Does Civ Cheat?

[Toxitalk]

I have read alot of posts about this, and was wondering the following.

1) Theres talk that the ai civs can see the whole map from turn 1, if this is the case then I would agree this is a little unfair, and was wondering if there is anything you can do with the latest version of the conquests game (I.E. like a reveal map?)

2) Theres also a lot of talk about the speed at which the AI settles land. How does it acheive this? (Does it make settler factories, or as soon as a cities can support producing a settler it does)

3) Is there any evidence the the AI civs gang up on you as standard (not when you gone out of your way to upset them)

There is probably more, but I cant think of any for the mo.

Look forward to any thoughts on the above.

Regent Toxitalk.

 

[Turner]

I have read alot of posts about this, and was wondering the following.

1) Theres talk that the ai civs can see the whole map from turn 1, if this is the case then I would agree this is a little unfair, and was wondering if there is anything you can do with the latest version of the conquests game (I.E. like a reveal map?)

The game does not cheat. While it's true that the AI has bonus' (of which knowledge of the map is considered), they are all known and can be countered. The game itself does not cheat in favor of the AI.

2) Theres also a lot of talk about the speed at which the AI settles land. How does it acheive this? (Does it make settler factories, or as soon as a cities can support producing a settler it does)

In levels above Regent the AI gets a production bonus as well, meaning that all units/improvements/wonders are cheaper for it. So while they're not making settler factories, the end result is the same.

3) Is there any evidence the the AI civs gang up on you as standard (not when you gone out of your way to upset them)

There is probably more, but I cant think of any for the mo.

Look forward to any thoughts on the above.

Regent Toxitalk.

Ganging up is not really a cheat. It's just good military tactics. I have had the AI gang up on me, but usually I counter this by ganging up on the AI first. If you can afford to do it, it usually works out better for you in the long run.

 

[Mirc]

I have read alot of posts about this, and was wondering the following.

1) Theres talk that the ai civs can see the whole map from turn 1, if this is the case then I would agree this is a little unfair, and was wondering if there is anything you can do with the latest version of the conquests game (I.E. like a reveal map?)

You certainly can set a scenario to reveal the entire map from the editor. You have to create a scenario for this though.


And yes there are more bonuses. The most annoying of them is that food bonus they get. Also annoying are the starting units bonuses. *Waits for someone to post the exact number of bonus units on Sid...

 

[Tomoyo]

1) Theres talk that the ai civs can see the whole map from turn 1, if this is the case then I would agree this is a little unfair, and was wondering if there is anything you can do with the latest version of the conquests game (I.E. like a reveal map?)

The AI can 'see' all of the land, but it's so stupid that it can't really do anything useful with that knowledge.

2) Theres also a lot of talk about the speed at which the AI settles land. How does it acheive this? (Does it make settler factories, or as soon as a cities can support producing a settler it does)

No, in fact, it's the opposite. The AI is incredibly inefficient in expanding. The only reason they expand so fast on the higher levels is because of the growth/shield discount they get and the extra settlers they get on DG, Deity, and Sid (not sure about the DG one -- I've never really played that level in any sort of serious game).

3) Is there any evidence the the AI civs gang up on you as standard (not when you gone out of your way to upset them)

It's standard AI behavior to sign alliances against whomever they're fighting, even if it's another AI. There's nothing particularly specific about how the AI treats the human in this case.

There is probably more, but I cant think of any for the mo.

The AI can see all resources from the beginning of the game. I find that a little cheap.

 

[Aabraxan]

The AI can see all resources from the beginning of the game. I find that a little cheap.

It may be a little cheap, but I just use it to help me decide on city placement. If the AI settles on absolutely ridiculous terrain, I assume it will sprout a resource later.

 

[Padma]

The AI can see all resources from the beginning of the game. I find that a little cheap.

Actually, that is just a "continuation" of the first item mentionsd. The AI knows the entire map, including the location of all pre-positioned resources, and the location of all units.

And I do just like Aabraxan: "Why is the AI so intent on settling that lonely Tundra tile? Hmmm, I'll just bet there's Oil, or something there...."

 

[Tomoyo]

The AI is intent on settling every bit of Tundra anyway; I never notice the difference.

Then again I tend to doze off during civ sessions nowadays...

 

[LLXerxes]

Actually, that is just a "continuation" of the first item mentionsd. The AI knows the entire map, including the location of all pre-positioned resources, and the location of all units.

And I do just like Aabraxan: "Why is the AI so intent on settling that lonely Tundra tile? Hmmm, I'll just bet there's Oil, or something there...."

Yes, but the game can't "cheat" It knows where the location of all the rescourcees are, but it can't factor it in to knowledge because it's not a person. It has to see the entire map, that's how the game works.

