Questions about difficulty in multiplayer?

[clinton]

Could someone explain precisely how difficulty works in multiplayer?

i.e. What level the AI plays at? Do human players get production penalties/bonuses, particularly when they've set at different levels?

It's my understanding that Chieftain is the level where the AI gets no bonuses/penalties in single player (aside from it's stupidity). Is this also the case in multiplayer?

 

[Tabarnak]

Check this thread

General statement : Humans alone just get an happiness penalty from the actual level(i.e : from prince to deity it's the same amount). CS and barbs are stronger than humans if the diff. level is beyond prince. If a player quits, the AI taking place will receive the actual level bonuses.

For example, i choose to play at emperor level. Barbs and CS will have more power, but if i quit other players will have to face an emperor AI.

 

[clinton]

General statement : Humans alone just get an happiness penalty from the actual level(i.e : from prince to deity it's the same amount). CS and barbs are stronger than humans if the diff. level is beyond prince. If a player quits, the AI taking place will receive the actual level bonuses.

For example, i choose to play at emperor level. Barbs and CS will have more power, but if i quit other players will have to face an emperor AI.

So is it right to say, assuming no players quit, AI level (as in, their production speed etc) will be unaffected by human choices?

In addition, humans only receive happiness and CS + barb combat penalties, so multiplayer Diety is easier than single player Diety, because you're facing opponents without production bonuses. Is that right?

And finally, does the AI play at Chieftain level always in multiplayer? (i.e. if a human set their level to Chieftain and they immediately quit, would that AI play like the other original AIs exactly?)

 

[Tabarnak]

So is it right to say, assuming no players quit, AI level (as in, their production speed etc) will be unaffected by human choices?

In addition, humans only receive happiness and CS + barb combat penalties, so multiplayer Diety is easier than single player Diety, because you're facing opponents without production bonuses. Is that right?

And finally, does the AI play at Chieftain level always in multiplayer? (i.e. if a human set their level to Chieftain and they immediately quit, would that AI play like the other original AIs exactly?)

Exactly

If a player is set to chieftain level, the AI replacing him will play at chieftain level too.

If player A plays chieftain and player B plays prince, player A will get a little more happiness and culture/science reduction cost vs his opponent and will also get easier times against barbs and CS.

For prince and higher levels, for humans only, it only affects barbs and CS ''separately'' if they choose to play different levels between prince and deity.

 

[clinton]

I've just found this link Civilization V: Difficulties

So if I get this right (ignoring players quitting) the "AI Bonuses" section simply doesn't apply in multiplayer games.

AIs play at Chieftain level, so playing as Chieftain in a multiplayer is exactly "fair" against the AIs (i.e. humans an AIs play at the same level).

Whereas, in a single player, there is no "fair" level. Chieftian is too easy, as the AIs gets 130% growth rate penalty (among others). Whereas at Prince, the AI still plays at Chieftian, and hence gets a whole lot of happiness bonuses which aren't available at Prince level.

Perhaps a fair level in single player is at Warlord, but that involves a balance between AI penalties and lost bonuses moving up from Chieftain, so is debatable.

Have I got this right?

 

[Tabarnak]

AIs play at Chieftain level, so playing as Chieftain in a multiplayer is exactly "fair" against the AIs (i.e. humans an AIs play at the same level).

No, it's prince.

 

[clinton]

No, it's prince.

So is the Civilization V: Difficulties page wrong when it says "the AI plays at chieftain difficulty level and get those bonuses as well"?

Or does the AI in multiplayer play at Prince level whilst the AI in single player plays at Chieftain level?

 

[Tabarnak]

That's right, but playing prince level is the ''fairest'' way to play against the AI. They have a slight advantage at Prince(pretty well documented) but it's still way better than playing chieftain. It's the default level after all.

 

[The_J]

The link with the correct formatting is btw this one here .