How does the AI get to Modern Age in Regent?

[vmxa]

How does the AI manage to get to Modern Age on Regent? I wonder that every time I see a game posted about how things stand in A Regent game. Usually they do not get that far even on a 250x250 conquest at Emperor.

So I used the seed and settings from Buttercups game to run a test. The map looked the same and the starts where the same, but I am not sure if the nations were in the same locations as the original. I guess that does not matter as what civ is where is 6 of one and half a dozen of the other.

I considered playing as AW, but figured I should do like others do and be more peaceful. That is to say, I did not declare on sight and I would possibly give peace, once at war.

Like always at low levels I make few trades, usually only the first 2 or 3 contacts. As this was to be played as the lame Zulu and they are expansionist, I knew I would trade very little as I would soon have all the AA techs and they would never have anything I wanted.

To any that want to know the out come, it was a conquest in 1735. The last nation was Inca on an island and I see they only got AA techs. They had made it to the Middle Age, but learned no techs. Only Sumeria got to the first tier of the IA as they has rifles. None of the others had even cavs. I was on Smart Weapons, Integrated to go for the last tech.

I would say it could have been done faster for sure as I did not get the number of slaves I would normally as I keep nearly all towns till late in the game. I also did not press hard on making troops. The game got bogged down as I decided to raze all the rest of the towns on the mainland, aftere a number of civs were eliminated. The AI had so few roads and never cleared jungle that it really slowed progress. Some milestones follow.

1575BC:
Popped Construction and now have all the AA techs, even optional ones. I think I made two trades for one tech each trade. The rest were popped from huts as I did min research at all times in the AA. Expansionist is OP on low level huge maps. That is why I suggest players play on std maps on Regent or lower. There is so much open space and you just put out 3 or 4 scouts to sweap the land.

Here you have Impi to use as well, so even the barbs are not an issues and you send out another wave of impi to pick up for the dead scouts and met all your neighbors.

The worst part is the the first thing that happened was the free scout popped an advanced city next to the capitol. So I was at 4000BC with a second town. BTW the barbs of course are not from my huts, but from someone else popping them and I run into them, usually near a town I just spotted.

825BC:
Made peace with Joan for Marse and abandon it. I had autorazed two other towns. This came about as I spotted a settler combo and I tend to kill them, just can't help myself.

In fact I killed a combo for Liz this turn, so no peace after all. I am in a GA currenly. I have SoZ up and it has kicked out 2 AC so far. I have met 8 nations so far and I am first in all 4 ranking by CAII. The game was basically over when the advance city popped up. The AI cannot over come that at this level.

550BC:
War with France again, killed another settler combo. Took out about 4 English towns so far. Have MoM and HG.

Started Sun Tzu a few turns back, but GA will soon end. I decided that I did not need to keep my rep as Buttercup did not keep his and I sure do not need to make and trades. I am in Rep, not Monarchy.

 

[vmxa]

I forgot to post a screenI had, hope I got it this time.

I have 2 lux and I see Gems, so not that far from the magic 3, where markets get an extra content face. Not sure, if i can stick with this game as it is just too easy.

530BC:
GA ends. I autoraze another English town. I capture London with the Oracle and it also has Wine. AFAIK they have 2 towns and one is about to fall. The only problem with killing of all these towns is I cannot fill the land that fast. My main goal was to get Joan's horses and I have not even worked in that direction yet.

470BC:
England is gone. Sending units to France, several elite swords and an elite AC. Don Merideth use to sing turn out the lights on Monday night football, sounds right to me.

270BC:
Eliminate France. I have borders across my end of the land. Just in time as Alex has a scouting warrior at my door. 17 towns, with 2 settlers out and 2 to pop out next turn. Workers are way low, but all the fighting as slowed that down. CAII says I have 1.3 per town, but some are slaves. All new towns will pop out a worker first.

90AD:
No real news, just a marker. 26 towns now and neeed two to enclose all the back area and maybe 6 to fill completely. Trying to get the area enclosed so no wandering galley will drop off a settler and force me to kill it.

