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Civ 4 AI Advantages?

juanbobo

Warlord
Joined
Jan 7, 2009
Messages
123
I've begun experimenting with different difficulties and map sizes more and I wonder if the modifiers for technology, buildings, and units are the same for the AI as the player. Does the AI have any technical advantage?
 
Difficulty level is for the humans only by default. On levels below Noble the human gets bonuses, above Noble the computer gets them. On Noble both have about the same circumstances, though also there the AI gets a few bonuses. For example, upgrading units is cheaper for the AI also at Noble.

Difficulty level affects:
-health and happy bonuses
-research cost
-city and civic maintenance
-unit maintenance
-ai attitude towards humans (only slightly, but there is an effect)

and many more things.
 
Thank you for your response. From what I understand the game speed modifier affects technology, building, and unit cost and the game difficulty and map size affect only technology cost? As you say the research cost is different for the AI depending on the difficulty level so the only factor that is constant for the human and AI players is the cost of buildings and units?
 
Thank you for your response. From what I understand the game speed modifier affects technology, building, and unit cost and the game difficulty and map size affect only technology cost? As you say the research cost is different for the AI depending on the difficulty level so the only factor that is constant for the human and AI players is the cost of buildings and units?

I was not aware that map size affects tech cost, but perhaps it does.

Actually research cost varies for the player as well: up to warlord you get a research bonus.

And then there's the combat bonuses versus barbarians and animals. At the highest levels those disappear completely!

I think building costs stay the same, yeah. But keep in mind that the AI gets extra starting units at the higher levels.
 
Settler
+4 health
+6 happy
24 free units
+2 AI attitude
3 free techs:
Wheel, Agriculture, Mining
Huts:
20% technology, high gold
10% low gold
10% Settler, Worker, Warrior
5% Scout, experience, healing, maps
no barbarians
multipliers
research ×0.60
unit cost ×0.20
distance maint. ×0.45
civic upkeep ×0.50
inflation ×0.60
AI costs•• ×1.60
25% animal attack probability
animal strength: –70%
barbarians in 50 turns•••
barb. city creation prob.: 40%
5 free wins vs. barbarians
barbarian strength: –40%

Chieftain
+3 health
+5 happy
18 free units
+1 AI attitude
2 free techs:
Wheel, Agriculture
Huts:
20% high gold
15% technology
10% low gold
10% Settler, Worker, Warrior
5% Scout, experience, healing, maps
5% barbarians (only weak)
multipliers
research ×0.75
unit cost ×0.30
distance maint. ×0.55
civic upkeep ×0.60
inflation ×0.70
AI costs ×1.30
50% animal attack probability
animal strength: –60%
barbarians in 45 turns•••
barb. city creation prob.: 50%
4 free wins vs. barbarians
barbarian strength: –30%

Warlord
+2 health
+4 happy
12 free units
1 free tech: Wheel
Huts:
15% gold (high or low)
15% technology
10% Warrior, maps
5% Settler, Worker, Scout
5% experience, healing
5% barbarians (strong or weak)
multipliers
research ×0.90
unit cost ×0.40
distance maint. ×0.65
civic upkeep ×0.70
inflation ×0.80
AI costs ×1.10
75% animal attack probability
animal strength: –50%
barbarians in 40 turns•••
barb. city creation prob.: 50%
3 free wins vs. barbarians
barbarian strength: –20%

Noble
+2 health
+4 happy
8 free units
–1 AI attitude
Huts:
20% low gold
15% high gold
10% Warrior, technology, exp., maps
5% Scout, healing
5% strong barbarians
10% weak barbarians
multipliers
research ×1.00
unit cost ×0.50
distance maint. ×0.75
civic upkeep ×0.80
inflation ×0.90
AI costs ×1.00
85% animal attack probability
animal strength: –40%
barbarians in 35 turns•••
barb. city creation prob.: 60%
2 free wins vs. barbarians
barbarian strength: –10%

Prince
+2 health
+4 happy
6 free units
–1 AI attitude
Huts:
20% low gold
10% Warrior, technology, experience,
high gold, maps
5% Scout, healing
5% strong barbarians
15% weak barbarians
multipliers
research ×1.10
unit cost ×0.60
distance maint. ×0.85
civic upkeep ×0.90
inflation ×0.95
AI costs ×0.95
90% animal attack probability
animal strength: –30%
barbarians in 30 turns•••
barb. city creation prob.: 60%
1 free win vs. barbarians
barbarian strength: –5%

monarch
+2 health
+4 happy
4 free units
–1 AI attitude
AI starts with 1 Archer extra
Huts:
20% low gold
10% Warrior, technology,
experience, maps
5% Scout, healing, high gold
10% strong barbarians
15% weak barbarians
multipliers
research ×1.15
unit cost ×0.70
distance maint. ×0.90
civic upkeep ×0.95
inflation ×1.00
AI costs ×0.90
90% animal attack probability
animal strength: –20%
barbarians in 25 turns•••
barb. city creation prob.: 70%

