Hardest 12 AI to play in the game?

[odin1981]

Pretty self explanatory. What would you say is the hardest group of 12 in a huge marathon/epic world for a sushi map?

I want to see if it is time to move up past monarch but I need a true test for it to see if my macro/micro is up to snuff for higher difficulties.

Also a sushi map is big/small correct? Sorry still a newb.

I plain on running Monty cause he is cool. Plus I really like aggr/spiritual. Antd his ub will be killer I think for the strat.

 

[georgjorge]

Huge + Marathon + Sushi just to see if you can move up from Monarch? I think it would be far less painful and quicker to just play a "normal" game on Emperor to find it out that way...

Anyway. "Hard" can mean various things, there are AIs which are terrifying to have near you if you are peaceful in the beginning because they WILL attack you. Shaka especially (since he also expands well). But they will be wimps if they're farther away. And there are some who will out-tech you while also expanding well and building decent amount of units. Off the top of my head:

Zara Yacob (good expansion, good teching, good unit-building)
Justinian (same as Zara)
Joao (crazy expanding, good teching)
Catherine (good expansion, aggressive + backstabber)
Shaka (good expansion, crazy unit-building, aggressive)
Caesar - either one (good expansion, aggressive, early wonders, crazy UU)

If you depend heavily on Oracle add Isabella who very much likes to build that. If you want to play mainly peacefully add some crazy techers like Mansa Musa / Willem / Pericles / any of the Americans for extra challenge.

 

[lymond]

AGG sucks, but SPI is very good. The Sac Altar is pretty good if you know how to abuse it.

I'll assume by hard you mean a combo of either aggressive warfare or teching.

I think it is fairly simple answer here for the most part:

Choose all the Imperialistic Leaders (all of which are good to great AIs except maybe GK)
Chose all the nutjobs: (well you are playing as one), Shaka, Nappy, Rags, Alex, Genghis (well, he is IMP)
Add Mehmed - not as much a nutjob, but highest unitprob..he can be aggressive
Add Zara (he is more a peacnik, but good techer/expander..could cause issues if near you...and he can plot at Pleased (I put him up there with the best of IMP AIs)

Avoid the peaceniks and the Mansa/Pacal/Ghandis and the losers like DeGualle/Toku/Brennus

I think that should put you at around twelve

So basically you have a map of aggressive expanders (who will tech well) and nutjob psychos, with a couple of other pretty good AIs

If you are lacking a couple to make 12..Saladin, Hannibal, Sury or Willem are decent all around AIs that don't fit the mold I described above.

(ha ha..xpost with GJ...GJ all your leaders are within my list )

(edit: and building off GJ's last point..yeah, if you are looking for a "hard" peaceful game just replace the psychos with the Mansa's(etc) and peaceniks, but you can also still include most IMP leaders who do well regardless, but scratch GK, ofc. And yeah, Isabella can be a pretty decent all around AI for either scenario as well)

 

[odin1981]

Mansa really annoys me. I kill him shortly after I get cannons. His "demands" for key tech really drive me up the wall. To me he is much better to kill. Cause post 500 AD he becomes a nut job with tech whoring then trading to everyone else. But he isn't very good I feel.

I much like Hatty for a tech whore instead plus she might just build me pyramids for free when I decide she has done her uses. But for this game she can't be included. Though my wife from a past live Boudica could be included. God I love her in games as a AI.

I am starting to hate Zara. So great pick on him. He seems to always do real well top 5 consistently past first 750 years or so. And he can be a problem if he rex's to 20 he can hit the research breakpoint to just take off from there.

I figure Go real stupid or go home so I am gaming to found tao/confuse/buddha before I expand for the 3 HC WS madness that will ensue. I intend to cook a plains hill stone/marble settle with 1 gold plus 2 food with 4 or 7 fp's. So I gotta go arid then.

 

[lymond]

Don't know about the cookin' and the 3 HC business. Sounds like you are just playing around, but then it is a game..ha


Anyway, Mansa is generally considered an AI to make games easier. He always techs well and always trades with you, so if you know how to play with him it can be quite advantageous. Again, just really depends on what you want to do. (I don't really find him more demandy than any other AI..there are certainly more demandy ones in the game (Cathy, Joao). Regardless, denying him has far less impact than with others...although it is interesting to note that how generally peaceful he plays, he is coded to plot at Pleased)

Boudie can be fairly aggressive, though not hard to get on her good side..she does not plot at Pleased. She can be a good friend or a fierce enemy. Her actually AI play though is hit or miss, but I've seen her play strong.