12
                        Question- what would happen if the AI was like GalCiv2, in that the AI received no bonuses of any sort?

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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by tsubame
                          Question- what would happen if the AI was like GalCiv2, in that the AI received no bonuses of any sort?
                          “...This means GCA won 7 battles against our units, had Horsemen retreat from 2 battles against NMs, and lost 0 battles.” --Jon Shafer 1st ISDG

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by tsubame
                            Question- what would happen if the AI was like GalCiv2, in that the AI received no bonuses of any sort?
                            Humans are always smarter than the AI, so the game would be pathetically easy I don't care how well programmed the AI could be, it's never going to adapt to changing circumstances as well as a human. Not in the foreseeable future, anyway.
                            <Reverend> IRC is just multiplayer notepad.
                            I like your SNOOPY POSTER! - While you Wait quote.

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                            • #15
                              Why cant there be a difficulty level for no ai bonuses, regardless? Just because it would be ''pathetically easy'' dosnt mean it shouldnt be an option. But firaxis(and sn00p) knows best
                              A ship at sea is its own world. To be the captain of a ship is to be the unquestioned ruler of that world and requires all of the leadership skills of a prince or minister.

                              Men grow tired of sleep, love, singing and dancing, sooner than war

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