Multiplayer Difficulty

[Charlie_B]

Howdy folks

In a normal single player game, if you play above a certain level (above Prince, is it?) the AI gets bonuses such as free techs as well as you getting punishments. If you play a multiplayer game against someone who plays on a lower difficulty setting, how does this work? Presumably if they play on Settler and you play on Deity the AI don't start with any free techs, as that would make it harder for the Settler player - so does this mean that multiplayer games are actually easier than AI games in these situations?

 

[Deckhand]

Sorry, I don't know the answer.
I play multiplayer with a couple friends and it would be nice to know.
It would be nice to set the AI level when human levels don't match. Then I could let my wife play Warlord with AI at Noble and myself at Monarch.

 

[Charlie_B]

Seems like noone knows!
My assumption is that the AI are always set to Noble, and that the difficulty setting only relate to your own modifiers, but it's not clear how this scales with single player difficulties.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

1. If you both set the same difficulty, the AI will be at that level. I've run some games @ monarch with my friend and the AIs got all the bonuses.

2. I haven't tried using two different difficulties 1 for each player, but I assume this would default the AI to either noble or a player average, and then apply the bonus (or handicap) to the players irrespective of the fact that the AI isn't the right level.

I am perfectly certain of (1)...not so much for (2).

You can test it though. Play a hotseat game with yourself and see what kinds of bonuses the AI gets in terms of starting units in worldbuilder, and compare the time it takes to produce research for each civ. You should be able to tell from that.

There's no TRUE way to make players with a large skill disparity have an equal chance in the game. If the AIs are buffed they'll screw the weaker player directly, and if not then the high level player will walk all over them and screw the weaker player himself. The only way around this I can think of is a scenario where some AIs are given different bonus starting units that are defined from the start. Good luck with that, though. Balance isn't something so easily created.

 

[Korias]

Play a hotseat game with yourself and see what kinds of bonuses the AI gets in terms of starting units in worldbuilder, and compare the time it takes to produce research for each civ. You should be able to tell from that.

Thats assuming its possible to Open Worldbuilder in a Hotseat game, which is impossible. The only way, as far as I can see, to tell a Multiplayer game's AI Bonuses is to Keep an eye on what religions/Wonders they build, and parahprase from that.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

You could probably make a scenario where you as a player start with 100 great spies at the start of the game, and settle them in your capitol. I bet you'd have sight of everyone you met very quickly. Be sure to clean the starting units for all other civs though.

More typically/easily, you'd see if they have archers or not very early. I didn't know MP blocked WB. If you want it really easy set one guy to deity and one to prince, and if the AI starts with archers, it's being averaged, if not, it's defaulting down.

Maybe the easiest way to see starting units without the worldbuilder is a duel pangaea with 18 civs. I bet you'll see what they start with then...