thatpinkcoconut
Chieftain
- Joined
- Mar 18, 2025
- Messages
- 2
First of all, I understand why the AI needs bonuses or penalties based on difficulty settings. I get how complicated a game like this is, and that there will never be a perfect way to implement or optimize how the AI works. It is what it is.
That said, these bonuses can feel a bit jarring, especially at the beginning of an age when other leaders are already pulling 3x or more yields.
Now, before anyone jumps in saying the game is too easy even on Deity, I'm just a casual player. I can play comfortably up to Immortal. Even then, by mid-game, it does start to feel too easy (which is another issue). But in this context, my main problem is how the AI gets all these bonuses immediately, it just feels sudden and unfair.
So here's my suggestion: instead of giving the bonuses right away, why not have them scale up gradually over time? For example, the AI could receive small bonus increments each turn until they reach the cap for their difficulty level. That would smooth out the early game curve and make things feel more natural.
Meanwhile, to address the late-game being too easy, you could raise the bonus cap itself. That way, the bonuses can be bigger, but because they grow gradually, it “flows” better alongside the human player’s progress.
For instance, on Deity, the AI currently gets an 80% bonus to Army XP (I think it’s percent? Flat value? Not sure). Change that to 100, or heck, even 160. But don’t give it to them all at once. Start at +2, then add +2 each turn. By turn 80, they'd be at +160. By that point, a human player should already be able to match that or even outperform it.
Another example: on Deity, the human player gets a 40% Tech Cost Increase. Say we double that to 80, but apply it gradually in +1 increments.
You get the idea.
For those who prefer the current system, or just don’t like this idea, why not have it as an option? Maybe call it “Standard” vs. “Incremental” that can be set per game/save.
What do you guys think?
That said, these bonuses can feel a bit jarring, especially at the beginning of an age when other leaders are already pulling 3x or more yields.
Now, before anyone jumps in saying the game is too easy even on Deity, I'm just a casual player. I can play comfortably up to Immortal. Even then, by mid-game, it does start to feel too easy (which is another issue). But in this context, my main problem is how the AI gets all these bonuses immediately, it just feels sudden and unfair.
So here's my suggestion: instead of giving the bonuses right away, why not have them scale up gradually over time? For example, the AI could receive small bonus increments each turn until they reach the cap for their difficulty level. That would smooth out the early game curve and make things feel more natural.
Meanwhile, to address the late-game being too easy, you could raise the bonus cap itself. That way, the bonuses can be bigger, but because they grow gradually, it “flows” better alongside the human player’s progress.
For instance, on Deity, the AI currently gets an 80% bonus to Army XP (I think it’s percent? Flat value? Not sure). Change that to 100, or heck, even 160. But don’t give it to them all at once. Start at +2, then add +2 each turn. By turn 80, they'd be at +160. By that point, a human player should already be able to match that or even outperform it.
Another example: on Deity, the human player gets a 40% Tech Cost Increase. Say we double that to 80, but apply it gradually in +1 increments.
You get the idea.
For those who prefer the current system, or just don’t like this idea, why not have it as an option? Maybe call it “Standard” vs. “Incremental” that can be set per game/save.
What do you guys think?
