[GS] Livestreamer Previews Discussion Thread

Having watched Quill's playthrough, I'm pretty happy with how they have "thickened up" the later parts of the game. I think it may feel a bit too much like busywork at some points but I think it's a good improvement still.

But yes, I'm disappointed in how ineffective the AI seems to be at the later parts of the victories. We're still talking Emperor, which is not the most difficult but it *is* beyond "normal" and quill really didn't play very well.

I mean, new features are all fun of course but it will all end up feeling a bit pointless to actually engage in the systems if you can screw around as much as he did but still win at higher difficulties.
 
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leandrombraz said:
Where's the fun in doing that?

You're making it easier for you to win but you're also making it easier for everyone else. If you're conquering left and right, you gonna have a hard time keeping alliances, so less diplo favors for you. Granted, you can make up for it with CS suzerainty but still, that's one less source you can rely on. Also trade, it will be hard to buy diplo favors if nobody want to do a fair trade with you. If there's an AI that is far from you and good at the diplo game, each Civ you conquer you risk giving that AI the victory. A good player will know how to play around this but it doesn't look like a straight conquer and win, it can backfire if you're not careful and effective. In the same way a lot of people gave a religious victory to the AI while going for domination, I predict we gonna get a lot of threads from people who gave a diplo victory to the AI./QUOTE]

Right. If you're conquering every civ but one, why don't you just go for a military victory?
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Starwars said:
Having watched Quill's playthrough, I'm pretty happy with how they have "thickened up" the later parts of the game. I think it may feel a bit too much like busywork at some points but I think it's a good improvement still.

But yes, I'm disappointed in how ineffective the AI seems to be at the later parts of the victories. We're still talking Emperor, which is not the most difficult but it *is* beyond "normal" and quill really didn't play very well.

I mean, new features are all fun of course but it will all end up feeling a bit pointless to actually engage in the systems if you can screw around as much as he did but still win at higher difficulties.
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But that's usually what every expansion is: They don't make the game more difficult to win, they just give the player more toys to play with.
 
Starwars said:
I mean, new features are all fun of course but it will all end up feeling a bit pointless to actually engage in the systems if you can screw around as much as he did but still win at higher difficulties.
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While I agree with you, I also understand that for many players, the ability to "screw around" and still win is part of the fun.

Personally, I think that should be true at the mid-levels of difficulty, and not true for the higher levels, but others - including Firaxis, it seems - feel otherwise.

As @SupremacyKing2 points out, providing the player with new toys is a key aspect of the marketing strategy. "Now harder to win" doesn't appear in the marketing pitch. :)
 
Trav'ling Canuck said:
While I agree with you, I also understand that for many players, the ability to "screw around" and still win is part of the fun.

Personally, I think that should be true at the mid-levels of difficulty, and not true for the higher levels, but others - including Firaxis, it seems - feel otherwise.

As @SupremacyKing2 points out, providing the player with new toys is a key aspect of the marketing strategy. "Now harder to win" doesn't appear in the marketing pitch. :)
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The more systems there are the harder it is going to be for the AI, simple as that. If you want expansions and "stuff" it almost by definition is going to be easier to play. I mean massive bonuses and "jump start" mechanics would make it harder, but I always think that is kind of artificial.
 
True, although FXS could mitigate this by helping the AI to cheat a little. I mean, it already cheats with say gold maintenance (I think the AI basically just ignores maintenance).

Perhaps depending on difficulty, the AI should probably get some sort of buffs to loyalty and, after GS, probably to resources.
 
acluewithout said:
True, although FXS could mitigate this by helping the AI to cheat a little. I mean, it already cheats with say gold maintenance (I think the AI basically just ignores maintenance).

Perhaps depending on difficulty, the AI should probably get some sort of buffs to loyalty and, after GS, probably to resources.
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You can give it all the cheats you want, but if it's going to spend it on building dozens of support units when it only needs 3-4, it's of no use.
 
acluewithout said:
True, although FXS could mitigate this by helping the AI to cheat a little. I mean, it already cheats with say gold maintenance (I think the AI basically just ignores maintenance).

Perhaps depending on difficulty, the AI should probably get some sort of buffs to loyalty and, after GS, probably to resources.
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I think what the AI likely needs, more than anything else, is to be given a handful of decent "plans" and then to doggedly follow the one they're assigned each game. So if they get dealt the "We're going religion!' plan, then they're given a series of build orders and religious spread tactics that have a realistic chance of achieving a religious victory if unopposed by the player. Then the AI also needs a special "we're under attack!" plan that overrides everything else when they're at risk of losing a city. However, I'm straying far from my (very tiny) area of competence, and am grossly simplifying the situation.

It does, though, seem to me that the more systems that get thrown into the game, the harder it is for the AI to play it well, and therefore the more likely it is that the AI could benefit from having a very strict set of pre-programmed behaviours, rather than trying to assess and react to things on the fly. You just need to have enough of those "plans" to provide some variety in how the various AI leaders behave. (Also, hint: under none of those plans should the AI be told to build another Medic when it already owns 3. Unless it gets dealt the "Mobile National Health Care" plan! :))
 
Eagle Pursuit said:
Qull18, Canada #13, 21:37

Stock Exchange is one of those powered buildings, as expected

Stock Exchange
+4 Gold, +7 Additional Gold when Powered
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BPOsMwn.png
 
just got around to watching christopherodd's canada video. Gotta say that I enjoyed his a lot more than biffa even though they are both learning the game. Christopher just seems to get things right away a lot better. Don't get me wrong, he's doing all sorts of silly things but way less infuriating than biffa lol
 
Quill's Canada game has lots of air units at the end. China has tons of fighters.
 
ICnsQoZ.png


Stadium
Electrical needs: 3 power

The bonus Amenity extends to each city center within a radius of 6 tiles. This bonus applies only once in a city, so there is no need to build this building in multiple copies within a radius of 6 tiles around a city center. Tourism +2 if the city has at least 10 inhabitants, +5 if it has at least 20.

+1 Amenity
+2 more Amenities if supplied with electricity
 
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