Potentially stupid question incoming with my apologies:

In the worldbuilder scenario editor, to make opponent civs more difficult (that is, better vs. me, to improve them) do I set their handicap towards Chieftain or towards Diety?

Thank you in advance for your patience. :)

pretty sure the higher the harder. It was like that on civ4.

Thanks, that was my initial instinct, but then I talked myself out of it.

I gotta stop listening to the voices in my head I guess.

Further to this point,

What effect does the handicap have on the player? What's the difference between setting the player handicap from Settler to Prince?

Or is there any effect?

pretty sure the higher the harder. It was like that on civ4.

So, is this answer is really the correct answer? Anyone from 2k can answer this question because this matter of handicap is a little confusing in word builder scenario.

actually I've recently read (from other cfc members) that there is an underlying function that actually controls the AI difficulty levels, and that changing it in WB has absolutely no effect. I do not know the exact details atm, but its worth investigating.... its probably already been discused somewhere in the C&C forums.

underlying functions asides, with the tuner open you can query the game to get the handicaps

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=9887217&postcount=3