Researching Knights and most are far back in the AA. Many still do not have Writing. Slowly building work crews, now 28. BTW I do also know Engneering. 4 luxs are online as are the horses.

230AD:
Start on Invention, been running -10 to -16gpt. Make most back at the end. Pre for KT was not that good. A little lazy. Shoreline all in borders and filling the inner area now. 4 spots to fill and 3 have settlers on the way. Next will probably be to push Cathy out of the game. 30 towns and 32 workers (not that good as many are
slaves). Start a pre for Leos, just as a denial. I have a few libs up now, but not pushing real hard right now.

Been chopping quite a bit to speed some builds and make more food available for growth. Won't have time to chop, once rails start. 10 shields now has an impact later they will be trivial.

290AD:
I gave the boot to Wang Kon and he shouts a DOW? No problem as I am strong to him and likely all. I have Chiv and AC's and MDI and Pikes, he must not have any sense. I see now, he is too far away for me to go after. Will just take some war happy and eventually grant peace.

320AD:
Just when I thought this game would be so slow and boring, Cleo declares and Kon shows with 4 units. He must have been coming all along as he is way on the far eastern coast.

330AD:
Kon allied with Toku, so a third nation joins in the war against the humble Zulu.
34 towns and 2 settlers in place. Expansion will require war now. Four unmet nations still out there.

340AD:
Met Gil. One bad thing about Republic is that it encourages you to have empty towns. This in turn, encouraqes the ai to send a unit to grab some. It looks like Caesar is about to enter my land for a run.

360AD:
Meet Henry. Still no leader, well no MGL. I have had 2 SGL's.

380AD:
Barely met Henry and he jumps in with Kon and now there are 4. Sad news for them as I finally got a leader and have an army to fill. Not only that, but I will learn Gun on the IBT. Hope Salt is at hand. 159 tiles have a road and 79 do not. I still have around 20 tiles with trees to chop. 36 towns, but not going to be adding any right away as no space available and not at war with neighbors currently.

390AD:
Yuk, no salt. Have to take it from Cathy. Need to get units to the west now. Drop a town past London to close the distance to Rostov as it has the salt.

450AD:
Kon brings in Hiawatha in on the fight for number 5. Have not jumped Cathy yet as I wanted someone to get her to DOW me, but will not wait much longer. I have Ulundi for a quick rush to Rostov.

500AD:
I now have 3 armies, so I switch my pre to Leo. I am going to wait for it to finish in 4 turns, before going for Russia. Who knows, maybe they will DOW before then.

510AD:
Korea adds Hammi into the fray. I did not expect to be playing this as an AW style, but looks like it. Been at war nearly the whole game. I am punishing Hammi as he is next door, so I took Akkad right off.

590AD:
Found the lovely Theo, so only one to go. Cannot make cavs as I do not have salt. Hammi has been keeping pressure on fairly well in the SE, but must be getting gassed about now. 7 units at Akkad right now and about that many last turn.

Clearded all the trees, except around Akkad as of course no workers can be there right now. Roads on tile other than mountins and the very front, where I am afraid of being snatched. I have 4 armies, but did not get a leader recently, so hand building the MA.

600AD:
Bite the bullet and take on Russia and bring in Rome. I have not brought in others as I do not need them and I do not like to give others a chance to pick up land. OTOH I am not sure how many DOW's I can have, before the citizens get upset.

610AD:
Took two towns and have Rostov, but need a road. Theo on IBT. Have to go the top line now.

620AD:
Start Ed in 4 @70%, Kon sent 9, so not gassed yet. Russia not fighting back so far as I razed another town. Get a leader, but no need to rush MA as the city is not going to be making amries anytime soon any way.

 

[vmxa]

630AD:
Broke down and let Hammi have peace straight up. It will cost me some content faces.

660AD:
Dang, Cathy asked for peace, I gave it to her as I only wanted the Salt. I gave peace to a couple others that asked an only have 4 still at war. I had wanted to get Ivory and Spices from two more towns of hers, but next time.

