Mod or Cheat That Slows AI Tech Pace?

[Riggan]

Hello. Long-time Civ fan, first-time poster. I was wondering if there's a mod/cheat for Civ6 that specifically targets the way AI civs seem to keep up with you as you progress through the tech tree? It's been over a year and a half since I last played the game and am getting the itch to revisit it. But, I remember being very annoyed at this when I spent a few days finally playing it for the first time last year.

I even used a cheat engine to test, just to make sure I wasn't imagining it. I had nukes by 1200AD, and several other civs were still right behind me in producing bombers and tanks, which felt preposterous. I'd like to be able to stifle the AI's ability to magically keep up with me if there's an easy mod or a cheat engine that can do this.

 

[TheMarshmallowBear]

Are you asking to slow AI down or hurry it up? That tends to typically depend on the Difficulty you play on.

Prince and below usually means that veteran players will be WAY ahead of the AI, while Prince and below, Human usually starts behind of the AI in many ways and has to manage carefully to catch up and eventually overtake.

 

[pokiehl]

To be clear, there is no “rubber band” mechanic in Civ 6 that allows the AI to be neck and neck with you.

 

[Riggan]

Are you asking to slow AI down or hurry it up? That tends to typically depend on the Difficulty you play on.

Prince and below usually means that veteran players will be WAY ahead of the AI, while Prince and below, Human usually starts behind of the AI in many ways and has to manage carefully to catch up and eventually overtake.

I'd like to slow down the AI's tech pace. In the older games I was used to building quite a gap between me and the AI civs. I noticed in Civ6 the AI seems to be right behind me in the tech race, and no matter how much I focused on leaping ahead, they'd always seem to be just a step or two behind me, even when I used a cheat engine that would award me every tech I chose after one turn.

For example: in my vanilla run, I had bombers/tanks/nukes somewhere around the 1800s, and a couple other AI civs unlocked them shortly after. In the next game I used the cheat engine and unlocked every tech after one turn and got bombers/tanks/nukes somewhere in the 1200s, and the AI discovered them shortly after. Is there some mechanic in the game's code that allows the AI to keep up with you, or are they doing it by other means (stealing tech, etc)?

 

[Urlance Woolsbane]

I think the AI having modern techs in the 1800s isn't especially anomalous; in my experience it's pretty easy to get ahead of the calendar technologically in Civ VI. Nukes by 1200 is a bit much for Prince, but I don't know what difficulty you play on, and spies can of course steal tech boosts from other civs, so perhaps that's a factor. Also important is whether Babylon's in the game, since it gets full techs from Eurekas.

 

[Riggan]

I think the AI having modern techs in the 1800s isn't especially anomalous; in my experience it's pretty easy to get ahead of the calendar technologically in Civ VI. Nukes by 1200 is a bit much for Prince, but I don't know what difficulty you play on, and spies can of course steal tech boosts from other civs, so perhaps that's a factor. Also important is whether Babylon's in the game, since it gets full techs from Eurekas.

It's been forever, but I think Prince is the difficulty I generally go with. I'm about to start a new game, and I can't find any type of mod that does what I'm looking for, and I'd rather not use the cheat engine. I'll try to pay attention to different factors this time around, but I'm certain the AI has some ability to stay close to you in the tech race based on the cheat test I did before. It kind of ruins the experience for me to be honest. In the older games I had an easier time building a large tech gap and have the ability to smash other civs when they annoy me. I admit I enjoy nuking everyone late game.

 

[InsidiousMage]

It's been forever, but I think Prince is the difficulty I generally go with. I'm about to start a new game, and I can't find any type of mod that does what I'm looking for, and I'd rather not use the cheat engine. I'll try to pay attention to different factors this time around, but I'm certain the AI has some ability to stay close to you in the tech race based on the cheat test I did before. It kind of ruins the experience for me to be honest. In the older games I had an easier time building a large tech gap and have the ability to smash other civs when they annoy me. I admit I enjoy nuking everyone late game.

