Best A.I

[DilithiumDad]

It's interesting, but it seems that the best AI varies a lot, and that's reflected int he answers in this thread.

But everyone agrees about the worst AI: Monty, Toku, Rangar and Isabella. Thanks to this forum, I now know why. These are the civs that won't trade tech unless they are at "Friendly" or better, which they never are. With anyone, human or AI!

A simple tweak to the coding for "willingness to trade tech" property would make these chronic loser AI's into formidable opponents!

 

[jimbob27]

I dunno, there's something more than that to some of them. Even with no-tech trading on, leaders like ragnar isabella and toku rarely do well.

They must have bad starting strategies. I'm guessing with somebody like isabella; she'll go for all the religious techs and neglect worker techs.... build monastries when she should be building workers... etc etc...

 

[ezwip]

So far the Ethiopian has given me the most trouble. Once he gets going if I don't attack him right away he will expand over every square inch of vacant territory. I've taken entire continents from him and he still stayed in the lead. While I was building land units he decided, to my suprise, to completely dominate the seas. Hannibal is very good also if he isn't right next to me so I can declare war I'll panic.

 

[magicalsushi]

But everyone agrees about the worst AI: Monty, Toku, Rangar and Isabella. Thanks to this forum, I now know why. These are the civs that won't trade tech unless they are at "Friendly" or better, which they never are. With anyone, human or AI!

I'm not sure that's actually the case for all four. It's not so much that they will only trade at 'friendly', it's that they'll only trade away techs which practically everyone already has. If I recall correctly, Tokugawa is the most extreme example; he will only trade away tech if he is friendly towards someone *and* every single other civ already has the tech. I'm pretty sure the others are somewhat more sensible.

But yeah, I agree with your basic point: they lose because they won't trade, for one reason or another. My limited experience with Stalin suggests he should be added to the list of isolationist losers.