Acken
Deity
If at least the mac code was available.
Acken's Minimalistic Balance for singleplayer (and AI improvements)
- Thread starter Acken
- Start date
Acken
Deity
As a side note I'm currently working on a version where AI personality has more influence on AI approach toward other Civ. So that a Ghengis is almost a guaranteed Dow while Gandhi should be relatively friendly. The current issue you're facing is on the deceptive side of things. Gandhi shouldn't get into deceptive. That's more a Dido or Maria kind of thing. Overall the Diplomacy need some serious work.
Also as far as war is concerned I'm definetely going to nerf down the AI free XP. Or the discounts for promotions rather and see if it makes early wars a bit more fluid rather than being constantly hit by insta heals and level 4 units.
Mustakrakish
In 'Node' We Trust
Does random personalities have some unforeseen effects on overall behavior? I'd guess so. I probably should try a game with it off. Not playing on high difficulties, just prince and king, the AI seems to be much better and formidable compared to vanilla. They are aggressive though, very much so.
I had a game as Carthage on king where war was the only way to survive for me, otherwise I was getting severely beaten by culture, so I was the aggressor, had to be. I even almost paid the price when big players in the world decided to stop me. Was very challenging, but I won. Next game as Ethiopia after the latest update I accidentally started on prince. And here I tasted their aggressiveness. Everyone on my continent wanted me out for the simple fact that I existed it seemed. They basically beaten me back to stone age. After initial 30-50 turns or so of peace, there was basically not a turn of peace. 5 AI's all trying a piece of me. It's good they had some sort of unwritten rule to war against me taking turns and not 2 or more at the same time
I won of course, it's prince after all. Anyway after that one game AI turned into total pushovers 
5 games in a row now.
BTW I use "no insta-heal" mod, it improves combat significantly IMO.
I had a game as Carthage on king where war was the only way to survive for me, otherwise I was getting severely beaten by culture, so I was the aggressor, had to be. I even almost paid the price when big players in the world decided to stop me. Was very challenging, but I won. Next game as Ethiopia after the latest update I accidentally started on prince. And here I tasted their aggressiveness. Everyone on my continent wanted me out for the simple fact that I existed it seemed. They basically beaten me back to stone age. After initial 30-50 turns or so of peace, there was basically not a turn of peace. 5 AI's all trying a piece of me. It's good they had some sort of unwritten rule to war against me taking turns and not 2 or more at the same time
I won of course, it's prince after all. Anyway after that one game AI turned into total pushovers 5 games in a row now.BTW I use "no insta-heal" mod, it improves combat significantly IMO.
Acken
Deity
Random personality make them a bit unpredictable or inconsistent. It randomize their stats.
It occurred to me while playing today that Open Borders, as it stands, is a pretty dysfunctional thing in general, especially relating to the AI's use of it (which is why I think it's worth mentioning for this mod.)
It's almost never worth it to sell Open Borders to the AI for 1 gpt. If you do, it'll generate hassles for you ranging from extra Tourism to units blocking your roads to the AI amassing massive invasion forces and marching them inside or through your lands without you being able to tell them to stop short of declaring war yourself.
Once you're generating decent Tourism and lots of money, it's usually worth it to get Open Borders from the AI for 1 gpt (if they like you, I guess.) Also, getting cheap Open Borders from an AI can let you snipe their archaeology sites!
Maybe Open Borders should have to be mutual, like Research Agreements? Or at least upcosted maybe, since in both cases the gold seems like it is rarely worth as much as the Open Borders (this has the disadvantage of being able to sell Open Borders to AIs that can't get much from it, similar to selling around excess strategics that won't really do the AI much good.)
It's almost never worth it to sell Open Borders to the AI for 1 gpt. If you do, it'll generate hassles for you ranging from extra Tourism to units blocking your roads to the AI amassing massive invasion forces and marching them inside or through your lands without you being able to tell them to stop short of declaring war yourself.
Once you're generating decent Tourism and lots of money, it's usually worth it to get Open Borders from the AI for 1 gpt (if they like you, I guess.) Also, getting cheap Open Borders from an AI can let you snipe their archaeology sites!
Maybe Open Borders should have to be mutual, like Research Agreements? Or at least upcosted maybe, since in both cases the gold seems like it is rarely worth as much as the Open Borders (this has the disadvantage of being able to sell Open Borders to AIs that can't get much from it, similar to selling around excess strategics that won't really do the AI much good.)
