AI Poland's unlimited expansion?

[werothegreat]

So yesterday I decided to play a game (no, I don't have the save, I was too frustrated to bother) where I decided to play as France. Get a reasonable start in Flood Plains, get several Culture Ruins, and then a 60 Faith Ruin just in time to found Desert Folklore, and eventually found the first religion! Things are looking up. My build order was two scouts, Shrine, Great Library, having picked up a free Monument through Tradition. As I'm building the Great Library, and am scouting around, I notice something odd. Byzantium and Ethiopia both have 2, then 3 cities, all well good and to be expected. But Poland has 4. Then 5. Encroaching toward me. I dash to the free Settler policy in Liberty to snag the Silver north of me before Casimir does, and of course he yells at me for expanding near him even though he now has 6 cities. When the little bastard has NINE cities (forget the actual turn, I think maybe 80? I've done two scouts, Shrine, GL, Water Mill, Hanging Gardens, Settler), he declares war on me. Now at this point, with everything I've built, I also have one more city (purchased Settler), a single Worker, two Archers, and a Warrior. Poland marches in an army of 4 each of Catapults, Horsemen, Composite Bowmen, and Spearmen, and takes Orleans in two turns. And yet somehow, with NINE cities, he does not have a Happiness problem. How is that even possible?

EDIT: This was on King difficulty.

 

[TheBoulderite]

Yeah, I'm on Prince right now using the Israel Mod and the Ynaemp TSL. Casimir has founded multiple cities, completely taken over Austria, nearly taken the Netherlands, and took over someone I haven't met. In total, he's in control of four former capitals. If he takes Byzantium or Greece, then I'm going to freak out.

 

[TheBoulderite]

To answer your question, though, I have no idea how he does it.

 

[phillipwyllie]

How do you know he doesn't have a happiness problem? There are only 3 ways without mods. One is when they pick an ideology, second is when you attack a unit you will see the negative modifier due to unhappiness in the combat preview, and lastly the game gives you a report who is the most happy etc

To answer your question if you settle a unique luxury you can pretty much ICS, although when those cities grow there will be problems. Add in happiness buildings from religion and you can found even more. The AI always plays on settler difficulty regardless of your chosen difficulty so it doesn't get as much unhappiness from cities/population as you do.

 

[Question]

Doesnt the AI have happiness bonuses?

 

[joncnunn]

And yet somehow, with NINE cities, he does not have a Happiness problem. How is that even possible?

EDIT: This was on King difficulty.

Doesnt the AI have happiness bonuses?

Yes, In BNW, the AI plays on the "AI Default Handicap level", which gives them 90% of the unhappiness a human does on Prince. (And a flat 6 extra starting happiness as well)

If this map is larger than standard, then all players also get reduced per city unhappiness compared to standard map size.

 

[DarkestOnion]

Poland gets a Free Social Policy in each New Age so they can burn through Liberty and Spam Settlers sometimes.

 

[OBRkenobi]

i had a similar problem when i was playing as england and the ottomans were spamming cities closer and closer to me to the point where they had cut me off from the rest of the continent and overseas because i was nowhere near researching astronomy yet i was pretty pissed off but he had a far superior army than me...but luckily my other neighbors the aztecs and india asked me to declare war on him naturally i accepted to wait ten turns and proceeded to build a large army which costed me a bit but paid off in the long run and suleiman also bet me to a wonder by 1 turn so when the time came with my allies and my armies ready i took his nearest cities and we have peace to this day but im only waiting until i unlock longbowmen and ships of the line so i can demolish his capital which is only across a small channel from my capital wish me luck and to answer your question the AI recieves a happiness bonus depending on the difficulty

 

[Mutineer]

I do not know what problem is, because I can easy expend to 10 cities. Poland is expansion flavor civ. So, having 10 cities is not that unusual for humans, AI have happiness bonuses.

 

[Doktor Vic Tim]

You can see if thr AI has a happiness problem when you attack their units. Each point of total happiness in negative gives a -2% combat penalty. IF no penalty is there, no happiness problem.

 

[RCM88x]

I often times see Poland AI expanding until they simply cant build settlers anymore due to unhappiness, which is usually around 12-18 cities. They usually end up screwing themselves over with unhappiness by the late game if they haven't rolled over all their neighbors by then.

 

[Illianor]

Happiness bonus and unhappiness reductions

Great Library is an over rated wonder. There are more important things to build early on generally, like some additional units.