Super Powers

[Spec]

Originally posted by Wycoff


It seems to happen to me every game. I like it though, because then the AI can pose a more serious challenge, especially if it has a much larger land mass.

Me, I always sacrafice galleys until I reach the other side of the map. This one time, I succeeded with my first Galley.

Spec.

[nationalist]

This Super Power growth happens to me as well.

[Egbert]

I am not sure of my premises but it seems the following are very rough determinants of which AI civ may become a superpower:
- good starting location
- good city sites nearby
- neighbouring civ not too close to those good sites
- resources (particularly iron) nearby
- on a continent (and I am not on same continent)

If the above conditions are all satisfied there is quite a good chance a superpower may develope.

There are some chance factors that seem very important:
- placement of Forbidden Palace
- get a settler from goody hut (at decent city site) extremely early

It also seems that civs develope according to how good their land is so they will develope at different rates until it reachs a point where one civ reachs a critical mass at which point it is able to overwhelm a neighbour quickly and without too much losses. I think this is why it sometimes seems that one civ has just "walked over" another civ.

I suspect that Industrious civs with a mix of grassland and plenty of hills are candidates for superpower status (quickly building massive industrial capacity which may be converted into a killer stack of troops)

I am thinking that it may be possible to design a map and place civs with a high probabitity of a particular AI civ will become a superpower.

End of rant

[Aramis]

Re: Super Powers

Originally posted by Wycoff

Does this happen to anyone else?

I MAKE SURE it doesn't happen. Had a game recently where France had only one source of Iron. I had an ROP w/them and planted a horseman right on the iron. No roads to the source. This prevented them from ever being able to utilise the iron (they couldn't build a road while I was there--couldn't ask me to leave due to ROP). Bastard that I was, I later sold them iron for 20 turns.

I'll screw all the AI civs whenever I can. God knows they screw me on trade agreements.

If that doesn't work, I invade. --R

Edited for minor grammatical errors only. Content remains refreshingly the same.

[Reinhard-Baer]

Hmm I realized it in most of my games too. A civ is almost at war with one other sometimes even with more and conquer and conquer and conquer. Not that it matters most in the end the super AI is destined to fall anyway and I have this feeling too that there might be some programming code for a dislike against the human controlled civ.

[Vlado]

I've also noticed that war brings more war. I play the extremly peaceful builder and I rarely get into war with the AI (on monarch/emperor depending on mood). The only times they start war with me is when I don't agree to their demands and have a really small army or when I take way to much gpt so that they can't pay. But after the first war there's always going to be heaps and heaps more. They seem to aquire an endless blood lust or something. They can be gracious, get fed up with their gpt deal, go to war. After a few fruitless turns of bickering we sign peace but then as soon as they have rebuilt their army, even if they're polite they declare again. This inspite of me not conquering any of their cities or something similar.

The funny part is that if I am generous and behave, usually by making lots of trade agreements etc we can go on through the entire modern age without ANY wars, not even between AIs. I wonder if this is because they all have about the same stading point, eg they all have the same techs so they don't have to fight over that. The same with luxuries, there's plenty to go around as long as people/AI trade a lot.

[Pyrodrew]

I've also noticed that war brings more war.

This is VERY true. ALL AI Civ try to mimic what you do, their Aggression Levels & other factors play a VERY minor role. I would wager starting location as the #1 influence on how AI Civs turn out & how you play as #2.

[Dida]

This happens to me sometimes, but not very often. I kindda like that, cus it's more fun to find someone a little more powerful than you are. In my current game, I'm the 3rd weakest civ, and have no oil. It's very intersting as how I can come up on top. Rough road ahead.

[Reinhard-Baer]

Originally posted by Pyrodrew
ALL AI Civ try to mimic what you do, their Aggression Levels & other factors play a VERY minor role. I would wager starting location as the #1 influence on how AI Civs turn out & how you play as #2.

Wow than I really must be a jackass
Ok seriously I must admit I'm a warmonger and all civs weaker than mine tend to rather fall quickly under my sword. I think it's a waste of time and resources to deal with civs inferior to mine It's better for them to be incorporated into my empire this way the resources serve a good purpose: MINE

[badams52]

In terms of an empire in Civ, incorporating the civs on your continent are usually to your advantage. Larger empire = more resources/luxuries to sell = faster research = ultimate power.

[pedrojedi]

What I truly hate is when the Ai tries to sneak attack you: a big large stack of cavalry advances through your territory, gets on the closest border city and suddenly the leader asks for some pathetic impossible thing: "give me your only oil resource", or something like that. Then he attacks... so bloody predictable and so bloody despisable... Asking him to get out only anticipates the war. At least that way he's more sincere.

[badams52]

But when you ask him to declare or leave, at least it's on your turn and you can use your offensive units to wipe out his cavalry before they get a chance to attack.

[Master Zen]

That's why you should always have a stack of Cav or whatever other mobile unit you have near your hostile borders.

Once you have railroads, however, it is practially impossible for the AI to beat you in a defensive war.

[Reinhard-Baer]

Originally posted by pedrojedi
What I truly hate is when the Ai tries to sneak attack you: a big large stack of cavalry advances through your territory, gets on the closest border city and suddenly the leader asks for some pathetic impossible thing: "give me your only oil resource", or something like that. Then he attacks... so bloody predictable and so bloody despisable... Asking him to get out only anticipates the war. At least that way he's more sincere.

Jup but I would not call it a sneak attack as you said he moved a large stack to your border and I always break out in laugher when I see it. I think to myself:
You dummy I see you
And when his stack arrives mine is already in place for month and whoops we have a war and whoops another civ is gone. I like it when this happens because this way I don't need to declare war and can hide behind a peaceful dude that just want to defend his country.

[Pyrodrew]

What I truly hate is when the Ai tries to sneak attack you: a big large stack of cavalry advances through your territory, gets on the closest border city and suddenly the leader asks for some pathetic impossible thing: "give me your only oil resource", or something like that. Then he attacks... so bloody predictable and so bloody despisable... Asking him to get out only anticipates the war. At least that way he's more sincere.

But when you ask him to declare or leave, at least it's on your turn and you can use your offensive units to wipe out his cavalry before they get a chance to attack.

it is practially impossible for the AI to beat you in a defensive war.

That's another disappointing aspect about the AI in Civ3, that's just a too common stupid AI move when a REAL AI surprise attack (no sitting in your territory vulnerable) would be so much more powerful & worthy against a human player. Soren didn't fix this in PtW?