Astro in 4 and workers have connected the towns and are on the salt, so cavs coming. Kon has not sent units for a few turns. Japan sent a few and Hiawatha sent some MW's. Cleo none in a long time. I don't recall any from Henry, but they have the similar colors to others, so I could have missed them.

I already had my two galleys meet, so I have circumnavigated the massive continent. One nation missing and presumed on an island. I forget, if I ever noticed them in the screen shots, but no matter.

700AD:
Music in 4 @60%. Have a pre going and will use for Bach.

780AD:
Byz were brought into the battle by Korea, so Dromons will eventually show. I am doing Physics now. Been very few units come in the land. I found two tiny islands in the south central area. I see a border, but not sure, if it is a new one or not. Too many shades of blue in the game.

800AD:
Hiawatha got Hammi to declare again, so I am back up to about 6 wars. Note that I have not had a turn without a war in a very long time, while in Republic. Starting to get universities up in a few places now. The borders belong to Inca, so all met now.

Wow, Inca does not even know Alphabet.

810AD:
Captured Babylon.

820AD:
Alex wants to trade Spices for Wines and 38gpt. I have no reason to do that as I will have spice, when I am ready and do not really need another lux. I prefer to take a hard line with the AI.

870AD:
Not enough cavs to fill the armies, 7 now. Grab another town from Hammi. Japan sent 15 units, archers, spears and scary warriors.

Tired of being nice, so I decalre on Russia and grab two towns. One with Ivory and one with Spices. The spices are not online as that town is not connected to our empire. This game is sick as I can see Incense and Dyes not far away. So with about 10% of the land I could have all 8 lux?

880AD:
Byz gets Ghandi to jump in.

910AD:
Captured Moscow and got another leader. Formed the 8th. Captured Nineveh. Researching Steam. Copes up, Newton going. Way short on workers as I have not been razing towns. Not an issue in terms of defense as they cannot mount an attack of any consequences.

930AD:
Grab more towns and formed the 9th with leader.

950AD:
Steam in, but coal not connected. I have a irrigation stack that I moved to the mountian. The just captured Ellipi also has coal on a mountian. Russia has two towns left that I can see. Start on Electricity. Japan and Iroq stage a battle nearby.

960AD:
A couple want peace, but will give nothing, so no dice.

970AD:
Sight coal on a hill in my land, no road yet. Elimated Russia. Rome managed to grab a town from Russiaand it is the one with the dyes. It is covered in jungle though.

1010AD:
Razed the last two towns and Hammi is history. 4 down. No immediate targets. India is about the closest.

IBT:
Gil demanded Horse, but backs down. I liked his poilte smile, so I gave him my standard 10 gold.

1020AD:
Doing RP finally. Only Byz even has Education.

1050AD:
Hiawatha send 18 units this time, since all the 3, 4 or 5's failed. Epic failure on the workers and I should pop out about 40, but all safe tiles have water or a mine. I do have a rail crosswise the empire at the Greek border and the n/s eastern coast. So I am in decent shape, just not like I would normally do.

1060AD:
Researching Econ, may as well grab Smith as no one else is going to do it for a long time. No need to race for ToE as they are in Middle Ages for a while yet.

1090AD:
Disband all vet crusaders and AC for banks. Rails allow us to not have to have defenders in so many places now, along with infantry.

1100AD:
Another leader, not been using units much. Form 10th. Start Medicine in 4.

 

[vmxa]

1120AD:
Saw and sunk my first dromon. I have 1 frigate on the west and 1 on the east. Razing Indian towns, but they are in crapping areas to reach. Usual AI, few roads, not clearing jungle/swamps.

1130AD:
5 dromons arrived. I sunk one and redlined the others. Medicine due on the IBT.

1190AD:
India down to three towns, one already being attacked. One is deeper in the jungle. Switch an over flowing palace to ToE wasting maybe 80 shields. I will switch Sistine to Hoovers after the ToE gives techs, but only have about 400 shields so far. My army build is much smaller right now, so won't be used for a pre.

Zero research give about 1200gpt right now.

