Warlord/Noble level playtesters?

[jkp1187]

Is anyone else playtesting this on the lower levels? A lot of the comments seem to come from people on Monarch (or whatever the hell level Uncle Joe is using ).

I think I might start moving up in difficulty levels. I was trying to keep playing on Noble level on more or less identical settings with which I started playing Better AI back at the beginning of December (to ensure I was comparing apples to apples,) but, frankly, the AI isn't keeping me on my toes on Noble.

If no one else is, though I will probably feel guilted into continuing on Noble, just to see how things are going on that level.

 

[Arlborn]

Due to my extreme pacifism(OK not that extreme), I am indeed between warlrods and prince, depending of how I want to play.
But mostly in Noble, specially with the Blake's handcap.

 

[glokkonn]

Noble here.

But I am down and out right now since my computer crashes midgame.

I LOVE the Better AI updates.
I'll be practicing on Noble with forays into either Prince or Warlord difficulty depending upon my success rate.

 

[glokkonn]

Oh, and if Noble is not fun for you, then

Move up to Prince.

This is supposed to entertainment = fun, not a chore

 

[cf_nz]

I play pretty much exclusively at noble level. I don't believe in giving the computer artificial bonuses to make it harder and don't mind thrashing it frequently.

 

[jkp1187]

Oh, and if Noble is not fun for you, then

Move up to Prince.

This is supposed to entertainment = fun, not a chore

I shouldn't have said that....not doing so hot in the latest game....

 

[kettyo]

Mostly noble but a bit customized.
Most importantly i give free mysticism to everybody.

 

[jkp1187]

Hey -- did Blake's handicap re-adjusment affect Noble level, too? I was under the impression that since everything on Noble is already supposed to be equal it only affected Prince and higher.... I'm still playing with the Firaxis handicaps....

Mostly noble but a bit customized.
Most importantly i give free mysticism to everybody.

Am I the only one still playing an uncustomized version?

 

[gnome]

I'm a "Noble-only"... I jumped on this mod to give it better play.

I figure if I find it too easy to beat the AI playing in my usual way, I should try to win in different ways, that should be a fun challenge. I rarely enjoy high levels because it tends to force you into one way of playing and I like to play to the personality of the leader to some extent.

 

[kettyo]

Hey -- did Blake's handicap re-adjusment affect Noble level, too? I was under the impression that since everything on Noble is already supposed to be equal it only affected Prince and higher.... I'm still playing with the Firaxis handicaps....

Not totally equal.
AI gets some extra bonuses like extra bonus against animal/barb.
But imo we better leave most of them now and equalizing everything is surely a very bad idea.
For instance Ai gets a huge bonus on upgrades. But it doesn't have a mass upgrade empire-management routine yet so cancelling this bonus would lead to big masses of obsolete AI units.
Or taking away the animal/barb extra bonus would hurt AI expansion a lot because as you can see AI still escorts settlers with just 1 unit and it's a huge setback to lose a settler to an animal in the early game for instance.

So i think you're better play with Firaxis standard levels right now if you won't like to customize the game.

 

[jkp1187]

Not totally equal.
AI gets some extra bonuses like extra bonus against animal/barb.
But imo we better leave most of them now and equalizing everything is surely a very bad idea.
For instance Ai gets a huge bonus on upgrades. But it doesn't have a mass upgrade empire-management routine yet so cancelling this bonus would lead to big masses of obsolete AI units.
Or taking away the animal/barb extra bonus would hurt AI expansion a lot because as you can see AI still escorts settlers with just 1 unit and it's a huge setback to lose a settler to an animal in the early game for instance.

So i think you're better play with Firaxis standard levels right now if you won't like to customize the game.

Actually, I was sticking with the Firaxis levels until Iustus and/or Blake decrees that the new handicaps were an official part of the Better AI package....

What exactly did Blake's handicap adjustment do, anyway?

And has anyone considered leveling some of the handcaps on the lower levels? For instance, reducing or eliminating the AI's penalties for, say, science/economy on Warlord level while maintaining the production penalties? This might allow a peaceful human player not to worry about war as much, but would still be challenged by the AI in technology?

 

[JBConquests]

I'm playing on Noble with Better AI build 1/30. It feels to me like the difficulty level of Noble is back to where it was prior to Blake's AI. Except that the AI is a whole lot smarter. On noble Pre-Blake I used to have a decent science lead and now with Better AI I do again. I used to play on prince level because of that. At least I did until Blake's AI knocked me back a peg to Noble.

I was feeling pretty good about myself this evening playing Civ 4. I had a big science lead. I had a powerful Navy (Island game). Nobody was touching me. This game will be easy to win I thought to myself. I was on top of the world until I saw the message that the Incan's won via a cultural victory. Ah, nuts. Wasn't even watching.

I deserved that. I guess a scientific lead and a military lead doesn't mean you can ignore everyone else. I deserved that. Great Job Blake!

 

[shadyforce]

I'm mostly play on Noble too, and I almost always use Aggressive AI as it makes for a much more interesting game. However, one thing I've noticed is that once a player (AI or human) gets away from the 'pack' in technology, and techs it's way to superior defenders, such that it can feel safe in the war-like atmosphere, it can run off to an insurmountable tech-lead and leave the others behind. They don't have a hope of catching up because they don't have the security of technologically superior defenders to keep them safe while building/teching and they are bogged down in wars with the rest of the civs that have fallen behind.

In my opinion, there should be a tendency for civs, particularly war-mongering civs, to take on technologically superior (but militarily inferior) rivals before they tech their way to an insurmountable defense because they won't be caught then.

Overall I think it would make the game more close right to the end.

 

[kettyo]

What exactly did Blake's handicap adjustment do, anyway?

-Animals attack a bit less frequent
-AI bonus against animal/barb reduced (i don't know if that's good)
-AI supply cost of units abroad increased
-AI upgrade cost increased (i don't know if that's good)
-AI inflation increased a bit
-AI war weariness inceased a bit

 

[gnome]

I'm mostly play on Noble too, and I almost always use Aggressive AI as it makes for a much more interesting game. However, one thing I've noticed is that once a player (AI or human) gets away from the 'pack' in technology, and techs it's way to superior defenders, such that it can feel safe in the war-like atmosphere, it can run off to an insurmountable tech-lead and leave the others behind. They don't have a hope of catching up because they don't have the security of technologically superior defenders to keep them safe while building/teching and they are bogged down in wars with the rest of the civs that have fallen behind.

In my opinion, there should be a tendency for civs, particularly war-mongering civs, to take on technologically superior (but militarily inferior) rivals before they tech their way to an insurmountable defense because they won't be caught then.

Overall I think it would make the game more close right to the end.

Maybe it would also be good for AI's that are very far behind in tech to be more willing to cooperate against stronger opponents (or even to seek out permanent alliances). Heck, it could provide entertainment incentive to stay in a losing game... the possibility of forming a desperate alliance against an evil empire.