Originally posted by dfhny
Mr Sultan:
When you get to Monarch level do you find that the AI cheats massively? That was my exp last night.
Dan
Brooklyn
Hey Dan,
I think there are levels of cheating built through out the game to some extent.
I am learning Civ3 and am playing at the 2nd level of difficulty (warlord I think).
In this game, the chinese are on another continent. There best naval unit is the frigate. The best lands are cavalry, riflemen and cannon. I have already progressed to tanks, infantry, artillery, battleships, destroyers and marines.
I have had cases where I mass 3-4 arty pieces against a city, do a prebombardment with all 4 guns then literally hit the city with tanks and cavalry with no effect (only 3 riflemen defenders). I watched 3 tanks, 5 cavalry and an infantry all get taken down to 1 hp while no damage occurs on the defending riflemen who have already lost their walls.
Then, on a counter attack, the AI will throw a cavalry unit against a stack of 2 tanks and he will carve through 1 of them as though a not knife through butter.
This occurs repeatedly. I am being forced to stack arty and infantry with my tank units just for defense; all the while on an offensive operation.
It is all rather frustrating to be 60-100 years ahead technologically and have units considered advanced by the average of the other civs to be destroyed helter skelter as opposed to occasionally.
I also suspect that the same is occuring with how AI civs grow in the early game. I struggle with having just 4-5 cities by 20AD.
Then look at a post game movie and notice that by the same time, the AI civs will have 8-10. So it really makes me wonder what incentives the AI civs are being given.