What Difficulty Level do you play on?

[Jamesds]

I can only play as high as noble myself, and even then I can't win as well as I'd like. There aren't as many in-depth strategy guides for CivIV as there are for CivIII, I guess this is due to the time each has been out .

I've seen some screenshots of some amazing games, where the player is doing really well, and yet it is so early in the game. I want to know where I stand in the general picture of things. Some people have said BTS difficulties are easier, others have said they have become more difficult.

So what do you think?

 

[Sir Janus]

Dropped down a level to Prince to get used to the new features but am finding it quite tough with the better AI. Sometimes play Noble so I can more or less guarantee getting whatever wonders I want so that I can play around with the new ones and different combinations.

 

[ComradeDavo]

Currently i'm playing a mammoth game on noble, and also a normal game on prince. I want to try and get myself up to playing harder difficulty levels.

 

[RedRalph]

Noble. I can always win a space race on Noble, but I've only ever once won any other sort (Conquest). But tis still more fun than winning easily every time on Warlord

 

[FeelGood]

Only up to monarch. Played emperor once but dropped later due to AI aggresiveness and maintenance cost. Now playing monarch BtS. Maybe will try emperor again. I'm never a warmonger. I think higher levels suit warmonger.

 

[sneaky]

Pre-BTS I played Noble and had it pretty easy and even thought about going up a level. When BTS first came out I had to drop to Warlords and still had a hard time. That said, I think I learned from my initial BTS mistakes and am now playing a much tighter game with my strategy adjusted for the BTS changes. For instance, in my current game am almost double in score, have destroyed the two opponents on my continent and am aiming for an early space race hopefully somewhere in the 1800's. Because of this, I expect to go back to Noble any time soon, because it isn't any fun anymore.

 

[frob2900]

I wonder if the bell curve will peak at prince or monarch? I'm guessing prince!

 

[Bast]

A Noble. But I hope one day to be a Princess of the Blood.

 

[Khamul]

I used to play prince but since BtS seems to be easier, I moved to Monarch.

 

[colony]

In Warlords I split it about 60/40 Emperor/Monarch, I always found Emperor to be a good challenge, and I'd try new things or let myself play a bit sloppily on Monarch. Now I just seem to be playing on Emperor, and while I do like that not every AI has the exact same techs, I don't think I should be able to keep up with the leading AIs without having a lot more land or pop than them.

 

[Thalassicus]

I wonder if the bell curve will peak at prince or monarch? I'm guessing prince!

Need more data, bell curve out of whack.

 

[chopstyx]

I've been Noble in every CIV, WL & BtS game I've played, and I've just won my first BtS game at this level (diplo victory due to me having all but 1 civs as vassals), so I think I'll have 1 more game at Noble and if I win it I will move up to Prince. The first few BtS games were a shock tho, esp. how the AI organises efficient attacks on your cities.

 

[jeffreyac]

I have to admit to no more than Noble, as well - for me, I just can't get past my urge to craft a wonderful civilization, blooming with culture and lovely architecture, elegantly designed improvements - all of which is rolled over by massed axemen as the AI senses my lack of military.... Ah, well, someday I'll remember to build more than one unit per city!

 

[frob2900]

Need more data, bell curve out of whack.

Just wait. It will become a (possibly skewed) bell curve in a while

 

[Revan1000]

Noble on BTS, Prince on Warloads. BTS is a bit more challenging for me than Warloads. AI is a more aggressive. I hate Monte and Alex even more on BTS.

 

[Polycrates]

Emperor for me. If nothing else, I love how happiness is so massively important and restrictive in the early game, and the barbs rage much more entertainingly. Especially now the AI bonuses have been scaled back, it's tough without feeling like a struggle against idiots with a massive headstart.

 

[frob2900]

Emperor for me. If nothing else, I love how happiness is so massively important and restrictive in the early game, and the barbs rage much more entertainingly. Especially now the AI bonuses have been scaled back, it's tough without feeling like a struggle against idiots with a massive headstart.

Isn't happiness the same for all difficulty levels in BtS?

 

[RedRalph]

Have to say I have never, ever been attacked by Alex. Hes always been a good neighbour. Montys a baxtard alright though.

Random events really have added an element of luck to the game, which I think is a good thing. However I've noticed that even without spending anything much on the slider on espionage, I still suffer no major consequenses.

 

[Polycrates]

Isn't happiness the same for all difficulty levels in BtS?

Is it? Seems the same to me on Emperor (4 for capital, 3 for other cities), and when I played a couple of games on monarch, I remember thinking the happiness cap seemed disconcertingly high.

 

[colony]

It's definately 5 for the capital and 4 for the other cities now. Sure you weren't oppressing the slaves a bit too much?