Aggressive AI and difficulty level

[conception]

I've just started playing Civ V (longtime IV player) and in my first full game I really made a ton of mistakes that absolutely crippled my Civ for short periods of time. I'm definitely sticking with a lower difficulty level until I get used to dealing with certain mechanics like happiness, when to annex or puppet, and diplomacy, but one thing I really like to see is an aggressive, sometimes foolishly so, AI.

I know that certain game mechanics scale with difficulty, so what is the minimum difficulty level where I can still expect to be afraid of AI attacks (beyond the first 100 or so turns), even if I have an army that is larger than theirs or a civ that is vastly larger?

 

[Jim Bro]

I've just started playing Civ V (longtime IV player) and in my first full game I really made a ton of mistakes that absolutely crippled my Civ for short periods of time. I'm definitely sticking with a lower difficulty level until I get used to dealing with certain mechanics like happiness, when to annex or puppet, and diplomacy, but one thing I really like to see is an aggressive, sometimes foolishly so, AI.

I know that certain game mechanics scale with difficulty, so what is the minimum difficulty level where I can still expect to be afraid of AI attacks (beyond the first 100 or so turns), even if I have an army that is larger than theirs or a civ that is vastly larger?

play prince and embark on another civ's request to go to war with others and then betray that civ. puppet everything but 8-9 cities. preferably don't finish other civs off. just leave them with one city. go for a cultural or diplo victory and arm your cities for defense (kremlin, himeji castle). DON'T TRUST THE AI AND DON'T PLAY GOOD. PLAY WITH SIAM OR FRANCE. TAKE TRADITION, FREEDOM, PIETY AND ORDER at least if you play on small continents.

 

[crossmr]

By afraid do you mean that their attacks are threatening or simply that they'll attack?
Playing on prince I had the mongols and Iroquois declare ware on me separately and despite my lagging behind in researched making me a level behind in units, I not only held them off, I took a mongol city which finally made him beg for peace, and and was just in the process of turning the tide on the Iroquois when they got a space-race victory.
I was on the receiving end of about half a dozen nukes and didn't really feel much ill effect from it. It only slightly delayed my turn around on them.

 

[conception]

I'd like it if they just attacked. In my first game there were so many times I went to war worrying about another civ attacking my exposed and undefended frontiers. It never happened, and everyone hated me but didn't do anything about it.

I'm well aware that the AI is poor and most AI attacks never amount to much. Still, even a poorly coordinated attack with good numbers can provide a fun challenge.

 

[eazyseeker]

Settler-Chieftain-Warlord are fake.. the AI is NOT allowed to DoW on you, if that's what you asked.

 

[crossmr]

Settler-Chieftain-Warlord are fake.. the AI is NOT allowed to DoW on you, if that's what you asked.

That's false. I'm playing Warlord right now and Germany declared war on me in the early game for no reason at all that I can fathom. I repelled them and stomped them out for it.
Funny how they suddenly wanted to negotiate peace..

 

[sav]

I've just upped from Prince to King, and I'm struggling - the AI has these carpets of doom, and I've never made it to the modern era. Kind of terrifying... but I found war on Prince too easy. Need a half way level...

 

[Valbuena]

Settler-Chieftain-Warlord are fake.. the AI is NOT allowed to DoW on you, if that's what you asked.

what are you talking about o.0

 

[eazyseeker]

what are you talking about o.0

OK, might have been wrong there, but so I've heard. I don't usually play those levels, I don't know.

 

[Valbuena]

OK, might have been wrong there, but so I've heard. I don't usually play those levels, I don't know.

in one of my settler or chieftain games america backstabbed me with war lol

 

[conception]

in one of my settler or chieftain games america backstabbed me with war lol

There's probably qualifiers that go into that though and they must be a lot more stringent than on higher levels. Your military power compared to them may have provided what seemed like a fair opportunity.

 

[Aldor]

Settler-Chieftain-Warlord are fake.. the AI is NOT allowed to DoW on you, if that's what you asked.

If I remember correctly, its only Settler where the AI can never DoW you, while Chieftain and Warlord have a lower than normal chance for AI DoWs.

 

[Strategist83]

I'd like it if they just attacked. In my first game there were so many times I went to war worrying about another civ attacking my exposed and undefended frontiers. It never happened, and everyone hated me but didn't do anything about it.

I'm well aware that the AI is poor and most AI attacks never amount to much. Still, even a poorly coordinated attack with good numbers can provide a fun challenge.

Sorry, you can't get this. It is one of the major shortcomings of the AI. It doesn't take the positioning of your forces into account at all when deciding on whether to declare on you - all it looks at is your army strength. So, it fails to recognize your strength is in fact a lot lower because you are preoccupied with another war.

In the same way, you can unfortunately easily destroy a civ if it has declared war on another civ. This is because when the AI declares it sends *all* its units against the attacker and leaves none for home defense.

This is ridiculous, of course, and breaks immersion by reminding you that you are just playing a [poorly designed] game. If you want the challenge, however, you'll have to not take advantage of these shortcomings by for example always declaring war well before your armies are near to 'give the AI a chance'.

 

[chazzycat]

I think they will attack on any level if they perceive you as weak and want your land. In the early game the AI starts out with units, depending on the difficulty level. My last immortal game the AI declared war on me on turn 7, just because they started near me and had the power advantage with just their starting units.

That's a bit much for me, so most of the time I play on emperor. I'm usually able to fend off the first attacks with just a couple units, they retreat, and we get on with the game.

 

[ShahJahanII]

I always play on prince, and I have found the AI waaay to agressive post-patch