How many AI until difficulty level goes up?

[Malchar]

Playing with more AI opponents increases the difficulty of the game. Basically, there's a better chance that there will be more AI with great starts. Also, once one AI starts getting big, they will have more small opponents to gobble up. This kind of snowballing can really increase the difficulty of a game. How many AI players does it take until it "feels" like you're playing at a higher difficulty level?

 

[CHEESE!]

At Large I find the difficulty increases.

 

[GenerallyGreat]

Playing against more AI's crowds the map meaning that if you can rush an opponent you are in a dominant position straight away. I found that when I reverted back to standard AI numbers the game got a lot harder.

 

[Dumanios]

I put no amount because it depends on the type of AI.

 

[Peteyboy]

I don't agree with the OP either.

Whilst the theory suggests if you play with 10 equal opponents you have a mere 1 in 11 chance of winning, in reality the more opponents the better chance you can get a bigger base.

I think the larger the map the more chance an AI will get a better developed start and become more of a threat.

I would say the larger the map the harder - about 5% harder as the map increases by each notch.

 

[Iranon]

More AIs make it easier for a human to become the largest power in the opening game... either by a rush or by expanding harder. Humans can comfortably out-expand Deity AIs; the only problem is that overdoing it can wreck their economy.
If space is scarce, economy becomes less important and simply being faster becomes more important, denying the AIs a chance to equalise.

 

[MrCynical]

Playing with more AI opponents increases the difficulty of the game.

I find the reverse to be true. A few extra AIs can make a map noticeably easier.

Basically, there's a better chance that there will be more AI with great starts. Also, once one AI starts getting big, they will have more small opponents to gobble up. This kind of snowballing can really increase the difficulty of a game. How many AI players does it take until it "feels" like you're playing at a higher difficulty level?

Not sure on your logic that there'll be more AI with great starts. Surely you'll get more AIs with insufficient space, and in a fat cross shaped bubble of good terrain surrounded by rubbish? The AI doesn't usually steamroller civ after civ the way a human does, so I don't really see the whole snowballing thing.

On the flip side, tech trading is easier with more civs, I'm far less likely to get an isolated start, and I'm more likely to have a good target or two for an early rush.

 

[bestsss]

More civs = easier.
Try the extreme: OCC w/ fewer and more starting civilizations.
Like stated: rush early (standard non-occ) or expand hard and you have the game sealed.

 

[duckstab]

Like everything else, it depends. Take a look at the HOF G-Minor 77 gauntlet. AP win with 10 AIs on an Archipelago map. Not easy, even on warlord. Especially if some of your opponents are in the habit of cranking out colonies...

 

[michmbk]

Totally depends on the map - if you use the standard number of civs for the size of the map, then a larger map with 10-11 civs could definitely be harder than a small map with 3-4 civs. But a standard size map with 10-11 civs to me is typically much easier than one with 5 civs, as the AI doesn't "react" in the same way to a crowded map as you or I would. We would rush, landgrab earlier, and use that land to overpower or chain cap the remainder. The AI would use the same strategy as they would if it wasn't a crowded map.

 

[Kesshi]

As with everything in Civ, it depends. A large Panagea map with 3 opponents is very challenging on Emperor or higher. Where as filling that map with a lot of Civs drastically reduces the difficulty. However, a Terra map I find it to be quite the opposite. The more Civs there are actually makes the map much harder. Chances are I'm not going to be able to settle all of the new world before most of the other AIs get over there.

 

[Iranon]

In practice, you can treat most Terra maps as a small, crowded Pangaea... many games can be essentially won before the new world matters.

Custom map scripts with several inhabited and several uninhabited continent might get trickier with more opponents though, not so sure about that.

 

[Malchar]

This might be too specific of a question, but does anyone know how the current BetterAI mod handles crowded maps?

Edit: Here's an additional question: By changing the number of AI, map size, and map type, how can you maximize the difficulty? That is, which settings (excluding mods) make for the hardest game possible?