Adjustable Difficulty Level

[Destroyer]

I thought it would be nice if you could change your difficulty level halfway through a game, as there is nothing more annoying than spending 10 hours playing until the industrial game, and realising that you have left the ai behind completely. Once this happens they dont have a chance.

Unfortunately at the next highest level, by that stage I am the one who is left behind.

So it would be great if you could adjust the ai to a higher (or lower) level mid way through a game so I dont feel as If ive wasted half my life

[Alex]

Improve your skills.

[Arrian]

Or go into the editor and create an inbetween difficulty level (I've pondered this).

For instance:

Monarch - 10% production/science bonus to AI, some free units, human happiness is lower by 1 citizen, AI trade rate 140 (?), human OCN lowered by 10%.

Emperor - 20% production/science bonus to AI, lots of free units, human happiness lower by 2 citizens, AI trade rate 150 (?), human OCN lowered by 20%.

I may be a bit off on some of that stuff, but it's pretty close. My point is that there is a pretty big jump between those two levels. Most, if not all of that stuff is adjustable in the editor. I wonder how things would play out if the AI was given the Emperor-level production bonus with the Monach-level science bonus, with Monarch-level trading and Emperor level human happiness. Got all that?

-Arrian

[Alex]

Interesting idea, Arrian... I too think that the gap is far too wide between some levels.

[SanPellegrino]

another possibility is to decrease the AI trade rate to 110 for all levels. They still trade tech, but not that much and still build competitive empires on higher levels. And if you are are bored, gift the germans with motorized transportation in an emperor game...

[Destroyer]

I was thinking the problem was more one of aggressive expansion, not tech and producion as such.

And as I said, on a larger map you dont know how crap youve done until many hour of gameplay havebeen played out.

[reefer addict]

what i have done is to remove all bonuses for each level and changed the amount the ai needs to build.
regent i have ai build ratio at 9/10, monarch 8/10, emperor 7/10 and deity 6/10.
this way the ai has a steady advantage and doesnt have 2 or 3 settlers and a standing army at the beginning.
i find that on emp. (7/10) the ai is competitve through the whole game, and not just strong at first but weak in the end.
hope it helps

[SanPellegrino]

Warlord,

I thought the great differences between the levels are the problem, so decreasing tech rate is a good mixture between slow tech and powerful opponents