Time line

[TacticalGrace]

I'm playing on regent and I'm finding now that I'm making discoveries much earlier than they were historically made (e.g. I've got infantry in 1100AD). The AI players are slightly behind (they have nationalism)

This is becoming a common feature of the games I have played in Regent buit I'm pretty sure that when I played on the (even) easier levels this didn't happen (no infantry till late 19th/early 20th Century)

Can anyone explain this? Should I be playing on a higher level or is the higher level what is causing it (higher AI research rates->more tech which I blackmail for)

I have made some modifications to the rules but only to later-game unit stats (reduced cav to move 2, lethal bombers vs naval, wheeled tanks) so I can't see this having any effect.

[alva]

the higher the level, the faster tech will progress. The same goes for the number of players.

[Nym]

Re: Time line

Originally posted by TacticalGrace
Should I be playing on a higher level or is the higher level what is causing it (higher AI research rates->more tech which I blackmail for).

That is the correct explanation. The higher the level is, the higher the AI research rates are and the sooner advances are discovered. This effect is increased by the number of civs and exchanges between them.

[alva]

You need the learn to type faster Nym

[vondrack]

Well, I am not sure if what alva and Nym say is 100% correct - I agree that more civs mean faster progress, but I doubt that AIs would invest more gold into the scientific research on higher levels.

Since the 1.29f patch, the research costs (I am confused a bit by the research "rates" mentioned in the previous posts... IMHO, these should be difficulty level independent) have been adjusted in such a way that they are constant for the AI across the difficulty levels. What gets changed are the research costs of the human player... that change was supposed (and later confirmed) to put the timeline closer to the historical reality.

[TacticalGrace]

doesn't the max research rate of 1 discovery per 4 turns apply to the AI ?

[miccofl]

Ignore the year and think more in terms of "years since start" besides in most cases you are on a different world from the one we all live on. So why would the timeline be the same?

[Nym]

Originally posted by alva848
You need the learn to type faster Nym

May be. But I had problems with my browser: the Return key did not work any more. I had to restart my browser, and so, of course, I lost a few seconds...

[Nym]

Originally posted by miccofl
Ignore the year and think more in terms of "years since start" besides in most cases you are on a different world from the one we all live on. So why would the timeline be the same?

That is one of the reasons I proposed in an old thread to change the date system and make it begin in year 1. After all, that is the way it was during the Roman Republic.

[Nym]

Originally posted by vondrack
Well, I am not sure if what alva and Nym say is 100% correct - I agree that more civs mean faster progress, but I doubt that AIs would invest more gold into the scientific research on higher levels.

Since the 1.29f patch, the research costs (I am confused a bit by the research "rates" mentioned in the previous posts... IMHO, these should be difficulty level independent) have been adjusted in such a way that they are constant for the AI across the difficulty levels. What gets changed are the research costs of the human player... that change was supposed (and later confirmed) to put the timeline closer to the historical reality.

I think your are correct. The AI do probably not increase its invests in research in higher levels, but it is clear that it makes researchs faster than the human player. Furthermore I have remarked that tech exchanges would happen more and more easily in higher levesl between AIs than between AIs and the human player.

[DeepO]

Well, don't forget the AIs have building bonusses on higher levels, which means they have more libraries and universities than on lower levels. So even if the last patch does not give research bonusses to the AI on higher levels, their research is indirectly speeded up...

DeepO

[WarpStorm]

What size map and how many AI players do you play with?

[DeepO]

Last few games have been on huge maps and 16 civs.... but was this question directed to me?

DeepO

[alva]

Lang gezien dat ik U nog geleden heb

Taking a break from the 'courts of...'??

ot: Set up a game with just one AI, you'll notice the difference in tech progress, you'll probably will be playing with swordsmen in 2050

[vmxa1]

TacticalGrace, consider that another reason is that you are now a more skilled player. If you were to play on the lower level, you would likely make progress sooner than you use to.