Strategy vs Exploits

[AriochIV]

The game is so poorly balanced that anything is potentially an "exploit."

 

[g++]

They do have a trigger where the old strat resources just become valueless...but it's incredibly late. I suspect it is when they literally cannot build any units that use those resources.

I just feel like thats not good enough. I mean thats really not an intelligent AI thats a single trigger. If they wanted an AI opponent to feel and act hard their should be alot more logic checking on these situations to actually have a competitive feel. The fact that even on higher difficulties the AI will basically fund their own destruction is just bad. I feel like the fundamental problems are that the underlying AI combat and decision making is too basic to the point where it blurs the lines of the difficulties. Increasing difficulty you are basically facing the same dumb kid you beat up yesterday except now theirs 3 of them and they have alot of money. Unfortunately their so stupid their willing to give you the money for nothing and fight you one at a time.

 

[SuperJay]

I agree with what Martin Alvito wrote re: exploits. So I'm really surprised that "selling cities to the AI" and "selling resources to the AI" are seen as exploits. How are you circumventing game mechanics by making a simple trade offer?

Are we really supposed to just accept that the AI is so idiotic that it's too easily duped, and thus NOT make trade offers that aren't in its best interests?

And I had to laugh at "building a navy" being included here! That's awesome. Only in Civ5 would that be possibly considered an "exploit."

 

[H4run]

im do consider selling city with far AI from different continent as serious exploit, because :

1. They puppeting the city, hence after loosing much gpt and gold after the transaction, the city dont give much contribute in return.

2. It make the AI broke instead make them rich, after im sold Khurasan (afghanistan) to Russian, she was an average in economical power but after that she had 0 gold with -63 gpt. Its possible since having more city not logicaly giving you more gold from trade and commerce or more tools to contribute your empire military power and infrastructure, instead it give u nothing but more maintenance, unhappiness and 1 impotent city (not producing any military unit, but producing military infrastructure)

It will be different and be a serious threat if :

1. Puppet city dont appear as worthless as it is.
2. When the AI produce military unit in a capture city, that city can be serious threat and it make you think twice before sell it to the AI.

just imagine if the logic of this game apply on real event in history, english must an idiot accepting hongkong from the chinese, while in reality it give many advantage on them in commerce. And most of europe will be broke and unproductive because annexing and puppeting many africa and asian country in 19 century (imperialism era).

This game is really have a good addition and have a potential to be rich and complex, but loosing all of the logic while implemented

 

[CultureManiac]

I suppose we could argue that tech trading before DoW is an exploit/bug since it's going to be addressed in an upcoming patch. http://forums.2kgames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=94438
That tells me it wasn't intended. However, until it's patched over its fair game, if that's the style you like to play. Not that I've ever done that ...

BTW, all the discussions (tips) on this thread about the game's "exploits" just might help me finally break through on Immortal

 

[CultureManiac]

Exploit = something in the game mechanics, allow you to do something that clearly is not intended for you to do so. Shift-enter is such a exploit.

What is the shift-enter exploit?

 

[PieceOfMind]

What is the shift-enter exploit?

Someone can probably describe it in better detail than what I can, but I understand it to be that you can get around the game trying to force you to pick a tech when you burn a great scientist or get a tech from a wonder or social policy by not clicking on the notification icon and instead pressing shift+enter to end your turn. I'm not entirely sure, but perhaps it's possible to have set up your tech path before hand so that when you finish your current tech, you aren't forced to choose a new one (and hence choose the free one).

Basically it can be abused to beeline expensive techs.

 

[Druin]

Someone can probably describe it in better detail than what I can, but I understand it to be that you can get around the game trying to force you to pick a tech when you burn a great scientist or get a tech from a wonder or social policy by not clicking on the notification icon and instead pressing shift+enter to end your turn. I'm not entirely sure, but perhaps it's possible to have set up your tech path before hand so that when you finish your current tech, you aren't forced to choose a new one (and hence choose the free one).

Basically it can be abused to beeline expensive techs.

More specifically, you start the game, research writing, build GL, before it finishes click Civil Service in the tech tree, let GL finish, do all actions for your turn, hit Shift-enter. Repeat until you are actually teching Civil Service, then use the free tech you still have to take it.

This allows you to build the GL in a competitive time-frame while still getting silly stupid good use from its free tech.

I'll admit I used it when I totally spaced on stopping my oxford build in a game when I was going to use it to bulb the next tech in the line not the tech I was 2 turns from finishing

 

[jdp29]

I voted for abused selling cities and resources to the AI as exploits.

also I voted for reloading, altho I did it all the time in Civ 4 cause I was so bad. There was just too much going on every turn for me to remember everything.

 

[CultureManiac]

More specifically, you start the game, research writing, build GL, before it finishes click Civil Service in the tech tree, let GL finish, do all actions for your turn, hit Shift-enter. Repeat until you are actually teching Civil Service, then use the free tech you still have to take it.

This allows you to build the GL in a competitive time-frame while still getting silly stupid good use from its free tech.

I'll admit I used it when I totally spaced on stopping my oxford build in a game when I was going to use it to bulb the next tech in the line not the tech I was 2 turns from finishing

Thanks. I like to slingshot Civil Service in most games. Never tried this, but generally since I beeline it, I have it's prerequisites done once GL is built. There was one time I had to slow down my GL built by about 5 turns so I could grab CS with the free scientist. Shift+enter would have been handy then.

 

[Monsterzuma]

Thread needs a "win diplomatic victory" option.

"Using horsemen" is a contender for exploit status too.

Remove all the exploits from Civ5 and you end up with a game with the complexity of tic-tac-toe.