Hostile IP crisis seems a little out of hand

[pjotroos]

My most recent game triggered the antiquity crisis that spawns hostile independent powers.

Now, I'm not sure if I'm reading this wrong, or it's a tooltip display issue, but at 90%, those things popped out of a single IP:

To clarify, that's three level 24 commanders in a single IP. Each of them appears fully loaded with 6 units, and - as far as I can tell - they have all spawned simultanously when someone somewhere completed science path and we went from <90% to 95%. Up until the crisis started, I had a big war against the other two major powers on my continent. That's all parked now, as we drown in the barbarians. Is this a new thing? I had this crisis before, but it never seemed to go this mad this quickly.

Difficulty is immortal.

 

[Kurtbob]

I've seen a pretty high increase in IP hostility in my games since 1.2.5. I am finding myself beelining to Discipline and building an army as early as possible to keep them at bay. In two of the games early IP armies conquered an AI player (both times the Maya oddly enough). I don't know if its a result of the AI using Incite Raid or just part of the update?

In advanced settings, I select hostile independents as the only crisis for antiquity (I hate the other two). If the map is fairly open, independents do spawn enormous armies...however, I do not think I have ever seen one independent create three armies at one time...I have however experienced an army appearing IN MY BORDERS out of thin air (did not move there)...I passed that off as a glitch.

 

[pjotroos]

I've seen a pretty high increase in IP hostility in my games since 1.2.5. I am finding myself beelining to Discipline and building an army as early as possible to keep them at bay. In two of the games early IP armies conquered an AI player (both times the Maya oddly enough). I don't know if its a result of the AI using Incite Raid or just part of the update?

In advanced settings, I select hostile independents as the only crisis for antiquity (I hate the other two). If the map is fairly open, independents do spawn enormous armies...however, I do not think I have ever seen one independent create three armies at one time...I have however experienced an army appearing IN MY BORDERS out of thin air (did not move there)...I passed that off as a glitch.

Yeah, it was far more than I expected. I was handling enemy armies fine, but the crisis killed off a few of my units even with all the damage bonuses to IP on my side.

Have to say, though, that was actually really entertaining. It felt how a crisis should feel like.

 

[Kurtbob]

Have to say, though, that was actually really entertaining. It felt how a crisis should feel like.

Agreed

It's far more entertaining than plague...which is completely unfun in everyway.

 

[pjotroos]

Agreed

It's far more entertaining than plague...which is completely unfun in everyway.

Antiquity plague just feels unfinished. Sometimes you move a unit out of plagued tile, other than that, there is no interactivity.

 

[Kurtbob]

On a side note, something that is really needed is an alert that hostile units are near your borders....I shouldn't have to find out an IP commander has unpacked six units around one of my settlements from a 'your settlement is under attack' alert. This has happened to me numerous times, usually when I am hyper focused on a war against an AI.

 

[ggalindo001]

My most recent game triggered the antiquity crisis that spawns hostile independent powers.

Now, I'm not sure if I'm reading this wrong, or it's a tooltip display issue, but at 90%, those things popped out of a single IP:
View attachment 746995
To clarify, that's three level 24 commanders in a single IP. Each of them appears fully loaded with 6 units, and - as far as I can tell - they have all spawned simultanously when someone somewhere completed science path and we went from <90% to 95%. Up until the crisis started, I had a big war against the other two major powers on my continent. That's all parked now, as we drown in the barbarians. Is this a new thing? I had this crisis before, but it never seemed to go this mad this quickly.

Difficulty is immortal.

Holy moly -- that is insane. But probably -realistic- in terms of what the challenge should be. The problem is that it will wreck the AI.

I would surmise level 24 commanders basically have all promotion trees.

 

[pjotroos]

Holy moly -- that is insane. But probably -realistic- in terms of what the challenge should be. The problem is that it will wreck the AI.

I would surmise level 24 commanders basically have all promotion trees.

It didn't really wreck them because AI spawns walls everywhere by default (whereas I rarely have the production or gold for them), but it definitely killed their appetite for fighting me, and it killed off their army near one of their towns, letting me easily take it.

I think max theoretical level of a commander is 31 (6 points in 5 trees means +30), and you need level 21 to reach all commendations if you beeline it. I also think the highest level I've ever reached, in a combat-heavy game, and with Mexico's unique person granting +5 levels, was 22 at the end of modern, so 24 levels in antiquity is a lot of levels.

 

[OmegaDestroyer]

Incite raid seems to have been overtuned in the latest patch. I am seeing dozens of city-states units swarm me, and only me. I know the AI might be inciting raids, but if that's the case, how can it afford to do so on top of endlessly spamming endeavors, sanctions, and befriending independents?

 

[benjamin28]

Antiquity plague just feels unfinished. Sometimes you move a unit out of plagued tile, other than that, there is no interactivity.

I agree! It might be a tad out of hand, but it's challenging and feels like a real crisis. I wish the plague one was as entertaining and not just a tedious micromanagement minigame.

On a different note, seeing these commanders with 24 promotions makes me think: can Genghis Khan take control of them with his power to convert IP units?

 

[moondog385]

I agree, it's pretty ridiculous. I feel like the crisis that occurs should organically arise out of the choices that you and the other players had made. A bunch of independent people materializing out of thin air with armies rivaling yours is a little silly. But combat is rarely my strong point in Civ anyway.

Until they have more than 3 crisis options per age, I'll probably play with them off in the future. I'd also like to see them implement crises in Modern to disrupt the dash for victory. Revolutions in civs with lots of distant land settlements, strikes in civs with lots of factories and railroads, economic depression in civs with lots of banks, perhaps a sort of trade crisis where more "advanced" civs can force unfair deals on you. I think I'm sort of getting away from the thread topic...