Playing in Team with AI

[Cervus]

I have never played Civilization IV online nor tried playing in teams. However, a few days ago, while setting up my new game on a huge map with 18 players, I wondered what's it like to play in a team and divided all the players into 6 teams (all AI except for me, of course).

I can't say I liked playing in a team with AI. I think it was less challenging, as they helped me with research (I could tell them what to research next) while I was destroying the closest rivals. I just didn't feel like I was struggling with the world all on my own which is, I think, a good thing when you are playing without any team-mates against other 17 civilizations.

Has anyone else tried playing in teams with AI? What were the impressions? Did I miss anything?

I would highly appreciate and experience shared on this matter.

 

[UncleJJ]

I have tried it a while ago and like you felt it was too easy, although I learned a lot about how the AI did things. I guess the way around that problem would be to play at a higher level than you normally play or perhaps you could play with one AI ally and play against teams of 3 AI. I'll try it again sometime but at present Warlords is taking up my free time.

 

[cabert]

i did... in some way, since i played desert war scenario.
I think the AIs were useless! I ended up playing alone vs 3 AIs while my 2 teammates suicided troops for no reason

 

[UncleJJ]

But what would happen if you played one or two levels above your normal game, say on emperor or deity? Would the AI teamates help you keep up with research or be a hinderance?

 

[CynicalMagician]

I've played a few games like this. One was Prince, me and Caesar in a 2v2v2v2v2 on small Great Plains. Caesar didn't expand very well and didn't catch up until late midgame, but in the meantime it was fun because I was essentially warring alone against the 2nd place team (Isabella and Freddy). Calvary saves the day.

I also played a small archipelago game as Qin with Alex as my partner against 5 other teams. This one was less fun because the AI is so useless at intercontinental invasions.

Both games were ok as a change of pace, but I enjoy having lots of individual civs more. Religious blocks always cause big teams to form anyway, and the more civs = more interesting game.

 

[weasel77066]

Perhaps an interesting variant for people having trouble with AI teammate, would be to "hotseat" a game with yourself, team players- you play both civs on your team, AI the rest of the world.

 

[VoiceOfUnreason]

I have never played Civilization IV online nor tried playing in teams. However, a few days ago, while setting up my new game on a huge map with 18 players, I wondered what's it like to play in a team and divided all the players into 6 teams (all AI except for me, of course).

Realms Beyond Adventure Seven: The Warlords featured team play (AI team mate against teams of AI).

I found it something of a bother that Toku (the teammate) kept grabbing the wonders, when he didn't have enough production to finish them in any reasonable amount of time. There was a loophole to get around that, but it really put a sour taste in my mouth.

 

[50_dollar_bag]

I've tried this with Always War Teams, The AI is terrible at research. You end up having to do most of it yourself, if you look into their cities they will probably be running the slider at 10-30% science. And war weariness is another thing, does anyone know the dynamics of this? Is it shared with all team members?

I found it something of a bother that Toku (the teammate) kept grabbing the wonders, when he didn't have enough production to finish them in any reasonable amount of time. There was a loophole to get around that, but it really put a sour taste in my mouth.

I found that with religions too, I know you can time it so that the tech is dicovered by you at the end of your turn, but when I lightbulbed Theology it was founded in a teammates city

 

[Bierp]

So if the AI sucks so badly as a teammate, why are they always so far ahead in a regular game. (I mean, yeah, we've learned how to mitigate it with cottage spamming, slingshots, etc, but straight up they have the edge...)

Different code for teammate AI versus stand alone? Something else?

B

 

[VoiceOfUnreason]

So if the AI sucks so badly as a teammate, why are they always so far ahead in a regular game. (I mean, yeah, we've learned how to mitigate it with cottage spamming, slingshots, etc, but straight up they have the edge...)

Different code for teammate AI versus stand alone? Something else?

Well, the AI in team mode is really no dumber than the AI alone. The problem is that you can't give the AI human intelligence. The AI teammate will listen to suggestions on research, or attack targets, but for purely domestic issues there isn't much you can do.

In the situation I ran into, if you discover a tech at the end of your turn, then the AI gets to start building the wonders in his 20 hammer cities, rather than letting you build them in your 120 hammer cities. Alas, there is no way to gently suggest to partner that there may be a better choice - your only options are to arrange for partner to discover the tech, or to arrange a less gentle suggestion.

 

[CivDude86]

And war weariness is another thing, does anyone know the dynamics of this? Is it shared with all team members?

Let me just say WW is a huge PITA in team games. You'll be running the culture slider at 50% in any extended war and seems to make other teams wars very short cuz of it.

 

[Mind_worm]

I've tried this with Always War Teams, The AI is terrible at research. You end up having to do most of it yourself, if you look into their cities they will probably be running the slider at 10-30% science. And war weariness is another thing, does anyone know the dynamics of this? Is it shared with all team members?

I am fairly certain that a large part of the ais research edge (especially late game) is due to tech trading. The "always war" edge really shuts down their ability to do this (and would an ai trade with a neutral civ in a team game anyway? not sure).

If you really want to shut down the ais ability to research, play with tech trading turned off.

 

[50_dollar_bag]

Tech trading off doesn't affect the ability of permanently allied civs trading as they share research.
What I was referring to was the AIs in my team. They had too many units and cities without markets or courthouses, which mad their research pitiful as their slider was really low on research.