How to tell what the AI is doing

[Iowasoxfan]

Long time listener, first time poster.

I have looked and looked and cannot find the answer to these two questions. In Civ II is was very easy to find out what the AI was researching and how many GPT is was getting, how do you find that out in C3C?

Also, is winning with your uu the only way to start a Golden Age? the cyclopedia says that certain wonders(or is it tech) may start a golden age for sci/rel/ag/ind/mil civ.

Thanks in advance, this forum is a great help.

 

[Flintlock]

To find out how much an AI is making, type in some outragous number to the asking for gpt box, and it'll automatically set it the max the AI is making when it puts the number on the table. Although, this is net income, and is not including corruption, matinence, unit costs, science, etc.

I think there was some article in the war academy on how to tell what the AI is researching, although they generally put off certain techs

And yes, it is possible to start a golden age by building wonders that correspond with your civ's traits.

 

[CrackedCrystal]

As for the AI research question. There is no definitive way to tell. However, if you have a tech the AI does not, you can try and tell if they are researching it buy finding what they would offer for it. Then on a future turn, if they offer less, then there is a good chance they are in the process of researching it.

Also, certian civs will have a greater chance of researching one tech over another. For example, It a tech allows them to make their UU, they will go for it sooner than other civs.

Bottom line, there is no sure fire way to tell. You just have to get "a feel for it"

One thing I noticed in the Middle ages, is that peaceful civs will beeline for Education, while hostile will go for Gunpowder. Another thing I notice is almost exclusivly, the AI will go for Nationalism as their first tech of the Industrial age. But I have no proof of this. It just seems to be what they do.

 

[Willem]

Also, is winning with your uu the only way to start a Golden Age? the cyclopedia says that certain wonders(or is it tech) may start a golden age for sci/rel/ag/ind/mil civ.

Every Wonder has a flag that corresponds to the various traits. If you build Wonders that have both of your traits, you get a Golden Age. For example, you're a Commercial Religious civ. You build Wonder A that has the Commercial trait flagged, then you build Wonder B that has the Religious trait flagged. You're now in a Golden Age!

 

[Tone]

Two additional points on wonder generated GAs:

Several wonders are associated with multiple traits so if, for example,you build the Colossus (Exp, Sea, Com) and your civ has both of these traits (eg English are commercial and seafaring) you are in a GA after just one wonder build.

Secondly you don't have to have built the wonders with your civ traits; you can capture them! You still need to build a wonder of your own but if you have wonders under your control that satisfy both of your traits when you build your next wonder, this will set off a GA. For example, if you are playing the Americans, you could capture the Hanging Gardens (industrious+others) and the GLH (expansionist+others) and then set off a GA when you have built any other wonder, even if this wonder does not satisfy either of your civs traits (eg Sun Tzu-militaristic).

I hope this makes sense!

 

[TimBentley]

Here is a link to the article about AI research. I make good use of the spreadsheet near the end when deciding what to research.

 

[Iowasoxfan]

Thanks for all the replies. Funny how it was so easy to find out what the AI was researching in Civ II and now it is a guessing game. Still, thanks for the help.

 

[supaguruzebidy]

You think it could be a mission for that the spies could do. Every five turns your spy would automatically report in with a GPT and research report.

 

[Willem]

Thanks for all the replies. Funny how it was so easy to find out what the AI was researching in Civ II and now it is a guessing game. Still, thanks for the help.

You shouldn't compare Civ II and III. In many ways they're completely different games. Just get used to the way things are done now, and your game will be better for it.