AI starts with free units on higher levels

[eMarkM]

Someone on civfanatics did some great detective work to uncover an additional cheat by the AI on higher difficulty levels. Apparently the AI gets free units after it builds its first city. Sman, who did the experiment, created a tiny island w/ 2 civs and found on Deity the AI was awarded with--get this--3 warriors, an archer and another worker when it built its first city! This is confirmed by Dan Magaha of Firaxis on the thread.

I personally don't care the AI cheats, the higher levels should be harder and since an AI can never match a human brain, they unfortunately have to resort to this kind of thing. This will probably turn into another flame fest against Firaxis for making the higher levels "unfair". So what? I just like to know this stuff so I can plan my strategy accordingly.

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[rid102]

This will probably turn into another flame fest against Firaxis for making the higher levels "unfair".

It's no more "unfair" than corruption or combat is. It just makes rushing even more important and the only strategy worth employing.

[Pachabel]

I'm rather perplexed by the notion that difficulty bonuses are somehow 'cheating.' Perhaps it's just a vocabulary issue, but certainly advancing difficulty against an entity that can think (us) can really only be accomplished with bonuses.

It's not at all like chess where the AI can much more rapidly digest all possible formations and moves and hence easily beat most humans. While we're inferior in mathematical calculations to a computer, we have an asset that simply cannot be matched: thinking.

There's no cheating involved here. This is how the rules were set up and they're being adhered to.

Funny that I don't recall all the 'cheating' conspiracies in RRTII where the bonuses for advanced levels also made the game much more challenging and therefore more enjoyable -- just like Civ III.

[Bilo]

If the computer starts with 6 units(3 warriors, 1 archer and 2 workers) it has to pay 2 gold/per for the maintance of the units; so it either has to spend no money on science or 1-2 of those units will be dispanded.