I lookup the handicap info in the XML file, and at Monarch it says the research rate of human and AI are equal (iResearchCost = 100). But after some in game tests I find that at Monarch the research cost of AI is half to the cost of human. So it explains why the AI research so fast. I want to modify this behavior and build a 'Prince' level that is harder than Viceroy but easier than Monarch. Any one knows how to change the AI research cost?

there wasn't such rate in the XML handicap file, so I had to add it in the SDK.
iResearchCost isn't what you meant: it's a multiplier for the costs both for AIs and the player

Rhye, would it be possible to include an intermediate level between Monarch and Emperor in the next release ? Just tuning down a bit the research penalty would be fine.

yeah I'd second this.

Sometimes I just want a fun game where the AI can keep up with me, but not so much that they are out-tech you even if your clearly the best civ.

I just get annoyed when France out-techs my cottage economy while tiling their land with workshops. It would be nice if instead of a flat discount they got bonus commerce per tile based on the amount of commerce they were getting in the tile. (Ie, developing land for research payed off more for the computer than the player). That way the computer might actually develop their land in ways that aren't totally production-oriented and still out tech everyone.

Part of the problem in RFC of course is that you can't compensate for your slower tech rate by making your empire huge, because that penalizes you. But that's the normal way to beat AI tech rate advantage.

(Of course, changing the AI to accept tech trades less one sided than 3:1 beaker ratio would also be nice...).

In vanilla Civ I think the best economy is a hybrid one (down with cottage economy !!), but in RFC I really go for a specialist economy. This seems an obvious choice since
- there are few tiles to work per city
- there are plenty of resources in these tiles which will allow your cities to grow to decent levels anyways
The obvious consequence is that you can have many specialists. Representation and Caste System are almost a must.

Oh, somebody is using CS? How it works? :P

In vanilla Civ I think the best economy is a hybrid one (down with cottage economy !!), but in RFC I really go for a specialist economy. This seems an obvious choice since
- there are few tiles to work per city
- there are plenty of resources in these tiles which will allow your cities to grow to decent levels anyways
The obvious consequence is that you can have many specialists. Representation and Caste System are almost a must.

As much as i love occasionally running an SE, the above still doesn't make acceptable the computer out-teching you while tiling the land in workshops. It should have to do *something* to be tech dominant.

(And some civs do have room to run a CE. In particular, Germany and Russia have plenty of room if you spread your cities out - heck, the Russia AI spreads its cities out).

When I played France or Netherlands I placed workshops everywhere in Europe for obvious reasons (grasslands everywhere) and I wasn't out-teched by the AI. Commerce would come from
- specialists (loads of food in France and Netherlands)
- sea
- colonies
- sea trade routes
- rivers

You should say which civ you were playing when being outteched by France. For example if it was Russia you have evident penalizations:
1- much less food. The only city comparable to French ones is Minsk, and east of Moscow is mostly plains, which makes it hard to run either cottage or specialist economies...
2- almost no coastal cities, which means much, much less commerce from trade routes, and from sea tiles as well.
3- higher maintenance costs
If I'm not wrong Russia also has a coded research hindrance.
If you were playing Germany the coastal cities issue applies all the same, and German cities also are not as rich in food as French ones.

When I played Russia in Monarch mode I was first in tech by 1800, but not because of Russian research (and cottages)--I had to beg and wheedle from every civ, including Mali. (Imagine Catherine begging from Mansa Musa in real life). You basically have to trade an arm and a leg for something you don't have, and hope another civ will trade something for your new tech plus another limb. I checked up on all civs practically every move to make sure I'm up to date on their new research. (Spies stole 2 techs from Germany)

When I played France or Netherlands I placed workshops everywhere in Europe for obvious reasons (grasslands everywhere) and I wasn't out-teched by the AI. Commerce would come from
- specialists (loads of food in France and Netherlands)
- sea
- colonies
- sea trade routes
- rivers

You should say which civ you were playing when being outteched by France. For example if it was Russia you have evident penalizations:
1- much less food. The only city comparable to French ones is Minsk, and east of Moscow is mostly plains, which makes it hard to run either cottage or specialist economies...
2- almost no coastal cities, which means much, much less commerce from trade routes, and from sea tiles as well.
3- higher maintenance costs
If I'm not wrong Russia also has a coded research hindrance.
If you were playing Germany the coastal cities issue applies all the same, and German cities also are not as rich in food as French ones.

If I don't kill them they out-tech me as Spain or England by the Renaissance. (Hence why i've adopted a "kill France" policy whenever I play a european civ).

I lookup the handicap info in the XML file, and at Monarch it says the research rate of human and AI are equal (iResearchCost = 100). But after some in game tests I find that at Monarch the research cost of AI is half to the cost of human. So it explains why the AI research so fast. I want to modify this behavior and build a 'Prince' level that is harder than Viceroy but easier than Monarch. Any one knows how to change the AI research cost?

On my wishlist I would like to have a level between monarch and emperor

I second that.

The AI tech rate definitely feels much much faster than in a normal game of CIV IV

If I don't kill them they out-tech me as Spain or England by the Renaissance. (Hence why i've adopted a "kill France" policy whenever I play a european civ).


If you play on emperor you have to kill every civ. even ethiopia or you will be out-teched by two eras.