 

[jayqubed]

but i still love the game! during my calvary seige of a capital defended by pikemen, and using a strategy similar to capital isolation (pillage/bombard all surrounding squares first) the defender was down to 1 pikeman with 1 hp (infuriating) when I ran out of attacks. the capital was not completely surrounded, but my units could "see" all surrounding squares. next turn appears musketmen in the capital, and after defeating two in a grueling massacre of my calvary the seige was repelled by a longbowman (!), who i could not destroy because all i had left were calvary damaged from the first turn. WHERE did the musketmen and longbowman come from? Were they para-musketmen? The roads were destroyed. Sometimes it seems that the AI can shift around available units as is determines it needs them.

 

[gunkulator]

Actually, that is just a "continuation" of the first item mentionsd. The AI knows the entire map, including the location of all pre-positioned resources, and the location of all units.

Pretty close to a cheat in my book. It makes some units, like subs, totally useless because despite their supposed invisibility, some AI destroyer 7 tiles away will head right toward it and kill it.

 

[Padma]

That does qualify as a cheat. It's the only verified one, though.


Actually, there *is* another cheat we have discovered. (Well, really, it's a bug.) The AI can use MGLs to rush Great Wonders.

 

[psweetman1590]

It makes some units, like subs, totally useless because despite their supposed invisibility, some AI destroyer 7 tiles away will head right toward it and kill it.

Actually, the AI will ignore subs (assuming that the sub is out of sight range of a destroyer or other unit that would spot them normally), so they are still useful. If the AI could see subs, then the "sub bug" would be nonexistant.

 

[AutomatedTeller]

And, for knowing right where resources are, the AI can be remarkably stupid about where it settles. it's not uncommon for an AI to settle so a resource is outside it's culture boundaries - you can then settle and get it, anyway.

 

[thetrooper]

The AI is intent on settling every bit of Tundra anyway; I never notice the difference.

The AI settle until they reach their OCN anyway.

 

[Kiowa]

And, for knowing right where resources are, the AI can be remarkably stupid about where it settles. it's not uncommon for an AI to settle so a resource is outside it's culture boundaries - you can then settle and get it, anyway.

How often has the Ai settled next to a resource, and then NOT build a road to the resource?

 

[Son_Of_Dido]

Every human player has the capacity to cheat the AT Tenfold worse than the AI could ever cheat a human player.

Save and Reload Abuse. (And/Or "Preserve Random Seed" turned off). It's the trump card of dishonest play and its exclusively in the human's hand.

How bad can "Spearman defeats Tank" really be when with a few clicks you can make it never have happened? [I bet the Aztecs would like to replay those key few turns after first contact with the Conquistadors. And don't you think the Persians feel screwed by the RNG when they went up against those Spartans fortified on the hill? Talk about a bad series of rolls ]

[EDIT (addition): I don't think we have much ground to stand on for complaining about AI cheating. I know I certainly don't. *wink*]

 

[Marsden]

How often has the Ai settled next to a resource, and then NOT build a road to the resource?

I see them settle "near" a resource, presumably so that their cultural expansion with evelope it at a future time, but then I usually go seize it immediately, if I can. And in said situation even after the border expands they can take a very long time to road the resource, but given enough time the AI will road every tile, resources or not.

 

[Glassfan]

In the scenario "Fall of Rome", playing Byzantium, I had control of the landbridge between Europe and Asia Minor. This was in the center of my territory, beyond the visibility of other Civs. If the landbridge was "open" - unoccupied, unblocked, the other Civs {AI} would try to send units into my territory to cross it. After diplomacy and other attempts to keep them out, I discovered that by simply parking a unit on the bridgehex, the AI's units would turn around and leave. They should not have been able to "see" my unit {too far away}, but they would turn around on the very next move. I can only asume the AI has no FOW.

 

[gunkulator]

Actually, the AI will ignore subs (assuming that the sub is out of sight range of a destroyer or other unit that would spot them normally), so they are still useful. If the AI could see subs, then the "sub bug" would be nonexistant.

Hmm, I'm pretty sure they head right for them although I never build them anymore so I could be remembering wrong. Certainly the AI does not see them during peace time and blindly runs right over them, thus the sub bug. Even disregarding subs, the AI will see all your other units. Leave a destroyer 7 tiles from AI land and you can expect a visit from an AI destroyer.

Despite the AI's advantage, it is unable to utilize it properly and you can exploit its cheating behavior. Since the AI only considers units actually inside a city as defenders, you can park a huge army right outside a border city but leave the city itself empty and the AI will beeline straight toward that city.

 

[nc-1701]

I can say with 100% certainty that the AI does have Fog of War.

Once when I was playing a single player game I tied to load a multiplayer game, but the save was corrupted. It came up with the message saying save corrupted, I clicked 'ok' the it came up saying 'player 2 it is your turn to move' I clicked ok, and it put me in control of one of the AIs. I was trying to figure out what was wrong with my save so I didn't pay alot of attention to this, but I remember two things. One was that I had FOW, the other was that I could seeresources that I didn't have the tech for yet.

Hope this helps.