What are the AI weaknesses?

[akillias]

And how do you exploit them????

 

[DMOC]

War

 

[TheDS]

Pretty much hitting that START GAME button, if you listen to some people.

 

[Black Mech]

Just think and the AI has already lost.

 

[Stewie0416]

Remember that the AI is just codes, it cant think. All you need to do is click START GAME and remember to think ( unless you're in some kinda vegetative state or a coma in which then you shouldnt be playing anything at all!)

 

[TheMeInTeam]

War, long term strategic planning, tile management, worker turns, governor usage, diplomacy.

Basically, most facets of civ play.

Strengths?

On deity, it literally builds twice as fast as you, and starts with 2 cities basically. It might be bad with units and make knights while you are at rifles, but if you're on emperor or higher and you're up against the wrong AI, that can easily be 60+ knights. Careful.

 

[6K Man]

Tile management is, IMO, the biggest one that can be easily countered by a human player. The AI simply doesn't, in my experience, know how to make a super production/commerce city. Thus, in the middle game when Dikes/Universities/Banks/Oxford/Ironworks/Factories come along, it's possible to pull away.

 

[mirthadir]

The biggest place the AI sucks is at diplomacy. Get most AIs to friendly and they won't backstab you regardless of how tempting you are. To a lesser extent you can ensure that AIs go smack each other senseless by feeding their grudge matches. The true maestros can go the whole game with no units of their own and perpetually have AI on AI wars do the dirty work for them.

Exploiting diplomacy comes in a few basic steps:
1. So far as I can tell AIs tend to choose religion based on domestic concerns; you either need to be pagan, in FR, or have chosen your religion for diplomatic means.
2. Once AIs hate each other, they are more likely to declare and rarely make trade deals with their worst enemies. You may have to give up 3 techs, but tech is fleeting; hatred lasts eternally.
3. You can choose your civics for diplomatic reasons, the AI rarely does.
4. You can mooch large amounts of military with DPs.

Every other AI handicap is offset by some degree due to their superior build rates, superior research rates, etc. Their diplomatic stupidity turns all those against them.

 

[Joshua368]

Though the AI has handicaps diplomatically as well: hidden bonuses amoungst other AIs, signifigantly higher WFYABTA limit, never requesting they stop trading, etc. Not saying your point isn't good, but the AI gets help there as well.

Though the simple and very true answer is WAR.

 

[Stewie0416]

The main problem with the AI is that well, its a AI! It follows codes and systems. The only reason Deity is harder than Settler is just because the AI gets special bonuses for it. They don't really get smarter at all.

PS: i have never nor will never in the next 3 years play Deity so please correct me if im wrong

 

[mirthadir]

Though the AI has handicaps diplomatically as well: hidden bonuses amoungst other AIs, signifigantly higher WFYABTA limit, never requesting they stop trading, etc. Not saying your point isn't good, but the AI gets help there as well.

Though the simple and very true answer is WAR.

Those "handicaps" don't actually help the AI though. AIs self nerf by trading with the guys in the lead, making it easier for you to find a tech leader or two and leverage off them to beat up the rabble (or have the rabble immolate themselves against the tech leader). Failure to stop trade ensures that if I arrange a little war, the AI won't cut trades to civs even when said civ is hosing their key ally.

Yes the AI is stupid at fighting wars, but its bonus mitigates that to a HUGE degree. I've had Shaka's SoD overwhelm 4 CG III/drill II machine guns on a hill (and a large number of drill III MGs as well).

 

[Charonicus]

Were you after specifics on each leader perhaps? Best way to find that out is to play a lot. Some weaknesses are obvious, like Tokugawa's. Leave him to his own devices so he stagnates then wipe him out. Ragnar builds nothing but units and ends up so far behind on techs you can use diplomacy to get him to do all sorts of craziness. Pacal (at least in my games) seems to like early wonders, making him a prime target for an early rush. I remember one game finding him building the oracle, stonehenge and the great wall with just two cities, while I had four pumping out axemen and the Carthage UU. Free wonders for me.

 

[andersw]

And how do you exploit them????

Like others said war.
But a very important thing is to learn how the AI behaves.
It more or less gets down to how each trait behave.

Exploits, knowledge or skill, call 'em whatever.
The traits do behave pretty much the same every game.

Some examples that works decent for me:
Try to stay same religion as the biggest block, if equal, choose wisely, you may actually want to war your neighbour.
Keep a larger army not to be trampled by the agressive.
Rush the !agressive!protective neighbour.

 

[JTMacc99]

It is also highly vulnerable to amphibious war elephants, or at least, that what's I've heard.

 

[JammerUno]

I've always thought one of the main faults in the AI is the inability to successfully capture cities. AI's warring eachother will rarely end up with one of the civs preishing, when it does, the big civ usually manages to do thesame to others, but too often, the AI just war eachother endlessly without making any progress. Looking at the AI trying to capture my cities makes me conclude this would make any war last forever.

 

[Maaximillus]

AI cant use world builder but you can

 

[Black Mech]

I've always thought one of the main faults in the AI is the inability to successfully capture cities. AI's warring eachother will rarely end up with one of the civs preishing, when it does, the big civ usually manages to do thesame to others, but too often, the AI just war eachother endlessly without making any progress. Looking at the AI trying to capture my cities makes me conclude this would make any war last forever.

Though it is a realistic World War I simulation when the AI fights each other

 

[Jet]

It is also highly vulnerable to amphibious war elephants, or at least, that what's I've heard.

That's a paddlin'.

 

[GreatNinja]

Converting to their own founded religion (world is 46% Jewish, their religon, Confusionist, is a measly 8%)

 

[azzaman333]

It really sucks at war.