Best AI Team Mate?

[swinenston]

I am about to start a new multiplayer game in which we (the human players) are all taking an AI civ as a team mate. I was wondering if anyone has any strong opinions on which is the best to go with? We're all taking random starting Civs but can choose our partners (just to complicate things). So, given that (little!) information, any thoughts? (I should add I have only been able to list civilizations as opposed to leaders since poll limits to only 20 possible options, but I welcome specific thoughts on thread replies)

 

[HaroldErwin]

I always try to team up with someone financial if I can when I play human + AI teams. Leaves me to build more troops while hopefully they can cover a good outlay for science.

 

[pholkhero]

hmmm....never done a team thing, but a financial AI (perhaps ol georgie porgie or vicky) with a human agg/ind (nap), or ind/exp (bismarck??) sounds good to me (edit to make a complete sentence)

 

[Crighton]

I went with Greece on the premise that you'd be taking the lead in Tech and keeping him as your war dog. If you want to do the reverse then I'd say be Roman and go with Mansa Musa.

Since it's random I'd first figure if your civ will be one or the other and then pick the opposite so you can round things out.

 

[Dusty Monkey]

I voted for russia. Actualy, I voted for cossacks.

 

[CarlCarlson]

I went with Greece on the premise that you'd be taking the lead in Tech and keeping him as your war dog. If you want to do the reverse then I'd say be Roman and go with Mansa Musa.

Since it's random I'd first figure if your civ will be one or the other and then pick the opposite so you can round things out.

Yeah I was thinking Caesar/Mansa combo as well.

 

[Perfect_Blue]

Never had her as a team mate, but if you get the same religion as Spain in any game, better yet found it, then Isabella will heed your every beck and call.

 

[lutzj]

I went with Greece on the premise that you'd be taking the lead in Tech and keeping him as your war dog. If you want to do the reverse then I'd say be Roman and go with Mansa Musa.

Since it's random I'd first figure if your civ will be one or the other and then pick the opposite so you can round things out.

I agree let Alex do the work!

 

[ArmoredCavalry]

Though I voted for Russia (I seem to always be friendly to catherine), I've actually used toku as a shield againts Monty. I never thought an isolationist civ would be so useful because of that trait.

 

[Yzman]

I also boted Greece and Mongolia. As soon as you on are good terms with them, you can count on them for wars.

 

[Hans Lemurson]

Mansa Musa FTW!!!!

He'll tech you up real good, and you won't have to worry about keeping up with him. Just make sure he doesn't die, and you're golden.

 

[jerVL/kg]

I voted for Egypt. Hatty always seems to pop up with that critical tech trade that I need, and if she gets powerful enough (which is rare) she's great to be riding into war with. She never seems to get on the rag like Cathy or Izzy (or Alex, for that matter ) and she seems infinitely forgiving even after you declared war on her and captured 3/4ths of her country.

Mansa's an excellent trading partner, but I've never fought a war on his side. I have a tendency to crush his civilization because I'm bored.

 

[Crighton]

Mansa is an aggravating little #$%@# if you don't completely crush he springs up like some kind of weed always popping up with techs.... bugger.

 

[cabert]

I'm not too familiar with those games (will try once). Thus no answer but questions:
What are the rules?
Do you share tech from the beginning? Do you have to trade anything, or are you going all out war?
If there is no trade, Japan could be good. If you share every tech from the beginning, you should choose complementary tech starts (you got fishing and wheel/he's got agriculture and mining for instance)

 

[Wreck]

You do share tech from the beginning, which means you'll usually start w/ a scout. If your partner gets 2 of any resource you lack, he'll give it to you the next turn. You also share wonder effects; that is, if your partner builds stonehenge, you get free obelisks. And you share wars; as soon as either partner is at war, both are, and same for peace treaties. (I have not seen my AI partner declare war, actually.)

One minor omission is that you can't control your AI partner's civic choices or religion; you can't even request that he change them. So you'll probably want to choose a teammate whose favorite civics are ones you'll want.

It's quite enlightening to watch how the AI plays. I like to play a OCC game w/ a teammate, against other pairs of AI teammates. (4 teams in small is about right for a fast and fun game.) The AI is awful about taking cities; it basically just creates endless forces and sends them at the enemy. If they are near a city, they usually attack it, regardless of odds. So you end up with lots of defenders getting promotions, which makes success less and less likely. If an AI happens to get lucky it may end up taking a city, but usually it is necessary for you the human to do. In OCC it is particularly hard since you want your AI to capture the city; so you need to knock down the walls, then kill everything inside down to one unit, and hope your bonehead partner wins.

 

[Wreck]

Regarding the OPs question: unless you are doing OCC for the humans (which you didn't say so I assume not), you want to choose the AI to do tech and to be able to defend itself, but not attack particularly well. The AI attack is too lousy to worry about; it will never beat another AI unless it has a strong tech advantage and/or a huge production advantage. (Which it won't have, because in the proposed game all AIs will have a human partner to guide research.)

In terms of traits, you want "builder" traits for the partner. Definitely want Financial. For the second trait... well, that depends. Here's my rundown:

1. Organized (Washington/America) - good if you intend to give the AI lots of cities. Otherwise reasonable, but not great. Likes Universal Suffrage, which is great.
2. Spiritual (Mansa/Mali) - Not the greatest trait for AIs, but then what is? Good UU for early defense. Likes Free Markets, which is fine.
3. Creative (Catherine/Russia) - strong trait for AIs, which otherwise have problems popping borders (though you can build Stonehenge otherwise). Downside is favorite civic (Hereditary Rule).
4. Expansive (Victoria/England) - helpful trait for any AI, particularly good if you intend to give the AI cities. Likes Representation, which is not good.
5. Philosophical (Elizabeth/England) - I don't particularly want the AI controlling GPs. And I don't want it making farms for GPs - I want it making cottages. Likes Free Religion, which is fine.
6. Industrious (Qin/China) - don't want AI building wonders, plus Qin likes Police State civic.
7. Aggressive (Huayna/Incas) - AIs suck at war, so aggressive is mostly wasted. Plus he loves Hereditary Rule, which is not what you want. And UU not good for early defense.

I'd suggest Mali. Its UU insures it is not vulnerable to anything less than Praetorians. Or Washington.

If you're lucky, you'll draw an aggressive civ yourself. I'm pretty sure you can give cities to partner (you'll want to check this), so you can found them then let the AI run them if you're not financial. In terms of war, the AI will rarely if ever take cities. Thus, it won't grow beyond the original expansion unless you help it.

 

[Elmstr]

Egypt, the are very tollerant.
Never played with mali though

 

[InfoCynic]

My experience in Team plays says that the LAST member of each team determines the starting tech (at least in PTBS), so all teams start with 2 techs, specifically, the 2 of the highest-numbered player on the team. Which means if you want a particular 2 start techs, organize your team accordingly.

 

[Kalleyao]

I like team mates who are rich and can support my long wars.

 

[naterator]

i don't think aggressive AI is a waste. you can direct where and when they attack through the diplomacy screen.