GnK: "enhanced" AI just cheating harder?

I bought gnk last night, and I have given up on like 20 games already. It just seems like everything is conspiring against me, from the map generator onwards. Every map I get that isn't a sliver of Chilean coast, is massive jungle. Not the nice kind of jungle start, the bad kind. Of course, I'm always one off the coast and can't see it until after I found the city. AI always gets faith and gold, me always getting reveal barbs. Every AI starts with marble, etc. Maybe Nederlands just has
<START_BIAS>
HORRIBLE_DECEPTIVE_COASTAL
</START_BIAS>

EDIT: Just got a not terrible start on game number 33! Hope the Mayans aren't there to ruin it!

The Dutch have a start bias that puts them near marches, or areas that can have marches.

I had a string of bad starts and bad maps when I started playing.

I gave up on 'random' and pick a map now. Much better.

You can do well off almost any start. A flat tundra/desert without a river would be hopeless but the game isn't that cruel. A slow start can easily be offset by the ai's inability to fight.

Don't be put off by the ai building your wonders and try to improve your play.

The only significant thing that I've noticed in map generation is a LOT more jungles. It seems if there's a Mayan/Aztecs civ around, the map will be filled with 20+ jungle tiles at the very least.

Not having a sea resource around a coast also suck. Sucks even more if it's not actually a large ocean, and just a lake-like appearance surrounded by land - though that's a lot rare.

I've also noticed I move my settlers more often now rather than staying at the given location at the start.

Always move your warrior before settling your first city.

The AI doesn't 'cheat' in the way you describe. It gets bonuses, but what they get out of ruins, for example, is just as random as what you get.

What constitutes a good starting place can be deceptive. Jungle starts are greatly assisted by certain beliefs, Deserts can be boosted by things like Petra, whilst, as MadDjinn says, the Dutch have a Marsh start bias, owing to the Polder.

spafey said:

You can do well off almost any start. A flat tundra/desert without a river would be hopeless but the game isn't that cruel. A slow start can easily be offset by the ai's inability to fight.

Don't be put off by the ai building your wonders and try to improve your play.

Click to expand...

Egypt's start bias puts me in naked tundra without river quite often.

I think alot of it had to do with my really really really wanting to try tabarnak's 4 city tradition opening on a series of maps that really didn't suit it... and I didn't look over the new tech tree very closely.

Or maybe that aweful map and hut luck I was having yesterday was just a nice little thank you gift from Firaxis

spafey said:

You can do well off almost any start. A flat tundra/desert without a river would be hopeless but the game isn't that cruel. A slow start can easily be offset by the ai's inability to fight.

Don't be put off by the ai building your wonders and try to improve your play.

Click to expand...

I disagree. I think the majority of my starts recently has been middle of the desert/tundra/ice with little to no redeeming qualities. It's gotten so bad I downloaded the reseed mod just so I can take a look at the area around me to see if it's even worth trying to start.

Magma_Dragoon said:

Egypt's start bias puts me in naked tundra without river quite often.

I think alot of it had to do with my really really really wanting to try tabarnak's 4 city tradition opening on a series of maps that really didn't suit it... and I didn't look over the new tech tree very closely.

Or maybe that aweful map and hut luck I was having yesterday was just a nice little thank you gift from Firaxis

Click to expand...

Wanting to try certain strategies is understandable and have re-rolled many times to get myself, say, a desert or coastal start. However, at some point you're going to have to take the rough with the smooth as in multiplayer people are unlikely to be sympathetic a your slow start.

With regards to tabarnak's 4 city tradition start you don't necessarily need optimum conditions. You could even settle with a 3 city start if there just isn't anywhere for the fourth, save the gold you would have spent on the settler and buy the archers instead allowing you to get faster shrines/libraries up. 3 cities even stops other ai's from hating you from expanding too fast. Getting this far then re-rolling would just be a waste of time. Personally, I would get more satisfaction from adjusting the starts to suit the situation rather than just following a guide. Almost every start is winnable, it just takes practice to figure out how.

Lord Kid said:

I disagree. I think the majority of my starts recently has been middle of the desert/tundra/ice with little to no redeeming qualities. It's gotten so bad I downloaded the reseed mod just so I can take a look at the area around me to see if it's even worth trying to start.

Click to expand...

Ok, the game can be cruel with some starts. Re-rolling a flat desert/tundra/snow start is understandable but surely the game doesn't give you that 100% of the time.

Terribad starts just mean you have to find at least another spot that will be a better fit to your needs than your capital. I've had countless games where the second city I settled became the best city in my empire.

I've had a game in a Tiny Islands map, on Emperor as Germany (rolled random map, random civ). Barren start with terribad production and food. Beelined optics to get out of that hellhole ASAP. I won a domination game there, but only after I got Battleships. I also had to settle a city way up the frigid north, just to get iron!