1200AD:
Korea joins Hiawatha and declares. Start Industry in 4. Got lots of WLTKD from the DOW. Dyes will be online soon.

1220AD:
Took the two Indian towns and one from Cleo. Sink 2 more dromon, probably sunk 9 now. 5 frigates now. Add a few more towns. Only paying 10gpt for units.

1275AD:
Finally eliminated Ghandi. I see a unit or two from Korea coming at me from the Greek land, but I do not see any Korean borders down there. Must be a town added after I passed by that land. CAII say Cleo has 7 towns. I see 6 and the borders of another.

1310AD:
Eliminated Cleo. I also have Silk and all 8 lux now. Working on Combustion now.

1315AD:
Started using leaders to rush structures. I just now filled the 13th and I have 14,15 and 16 waiting. I am not making cavs now, except for one city. I will start them in the capitol after the stock exchange. I have only one factory up as well and it is in the cap. Just do not need the production as they are so far behind.

I made 3 leaders this turn, with Japan, Korea and Iroq sending a few units. I only have a couple of elites left.

1325AD:
Not going to hold land any more, just going to raze everything. Started on Korea.

1330AD:
Booted Alex and he decided to DOW, so I razed one of his towns. I am going to recall my armies in Korean lands to take out Greece as I surround them and do not want to give them a chance to reach a poorly defended towns.

Started Flight last turn.

1370AD:
Start on Motor in 4. Greece is down to 4 towns, I only see three though. Korea is down to 9. I have 2 bombers out, going to make 4 I think. I only use them on boats. 15 armies are filled and 16th has 3x.

1385AD:
Use leader to form 17th, which will get tanks. Motor on IBT. I have only a single AC elite, all cavs in an army afaik. Greeks on last town. Korea has 5, I see one and it is being attacked now. Knight armies were held back for defense, but not really need now as cav armies are killing units on their way to next town.

1395AD:
Greece is gone now. Start Comps last turn, but not a 4 turner as I stopped adding towns and I am not going to go around to tune things right now. Korea down to 4 and one is under attack. I see a nice choke that I could stuff a few knight armies to lock all inside, while cavs and tanks do a take down. Once that starts I will crank out a some transports to deal with Inca and any islands. May have to back track for Amphib, if 1 tiles.

1400AD:
Going to start an army as a pre fro Seti and find another city to make tanks for awhile. Going to make a few settlers to avoid paying for units and to fill the coast.

1410AD:
Lots of open land that was never used and I see a hut not popped? I have been disbanning captured bombardment units and slaves. Too far away and to many units running around.

1420AD:
Eliminate Korea and held last city as it was on the coast and had a harbor. Been holding back 4 armies in case Rome went to war. I should attack them, but I was hoping to get the happy from them. Doing Rockets now and upgrade all infantry. Made a run around the empire to get more beakers.

1430AD:
Declared on Rome, want to be rid of them.

1440AD:
Start on Mini to get Internet. Last turn I shut off the choke, so no units can come by land now.

1460AD:
Got a leader from a tank and form 18th. Mini on the IBT. Slow going on Rome as they have no roads to speak of.

1485AD:
Got two more leaders. Save one for MA and fill one with tanks. Rome down to 5. Drop research to 0% and still overflow by 392 beakers for Ecology.

1490AD:
Start Fiber and get a gift from Gil. He demands something and I decline and he declares. This is good as he had a town right in my path along the coast.

1500AD:
Another leader, make army to sit. Rome down to last town.

1505AD:
Eliminated Rome.

1515AD:
20th and 21st not filled as tanks were just upgraded. I have not seen any unit in the area behind the choke.

Not sure, if they are dead or just parked. Start on Recycle in 4. A little pollution control for the two factories. I am only making MA in two places and cruise in one other. It does not need a factory as no rush to get them out. Not much shipping to be seen.

1540AD:
Eliminated Byz. Working on Fission in 3.

1570AD:
Eliminated Hiawatha. 152 towns, do not intent to make more I hope anyway. Toku still has 12, Gil has 21, Henry 12. Not been at war with Inca and they have 8 towns on an island.

