Killers AIs

[Kievos]

Obviously, on the upper difficulties the computer-controlled opponents pose a serious threat to the player. I usually only play on Noble, but regardless of difficulty level (I think?) the computer controlled civilizations tend to be develop a natural blanace of power among themselves in games. Sometimes, though it's rare, a single AI will pull ahead of the others and manage to dominate the game. Back in Civ3, I noticed for some reason that it was usually Egypt that did this. In Civ4, the one danger I really fear is when an AI founds a religion that becomes tremendously widespread and gives them a powerful economy with a very fast tech rate.

AIs war with each other all the time, and sometimes even manage to gain a good chunk of land, but in years of playing Civ4 this is the most powerful I've ever seen an AI become.

Surprise, it's Isabella. She has near-complete hegemony on her continent, with mastery over six (!) other civs. This game is gearing up towards a pretty crazy world war.

So what kind of killer AIs have you seen in your games?

 

[Gooblah]

Holy *censor*....Ragnar, Hannibal, Napoleon, and Augustus?! Jeez, thats one crazy heretic-hunter...
The worst i've ever seen is a Mao Zedong (no joke) who built up an army that conquered Mansa's legions in the modern era, then sent 20 transports filled with Marines in amphibious assaults that took over half the world. I stood and watched my enemies burned while I laughed maniacally. Why? I was in a permanent alliance with Mao!

 

[speedy55]

Gooblah, that is amazing.

The worst I've seen is Monty. It was continents and i started off on a different continent then all of the other ai. Once in 900 A.D or so I was able to move to the other continent, Monty had completely taken control of it. He was also a different religion than me, and kept demanding my techs and gold.

He slaughtered me.

 

[Underdawg]

Almost in every game some AI dominates and vassalizes 3-6 other AI. I guess this happens more in games with more AI; it allows for more changes in the balance of power, my games tend to have civs coming from behind and civs even who were vassalized coming back with a tech lead and dominating other civs later!

 

[Elros]

I was good friends with Brennus once and was systematically crushing the rest of the world. Everytime I got a capital they'd become Brennus' vassal, so he ended up controlling most of the world through that. Not so much killer as cunning

 

[Ahoogah!]

I was wondering if the game can sense when you're about to win.

I was playing a pangea map as Hannibal. I was one of the three most powerful and advanced civs on the planet. Cyrus and Victoria were the other two. We kept trading the top spot through the whole game. Around 1700, they began to pull away from me with the tech lead. And Cyrus was WAY too popular. So that ruled out a Spaceship victory or a Diplomatic victory. They were in the West, and I had 4 weak civs to my East, with myself in the middle. So, I lined up the cannons, riflemen and cavalry and started my imitation of Hitler.

I conquered China, Korea, Zululand, and Japan. But I still didn't have enough for a Domination victory. So I started across the world looking to run over Alexander. He had already declared war on me two times. But Cyrus was between us, so neither one of us could make much progress.

Anyway, when I started marching through Persia, Cyrus suddenly cancelled the Open Borders agreement with me and declared war on Alexander himself, taking him as his Vassal!

But with my massive population now, I had the lead again. So I just kept sabotaging their spaceships until I won a time victory!

But anyway, Persia in that game was the toughest that I've seen.

 

[PimpyMicPimp]

Craziest AI I've seen militarily wise was a game with Rosy. I was going for my first, and so far only, cultural victory, and he had power ratings of me when I'm in full blown war monger mode. I also had PA's on, so it was an obvious priority of mine to make nice-nice with him.

 

[LuckyAC]

In an immortal BTS game, small map/hemispheres, Saladin vassalized everyone except me (Hannibal, Hatshsepsut and Montezuma) and had 70% population, 63% land, 10000 GNP, 2500 MG, a legendary culture city, 7000 score and a power rating so high that everyone else was just lines on the bottom. He didn't leverage that too well, though, and I won a space race.

 

[PimpyMicPimp]

^ Didn't he have enough for domination with those figures? Obviously not, but he must have been very close.

 

[dannyusmc78]

Dude, Im stuck on noble....someone please help, this marine needs backup!!!

I beat set, chief, and warlord, no problem....noble ios whoopin me...well not so bad now, im middle of the pack...but there just seems to be no way to keep ahead of other civs in science research....still tryin to find the best civic combo, the best route to go in research,,,,i can only do so much though...I made war, then peace with the zulus, tried goin to war again w him, he had 2 stacks of 30 (!!!!!!) cavalry. No, i am not kidding, 30!!!!! how do i compete?????

 

[Ahoogah!]

I also had another game against Catherine that was pretty scary.

I was Persia and had Egypt, Rome, and England between me and Russia. Catherine had open Borders with Egypt and I didn't. She invaded me three times and all I could do was defend. When she got Rifling she brought two stacks of 25 Cossacks! along with various Riflemen and Grenadiers. She tried this twice. The first time she burned 25-30% of my country, but I held out. The second time the Cossacks came, I had Infantry waiting for them.

Eventually I got Open Borders with Victoria and Catherine's past caught up with her.

 

[LuckyAC]

^ Didn't he have enough for domination with those figures? Obviously not, but he must have been very close.

He was about 1-2% away, I was lucky that he was so powerful that people vassalized to him when they still had a lot of cities left. When he declared war on his last victim, i thought I was done for, but Hetshepsut vassalized after losing only one city.

 

[Gooblah]

Danny, head to Strategy and Tips for help with that. You'll get better responses there.
Next, SALADIN with high power? jeez. I always take him out right after he founds Hinduism. Then spread it to cash in on his pre built shrine

*commence evil laughter*

 

[Peter Harris]

I also had another game against Catherine that was pretty scary.

I was Persia and had Egypt, Rome, and England between me and Russia. Catherine had open Borders with Egypt and I didn't. She invaded me three times and all I could do was defend. When she got Rifling she brought two stacks of 25 Cossacks! along with various Riflemen and Grenadiers. She tried this twice. The first time she burned 25-30% of my country, but I held out. The second time the Cossacks came, I had Infantry waiting for them.

Eventually I got Open Borders with Victoria and Catherine's past caught up with her.

I always find out where Catherine lives and see to it that I have access to her territory so I can hit back when the inevitable war comes. If she doesn't attack me, I will attack her as a "preventative measure". I do the same to Hannibal. These are two leaders I find particularly treacherous. I want them dead. (Even Montezuma can be left alive if he has a tiny backward empire)

 

[Bast]

Wow. I have a feeling that some of those are friendly, willing vassals though. She probably spread her religion and got friendly with some of her neighbours.

I have had a game where Julia Caesar ended up vassalizing Shaka, Montezuma, Tokugawa, De Gaulle and Qin. That's 6 civ team. Luckily I was in a perma alliance with Elizabeth and obviously Julius came after us but we took off to the stars.