[GS] What is your preferred difficulty level for playing GS?

[Archon_Wing]

So if you capture your enemies cities Diety becomes easier than Immortal?

Prince* Ok maybe King.

But honestly, once you close on t200 all the games start to look alike, with higher difficulty ones ending earlier because of faster AI progress.

 

[Aristos]

Which map size and game speed do you usually play on? Another question: does AI at Immortal usually not attack in the early game, so that you don't abuse those early wars? And last question: you mean you can play cheesy at any difficulty by just conquering neighbors early on?

All standard, although I usually use High Sea to create "real" continents as the scripts are somewhat faulty and tend to create pangeas (in Fractal, 100% of the time).

AI at IMM will attack you if it sees an opportunity, but without the crazy starting bonuses of Deity that opportunity does not arise guaranteed at the beginning of the game.

Rushing neighbors early is "cheesy" because of the pathetic state of the tactical AI. Strategy AI is a little better, meaning that if it has time, it can put up a "fight" (in strat terms) to some extent. The "cheesiness" is to abuse the AI early, even at Deity, just by preparing from the start for the guaranteed AI attack, hold it, counter attack and take everything. Cheesy, and one-dimensional play that is boring after the first few times you beat Deity. Although you are not forced to go that way, because you can even win Deity without the early abuse, most of the time the abuse is triggered by the AIs attack.