AI Attitude & Productivity Question

[Kiowa]

Babylon, warlord, large continent shared between eight nations, random barbarians & weather on a 5-Mil year-old earth. Starting position was on a peninsula with warm coastal water, bountiful fishing creeks and rivers, a harvest of wheat, horses and iron. The first three cities had everything one could desire for growth, and so my nation grew prosperous and expanded quickly. I sent three warriors early to explor the land and find the best place to establish my outer borders. Up until the year 400 BC no barbarian or AI sightings, and I begin to wonder if we are alone on this large earth. I find the chokepoint of the peninsula, three tiles wide, build a city and fortify it with many horsemen. Still no AI or barbarian encounters. My galleys are off to explore the unknown coast, and finally I meet the French, my closest neighbors, then the Russians and the Americans. They’re all loosely interwoven together, and for some unknown reason they never went through the three tile wide gap that led into my peninsula. By this time I have three times as many cities, mostly improved, but we’re equal in technology and military. I continue to expand and settle my peninsula, and by 900 BC I am several technologies ahead of rest of the world and militarily strong. I’m still expanding in my own peninsula, as well as setting up settlements near the AI lands, and realize I have no one to trade with. I have wealth, they have none. I am now three to five technologies ahead. I have dyes, spices, horses, etc, they nothing to offer. So over several turns I gift theology, banking and economics to everyone. I’m still several techs ahead, as I reach a new tech every 4 turns @ 40% - 50% science research. I’m the power broker! Rich, cultured (my border cities all have universities and the French and Russians are flipping happy) and militarily strong. I have invention, and am ready to upgrade all of my knights to calvary, roll to conquest with a superior army and realize there is no saltpeter anywhere on my lands – nor any adjacent to me for easy conquest. The Russians, French, Iroquois, and the Americans all have abundant saltpeter, but they don’t know what it is nor have they built any roads to them.

1) Although the AIs are polite, and I’ve gifted them each at least three techs, we’ve trade maps, etc, my approval ranking is #5. [B]How does a human gain a higher approval ranking?[/B]
2) On my previous game, I started on an island (bummer) with wonderful resources (that’s good), grew and expanded in a normal, efficient manner, made the mainland by 400 BC, and found myself five to six techs behind, no iron or horses, way behind in culture, and my cities were flipping to the AIs. I became like an AI, fighting numbers against superior technology, not caring about losing an archer or a warrior since then I wouldn’t be paying maintenance, only caring about taking a city and another city until iron or horses could be secured; never at peace, but always fighting, fighting, fighting for position. What determines AI productivity? Why do they seem so highly productive in one game and so pathetic in the next

3) In a game with a large continent, is there any value to the Great Lighthouse? I’m several turns away from the Industrial age, 26 turns from Magellans Voyage, and the Great Lighthouse is still up for grabs. I have no use for it, and it seems the AIs are not interested in it either. This is my first continent game.

[Lord Emsworth]

#1: The approval ranking has all to do with happyness in your empire and nothing to do with foreign relations. I am not entirely sure, but I think if you have 50 % happy pop that translates into 50 % approval rating.
#2: One of the biggest factors for AI productivity is happyness in their towns and cities. If they have luxes available, there will be less clowns. If they have temples etc, there will be less clowns. If there are markets there will be less clowns. Less clowns means larger and more productive towns.
#3: If you are building Magellan's Voyage you have Navigation. That means you have Ocean travel. That pretty much moots Sea travel, which is available to the civ that build the Lighthouse.

[Eltrai]

What level are you playing at?

Also, use the knights get a foothold on some saltpeter and then shoot forward with the cav.

[AutomatedTeller]

A lot of it will depend on the start terrain, as well. The AI won't build a settler factory or anything, so they are completely dependent on excellent food bonuses. if one of the pops a settler from a hut, too.

My guess is that part of the reason they are behind is that they ran into each other early and couldnt' expand. And it sounds like you don't have barbarians on, which means that the expansionist civs are kind of crippled (America and Russia)

[Kiowa]

Originally Posted by AutomatedTeller

A lot of it will depend on the start terrain, as well. The AI won't build a settler factory or anything, so they are completely dependent on excellent food bonuses. if one of the pops a settler from a hut, too.

My guess is that part of the reason they are behind is that they ran into each other early and couldnt' expand. And it sounds like you don't have barbarians on, which means that the expansionist civs are kind of crippled (America and Russia)

I do have barbarians on. I met 3 pesky savages when I popped a hut, but otherwise, never ran into another one; either by sea or on land.

[Kiowa]

Originally Posted by Eltrai

What level are you playing at?

Also, use the knights get a foothold on some saltpeter and then shoot forward with the cav.

Warlord. I think I'll be moving up to Regent after this. I'm over 10,000 culture @ 1,000 AD, and on the histogram it reaches beyond a third of the total score.

Update: Took saltpeter from the Persians. Upgraded knights to Calvary. Zulu's declared war against me. Persians asked for MPP, which I granted. Persians understood power, whereas the Zulus didn't. Took the Zulus out. Got replaceable parts, but no rubber in my domain. Looked around and saw some around France, who were my friends. Built a city near it and expanded by building the aweful "rush" temple to get the rubber. Didn't matter, the weakling Persia declared war against France. Persia was the weakest AI and had no neighboring city with France. Didn't matter. Took France out. Now, in 1400, I have all the resources and culture is somewhere near 27,000. Next up are the AIs to the west and north of me: Russia, Americans, and then the Persians. Iroquois and Aztecs are the other two AIs, and both are to the east of me.

I'm enjoying my last warlord game.