Effect of long wars on AI Research

[EN2]

OK. Been playing with this...don't know if this will be of use to anyone, nbut here goes.

Created custom map placing player starting position in the middle of 8 civs on a normal pangea map at Monarch level (I think).

Set up a defensible area with two cities using mountains and coastline. (Yah, 'twas a setup...)

Declared war on all other civs in early BC and never aggreed to peace. Never attacked really.

War lasted until I gave up...1974...

The point I was testing was how much research does the AI do in time of war. By 1974 I was 6 techs into Modern times. The AI's were just beginning to produce infantry.

It looks like the player could pull ahead in tech by using war to slow down the AI.

On non-setup map it probably is not a viable strat. The AI wouold just overwhelm your cities with units and/or cut off all your terrain improvements unless you fielded a lot of fast movers (calvary, knights) to eliminate the stacks as they come in.

Just passing this along to the folks that might be able to do something useful with this info.

[Zouave]

It was a setup so it is hardly useful in most cases. Or is there something useful for ordinary situations??

Long wars of course slow down the human's Science, too.

[God]

If you read the "LOTR3-Zealous Zulu" Succesion Game, the players had a very similar situation. Their variant was that they are always at war with every civ they know. In other words, no peace. Large map, Zulus. They started on a continent with a few other civs. With always war, the AI's infrastructure collapsed, and fell really back in the science. BTW it was on monarch also. Its a good read anyway.

[Portuguese]

Of course it is useful. I used that strategy this way:

I make a pact with my neighbours to attack a far civ.
This way I produce few military, the 2 others produce big ones.
I push my science up.
I Kill them very after,with my superior tech.

So, I like to put them in War 2 by 2 to gain a science advantage, and then kill the ones I want (it depends of the territory they control...)

[joycem10]

EN2 - quick question, what government did you use during the game, if republic/democracy how did you avoid war weariness.