Emperor
+2 health
+4 happy
3 free units
–1 AI attitude
AI starts with: 2 Archers,
2 Scouts, and 1 Settler
Huts:
25% low gold
10% technology, maps
5% Warrior, Scout, experience,
healing, high gold
15% weak barbarians
15% strong barbarians
multipliers
research ×1.20
unit cost ×0.80
distance maint. ×0.95
civic upkeep ×1.00
inflation ×1.00
AI costs ×0.85
90% animal attack probability
animal strength: –10%
barbarians in 20 turns•••
barb. city creation prob.: 70%

Immortal
+2 health
+4 happy
2 free units
–1 AI attitude
AI starts with: 3 Archers,
2 Scouts, 1 Worker, 1 Settler
Huts:
25% low gold
10% technology, maps
5% Warrior, Scout, experience,
healing
15% weak barbarians
20% strong barbarians
multipliers
research ×1.25
unit cost ×0.90
distance maint. ×1.00
civic upkeep ×1.00
inflation ×1.00
AI costs ×0.80
90% animal attack probability
animal strength: –5%
barbarians in 15 turns•••
barb. city creation prob.: 80%

Deity
+2 health
+4 happy
1 free unit
–1 AI attitude
AI starts with: 4 Archers,
2 Scouts, 1 Worker, 2 Settlers
Huts:
25% low gold
10% technology
5% Warrior, Scout, experience,
healing, maps
10% weak barbarians
30% strong barbarians
multipliers
research ×1.30
unit cost ×1.00
distance maint. ×1.00
civic upkeep ×1.00
inflation ×1.00
AI costs ×0.60
90% animal attack probability
barbarians in 10 turns•••
barb. city creation prob.: 80%
 
...and map size affect only technology cost?

There's a few other things it affects as well. City and corporation maintenance for instance, and the number of required buildings for things like Cathedrals etc. Also, the yields you get from Corporations are reduced as you go up as well.
 
Thank you everyone for your responses. I forgot to mention I am playing BTS if that changes anything? Are "unit cost" and "AI costs" both just the cost of things like maintenance? Also since the research modifier for the player is more and more in favor of the AI I guess the AI value remains constant?
 
Unit costs include unit maintenance costs (for # of units) and unit support costs (for units outside cultural borders). AI costs (if I am not mistaken, which I could be) include everything - :hammers: for buildings/units, :science: for tech, :gold: for upgrades/rushbuying.
 
are you sure that list is correct? I dont mean that to be rude, its great help, but Ive been playing on emperor lately and Ive not noticed they start with a settler? Maybe a worker...
 
are you sure that list is correct? I dont mean that to be rude, its great help, but Ive been playing on emperor lately and Ive not noticed they start with a settler? Maybe a worker...
The one settler is not one settler extra, I think. Only on Deity does the AI get to have two cities from the beginning.
 
Unit costs include unit maintenance costs (for # of units) and unit support costs (for units outside cultural borders). AI costs (if I am not mistaken, which I could be) include everything - :hammers: for buildings/units, :science: for tech, :gold: for upgrades/rushbuying.

Thanks for that nice summary of the differences, mario.

I noticed that even up to Emperor, Unit Cost = 0.80 and AI cost = 0.85. Does that mean units are more expensive for the AI to maintain at Emperor than for the player? That doesn't seem quite right, since they get pretty nice bonuses otherwise...
 
Unit cost is not the price of units, it's unit supply cost or something like that. The AI cost however does affect the price of units to the AI I believe.
 
Unit cost is not the price of units, it's unit supply cost or something like that. The AI cost however does affect the price of units to the AI I believe.

Right, but what I'm asking is if the maintenance costs are actually higher for the AI at that level, with 0.85 > 0.80.
 
Sorry, I read your post too quickly, I think you are right that the cost for the AI is 0.85 and the player is 0.80 as strange as it may seem.
 
The AI does get 5 more free units at emperor than does the player however. That means the ~6% difference in upkeep expenses per unit only favors the player when both civs have over 80 units to worry about. I guess this means the player gets the most mileage from major, late wars rather than smaller, earlier ones at emperor and below. At immortal and Deity, you just get screwed either way ;).
 
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