How to get to REAL Normal difficulty?

[Glassmage]

So you guys know that AI's always play on Chieftains (Level 2). Level 4, Prince, is suppose to be the neutral, most normal difficulty. This is not the case however, as you all know, because AI's still play on Level 2 and they get bonus production and growth and happiness and they hate you more.

I just want to know what files that I can change so that Prince is actually the fair level for both players and AI's. This is because Settlers to Warlord = BORING and King to Diety = too hard sometimes.

 

[Nightshades]

../gameplay/xml/AI
there you have the variables for AI behavior

../gameplay/xml/GameInfo/CIV5HandicapInfos.xml
there you have the handicap settings for the AI at the various difficulty levels

 

[fmlizard2]

I think Normal difficulty is a fluid concept...when I started playing the game it was Prince. Now it is somewhere between Emperor and Immortal. I think it is whatever personally gives you a good game where you can win but also can lose.

 

[conception]

I think Normal difficulty is a fluid concept...when I started playing the game it was Prince. Now it is somewhere between Emperor and Immortal. I think it is whatever personally gives you a good game where you can win but also can lose.

Yes, but what the OP is asking is how to get to a level where the AI and the human player are playing with the exact some settings.

 

[headcase]

Via Trigorin on this thread: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=387484


Find the GlobalAIDefines.xml, find the node written below, and change its value to HANDICAP_PRINCE.

	<PostDefines>
		<Row Name="AI_HANDICAP">
			<Key>HANDICAP_CHIEFTAIN</Key>
			<Table>HandicapInfos</Table>
		</Row>
	</PostDefines>

Someone replied that unfortunately, the AI is quite inept without its bonuses. Then again, I suppose some of the rules it is given were written with the Chieftain level in mind.

I would like to try a game where AI is on equal-footing but the AI starts earlier. I think a headstart would be more natural than bonuses. If it's really simple, I might try my hand at modding that at some point. Edit: or, you know, put them on HANDICAP_PRINCE and just not do anything for the first 20 turns

 

[Nightshades]

Someone replied that unfortunately, the AI is quite inept without its bonuses. Then again, I suppose some of the rules it is given were written with the Chieftain level in mind.

I would like to try a game where AI is on equal-footing but the AI starts earlier. I think a headstart would be more natural than bonuses. If it's really simple, I might try my hand at modding that at some point. Edit: or, you know, put them on HANDICAP_PRINCE and just not do anything for the first 20 turns

The "head start" you are talking about already exists in the game.

At King, the AI's start out with Pottery.
At Emperor, they also get Animal Husbandry
At Immortal, Mining is added
and at Deity they also get the wheel, for a total of 4 techs ahead of you.
At Deity, they also start out with two workers and one additional warrior.

 

[CMK]

On Prince difficulty the other day, at Epic game speed, I was woefully behind all the other civs in terms of research - I was dead last to hit the Classical Era, and there were civs hitting it before I'd even finished the first three techs. Was it truly a lucky city placement, or do they get research bonuses at Chieftain level? (I haven't changed it)

 

[headcase]

The "head start" you are talking about already exists in the game.

At King, the AI's start out with Pottery.
At Emperor, they also get Animal Husbandry
At Immortal, Mining is added
and at Deity they also get the wheel, for a total of 4 techs ahead of you.
At Deity, they also start out with two workers and one additional warrior.

Yeah, but I mean a real natural head-start, like they literally start a few turns before you and grow naturally, so that they may happen to have those techs by the time your civ starts, but it's not just rigged artificially that way.

 

[GrayingGamer]

It sure seems like they get additional military units much sooner than Diety.

 

[fat_tonle]

These head starts are so lame. I tried deity a couple of times, and unless I spawn on an island, my capital just gets boxed in by 3-4 expansion cities by turn 10. Don't understand why the AI just doesn't get slightly more buffs in their research, production as opposed to free units and techs.

 

[Tabarnak]

Normal difficulty is playing against humans with equal skill.

 

[trigorin]

Via Trigorin on this thread: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=387484


Find the GlobalAIDefines.xml, find the node written below, and change its value to HANDICAP_PRINCE.

	<PostDefines>
		<Row Name="AI_HANDICAP">
			<Key>HANDICAP_CHIEFTAIN</Key>
			<Table>HandicapInfos</Table>
		</Row>
	</PostDefines>

Someone replied that unfortunately, the AI is quite inept without its bonuses. Then again, I suppose some of the rules it is given were written with the Chieftain level in mind.

I would like to try a game where AI is on equal-footing but the AI starts earlier. I think a headstart would be more natural than bonuses. If it's really simple, I might try my hand at modding that at some point. Edit: or, you know, put them on HANDICAP_PRINCE and just not do anything for the first 20 turns

I made a small mod to apply this change. I started a match with it. AI now has to deal with negative happiness and treasury, I'm glad to see it. AI isn't so dummy, but for now (in medieval era) I'm the first in score, tech and culture progress (however I'm behind others in military).

 

[Nightshades]

It sure seems like they get additional military units much sooner than Diety.

Yea they do. I'm not at my PC right now so I can't have a look at the XML's - but I think they start with an extra warrior at Immortal as well as Diety.

They also get production bonuses at these high levels so naturally, they produce military units faster.

 

[puyo]

Don't they get a free settler at deity?

Their second city is generally built at turn 6.

 

[Rex_Mundi]

They don't have to start with an extra settler, they do however start with advanced-start-points so they may have an extra settler, or extra units, or extra tech...

How the AI is programmed to use those start points I do not know.

 

[Rinnero]

Would be much better if instead of happiness/production/growth/etc bonuses AI had bonuses that directly affect COMBAT -> part of AI that is the worst.

Something like double xp or +50% CS.

 

[apocalypse105]

Even the civilization 4 AI got bonusses on noble because the AI nees to bonusses to give you a challenge...

Those bonusses aren't that big on cieftain

 

[trigorin]

Even the civilization 4 AI got bonusses on noble because the AI nees to bonusses to give you a challenge...

Those bonusses aren't that big on cieftain

The bonuses what AI gets on its CHIEFTAIN level annoy me. I really hate to see growing AI empires, with unimproved lands and without happiness problem while I have to deal with negatives a lot. Particularly if choose a level wich allegedly is balanced.

 

[Nightshades]

It would be better if they just got a better AI programmer for the next game.

 

[headcase]

It would be better if they just got a better AI programmer for the next game.

Yeah, I have no doubt they put a lot of effort and talent into the AI, but there are fundamental problems to be worked out and the ability to see just a little bit ahead would do wonders.

One example very obvious to me is that the game always recommends a mint over a market when you only have one gold\silver tile. Unless the descriptions are wrong, a market in this case costs [edit: the same] and gives a 25% gold bonus on top of the +2 gold both buildings have. They can't make the AI count the silver\gold?!

That's a smaller and less gamebreaking example than others, but I picked it because the fix is so obvious even without examining any code.