Does the AI intentionally troll you when picking its pantheon?

[ridjack]

I'm just moving myself up to Emperor and I decided to go with Russia as a civ that comes online later and thus can spend the early eras catching up.

Russia obviously has huge border expansion and (I believe?) a tundra bias. In six games so far (a few unplayably-crash saves and a couple regular old failures) God of the Expanse has never been available, and God of the Stars and Sky has been taken every time I've been in tundra while getting left completely alone the couple of times I didn't. In two of those games, God of the Expanse was taken by India, so it was just literally never available.

I don't know if it's confirmation bias in full effect or if I'm actually observing something, but I would swear up and down that God of the Expanse is usually one of the least taken by the AI. I also really can't imagine why India, who can literally pick any pantheon he wants, would choose THAT one of all things.

So, does the AI intentionally take pantheons to deprive the player of valuable ones, despite (in theory) not even knowing what civ I am yet? Or is it just bad luck and confirmation bias?

 

[Gazebo]

I'm just moving myself up to Emperor and I decided to go with Russia as a civ that comes online later and thus can spend the early eras catching up.

Russia obviously has huge border expansion and (I believe?) a tundra bias. In six games so far (a few unplayably-crash saves and a couple regular old failures) God of the Expanse has never been available, and God of the Stars and Sky has been taken every time I've been in tundra while getting left completely alone the couple of times I didn't. In two of those games, God of the Expanse was taken by India, so it was just literally never available.

I don't know if it's confirmation bias in full effect or if I'm actually observing something, but I would swear up and down that God of the Expanse is usually one of the least taken by the AI. I also really can't imagine why India, who can literally pick any pantheon he wants, would choose THAT one of all things.

So, does the AI intentionally take pantheons to deprive the player of valuable ones, despite (in theory) not even knowing what civ I am yet? Or is it just bad luck and confirmation bias?

No, it does not do this.

 

[Giza]

For all the terrain-based pantheons (Stars and Sky for example), it could be simply because of the map. For example, if you get a good tundra start, chances are that the map has generated lots of tundra, so the AI is more likely to take this pantheon. I once got a superb mountain start (for goddess of nature) and event settled my capital closer to the mountain. But, of course, I had to have Ethiopia as neighbor (witch is pretty unbeatable when selecting a pantheon), and it also saw the great mountain start and selected this pantheon.

The AI seems to be trolling but it's just maximizing it's chances .

 

[matlajs]

India is used to choose love mostly. but you are somewhat right that AI is trolling because it usually pick what is most beneficial to a capital, which may look a little trol-ish for you having whole area, which may benefit that exact pantheon. or at least it used to be that way few patches earlier. now i am thinking that Ai improved a lot in regard of pantheon choice, even for long run. so if AI pick something i would like to have myself and later explore their territory, i finally see that their choice is at least justifiable.

 

[ridjack]

For all the terrain-based pantheons (Stars and Sky for example), it could be simply because of the map. For example, if you get a good tundra start, chances are that the map has generated lots of tundra, so the AI is more likely to take this pantheon. I once got a superb mountain start (for goddess of nature) and event settled my capital closer to the mountain. But, of course, I had to have Ethiopia as neighbor (witch is pretty unbeatable when selecting a pantheon), and it also saw the great mountain start and selected this pantheon.

The AI seems to be trolling but it's just maximizing it's chances .

Right. The terrain ones completely make sense; 'God of the Expanse' is what confused me in that case, since I have a hard time seeing how that could benefit India more than Love in in literally any circumstance.

 

[De_Genius]

In my game that pantheon almost always goes first, no matter who I am playing

 

[matlajs]

I'm starting to have a really hard time believing there isn't truth to this, even with Gazebo himself saying it isn't so.

sorry, but meaning of trolling in this case would mean, that AI will pick something absolutely bad for them just for stealing it from someone else. Expanse can be usefull for everybody. Trolling could be, if flatlanded civ would steal Nature pantheon from you, not this one.

 

[CrazyG]

I'm starting to have a really hard time believing there isn't truth to this, even with Gazebo himself saying it isn't so.

AI India usually takes Love, Expanse, or Ancestor Worship. Its a bit unlucky for that situation, but it has nothing to do with you being Russia. I would be looking at the tundra resource pantheon in that situation anyways, you have to accept that certain pantheons are very popular and thus hard to build a strategy around

 

[ridjack]

AI India usually takes Love, Expanse, or Ancestor Worship. Its a bit unlucky for that situation, but it has nothing to do with you being Russia. I would be looking at the tundra resource pantheon in that situation anyways, you have to accept that certain pantheons are very popular and thus hard to build a strategy around

Aye, I got the Tundra pantheon a couple times. Never really helped with a religion, but then nothing has so far.

Also finally got Expanse w/ Russia. Accomplished nothing; indeed seemed significantly slower than any of the more 'normal' pantheons.

 

[Funak]

I'm starting to have a really hard time believing there isn't truth to this, even with Gazebo himself saying it isn't so.

You realize that you're sitting there accusing Gazebo of lying based on absolutely nothing, right?