1605AD:
Sumeria had a drafted rifle in one town I razed. Lots of mountain/hils and jungle/swamps without a road, so slow going.

1630AD:
UN done and I sell off the factory and the recycle. Going to do the same elsewhere as current builds are done.

1655AD:
Finally removed Henry. Building Appolo for yuks. Japan is OCC, but will likely be the last town on the mainland I reach.

1675AD:
Finally got the last Sumerian town and I am on the last Nippon town AFAIK. Transports are enroute to pick up armies. Sending 9.

1680AD:
Toku gone and the land is clear. Start on Robotics in 4. Three other techs to go to comlplete MA techs.

1690AD:
Boats away.

1715AD:
Raze 2 towns. Even this late on a small island the AI doesnot clear forest or road grass tiles.

1720AD:
Sat give me a view of the world. Start on Smart in 4 at 60%. Raze Cuzco and another. Looks like the boats will not get back with more armies, before the game ends.

1725AD:
Captured a town for giggles.

1735AD:
Last town gone. Game will end on IBT.

 

[vmxa]

Don't know what I did with the time from game ending screenie. Probably forogt to save it after pasting it into Irfanview.

 

[Aabraxan]

How does the AI get to Modern Age in Regent?

With help?

 

[Buttercup]

Did you remember to use catapults and Artillery?

 

[PaperBeetle]

Huh? I don't get it. If you want to see the regent AI get to the modern age, you need to not be violently crushing them and ending the game in the 18th century.
In GOTM, we are often compensated for playing regent by having an usually weak or isolated start, and without human interference in their business, the AI usually get on quite alright. It takes them longer to get their economies rolling properly, but once one or two civs luck into a GA at a sensible time, and swallow up some neighbours, they can start looking pretty similar to monarchs or emperors.

 

[Spoonwood]

To try and answer the question as to how the AI might get to the modern age on Regent (without gifting, and I'm assuming that is the question, NOT how can you let the AI get there on Regent?):

1. Don't pop so many huts as the human player. When you said this:

Popped Construction and now have all the AA techs, even optional ones. I think I made two trades for one tech each trade. The rest were popped from huts as I did min research at all times in the AA. Expansionist is OP on low level huge maps. That is why I suggest players play on std maps on Regent or lower. There is so much open space and you just put out 3 or 4 scouts to sweap the land.

I almost wanted to say "shh... you're not suppose to give HoF secrets away out here!" I'm joking, of course, but I do mean to say that I don't think using multiple scouts to pop huts as known, or at least not used, in games where the AI gets to the modern age. The AIs need huts for techs, settlers, and cities.

2. You've, of course, warred far too effectively. I believe that you'll need to fight wars of attrition where you throw one or two units at a city per turn (or maybe four), and that's about it. Then you'll need to let the AIs throw some of their units at you, but not too many, so that they don't have so much unit support. Also, this can trigger their GAs earlier to pick up their research.

3. Don't grab luxuries all that aggressively. The AI needs most of them. Don't capture happiness wonders also.

4. Don't forget you've played the game 10 years now VMXA. You'd have to basically do a bunch of things which directly or indirectly favor the AIs much more than you do to see how the AIs might make the modern age on Regent. This almost surely, goes directly against your play-style in general. I feel fairly sure that on some archipelago maps, where I've played as an OCC for a 20k, I've seen them make the modern age by 1900 or something on Monarch or Emperor. If you really want to see how this works, I'd suggest trying an OCC pangea game, standard sized map where you do NOT attack the AIs. These games probably will only take you 2-4 hours to play, and might give you some better clues as to how the AIs can actually manage to do some research.

 

[Buttercup]

I almost wanted to say "shh... you're not suppose to give HoF secrets away out here!" I'm joking, of course, but I do mean to say that I don't think using multiple scouts to pop huts as known, or at least not used, in games where the AI gets to the modern age.

I do believe this is the first time this particular hint has been made. Yes, this map was indeed very friendly towards Scouts. Perhaps I should have used more Scouts!

