AI's ICBM

[konigstiger]

Hi guys, I just started my first monarch game and was surprised and pleased by the challenge that the AI provides. In my regent games I have always led by 5-6 techs but not anymore, now AI can always level with me (P.S is this because of the patch or the monarch level AI?)

Anyways,since they can level with me, they can build ICBM as well, I'm currently playing with shaka and mao, both of them have ICBMs. I'm at war with shaka and it's been 5 turns since he declared war on me. At the 5th turn I captured a city which has ICBM, I was surprised that he hasn't used ICBM on me yet. Question is How often the AI use ICBM ? I don't have intell at shaka's capital but mao has 3, I assume shaka might have more because zulu is more advanced than chinese (in my game).

 

[Sparrowhawk]

I've only ever been nuked by an ICBM in response to a tactical nuke attack that I made. Mind you, I don't often go nuclear either.

 

[chiefpaco]

My capital was ICBMed first once & that was the only time I've seen them fly. Of course, I at least got to nuke back (took a while with only tactical nukes, but I had a couple, just to make sure) . I didn't see a diplomatic hit after nuke-ing back, but the other civs were on my side of the war.

 

[erix]

I realised that AI only uses nuclear bombs if you send them some. I've never been nuked before I nuked them.
When I'm ready to launch my space ship, I send all the nuclear bombs I have built before I take off. Than they have no time to send them back.

 

[RobertBaratheon]

once i was nuked first. i was playing monarch as aztecs, onlty the zulu and french were left. i think he must have sensed he was baout to lose as i was far ahead in everything and closing in on cultural victory. the zulu declared war drawing france in on my side.
i razed a few border cities my next turn. then he launched all his icbms, about two out of 8 hit as i had sdi, then of course i launched all of mine to simialr results as did france.

in this case, where every civ fires nukes, is there reputation loss?

but in any case, they nuked first.

 

[erix]

I think in that case, every civ lost reputation so it is not a problem.
The idea is be not the first one to use nuclear weapon, or launch your spaceship just after sending them.

 

[etj4Eagle]

The AI will at times be the first one to use a nuke. In a recent game I decided to invade France (had too many troops standing around doing nothing . Very soon into the war, the AI launched three ICBM's at me and then farther into the war the AI hit me with a couple of tactical nukes.

I think the AI just makes an analysis of the benifits and detriments of using its nuclear arsenal before authorizing their use. In this case the only other player was China, which was technologically far behind us and was on a different continent. And so posed no threat.

 

[kamosa]

I think the AI has a much greater chance of launching first if they are on a different contininent. I've never seen them launch first during a game with one contininent. However, they launch all the time in the version with all small islands.

 

[konigstiger]

I think the AI has a much greater chance of launching first if they are on a different contininent. I've never seen them launch first during a game with one contininent. However, they launch all the time in the version with all small islands.

In my case the zulu is in my continent, but mao is in another just a couple blocks off my capitol. I'd be better not to mess with him then .

Anyway, this is the first time the AI catched up with me and built nukes in civ3. Unlike the previous civ2 (in which the AI is so fond of nuking), I'm glad to find out that the AI don't just nuke "without thinking".

 

[No.Dice]

(P.S is this because of the patch or the monarch level AI?)

I think it may be because of the patch. Back in 1.16, i found monarch played almost exactly like regent and only spent one game there before moving to emperor.

 

[Marzipan]

In one game I had where Egypt was the big power, they had wiped everyone else off of their main continent. The Aztecs were on the other end, and somewhat in a defensive position because their main territory was not connected by land to the main continent that Egypt was taking over. Montezuma apparently realized his country was next on Egypt's list, and he launched a nuclear strike against Egypt's capital and another large Egyptian city. Egypt retaliated with two nukes too, one on the Aztecistan capital.

I knew something was going on when I got the news that Aztecs declared war on Egypt, followed immediately by "we lost our supply of . . ." whatever I was getting from Egypt. I then traded maps and saw the damage.

 

[Lt. 'Killer' M.]

Originally posted by No.Dice


I think it may be because of the patch. Back in 1.16, i found monarch played almost exactly like regent and only spent one game there before moving to emperor.

must be different playing styles.

I use 1.16, and I`m always at least an age ahead when I reach Modern times on Regent, half an age on Monarch, 1 or 2 tech on Emperor at most, and decidedly behind (I steal the techs for the age) on Deity (if I don`t poprush excessively).

 

[No.Dice]

I found that once i was able to beat regent, i went from a couple of techs ahead on regent, to almost half an age ahead on monarch. After monarch, i played one game at emperor which i won and moved up to deity, in which i was trashed pretty handily. I play huge pangaea maps with 16 civs almost exclusively, so the AI's production bonus got a bit out of hand expansion-wise on deity.

I find that if i surivive past the half-way point in the middle ages in good condition, the game is won no matter what the difficulty.

Emperor gives a good challenge in the early game, but it seems like the AI runs out of steam as the game progresses. In Deity, i find myself having to skip the ancient age all together, building a paper thin assortment of warrior, warrior, settler, and concentrating solely on expansion. If i'm still there once the industrial age comes along, the game was won.

I moved back down to emperor, because the game just wasn't as fun on Deity, and also didn't suit my preferences. Deity on a huge map with 16 civs is just asking for trouble.


You said you steal the techs on deity? With a 90-100% tax rate you could generate enough money to execute the high success rate espionage options every 3-5 turns. I was thinking of trying this in my next game as a late game 1.17 alternative to tech brokering. Though by the time the option rolls around, i can usually research faster than the AI.

EDIT: I thought you couldn't steal technology until you built the intelligence agency. I never played around with espionage until after i constructed it. Seems you can't collect enough cash to use it regularly until the mid-late middle ages anyway though.