Post-patch gameplay experience - AI

[IMACIVFAN]

So the biggest patch has been released for nearly 2 weeks now. Anyone like to share their experience? Do you folks still reckon that the AI is not up to the challenge?

 

[Munchausen]

Still way too easy. Deity is still pretty easy. They got rid of some of the worst exploits, but the AI stinks badly across many vectors. Doubt the game will be hard for several weeks if ever, unfortunately.

 

[Skulbow]

I think we have to be realistic and accept that was the first step on the ladder and that it will take a few patches and some DLC's to get the AI to a competitive standard. I am enjoying this iteration of Civ even though the AI is at present below par in a lot of areas. I still see so much potential in this game.

 

[Munchausen]

I agree in the sense that the overall design is very solid. I fear though that that design is going to be very hard for an AI to navigate, although I'm not sure why it's THAT bad currently.

 

[georgjorge]

This experience from my latest game was also posted in another thread:

I'm playing Deity, Pangea, going for Domination. After conquering three AIs, I end up at the doorstep of Brazil. Now Brazil is advanced, more advanced than myself, and has seven cities. This is about 1200AD. I attack with my army, and within ten turns I encounter exactly three enemy units (nevermind that those are two Crossbows and a Chariot, the AI not upgrading can be solved through mods). So I take three cities without any resistance, and make peace for the rest of his cities except the capital. Then I attack his neighbour Spain, who has six cities, and encounter a single Field Cannon and nothing else in ten turns of combat.

How is it ever possible that a Deity AI, with all its bonuses, has actually less units than it has cities in 1200AD?

This is post-patch, with no mods running at all.

 

[Tech Osen]

I think we have to be realistic and accept that was the first step on the ladder and that it will take a few patches and some DLC's to get the AI to a competitive standard. I am enjoying this iteration of Civ even though the AI is at present below par in a lot of areas. I still see so much potential in this game.

Sure, but we paid good money a month ago, this is not beta. I can accept bugs, imbalances and glitches but the single player game is, for me at least, not worth playing atm.

 

[OThePestO]

Is there anything I can do to make this game more difficult? I play on highest difficulty setting but it is too easy. I'm just an average player and there is no joy when I win a game. Considering how many hours go into each game it's a big letdown.

 

[CaiusDrewart]

Basically the AI is indistinguishable from how it was pre-patch. The Deity AI still won't consistently upgrade its units, still won't consistently escort its settlers, and still won't consistently expand past two or three cities. Each of these three things is a huge issue that can ruin a game. The AI also isn't very good at growing cities, really struggles to control barbs, and doesn't compete for victory conditions very effectively. These latter three are also major problems, but perhaps not quite so urgent.

Diplomatically, I have noticed that neutral AIs will accept delegations more often (but not always), but warmonger penalties are still absurd and AIs are still very likely to hate you.

The only clear and substantial improvement I noticed post-patch is that city-states create real militaries now.

 

[IMACIVFAN]

What I see is quite similar.
If I were the AI, I would think of countering the human players. Of course, it doesn't mean cheating.

Therefore, 3 modes(at least arise):
1) Counter human player(s)
2) Play to the algorithm which belongs to the AI's trait.
3) Random navigation of AI tree

 

[bladex]

Ai hasn't changed one bit

 

[RealHuhn]

I certainly see more warrior and chariot armies in modern eras now. Before the patch, they only had warrior and chariot corps

 

[tekjunkie28]

-The city states have a larger army and better equipped army then the AI civs.... thats bas akwards.
-AI builds slightly more cities... by slightly I mean one. THE AI HAS TO BUILD CITIES AND DEVELOP THEM TO BE COMPETITIVE.
-AI has not launched any wars in 200 turns to anyone
-AI has not contacted me about anything ever yet in this game after the patch
-AI has not kept up with me in tech even though I only have one campus.... thats sad
-AI still has a hard time killing off barbarians,
-AI still cant take cities, it gives up too soon
-Firaxis needs to hire a real AI programmer and give him all the time and money he needs to get he job done or Firaxis should give my money i paid to a modder since they can do better with less time
-Firaxis needs to talk to there player base and let us test patches just like Paradox does, its a no brainer

 

[WorldWarIV]

I've been playing for 87 hours and I'm starting to get fed up with the AI. Everyone hates me no matter what I do. Yesterday Victoria denounces me because two turns after we met I'm not already settled on other continents. She then founds a city right besides my capital, declares war, poses no threat although she has an army three times my size (Emperor), I capture her city, raze it, and then everyone denounces me as a warmonger forever. I hope they do something soon, because it's really annoying.

