what level do you play at?

[PhilB]

Like most of you, I'm trying to find a way to make my games challenging after the medieval era (more or less), on Emperor. I've played semi-god games but the start is too stressful.
How do you change the cost factor?
Another idea would be to use CM3T to change the game difficulty in game, from Emperor to semi-god. Has anyone ever tried that? When would be the best time to do so?
Thanks! (Sorry for my lazy english)

 

[Fergei]

Like most of you, I'm trying to find a way to make my games challenging after the medieval era (more or less), on Emperor. I've played semi-god games but the start is too stressful.
How do you change the cost factor?
Another idea would be to use CM3T to change the game difficulty in game, from Emperor to semi-god. Has anyone ever tried that? When would be the best time to do so?
Thanks! (Sorry for my lazy english)

Cost factor is under the difficulty level tab in the rules section of the editor. If you change it then save your template and use that to generate maps that you then save and load that as your baseline game.

There is another fairly recently updated thread where justanick helped me out with the difficulty.

https://forums.civfanatics.com/threads/finding-the-proper-difficulty-setting.546431/

In terms of bolstering late game difficulty without making early game impossible I would follow justanick's suggestion of removing all extra starting units for the AI (to remove variables) and instead reducing the cost factor. Extra starting units, particularly a settler or worker, massively increase early game difficulty but dont impact on late game difficulty.

Due to a bug the difficulty will default to selecting Regent, so you need to make sure your modified difficulty for Emperor is exactly also replicated for Emperor. I've not played the following, but this is my plan for trying to get a consistent game-long challenge on Emperor:

- reduce cost factor by 2 to 6
- remove any starting units for AI
- minimise barbarians (doesn't impact on late game)
- increase tech trading rate for AIs a wee bit to the level for the next difficulty up

If the above doesn't work then you could reduce cost factor lower or maybe increase free unit support for the AI so that they stay in Republic/Democracy for longer which might help prevent their tech rate from dropping off later in the game (when things get more aggressive and they switch to military governments).

 

[PhilB]

Thanks for the detailled answer. One thing I didn't mention is that I play on the Rise and Rule Revisited mod. I've read that the AI has been improved in this mod, so'll I'll check first in the scenario file. But I think the extra starting units on demi-god are still present, for what I've seen.

 

[PhilB]

Oh, I also tried to modified in game difficulty through CM3T, don't know yet if it does something. On strange thing I noted though is that there's a general difficulty, and then a difficulty level for each civ. Changing the general on doesn't have any effect on the latter, I stay on emperor on this screen, and civs on regent (?)...

 

[Chicken Pizza]

When I play on a level higher than regent, usually emperor, it's to get more fodder for my troops promotions.

I'm a leader addict, military and science, and emperor is just about right to be able to chase them both.

 

[Zardnaar]

Used to play Emperor default with wins on Deity and Sid.

Usually play for fun and I've forgotten everything so back to monarch.

 

[Theov]

Oh, I also tried to modified in game difficulty through CM3T, don't know yet if it does something. On strange thing I noted though is that there's a general difficulty, and then a difficulty level for each civ. Changing the general on doesn't have any effect on the latter, I stay on emperor on this screen, and civs on regent (?)...

I have no idea what this post said.

 

[PhilB]

Me either . Just trying to understand the difficulty settings on C3MT, to change the difficulty mid-game when the AI starts losing ground.
So far the best tweak I've found is to start on semi-god difficulty, but with the same amount of Settlers the AI has on Emperor (1 iirc). Using the the scenario editor, not C3MT, of course.