Important changes in game behavior in PtW

[Theseus]

SR, I sometimes forget how much of an early warmonger you are!

I concur with Master Marcus, it seems the AIs are much more focused on GWs now, and upgrading units is taking place more rapidly.

Thanks, Soren!!

("A few tweaks to the AI..." is now my favorite Firaxian phrase)

[Harovan]

Originally posted by Theseus
("A few tweaks to the AI..." is now my favorite Firaxian phrase)

Yea, but unfortunately the active contact trading by the AI and the capture of size-1 cities with minor culture is more a help for the human player, not the AI.

[notyoueither]

Originally posted by joncnunn
Just looks minor to me.

All it means is that you don't have to wait 5 turns after the Temple completes to safely capture a size 1 city.

Not minor at all, after the first time your armies swirl about a burg in the middle of nowhere.

btw, I don't think he mentioned... it never goes poof, even with non-original owners intervening, I think.

I posted a lament once upon a time where I cried for a city going poof when the Greeks had captured an Egyptian Wonder city and that city poofed when I took it from the Greeks.

No more.

[notyoueither]

Originally posted by Sir Ralph


Yea, but unfortunately the active contact trading by the AI and the capture of size-1 cities with minor culture is more a help for the human player, not the AI.

The contact trading you have noticed could be a bug addressed with 1.14.

[Catt]

Different Tech Research Paths

The screenshot below is from the late game of a PTW game, Emperor level, all random, on a standard map (started in 1.04f, finished in 1.14f). Other than the Vikings, I (Russia) am the only civ to have discovered Nuclear Power. I noticed this only because I got a pop-up that the Vikings had added Planetary Party Lounge to their ship.

I have never, ever seen an AI research The Laser before Satellites or Superconductor. FYI, the Manhattan Project had been built so Satellites were somewhat important in that they would allow ICBMs.

Catt

[Catt]

Bugs, Bug Fixes, or Changes in Play?

I noticed two things in late gameplay, one appears to be a bugfix, and the other's nature is something about which I can only speculate.

Bug Fix
Moving naval units into or through cities located on a hill no longer costs 2 movement points.

Bug? Transported Units "Safe" in Harbors
I loaded 2 transports full and set them across a narrow channel without escort. Unfortunately, the tile adjacent to my city was occupied by an enemy sub. My first transport engaged the sub, but was sunk. Happily (miraculously? buggily?) the 8 units on board the transport must have managed to unload during the battle, because there they were, waiting for me, as active units, immediately following the sinking. I was concerned that I somehow goofed and didn't load the transport so I reloaded from autosave, confirmed that the transport was loaded, watched it sink again, and still didn't lose the units. For all I know, this was true in Civ 3 as well, but it strikes me as "wrong," and I certainly have never heard of it happening to others.

Catt

[Jaybe]

Re: Bugs, Bug Fixes, or Changes in Play?

Originally posted by Catt
...
Bug? Transported Units "Safe" in Harbors
I loaded 2 transports full and set them across a narrow channel without escort. Unfortunately, the tile adjacent to my city was occupied by an enemy sub. My first transport engaged the sub, but was sunk. Happily (miraculously? buggily?) the 8 units on board the transport must have managed to unload during the battle, because there they were, waiting for me, as active units, immediately following the sinking. I was concerned that I somehow goofed and didn't load the transport so I reloaded from autosave, confirmed that the transport was loaded, watched it sink again, and still didn't lose the units. For all I know, this was true in Civ 3 as well, but it strikes me as "wrong," and I certainly have never heard of it happening to others.

Catt

COOL!! This confirms my "interpretation" that transport units include a small escort!
The escort distracted the submarines enough for the transports to either dock or unload onto landing craft before being lost.

[jshelr]

Aggressive New Civs Are Hyper Aggressive

Deity feels a little easier to beat in PTW.

I'm just finishing a deity game on a small map. Germany, France, Greeks, Scandy, Carthage, and our Egyptians. The Egyptians were hemmed into a small pocket by jungle and mountains. But a routine archer rush and some road building liberated a swarm of chariots that took out neighboring Germany and set up a good game. However, the AI was out of control the whole game, allowing Egypt to focus first on buying tech and then on tech research. Believe it or not, Egypt built a 100 turn tech lead going into the modern era. Hyper aggressive AIs are really to the human players benefit.

I have to say that the new AI's have stepped up aggressiveness a notch at least. Scandinavia ate other civs alive from start to finish and, in fact, there are only two civs remaining at the moment, including Egypt. The axe-wielding SOBs just would not stop. I was worried that they would get a domination win at one point. At the moment, Egypt is nuking a size 25 Scandy city every turn or two, and they just won't give up. In fact, they demand a tech for peace and are performing very credible amphibious landings at well chosen vulnerable points all over the globe. The seas are filled with battleships.

[metalhead]

One big difference I have noticed is the propensity of the AI in PtW to pick on you if you are weaker. Before, they would contact you with a demand every 15-20 turns if you are weaker. In my latest PtW game, I was near Arabia and the Zulu, who were both bigger and more powerful. Arabia demanded a tech from me as soon as we met, a turn or 2 later, the Zulu demanded my map and some gold. The Arabians demanded another tech about 4 turns after that, as soon as I discovered it. The Zulu kept after me every 4 or 5 turns with demands for gold and a map! The AI now just seem WAY more aggressive with demands, if you are behind.