Does the AI cheat?

[Dauphin]

I have noticed that computer run civs seem to have their cities grow at a much faster rate than my own - is this due to good strategy or cheating on the AI's part. I have gone for immediate growth with all citizens becoming farmers. I've tried 100% pw onto building farms, and a mixture of growth initiatives. Yet, by the time I have two cities of size 7 the AI has about 6 cities at about 8 and 9.

I need to know. Am I just bad at expanding my empire or does the computer have an "unfair" advantage.

[MapleLeaf]

AI cheats. When it builds a settler, it doesn't lose population.

[Atahualpa]

So what? It still isnt a challenge.

Ata

[phoenixcager]

Showoff!

There are still many of us who find it challenging and even unbeatable at this point in time.

[Dyzee400]

Yeah, this really does annoy me. The computer's civilization has huge cities with about 7 farms around it when I have a smaller city with farms in every single tile around it. It's stupid. They should've included some kind of option to toggle this on and off.

[Alpha Wolf]

quote: Originally posted by MapleLeaf on 12-12-2000 09:47 PM AI cheats. When it builds a settler, it doesn't lose population.

I dont think this is always the case, because just as I was in position to attack a size 2 city, it shrank to 1.

One big reason the AI cities grow so fast is their use of farmers. farmers give 30 food which far exceeds any unimproved tile. I've noticed that many of these large AI cities have no units so its sacraficing growth for production and gold.

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History is written by the victor.