Setting up a game for 2-player competition

[Metropolis Man]

My wife and I often compete to see who can get a higher Histogram score off of the same starting file. I set up a game and before I plant the first city I save the file to my name and then save it again to her name. What's interesting is sometimes early in the game someone may declare war on her and not on me. Or vice versa. Which got me thinking — Is AI attitude and all of their starting locations set at the point before or after your first city is settled?

 

[Tomoyo]

Yes, it is.

 

[Metropolis Man]

Yes, it is.

Are you saying "Yes" to the AI's attitude and starting locations BEFORE the first city is settled? If so, what would cause a very early war in one game and not in another? Are there still random variables that play out as time progresses? Or — my guess at least — would it be our different playing styles? I usually establish embassies quickly and trade more than she does so the AI probably look at me differently. But as I said — it's happened the other way as well. I'll have war declared on me and she won't. I basically want to start on equal footing.

 

[Sir Donald III]

Though I don't participate in them, ask the Vets of the Game of the Month. They'll have the answers for you.

Better yet, have you and your wife Play the next GotM and compete against a wider array while maintaining your friendly rivalry.

 

[Tomoyo]

Yes, I was saying yes to that.

Usually, if you trade more, the AI will like you more, and not declare on you, but sometimes, trading will cause the AI to become stronger and try to pick on you, or it could cause the AI to think you are too strong and try to bring you down a notch.

Anyway, those early war declarations are an indicator of a player's hunches. The true measure a good player is how they deal with the war. (Like milking all they can out of an obvious sneak attack)

 

[IbnSina]

Yes, the question of whether the AI declares war on you is ultimately decided by the RNG. All the attitude information just goes into a probability calculation, and then the AI rolls the die. Thus, if you decide early to kill a barbarian and your wife lets him walk by, you have different seeds for the RNG as a result, and one may have war and the other not.

 

[ainwood]

The AI settle on the starting location, unless the starting location is not able to be settled on (mountains, for example). Attitude depends on what civ you are playing and what the AI are (see Bamspeedy's article in the war academy for more info).

But yes, essentially what the others are saying is correct: The decision to attack you depends on a random number, although the major effects are the modifiers, such as attitude and relative power - the AI is less likely to attack you if you are stronger than he is.

And yes, come play the Game Of The Month!

 

[Randy]

Also remember barb attack use random #'s, so you maybe attacked 2 barb, your wife 0 barb. This would put you at a diff. ramdon #. Also number of cities I think will change the random #'s. It is very cool to see the diff. out comes in GOTM.