 

[vmxa]

Did you remember to use catapults and Artillery?

Yes I used them mainly on defense. The first part of the game I did send a couple of cats with a slow moving small stack. Mostly I used bombardment in whatever town was on the very front.

The last town on the NE saw most of the attacks. The town next to it had units coming around on its east side. I had cannons and later artillery. I hand made 5 or 6 and the rest came from captures of cat/trebs I would upgrade.

No bombardment units went out side the empire after the war with the French. Only armies went out after I got the two towns mentioned above. Most of the leaders came from fights at those two towns.

 

[vmxa]

Huh? I don't get it. If you want to see the regent AI get to the modern age, you need to not be violently crushing them and ending the game in the 18th century.
In GOTM, we are often compensated for playing regent by having an usually weak or isolated start, and without human interference in their business, the AI usually get on quite alright. It takes them longer to get their economies rolling properly, but once one or two civs luck into a GA at a sensible time, and swallow up some neighbours, they can start looking pretty similar to monarchs or emperors.

The start was too good. I doubt that they could get to MA, even with a fairly poor start. The games you see posted over the last few years at regent mostly have pretty good start.

If the start was bad enough, anything could happen. I take that back as I recall "so very cold of the AI", which I think was at deity. Granted Aeson was a truely great player. I played with him on a demo game and saw first hand how good.

 

[vmxa]

Spoonwood I was mainly thinking of all the games I have seen posted that were played on continents or pan maps. I wanted to see, if I was not correctly recalling the times I had played some of those games out.

IOW maybe I just did not remember those times where the AI did get at least to later IA. So I played this one to see. It is sort of like when I used to practice 9 ball at lunch. I would go back to work and think I did real well.

The truth was I failed to remeber the shots I missed. Humans tend to do that. I took to doing drills to actually track what was happening. I would rack 6 balls and break normally. Take ball in hand and try to run out.

If a shot was missed I had to start over. The goal was to run 10 rack of 6 in row. Now I knew exactly if I missed or not as I would have to start over. That improved my play to the point where I stop after I did it 21 times in a row.

I learned that I was not recalling how effective or ineffective I had practice. Mike Siegle said that practice does not make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect. That drill drove that home.

The huts were sick as I would of course only get good things, even after I had all the AA techs. No barbs, just gold or maps. Maps I liked as it sped up scouting. I learned back in vanila how strong expansion coudl be on a large or huge.

Some one posted a save saving how bad it was to play England on a pan. They had expansion as a trait then iirc. I waxed that game spamming out scouts, many years ago.

 

[vmxa]

I do believe this is the first time this particular hint has been made. Yes, this map was indeed very friendly towards Scouts. Perhaps I should have used more Scouts!

I even tossed out 2 impi as I was afraid scouts would get killed, which at least one did. Should have lost more scouts, but I did not see barbs, given the gam ended with at least one hut not popped, the AI did little to grab them.

I am used to the AI having so many units to start that huts and barbs would not last long. In a huge map I would say 5 is a good number of scout/impi out running around.

 

[Lord Emsworth]

1735AD:
Last town gone. Game will end on IBT.

Congrats, I guess you are ready for Monarch.

Spoiler :

 

[vmxa]

Naw, I need more XP.

I had just finished an AWM 180x180 24 civs. I found a save I had started months ago. I left off around 950BC. It took me a bit to even recall what the game was. It was some sort of non peace more than AW.

I did not have to declare on any contact made that was not physical. IOW they got contact from someone else. I wanted to see, if that would help the AI. I figured that DOW on a civ that you do not have access to was sort of exploitive.

Wondered, if that mattered or not. I think having them at war all the time reduces their research and expansion, but not enough data to say.

 

[Raliuven]

I couldn't find the barb setting but this might also account for some of the AI's failings. At Regent the barbs can still take the AI to the cleaners - destroying improvements, etc. Though it is counter intuitive, the higher barbarians setting actually favor the human player at lower settings. I've often marveled in the XOTM games where even in the late game the AI is totally overrun by barbarians.

