Better AI vs. Science frenzy?

[skallben]

I recently started playing Civ again, now for the first time with 2.08. The changes to the AI have results that are just CRAZY:
Feudalism in 15 AD...
Artillery vs. Riflemen...
Modern era in the 1500th-1600th century.

I really LOVE the mid-game, just like all other parts - but with current game setup I get screwed over and it gets left out. Development is just too fast, dark ages is too fast, renaissance is way to fast and industrial era is next to non-existant.

The reason that this happens is obviously because the trade-frenzy the AI got, IE one AI gets X new tech, next turn he traded it away to EVERYONE. Also, the AI is completely crazy about giving all techs away to their vassals.

Im playing Emperor games, huge maps, epic speed. But this shouldnt be an issue, game rules change with the settings AFAIK.

Now Im curious, how will this mod effect these issues?
Is it likely I will have a more enjoyable game using this mod?

 

[gnome]

If the game progresses too rapidly for your tastes, you may enjoy the "Marathon" setting instead of "Epic".

 

[skallben]

Thank you but you are missing the point here I think. Im fine with game-speed in general but Im not fine with the acceleration of development thats happening post 2.08.

 

[Monkeyfinger]

You're playing on emperor, so the AIs have inflated research rates.

You're playing on huge maps, which by definition means more civs, which in turn means more trade partners for the AI.

You might be playing on single landmass maps like pangaea or lakes, you didn't specify. If you are, that gives everyone the ability to meet each other without climbling to techs like optics, increasing the trade spamming even more.

Change your game settings, dude. If you get the AI patch, lowering your difficulty setting is smart anyway. In the better AI patch, is the AI is better at researching on their own, but less crazy about trading with each other while leaving you out of the loop. Discrimination against human players just for being human doesn't really happen in this mod.

You could always just turn tech trading off in the custom game options menu if it pisses you off that much. It's a big part of why games like yours advance so fast.

 

[skallben]

You're playing on emperor, so the AIs have inflated research rates.

You're playing on huge maps, which by definition means more civs, which in turn means more trade partners for the AI.

I know, I know but it was managable prior to 2.08 actually. And I play Terra/Small Landmass btw = that should actually negate this effect a bit

Change your game settings, dude. If you get the AI patch, lowering your difficulty setting is smart anyway. In the better AI patch, is the AI is better at researching on their own, but less crazy about trading with each other while leaving you out of the loop. Discrimination against human players just for being human doesn't really happen in this mod.

That's what I wanted to hear! Im actually getting the merged Revolutions+Better AI and Im gonna use the diminished handicaps aswell. Thinking to try it out on Monarch and spam culture to invoke more revolutions and unrest

 

[gnome]

Thank you but you are missing the point here I think. Im fine with game-speed in general but Im not fine with the acceleration of development thats happening post 2.08.

Maybe I did misunderstand... if you're disappointed with the number of turns available to each "era" then the "marathon" choice will improve that. If you're disappointed with the way advancement doesn't seem to match the year... that's always a problem. I'd rather be satisfied with the former than the latter.

That said, Better AI is great!

 

[skallben]

Yeah it seems cool, Im trying it out currently together Revolutions. Only at medieval age but it seems ages last longer now, less tech-spam from AI:s. Remains to be seen if development speeds up or not

 

[Khamul]

Thank you but you are missing the point here I think. Im fine with game-speed in general but Im not fine with the acceleration of development thats happening post 2.08.

You can change the research percents. There is a file called 'gamespeedinfo', or something like that. It's easily editable.

I'm playing marathon speed. Research in marathon takes 300% of normal speed, but I have changed it to 350% or 360%. So now research time is longer for every tech.

Is there any way to change single techs? Does anyone know?

 

[skallben]

Yeah I found a file you can edit.
Civilization 4\Warlords\Assets\XML\Technologies\CIV4TechInfos.xml

Maybe if you made a calculation of the average inflation of tech-costs through the ages and just raise it even more. I might look into it if I get time.

 

[khumak]

You could just turn off tech trading...

BTW, I've actually found the AI to be researching slower with the latest better ai mod. Probably because of the increased military builds.

 

[skallben]

Yep I had the same experience, AI is definately teching slower. Don't want to turn it off anyways, don't wanna alter core-elements of the game too far. However, Im finding Financial trait somewhat overpowered - its allways the financial Civ's that tech like mad, often long ahead of the rest. Also the fact the AIs give away all they got to their vassals, really annoying that.

 

[Uncle_Joe]

I was just recently a victim of the AI's tendancy to keep it's vassals up to speed. Playing as Mehmed, I had fought a few wars against neighboring Churchill and Mansa. I eventually beat Mansa down pretty hard and he became a vassal to Churchill (which of course, started a war). I fought against the two a few times over the course of the next 500 years or so.

Now usually by the late Renaissance or early Industrial if I'm in good shape I tend to be able to pull ahead and win. This was fully what I was expecting this game too after having trounced Toku on the other border and having a pretty sizeable empire. But the next time Churchill attacked (right after getting to Redcoats), he had Mansa with him and equally teched up to Rifles. Either of those two I could have taken on without issue, but two nations with huge stacks of top-of-the-line tech eventually just wore me down and I eventually folded.

I was VERY impressed to actually have been beaten militarily at that point. Rarely do I see vassals amount to much, but Mansa and Churchill were actually almost equals and it showed when I was double-teamed. I had Toku as a vassal, but he was really backwards and didnt have much to contribute. I began to wonder if things would have gone differently if I had actually developed up Toku like the Churchill/Mansa vassalage had done....