Starting Bonuses

[Howard Mahler]

In BTS and HR, at different higher difficulty levels the AI gets various ongoing bonuses:
needing fewer hammers, needing fewer beakers, etc.
In addition they get starting bonuses.
I believe they get extra units and extra technologies.

Having different difficulty levels is a good idea.
I have never had a problem with the ongoing bonuses.
I have never liked the starting bonuses.
Maybe it is just me, but I hate starting behind.

If other people agree with me, is it possible to change this in BTS?

 

[Howard Mahler]

One reason to start the AI with archers, is so that the player can not just waltz into the AI capital early.

Perhaps this can be helped by adding a defensive bonus to the Palace.
Perhaps 20% would be good.

This would make capitals somewhat harder to take, which is not only a good thing early in the game, but also throughout the game.

 

[Xyth]

Taking a look through the difficulty settings, the vast majority of bonuses the AI gets are ongoing ones, rather than starting bonuses. Techs and units on the higher difficulty levels are the only ones that I can see:


Monarchy
• Free techs: Hunting, Carving, Ceremonial Burial, Fishing
• Free units: 1 defensive unit

Emperor
• Free techs: All the above, Agriculture, Pastoralism, Pottery
• Free units: 2 defensive units

Immortal
• Free techs: All the above, Archery, Mining, Ritual, Sailing
• Free units: 1 worker, 3 defensive units


I'm not too sure of the pros and cons of removing any of these, more feedback is welcome. I know what you mean by 'starting behind' though. In a perfect game the AI would get smarter and meaner, rather than just given more things. AI coding has never been one of Firaxis' greatest strengths unfortunately, as has become horribly apparent in Civ5.

 

[Howard Mahler]

Very annoying. I prefer a game where everyone starts off even and the AI has specific bonuses going forward. (This is not a chess program where they can just improve the play of the AI.)

This is exactly what I am talking about, starting the game behind in technology and in units. I would like to get rid of all of these starting AI bonuses and keep the on going ones.

It would make each difficulty level slightly easier than currently.
So some players could move up a difficulty level.

Yes more feedback needed from other players!

Taking a look through the difficulty settings, the vast majority of bonuses the AI gets are ongoing ones, rather than starting bonuses. Techs and units on the higher difficulty levels are the only ones that I can see:


Monarchy
• Free techs: Hunting, Carving, Ceremonial Burial, Fishing
• Free units: 1 defensive unit

Emperor
• Free techs: All the above, Agriculture, Pastoralism, Pottery
• Free units: 2 defensive units

Immortal
• Free techs: All the above, Archery, Mining, Ritual, Sailing
• Free units: 1 worker, 3 defensive units


I'm not too sure of the pros and cons of removing any of these, more feedback is welcome. I know what you mean by 'starting behind' though. In a perfect game the AI would get smarter and meaner, rather than just given more things. AI coding has never been one of Firaxis' greatest strengths unfortunately, as has become horribly apparent in Civ5.

 

[Simon_Jester]

The free units aren't so bad. The free technologies bother me, because at the high levels that can add up to many, many turns' technological lead. Catching up to the AI in technology strikes me as very difficult- and by the time you do it it's going to be hundreds of turns into the game, realistically, so there's no way to play an "advanced" civilization in the Classical era.

Then again, I'm not actually that good or practiced a player; maybe I'm missing obvious strategies for storming up the tech tree quickly.

 

[Xyth]

I think I'll try this for 1.17 and see how it goes:

Monarch
• Free techs: None
• Free units: 1 defensive unit

Emperor
• Free techs: Hunting, Carving, Ceremonial Burial, Fishing
• Free units: 2 defensive units

Immortal
• Free techs: Hunting, Carving, Ceremonial Burial, Fishing
• Free units: 1 worker, 3 defensive units


No change to free units, on Emperor and Immortal the AI gets all 4 starting techs instead of just 2 like the player. Monarch seems to be a popular difficulty level so I'll drop the AI tech advantage there.