Why is the AI absolutely mentally handicapped with religion?

Seoul

Chieftain
Joined
Oct 23, 2015
Messages
38
Location
Canada
The AI's automatic faith purchase is pretty much permanently set on "Purchase Missionary."

Even when they take Mosques or Pagodas or Cathedrals; they rarely ever make them. The only religious building they seem to make is monastery; arguably the weakest religious building aside from its cost (I personally think Cathedrals is the weakest, but that's just my opinion). They do this without regards to if there is incense or wine in proximity.

It's even stupider when an AI fills out piety, and then proceeds to use the Great Prophets to convert people, rather than using them for Holy Sites for the +6 Faith +3 Culture +3 Gold ultra tile.

And when I set the game on domination only, Holy Warriors gets taken first except the religion that founded the tenet don't ever, EVER use their faith to actually purchase military units... Likewise when they first reformation Religious Fervor or Jesuit Education and don't use it (I've used IGE to check; they continue constructing universities instead of Faith Purchasing when they have JE). Like seriously, the AI's always been bad, but when it comes to religion it's just at a totally new extreme.
 
Where do you get the idea they don't build faith buildings? I'm sure they do since I've captured cities with pagodas. On high enough difficulties, AI faith generation is high and their units so cheap, they can spam whatever they want anyway, that's why you see tons of prophets spamming religion.
 
The really really annoying thing about AI and religion is their prophet spamming and you not being able to do anything about it other than surround your cities with units.

Me: Don't send missionaries!
Theo: Sure, we will send them elsewhere ;)
*a pair of her prophets circle around my cities all game long*

now, it's annoying if I forget to move in a unit to block off a tile but it's also more annoying that she will keep trying, ignore her promise and not only waste everyone's time, but also waste on opportunities to spread her religion elsewhere (spoiler: she couldn't, my pressure would kill it off eventually anyway)
 
Where do you get the idea they don't build faith buildings? I'm sure they do since I've captured cities with pagodas. On high enough difficulties, AI faith generation is high and their units so cheap, they can spam whatever they want anyway, that's why you see tons of prophets spamming religion.

IGE does wonders for checking stuff out.

Theodora's flocked me with 6 missionaries once, and I pop out IGE to see she hasn't purchased a single mosque in any of her cities despite taking it as one of her first tenets.
 
The really really annoying thing about AI and religion is their prophet spamming and you not being able to do anything about it other than surround your cities with units.

Me: Don't send missionaries!
Theo: Sure, we will send them elsewhere ;)
*a pair of her prophets circle around my cities all game long*

now, it's annoying if I forget to move in a unit to block off a tile but it's also more annoying that she will keep trying, ignore her promise and not only waste everyone's time, but also waste on opportunities to spread her religion elsewhere (spoiler: she couldn't, my pressure would kill it off eventually anyway)
Could always station an Inquisitor in your cities, they prevent direct prophet conversion of a city, if you don't have them unlocked then just station units full circle around your city, if none of this is viable, then make some cheap units.
 
If you go tall and take like +15% food growth or +1% hammer, you can sometimes support inquisitors in cities.
If you go wide - take pagodas, mosque, ... then after you bought all building - you can be very happy if AI converts your cities.
 
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