Poll: The Most "Psychotic" AI

[Gwaja]

Just for funsies again ^_^ Psychotic means just downright crazy, irrational, unpredictable, most often times detrimental behaviors to themselves, and has NOTHING to do with their effectiveness. If you see this AI in your game, what is your general approach to this AI leader?

 

[chinemol]

gilga probably ruined more games than most. as for detrimental to themselves, louis comes to mind. sitting there building wonders, but dogpiling against someone who ends up vassaling him

 

[drewisfat]

Hah I was going to say Gilga too. While obviously not the "right" answer he has ruined more of my games than anyone else. Can't be attacked and is a huge t80-100 DoW risk. Psychos are predictable and attack pre-siege. Gilga acts nice and then plots the turn before he can be made friendly -.-

 

[Texas03]

I too have made these experiences with Gilgamesh...

Shaka and those guys are crazy but pretty predictable: you had best predict they might be coming for you and have measures in place to avoid it or defenses at least against any initial surprise attacks. Many a game has been lost because Shaka would rather come over to my corner than attack his enemies next to him.

 

[lymond]

Giggles is fairly easy to get on your good side, but can be very dangerous early.

I think Monty is the most irrational of them all. Shaka, Genghis and Rags next in that order. Nappy is quite close as well and has the highest unit prob only with Shaka, Rags and Mehmed.

edit: Oh...approach? I do whatever I can to boost relations early..trade resources, open borders, religion, demands. Giving into somewhat reasonable demands can buy time with peace treaties as well as boost relations. Save an extra resource that they don't have so they will demand it. Otherwise, i kill them

 

[Fippy]

Louis - imo the biggest backstabber despite his wonder & culture focus.
I always wondered why he (and de Gaulle) are firmly on the psycho side of peace weight, but with traits that support a builder mentality.

 

[Tecumseh1]

Mao is pretty strong and under-rated. All those spy points, can plot at pleased and not super predictable. Napoleon and Louis are bastards. Hannibal doesn't really plot on you but he is so tough to beat in a war in my experience. But irrational/stupid ones are usual suspects Monty etc. Esp when they land on your border with a tiny stack or no no seige. Katherine has also attacked me early like that with a crappy army, but usually she is tough as the game goes on.

 

[danjuno]

I've played as America on Earth18civs too many times for it not to be Monty.

 

[floydmcw]

I remember a war against Montezuma in which he attacked my spear, in a hill city, with a single chariot. I mean ... that's psychotic.

 

[AcaMetis]

Joao has DoWed me more often than Monty, Shaka and Genghis Khan combined with his absurd demands for tribute, but the one most psychotic has to be Monty - albeit, not by as wide a margin as many would think. I fondly remember one time Monty was my neighbour, and I bribed him to way on his other neighbour. Monty later demanded I join him in his war that I paid him into, I refused, and several turns later Monty DoWed me with an army of four Archers over me refusing his demand. Naturally I had build a few Chariots in advance and repelled the attack easily, because I know that when Monty is on the board there will be no peace in our time.

Or another time when Monty DoWed my friendly neighbour on a Hubs map with a gigantic army of medieval units, and just for fun I shipped six machine guns to the initial attacking point and DoWed Monty. He slammed enough units at me to actually kill one of six machine guns with Knights and Maces (IIRC), but that army was gone the next turn .

 

[floydmcw]

just for fun I shipped six machine guns to the initial attacking point and DoWed Monty.

if you gaze too much into the psycho abyss
you become the psycho ...

 

[AcaMetis]

if you gaze too much into the psycho abyss
you become the psycho ...

I learned from the very best .

 

[AspiringScholar]

Funny to see such a consensus for Gilgamesh. He was the only AI I won deity* against, well over a decade ago.

*So, it was a legitimate win and I didn't cheat, but it was a duel pangaea map and I had to do whatever it took to get him to friendly to lock him out of DoWing me while skirting strike by settling the other side of the "Bering Straight" far away to lock him in while I carpeted the map for domination, but, ultimately, it worked. Probably, in hindsight, the most notable achievement I made as a 13 year old.

I would say, in the unmodded game, it's probably got to be Montezuma. I considered saying Shaka, but his wars were usually pragmatic and sensible enough even if they were often unexpected and flagrantly in disregard of any existing diplomatic situation. Shaka will attack if he is in a position to at least bloody your nose and take a city or two, even if it's not a war he will outright flatten you in, but Montezuma will attack you just for the sake of attacking you. I would deem the latter more psychotic.

 

[dankok8]

Monty is the most psychotic. Besides isn't he the only AI that can declare war while already in a war?

 

[AcaMetis]

As far as I know that's not unique to Monty. Basically, if you refuse an AI's demand for tribute(?) some AIs will start plotting and/or immediately declare war on you, and this can happen independently of an AI already plotting/being at war, leading to an AI declaring war while already at war.

It's an uncommon thing, so if you see it you're most likely to see it with Monty, given he's 10/10 for demanding tribute and 10/10 for declaring war on annoyed neighbours.