 

[Dux1]

The AI still has trouble upgrading its units, and they all still seem to follow the same tech path. I am really getting tired of everyone having ancient/classical units until Chemistry when the AT Team spam starts (which just feels ridiculous). I have never seen the AI get Infantry before AT Teams because every AI player seems to prioritize the same tech path every game.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

The AI still has trouble upgrading its units, and they all still seem to follow the same tech path. I am really getting tired of everyone having ancient/classical units until Chemistry when the AT Team spam starts (which just feels ridiculous). I have never seen the AI get Infantry before AT Teams because every AI player seems to prioritize the same tech path every game.

In previous civ titles, the AI would go the "bottom" path first and thus players could outpace it with research. Now it goes "top" path (top being research, bottom being military for 3 games running) as a priority and instead gets exposed in ancient --> medieval timings in particular.

If player gets chemistry substantially before AI and turtles while it prioritizes bottom path you have an industrial/modern runaway scenario repeatedly.

I'd rather see something more dynamic but this isn't easy to balance for the AI, which doesn't set up basic infrastructure well and so can struggle regardless.

 

[Dux1]

In previous civ titles, the AI would go the "bottom" path first and thus players could outpace it with research. Now it goes "top" path (top being research, bottom being military for 3 games running) as a priority and instead gets exposed in ancient --> medieval timings in particular.

If player gets chemistry substantially before AI and turtles while it prioritizes bottom path you have an industrial/modern runaway scenario repeatedly.

I'd rather see something more dynamic but this isn't easy to balance for the AI, which doesn't set up basic infrastructure well and so can struggle regardless.

This is interesting, but I don't understand why it has to be 100% one way or the other. AI Civs with warlike ambitions absolutely should change their tech priorities to reflect this.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

This is interesting, but I don't understand why it has to be 100% one way or the other. AI Civs with warlike ambitions absolutely should change their tech priorities to reflect this.

They were never so good at getting it to systematically make useful decisions on varying it I suppose. If you go military advantage you need to push that into taking cities and more land or you fall behind. If you go for tech advantage first you still need to survive.

Getting the AI to consistently balance those two goals while still defending against the player and other AI probably isn't easy.

 

[civfnaticfan]

Hi all, i observed that even after the fall patch, even in deity mode, Ai still shuffle around our city and not attacking and capturing when they have twice or 3 times my army size during war, i really hope 2k developers can look into this, it makes the game really easy and not challenging at all. One suggestion, made the AI attack our city or troops using their troops together, and not one by one, this will increase the difficulty by leaps and bounds, since even they sacrificed their troops , our troops will also die and we will take hit in our economy. The other AIs can gank us. But if they just move around and shuffle , we can eventually pick them up , one by one....
Anyone also observed this? i see this even in twitch streams deity games, no challenge at all.
In Civ V , AI troops will just come to us and attack us, not move around like lost childrens. In my opinion , if they can just made the AI more courageous, the difficulty and challenge will straight up increase.

 

[The_Quasar]

Hi all, i observed that even after the fall patch, even in deity mode, Ai still shuffle around our city and not attacking and capturing when they have twice or 3 times my army size during war, i really hope 2k developers can look into this, it makes the game really easy and not challenging at all. One suggestion, made the AI attack our city or troops using their troops together, and not one by one, this will increase the difficulty by leaps and bounds, since even they sacrificed their troops , our troops will also die and we will take hit in our economy. The other AIs can gank us. But if they just move around and shuffle , we can eventually pick them up , one by one....
Anyone also observed this? i see this even in twitch streams deity games, no challenge at all.
In Civ V , AI troops will just come to us and attack us, not move around like lost childrens. In my opinion , if they can just made the AI more courageous, the difficulty and challenge will straight up increase.

This is also my experience.

I agree completely with your conclusion.

 

[Civking5]

As it stands now, AI is completely broken. There is no point in playing until Ai is FIXED.

What I don’t understand is how Ai devolving since CIV5> CIVBE> CIV6. I, as a 1UPT lover, just don’t understand why FIRAXIS doesn’t learn anything from its experience with 1upt through time….