More AI Civs = Harder?
- Thread starter Tikal
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warpstorm
Yumbo? Yumbo!
Not really.
bingen
Prince
Personally, I find playing with more civs to be easier, at least on the higher levels. On regent it might be the other way around. More civs=more oppurtunities for trade=great benefit for the human player.
Yes. More Civs = Faster research generally, but this effect is more pronounced the higher you go.
Is it harder or easier?
Probably easier. There are more AIs running around, more distractions for a potential superpower AI. That said, these games can be a lot of fun.
If you can resist the temptation (exploit) of pointless dogpiling that so many Civvers like to do (ie: signing up everyone and their dog against your 1 enemy), and instead concentrate on alliances that make sense to you (without sacrificing anything), you can end up with very interesting Cold War style situations where you are part of a loose coalition of Civs who is vaguely in opposition to another coalition of Civs headed by one of your main rivals. It is also possible to have more than 2 coalitions in your map. Maybe a 3rd or 4th AI power has his own.
Because the alliance system in Civ3 doesn't recognize multiple parties, this is the closest most of us can get to recreating a Cold War style scenario in our epic games.
I would say that as a general rule, if you play on large maps with 16 Civs, or even larger maps with 24 or 31 Civs, you would be looking to spending more time in the diplomacy screen forming deals, and thinking about the effects of your actions very carefully. It takes a level of patience and clarity to be able to handle so many neighbours running around. But the payoff is great.
Is it harder or easier?
Probably easier. There are more AIs running around, more distractions for a potential superpower AI. That said, these games can be a lot of fun.
If you can resist the temptation (exploit) of pointless dogpiling that so many Civvers like to do (ie: signing up everyone and their dog against your 1 enemy), and instead concentrate on alliances that make sense to you (without sacrificing anything), you can end up with very interesting Cold War style situations where you are part of a loose coalition of Civs who is vaguely in opposition to another coalition of Civs headed by one of your main rivals. It is also possible to have more than 2 coalitions in your map. Maybe a 3rd or 4th AI power has his own.
Because the alliance system in Civ3 doesn't recognize multiple parties, this is the closest most of us can get to recreating a Cold War style scenario in our epic games.
I would say that as a general rule, if you play on large maps with 16 Civs, or even larger maps with 24 or 31 Civs, you would be looking to spending more time in the diplomacy screen forming deals, and thinking about the effects of your actions very carefully. It takes a level of patience and clarity to be able to handle so many neighbours running around. But the payoff is great.
Great answers, thanks for the replies!
I am fairly new to C3C, I played PTW a handful of games on Warlord (and then put it away). After picking it back up.... I found out that you have an unfair advantage over the computer (on build speeds etc), I won't go back to that level, that is cheating!
In any game, it must be a challenge or I'd rather not play. After reading a bunch of information on this game and then playing some, I agree more civs = easier on Regent in the long run (however a bit more challenging early on), the computers civs destined to be the biggest competitors, can't run away with it.
I am fairly new to C3C, I played PTW a handful of games on Warlord (and then put it away). After picking it back up.... I found out that you have an unfair advantage over the computer (on build speeds etc), I won't go back to that level, that is cheating!
In any game, it must be a challenge or I'd rather not play. After reading a bunch of information on this game and then playing some, I agree more civs = easier on Regent in the long run (however a bit more challenging early on), the computers civs destined to be the biggest competitors, can't run away with it.
Just a clarification.
It's all about timing for the AI superpowers. A few lucky RNG rolls could make the difference. The problem with the AI is that its unpredictable in how it reacts with its neighbours and humans can only influence them so much. Early on, we usually aren't in a position to play any of the late game 'puppet master' moves like giving gold to an AI to get them to build a massive army and pick a fight.
With more Civs, more variables are inevitably around and there's more chances that the AI will fight themselves to a stalemate. But the AI can run away with it, and the more Civs = more people to fight. Once one AI gets a critical mass powerwise over, it will systematically pick off its neighbours. More AI civs means that there is also more chances that there is no counterweight and you get scenarios where there is one powerful AI that ate up 4 civs.
It's all about timing for the AI superpowers. A few lucky RNG rolls could make the difference. The problem with the AI is that its unpredictable in how it reacts with its neighbours and humans can only influence them so much. Early on, we usually aren't in a position to play any of the late game 'puppet master' moves like giving gold to an AI to get them to build a massive army and pick a fight.
With more Civs, more variables are inevitably around and there's more chances that the AI will fight themselves to a stalemate. But the AI can run away with it, and the more Civs = more people to fight. Once one AI gets a critical mass powerwise over, it will systematically pick off its neighbours. More AI civs means that there is also more chances that there is no counterweight and you get scenarios where there is one powerful AI that ate up 4 civs.
DBear
unbeliever
I usually play 8-civ games on regent, but my last one I played a 19-player Greyhawk map. It was my fastest game ever, reaching the modern age just after 1000. I won a wonder victory as Nyrond. In the midgame I had gotten a dogpile on Aerdi, but in the endgame Keoland had declared Furyondy a rogue state, and at the end, there was a coalition against Sunndi, who I had been friends with, that I got dragged into.
But man, my poor computer was taking 5-10 minutes processing all the units during those endgame wars.
But man, my poor computer was taking 5-10 minutes processing all the units during those endgame wars.
I'm not familiar with the particlar map you played Dbear, but the strange names would suggest it is a mod which could also mean the tech rates have been alterned.
At Regent the AI gets no research bonuses and having more of them won't move research that fast, or it has't been my experience. The pace picks up when you have AI bonuses in Monarch and above and lots of AIs going for different techs.
At Regent the AI gets no research bonuses and having more of them won't move research that fast, or it has't been my experience. The pace picks up when you have AI bonuses in Monarch and above and lots of AIs going for different techs.
doolally
pxlcrow
-more Civs generally means an easier game for me. try not to think of them as enemies, but rather, as customers 
-goodluckhavefun!
-goodluckhavefun!
Bloodied66
Chieftain
Easier as long as you can manage to keep up in tech through research (low levels), or trades (high levels). Its easier to fall behind, i find, since the AI will trade that much more amongst themselves.
