Difficulty levels, AI and bonuses

[MestreLion]

I know that a major factor that defines a difficulty level on the game are the bonuses given to the AI, like inicial units, research and production bonus, etc. Also, every difficulty has its own modifiers for happy cap, health cap, free units on supply costs, etc.

But, other than that, is the AI any smarter on higher difficulty levels? I mean, are the algorithms used for battle, producion order, worker usage, ie, the decisions made by the AI any different on each difficulty level?

I know they are more aggressive, both in terms of warmongering and trading, but, other than that, do they play in a different way, using a different pattern?

Im just curious how much of the difficulty of a given level is based on truly smarter AI or just plain handicap.

And no, this is NOT another thread complaining that the AI cheats! Actually, im not complaing at all. I just want to know if civ has only 1 or several sets of algorithms for the AI, of if everything from Settler to Deity is just a matter of modifiers/handicap/free units.

Thanks in advance!

 

[slobberinbear]

It's just an AI handicap. The "intelligence" is the same. Choosing "aggressive AI" alters some of its decision-making, but the difficulty level itself does not.

 

[MestreLion]

By "agressive AI" you mean leaders with agressive trait?

 

[MestreLion]

So, basically, the AI always play the same way, from Settler to Deity ??? The same decision-making and battle algorithms, only changing the initial condition and handicaps?

Another related question: does the AI have the same happiness and health caps as humans? I mean, beside production and research bonuses, do they at least play by the same rules?

 

[Lurking Liu]

By "agressive AI" you mean leaders with agressive trait?

I don't know about the post you made after this one, but I can at least answer this much. Next time you do a Custom Game, go through the options and you'll see "Aggressive AI." If you leave it unchecked, you're playing the default AI, which will build many units and go for a victory based on their leader's style (ie: Creative rulers will usually go for Cultural victories, etc).

If you check it, however, then the AI will put a much stronger emphasis on building military units instead of buildings or wonders, and will prefer to get military technologies instead of infrastructure-related ones. This doesn't inherently make the AI more violent, but because their power level is likely to be higher, they're more likely to declare war on one another and the player.

Gandhi, for instance, will still rarely, if ever, attack you. At the same time, you won't have an easy time of rolling him over with a rush, as he'll still have massive stacks of units to defend. I've *heard* of stacks of 90 units, but I only play normal AI, so I can't verify that myself.



That being said, I've seen stacks of 20-30 in Noble with normal AI, so it doesn't seem impossible...

 

[alex sword]

But, other than that, is the AI any smarter on higher difficulty levels?

From my experience - no, no and no. As Liu mentioned you can change their behavior using different settings, but "AI intellect", if we call it this way, won't be changed on different levels. But! Due to that fact the AIs are able to build units more quickly and have less upkeep and better research and ... - you will have more troubles dealing with them.

It similar to as if you play with 5-years old kid in some kind of military game. In first variant you both have water pistols and in second variant your water pistol stands against his tommy-gun. I can imagine you will have a lot of difficulties handling the second alternative, but anyway 5 years is 5 years and the kid is not an infantryman even having tommy.

P.S. All the above is true in general, but especially it's true for my friend Monty. This one is not just a 5 years kid. Certainly this one is mentally defective. I would not give him even a matchstick, because he probably will start great forest fire and dye.

 

[MestreLion]

Humm, thanks for the info. It means the have has (at least) 2 sets of algorithms... 1 for "standard play" and another for "agressive" play. But, as you said, this "agressive" only means he plays more focused on military. It surely can change many aspects of the game, but it doesnt make the AI necessarily play better, so it does not imply the game is harder (altought it can be harder if the human is not used to more military).

I wonder if there are any other "sets" of AI gameplay other than that. Its kinda surprising to me the AI plays exactly the same way from Settler to Deity. So if i create a Settler game, enter an immaginary "super world builder" and give the AI all the extra units, and sive him all the bonuses, it will be the same as a Deity game?

 

[Ankh]

Galactic Civilisations 2 disables some algorithms on the lower levels but Civ4 doesn't. Civ works with a huge amount of handicaps instead.

Agressive AI checkbox just means that the AI build more units not nesseserly that it plays more agressive.

 

[MestreLion]

From my experience - no, no and no. As Liu mentioned you can change their behavior using different settings, but "AI intellect", if we call it this way, won't be changed on different levels.

I posted my last comment before seeing yours, sorry. Yes, my question was exactly about the "AI intellect".. my english is poor so sometimes i get very repetitive trying to express myself...

Thanks for you and Liu for the answers... quite surpring to me, btw. I thought at first that there was a unique AI intellect for each difficulty level. Then, after reading about the so many changes in handicaps, units and bonuses, i started to think there was only a few (maybe 4) different "sets", perhaps the same 'basic intellect' modified for different efficiency for similar dificulty groups, like "dumb" for Settler-Chietain-Warlord, "normal" for noble and prince, "smart" for monarch and empreror, and finally "all-the-intelligence and-strategy-the-programmers-at-firaxys-were-able-to-code-for-maximum-efficency" for Immortal and Deity, and the units and other handicaps were used to fine-tune the difficulty at the desired scale.

 

[Handel]

Actually choosing "agressive AI" makes the game easier.

 

[Saltiana]

I think you forget one think : diplomacy.

At higher level it's a lot tougher to please an AI and the AI bribe more often other AI to attack you.

BTW, if you want a correct AI (and smarter), play with solver's patch

 

[MestreLion]

I never messed with patches... always afraid of messing up with my game.. lol. I only installed 1 mod, its a manager for units on the tile. AWESOME btw.. It stacks units in colmuns according to unit type, and add many buttons for unit grouping.

Ill try this one you mentioned, ive read lots of freat feedback about it, and lots of players seem to use it. However, I never complained about the AI intelligence, it was more a curiosity about the difficulty settings. But it will be nice to try different AI algorithms. Ill take it a shot if i can manage my 1st Emperor game that ill start tomorrow..

 

[axident]

Actually choosing "agressive AI" makes the game easier.

Only if you're used to it, but yes, if you anticipate larger AI armies you can get an ever bigger tech lead on them as they waste resources on troops.