It should be fairly easy to get ahead of the AI on Prince difficulty in basically everything as long as you are taking advantage of things like adjacency bonuses and city-state envoys. The AI gets few, or no, bonuses on the lower difficulties and there isn't a catch-up mechanic either, as mentioned above.

 

[Riggan]

It should be fairly easy to get ahead of the AI on Prince difficulty in basically everything as long as you are taking advantage of things like adjacency bonuses and city-state envoys. The AI gets few, or no, bonuses on the lower difficulties and there isn't a catch-up mechanic either, as mentioned above.

Any thoughts on how rival AI's discovered modern tech so early in the cheat test on a lower difficulty?

 

[InsidiousMage]

Any thoughts on how rival AI's discovered modern tech so early in the cheat test on a lower difficulty?

I don't use mods or cheats so. . . no idea. But I don't think its strange that using mods or cheats has unexpected effects on the game. There is no, repeat, no mechanic that catches the AI up to the player. Its not in the game. When I moved up to playing King from Prince, and then from King to Emperor, I was regularly using Modern Armor to kill units like Field Cannons or Cavalry that the AI with the highest tech/science was using and they never got anything better. Techs can have their costs decreased or increased generally based on what era you are trying to unlock them in, but it applies to the player as well as the AI and doesn't have that noticeable of an effect on the game.

Going back to the original problem, from personal experience, Emperor is the lowest difficulty I've seen that the AI is able to maintain tech parity with a skilled enough player. No offense, but I don't think the issue is that the AI is moving too fast through the tech tree but that you aren't moving through it fast enough. Like, getting tanks and bombers in the 1800s is actually fairly late if you are focusing enough on tech. If I'm doing a domination or science game, I've got most, or all, of the Atomic Era techs in the early 1700s and usually a fair number of Information Era techs as well. The AI does get some slight bonuses on Prince so turn the difficulty down to Warlord and see how that plays.

 

[Chefofrats]

If you build campuses in good places, there is no way the AI will be ahead of you scientifically on difficulties up to King, and even Emperor (which is my go-to difficulty these days). I have no idea how the AI manages it, but I have seen it produce more science per turn than me, yet still have less technologies discovered. Possibly they beeline some tech from the "future" and ignore other techs from the current era? Anyway, if I were you I would focus on improving my gameplay, especially district choice and placement, because obviously that is the problem.

 

[InsidiousMage]

I have no idea how the AI manages it, but I have seen it produce more science per turn than me, yet still have less technologies discovered.

The AI doesn't go after eurekas its possible for a player to have more techs than an AI with more science if they hit a bunch of eurekas.

Possibly they beeline some tech from the "future" and ignore other techs from the current era?

I've see the AI do this a lot. They have some advance military units but still can't cross the ocean.

 

[cain3456]

Take Your Time Ultimate

Here you go.

 

[AntSou]

Just play anything below Prince difficulty as Prince already introduces some bonuses for the AI.

 

[Riggan]

Take Your Time Ultimate

Here you go.

I had seen this one and considered it. Thanks for sharing. I'd like to look more into mods and get the most out of the game. Right now I'm only running a couple low key ones.

Just play anything below Prince difficulty as Prince already introduces some bonuses for the AI.

View attachment 671925

This may be the answer. When I first played the game last year I'm sure I just selected Prince difficulty by default and didn't realize it gave the AI perks. For what it's worth, I started a new game the night I made this thread and was managing to stay decently ahead of the AI in the tech tree on Prince until England sneak-attacked me. They caught me off guard, invaded my territory and burned my farms and campuses, which stifled me a bit. I managed to regroup, push them out of my borders and now I'm torn on whether or not to sign the peace treaty they've offered or hold a grudge and keep sticking it to them. Needless to say, London will be the first target for "Little Boy" after I conduct the Manhattan Project.

 

[newtociv6]

Unless you have all AIs catching you, it could be as simple as a few of them keep running district projects. That's also how they get all the great scientists.

 

[Horizons]

I don't think you can nerf the AI's science without rendering it totally incompetent, it can only be competitive by cheating like a pirate.