I think there is a perfect storm occurring. The AI does not make enough workers. At the first sign of trouble they interrupt the worker and run them back to the capital rather than covering them. The AI makes a bunch of spears and will never leave a city undefended anyway. The barbs stroll up and destroy everything.

The AI flounders at research because there are no roads to work for gpt. This further hampers their ability to connect resources and luxuries that will allow them to research and produce units that are capable of clearing the barb camps from the immediate area.

Meanwhile, the human player takes advantage of some early trading and kills the AI's ability to interact - none of them have anything to give and that means all commerce stops. The human checks back regularly, perhaps stealing new techs and slaves which only complicates the problem for the AI.

One of the strengths of the higher setting are those free units (and greater unit production that is not dependant on land improvements) that can chase off the barbarians and give their workers a 'bubble' to work in.

 

[Lord Emsworth]

Naw, I need more XP.

I had just finished an AWM 180x180 24 civs. I found a save I had started months ago. I left off around 950BC. It took me a bit to even recall what the game was. It was some sort of non peace more than AW.

I did not have to declare on any contact made that was not physical. IOW they got contact from someone else. I wanted to see, if that would help the AI. I figured that DOW on a civ that you do not have access to was sort of exploitive.

Wondered, if that mattered or not. I think having them at war all the time reduces their research and expansion, but not enough data to say.

When an AI is at war, it will build units, units, units, units, and maybe wonders too. But only very few improvements, if any at all. The problem is, that with the AI playstyle it is much better to actually build temples, cathedrals and stuff, than not too. It makes the difference between between being stuck with maybe size 6 towns with entertaines at best, or simply having a few more laborers. Just do the math what you can afford without using the lux slider.

That is partly the reason why I am so fond of using Military Alliances to generate lots and lots of AI-AI wars.

 

[scratchthepitch]

the gam ended with at least one hut not popped, the AI did little to grab them.

I often come across huts only 3-4 tiles away from an AI capital. On emperor level, and in a moddified game where land units move twice as fast. Whatever the programing the game uses to move AI units around to find huts, it up to typical Firaxis standards.

I couldn't find the barb setting but this might also account for some of the AI's failings. At Regent the barbs can still take the AI to the cleaners - destroying improvements, etc. Though it is counter intuitive, the higher barbarians setting actually favor the human player at lower settings. I've often marveled in the XOTM games where even in the late game the AI is totally overrun by barbarians.

I think there is a perfect storm occurring. The AI does not make enough workers. At the first sign of trouble they interrupt the worker and run them back to the capital rather than covering them. The AI makes a bunch of spears and will never leave a city undefended anyway. The barbs stroll up and destroy everything.

The AI flounders at research because there are no roads to work for gpt. This further hampers their ability to connect resources and luxuries that will allow them to research and produce units that are capable of clearing the barb camps from the immediate area.

Meanwhile, the human player takes advantage of some early trading and kills the AI's ability to interact - none of them have anything to give and that means all commerce stops. The human checks back regularly, perhaps stealing new techs and slaves which only complicates the problem for the AI.

One of the strengths of the higher setting are those free units (and greater unit production that is not dependant on land improvements) that can chase off the barbarians and give their workers a 'bubble' to work in.

I find that the I have to compete with the AI in destroying barbs, they actively hunt them down. Barbarians are quickly gone from the game due to this, and by quick AI expansion. But this is on the emperor setting and in a mod where land units move roughly twice the rate of the stock game. Maybe the program neuters the AI enough at lower settings that they no longer do anything aggressive? Maybe the extra movement I modded in creates more AI aggression?

 

[Raliuven]

To an extent I think their thirst to kill the barbs adds a hinderance at Regent & less. They send out valuable units to hunt barbs rather than protecting their homeland. Those units wander many turns away from anything of vital importance and while they are picking up 25gp from a barb village the barbs are over pillaging their irrigated cow with a road. Meanwhile the AI won't send out a settler without an escort so it must wait for that spear to produce before it will brave the wild.