How to Handle Runaway AIs?

[BaronBeer]

Hey guys, I am looking for some thoughts on how to handle runaway AIs on Apollo. It seems that in each of my Apollo games one AI is given the green light to use all of its advantages and to just go nuts, whereas most AIs piddle around and basically never amount to anything. The runaway AI in my games tends to reach its 9th Affinity point around turn 100, whereas most other AIs at that stage are in the 3-6 range. The runaway AI will also have double the science, or more, than the others.

I've played 5 different Apollo games, and this has come to pass in each one. Thus, my problem: how do you handle a runaway AI? Normally I try to embroil them in pointless wars, but in the games where I've done that, the problem only gets worse as, with its superior Affinity, and thus, units, it blows the piddler AIs out and gets further out of control.

The one game where I did win handily was one where I started next to this AI, and the second place AI did as well. I got the Runaway to declare war on the second place AI, and then ultimately backstabbed both of them before taking on the whole world in a Harmonious bout of XenoTitan charging Domination. That was a turn 200 Domination win on Quick/Small/5 AIs + me.

This is getting long, so in short:
1) How do you handle runaway AIs in Beyond Earth?
2) About what turn do you need to begin your Academy spam to keep up with science?
3) Bonus Question: is there anyway to make cheap early wonders and Monomyth into something worth having? I am addicted to Virtues, you see...

Edit: Well, I played out the current game wherein this problem was true, and I managed a Turn 208 Emancipation Victory! Take that, ARC! Settings were Quick/Small/5 AIs + me. Still if it weren't for awesome terrain to hold ARCs army at bay while I sniped it to pieces thanks to an inlet sea and a canyon, I'd have been annihilated around Turn 113. Thus, I'm still looking for help with regards to Runaway AIs.

 

[tedeviatings]

With regards to (1):
Usually I ignore them until I get notified they are making too much progress on their victory conditions and will most likely be faster than me. Good rule of thumb is: Add 20 unnecessary turns if they are purity or supremacy. If they are still faster you'll have to invade. So usually only harmony AIs are a problem, so be ready to snipe the mind flower with affinity 13 versus affinity 18 units. Maybe you can bribe people to DoW them which generally makes things easier. Most of the time I actually end up taking cities and whatnot since they AI is pretty bad at waging war.

 

[Japper007]

If you catch on early, bribe the neighbours into DOW'ing the runaway. They usually put way to much production towards an army and then lose it stupidly.

An invasion is always a possibilty, even with lower tier units a skilled player can beat the AI rather easily.

 

[Ryika]

1.) I think BE is rather different from Civ 5, Runaways can be mostly ignored if your strategy is somewhat refined. With the exception of that odd "I got a victory ruin!"-AI the game is just too short for them to become unstoppable - if they take their neighbors -> Great, they spend time on unit production and you're going to win before they do. If they attack you -> Great, they spend time on unit production, lose their army without getting anything and you're going to win before they do. In any case they're a good target to sell your resources to, as it will slow them down a bit and give you a positive diplo-modifier.

2.) Depends on your strategy - and the loadout. In a scenario with African union + Artists + Free pioneering (Depot -> Trade Route Build Order) and 5 Cities: If you go for Biowells before Academies, then you should get the academy tech at around turn 100 (on standard speed,so rougly 2/3 of this number and the numbers to come on quick). If you go for instant-academies then you should get them at around turn 70, a bit earlier if you skip Ecology, a bit later if your area is rather food-starved. At that point you should already have an army of workers ready to push out as many academies as you can. If you get the Ectogenesis Pod, they will of course be delayed further.

3.) Other than the Ectogenesis Pod most wonders aren't really worth getting and Knowledge is in general a bit too slow and weaker than Industry. Culture is rather abundant at that point, too and if you've already gone down the Knowledge-Tree, then there aren't really any good mid-term bonuses left anyway, so no, I don't think that would really work efficiently.