Mustakrakish
In 'Node' We Trust
DoFs seem to be severely screwed as of latest few games. People seem to ask for DoF when all but one insignificant modifier are in the red, being at war in the past and me controlling their capital, asking for it as soon as out of denunciation timer, while not having even an embassy. 
I agree, but that's unrelated to this mod.
I agree, but that's unrelated to this mod.
Acken
Deity
DoFs seem to be severely screwed as of latest few games. People seem to ask for DoF when all but one insignificant modifier are in the red, being at war in the past and me controlling their capital, asking for it as soon as out of denunciation timer, while not having even an embassy.
Hmmm this is weird.
Does it happen consistently ?
Mustakrakish
In 'Node' We Trust
It does happen quite often now. People being in the red and yet being friendly and offering DoFs.
Re DOF requests: I would imagine the AI trying to finagle a research agreement or a gift of gold. 
Acken
Deity
I have made a new experimental. The DoF issues may have been solved. Lack testing time 
Find the first try at v8 here :
https://www.dropbox.com/s/2jib1jfgwv4er8g/Acken's Minimalistic Balance (v 8).civ5mod?dl=0
it is save game compatible although the AI effect may not affect a game already started.
Find the first try at v8 here :
https://www.dropbox.com/s/2jib1jfgwv4er8g/Acken's Minimalistic Balance (v 8).civ5mod?dl=0
it is save game compatible although the AI effect may not affect a game already started.
Spoiler :
Mustakrakish
In 'Node' We Trust
How about pentagon giving... say maintenance free 1 infantry, 1 tank, 1 fighter, 1 bomber besides the usual bonus? Doubling your army at that stage seems a bit excessive.
Something like that (plus minus, maybe 2 and 2 fighters bombers and 1 tank and 1 infantry) would make for a nice boost for small civs and won't be a complete overkill for the "big stick" leader.
Something like that (plus minus, maybe 2 and 2 fighters bombers and 1 tank and 1 infantry) would make for a nice boost for small civs and won't be a complete overkill for the "big stick" leader.
Acken
Deity
It doesnt double your army it give 1 of each type you alrewdy have.
Mustakrakish
In 'Node' We Trust
Oooh, ok, I misread, then it's all good.
gorilla warfare
Chieftain
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2016
- Messages
- 17
If only bazookas and their lower types wouldn't have 2 tiles attack range, it would be perfect. I just can't handle it. 
Acken
Deity
It's easily fixable in the units.sql file. Just remove the lines you dislike. Should be easy to figure it out.
Jarhead60
Chieftain
Acken, Kudos on this mod. I only moved to BNW a few weeks ago. So I was only playing Prince level on the game without your mod so I could learn the changes from G&K. I wasn't really having a problem on Prince so moved to King. Then I put your mod in and yikes. I have been getting my butt kicked. Gonna have to back off to a level below prince to learn it. But man I love it, the game just seems to make so much more sense with the policies and building etc.
Edit: is there a place I can find the differences between the levels using your mod (both human and AI)?
Edit: is there a place I can find the differences between the levels using your mod (both human and AI)?
Acken
Deity
For the exact numbers you'd have to go in the files (difficulties.xml and handicaps.sql) as I'm too lazy to list them. But as a summary you can pick the numbers from Vanilla with a few nerfs in some places (growth, unit XP, unit production bonus).
Then the AI has a lesser penalty to techs per number of cities than humans. Humans are 0.05*N^0.75 (vanilla is 0.05*N) while AI have an exponent that goes from 0.75 to 0.45 at Deity.
The AI has a small boost to hapiness compared to Vanilla (+5%).
Finally the growth bonus the AI gets is handled differently which is a substantial boost in most cases. Instead of reducing the amount of growth required for the next pop, the bonus reduces the amount of food consumed by population. So that a 50% bonus at deity no longer cuts in half the amount of food required for growing but cuts in half the amount of food consumed. This way is a boost on low levels of food and a nerf on high levels of food. The AI having a tendency to have cities on the lower side of food this change is in general a buff (and is the reason why I nerfed the bonus number to compensate a bit).
Most of the changes in AI power however are due to balance change and AI improvements. Most notably the fact that the AI is "taught" what is good and what is bad. For example, the base game allows the player a large window for settling his cities by slowing down AI early expansion. The mod considers this nerfs the AI too much against competent players and will force the AI to expand early (although I had to throtle it down a bit at high difficulties because of too many unfun scenarios).
