About difficulty level

[Traianvs]

What's the highest difficulty level in which the AI doesn't cheat (=> needs less shields to produce etc)?

I want to beat the AI honestly, because it pisses me off that my cities always go in disorder, while my enemies have no such problems!

ps: I'm still a bit of a noob, even though I've been playing the game a long time
Mostly play scenarios anyway

[debeest]

The AI cheats in many ways, some of which are not level-dependent. The shield-cheating depends on your power rating. If you're supreme, the AI needs fewer shields to build. If you're not supreme, I don't think the AI ever shield-cheats, though I don't remember for sure. There is more to it than that, because sometimes it needs 80% and sometimes it needs only 60% of what you need, but I forget whether that's level-dependent or what.

The AI always plays at King (fourth) level in terms of unhappiness. That is, at the beginning of the game, it will have three content citizens per city before getting the first unhappy one.

There's an extensive list of ways that the AI cheats, somewhere in the Apolyton archives. AI triremes never sink. AI planes never crash. Any number of AI cities can work on a Wonder at the same time, all of the contributing their shields toward building it in one city. The AI can build a unit on the same turn in which it learns the required tech (although there's a sneaky way for a human to do that, too). I can't think of many ways in which the AI cheats are level-dependent.

[Bloody Monk]

I think it is far better to change YOUR attitude about it. Call it a Handicap, like in golf or bowling. Remember that while you have an adaptable brain, the AI only has inflexible decision rules. So, let's say it together: "the AI does not cheat and is not dishonest, it is just lame." It's just the way it is.

There are some basic things you can do to cope with happiness problems. Make a bee-line for Monarchy (Alpha, CB, Code, XX, Mon) and avoid tipping huts, after you have gotten the first off-tech from a hut, until you complete Monarchy. Build the Hanging Gardens wonder. Until then, limit city growth or use elvi. Send a warrior along with the settler so that martial law is immediate. Until you have mastered city management, delay Republic until you can build Mike's Chapel. And most importantly, learn to use the human's greatest advantage, trade. Trade, trade, trade, because every camel/freight delivered gives you an equal amount of gold and science beakers. And, having trade routes seems to help with happiness problems, too. Use the extra gold from deliveries to build Marketplaces and Temples, and to rush-build more camels.

Happiness is just a problem looking for a solution. Have some fun!!

Monk

[Scouse Gits]

Yes the Monk has it right - the poor benighted AI has no real chance against an experienced human - the trick is to become that experienced human.

Stu

[SlowThinker]

About shields (and food, maybe also beakers):
Under King the AI needs 10 shields to complete a warrior, under deity 8 shields, under deity+5 2 shields, under chieftain 15(?not sure).

[Traianvs]

avoid tipping huts, after you have gotten the first off-tech from a hut, until you complete Monarchy

Ahh that.. I've heard that before, but why is that?
Well I am playing scenarios right now, and in most of them enemy civs manage to keep their income, research and happiness balanced.

They play with 10% taxes (!!!), 50% research and 40% luxury.
Hell even if I do 50% research I can't keep up with their research!

[Bloody Monk]

Why Avoid Huts before Monarchy

This is a good question. The answer is based on the incremental cost of the next research. Samson brought this together in the thread "Cost of Research Explained," which I will bump in the Strategy Forum. Here is a link...

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?postid=42279#post42279

Simply put, each additional tech you get from huts or AI trades, gifts--BEFORE Monarchy--causes a huge delay, more turns, in finishing the research for Monarchy.

If you start with no techs, the fastest path is Alpha, CB, Code, XXX, Monarchy, where XXX is any off-path tech. Monarchy, as the fifth tech, would "cost 55 beakers. The costs escalate to 66, 84, 96, for the next three techs. That means many, many extra turns in despotism if you don't keep it lean.

Hope this helps. And I bet there is more good stuff in the linked thread if you check it out.

Monk

[Sava]

wow BM... nice

I had no idea researching was complicated like that.

[rah]

Re: Why Avoid Huts before Monarchy

Originally posted by Bloody Monk
If you start with no techs, the fastest path is Alpha, CB, Code, XXX, Monarchy, where XXX is any off-path tech. Monarchy, as the fifth tech, would "cost 55 beakers. The costs escalate to 66, 84, 96, for the next three techs. That means many, many extra turns in despotism if you don't keep it lean.
Monk

And keep in mind, that if it's not a scenario, and you get a second XXX prior to researching monarchy, it will not let you research monarchy as the sixth tech, and you will have to research another tech, which delays getting our of despotism for a lot of extra turns.

[Ljube]

I'm always pursuing the following line (even in mp games )

Alphabet, Code of Laws, Bronze Working, Ceremonial Burial, Monarchy

This inserts Bronze which is a particularly useful tech being on the way to Trade.

Of course, Horseback Riding as first tech is a must in Rah games

[Ljube]

Re: Why Avoid Huts before Monarchy

Originally posted by Bloody Monk

If you start with no techs, the fastest path is Alpha, CB, Code, XXX, Monarchy, where XXX is any off-path tech.

I think you should tip huts until you get this extra tech off-path, then stop for a while (though it's hard to resist, so I rarely stop).

If you start with Alpha, then move to CoL, you have a very decent chance to get this extra tech and proceed to monarchy via CB.

[Bloody Monk]

Re: Re: Why Avoid Huts before Monarchy

Originally posted by ljcvetko


I think you should tip huts until you get this extra tech off-path, then stop for a while (though it's hard to resist, so I rarely stop).

If you start with Alpha, then move to CoL, you have a very decent chance to get this extra tech and proceed to monarchy via CB.

ljcvetko,

Are you asserting that by researching CoL before CB that you are more likely to get a scroll from a hut?? How can this be?? If there is some research on this I would love to study it. I'm always interested in learning something new.

The advantage of Bronze and CB first is getting a temple and starting early on a WOW, if you have already laid down your SSC city. The point to this discussion is getting quickly to Monarchy, and in that vein, any off tech will do. But if you get War Code because you just had to tip that hut now, your game will develope slower.

Monk

[Scouse Gits]

Originally posted by rah
And keep in mind, that if it's not a scenario, and you get a second XXX prior to researching monarchy, it will not let you research monarchy as the sixth tech, and you will have to research another tech, which delays getting our of despotism for a lot of extra turns.

Surely not, rah - if Monarchy is not available as tech #4, which we know, it should be available as tech #5 & #6 - vanishing again when we research tech #7

Stu

[Ljube]

No sorry, recently I've tried a gamble to research trade before monarchy, if I have poor hut luck (I can't resist them), so that's why I choose CoL as second tech. That's all to it.

[rah]

Originally posted by Scouse Gits


Surely not, rah - if Monarchy is not available as tech #4, which we know, it should be available as tech #5 & #6 - vanishing again when we research tech #7

Stu

Try it. If you have the three requirements and two off the path. Obviously Monarchy can't be your fifth, and unless something strange happens, it will not allow you to choose it sixth. Once in a blue moon it will allow it, depending on the sequence that you got the ones off the path from huts, but in my experience, it is rare. But then I usually go CB, alpha, XXX, CoL Monarchy. Maybe I should be doing what you suggest. In MP games on small worlds at raging, getting bronze or horse early is highly desirable. Something else to try.